PressurePros

Very nice work. In addition to Lance's advice, finishing with oxalic acid would brighten it even more and tone down if not get rid of any rust/mineral deposits you have.

Engine tuneups, tires inflated to full pressure and checked often, drive at 55 mph on the highway, get rid of excess weight on truck, keep oil changed every three months, route planning, job grouping, separate vehicle to do proposals and I surcharge every job over ten miles away.

I have used Deckscapes water borne products with decent results.

One reason I am not a big fan of that cheaper knotty grade of cedar. I have stopped using ATO on cedar. I now stick to stains that have heavier pigmentation. Or I charge more to put on two coats. Beth, this guy is unreasonable. The finished product when that thing was sanded is very near perfection. It bites when the customer is not happy with the color on a penetrating oil. Hope it works out well for you.

FullBlast those pictures are so ridiculous that they are hilarious. I'm sure we are all guilty of being lazy in the safety department. I've bounced a ladder when I was young and in college and working for an exteror painting. I needed another six feet to the right and using the ladder as a POGO stick seemed like a good idea at the time.

Nah, I was just joking Adrian. I was looking at the map and noone had signed up from Texas yet. I hope everybody gets a chance to sign ip on this.

Or it can be caused by drinking a sick pack of malt liquor too quickly. Oh wait, that's for the teenage years. Yeah you better start a payment plan for that Mossberg now (shotgun)

I'm moving to Texas, Shane must be the only guy down there.

I agree with Celeste and Beth. Most of us have triple your mentioned budget tied up in accessories alone. No offense but you need to look at what a half hearted setup would cost you: Machine $800 (it's going to be a low gpm model, translated as SLOWWW) It may come with 50' of hose, but that's not nearly enough for a housewash, add $130 for another hundred feet. Opps no garden hose, if you don't use contractor hose you will regret it as it tangles. Add another $75 for 75 feet of that. Now you need hose reels, add another $250. X-Jet or hi flow downstreamer setup with SS quick couplers $120 How are you going to generate business? Add another $600 for a quickie marketing campaign including some flyers and business cards. You say you're starting a company. You mean you are going to ride around and wash things though. Because a company needs to be registered, licensed, setup with the state and federal gov't accruing legal and accounting fees. Add another $1000 (probably a conservative number because I know operating in CA is tougher) Insurance is a non sequitore. You can be like the rest of the fly by nighters we are trying to eliminate and go without it. If you're for real, add another $1200 Housewashes often require a 6 foot gun. You will want all quick couplers. You will need a few nozzle sizes, O-rings, various detergents, an extension wand and truck brush and a few more ods and ends like a respirator and saftey goggles and a 30 foot ladder. Add another $700. You're at almost five thousand and trust me, there are a ton of other things like Shur Flo pumps, Surface Cleaners, etc. Wait you're in CA so you need a water reclaimation system! That's gonna cost more than your entire setup. With all due respect, Greaser, maybe you just didn't realize what was involved, you aren't even in the ballpark if you start talking about operating without insurance. You may think I am a real jerk-off but I try to put guys with that mentality out of business every day. There might be a reason there aren't many guys operating around you. Check your local licensing requirements and when you truly understand what it costs to run a successful business everyone here will trip over themselves to help you out.

I'll let ya know my schedule but for the most part my season is dwindling to an end. I am booked until next weds then nothing. Which is fine by me, I'm behind on a ton of other stuff. JL's offer sounds good if you're willing to travel.

Yeah that's cool.. I just added myself.

Sleep as much as you humanly can now and then adapt to three hours per night. Clean some restaurant exhaust sytems so you dull your olfactory senses... That's it for now, if I think of any more later I will add to the list. Congrats Mike.

As another season draws to an end, I finally get a chance to sit back and thank the stars (for me, it's God) for a successful year. Not without it's heartache, fears and learning, this year has been good to me. I also reflect on that which is more important..personal growth. I know I can be a byproduct of my own ego sometimes. For that, I apologize to anyone that has percieved that indulgence of self. I truly don't intend to pretend superiority or berate anyone that reads what I write. The posts here get better and better. Our industry is growing, changing, expanding. We are the pioneers. I am following with interest the post regarding the public perception of our industry. I optimistically voted. Initially with a saddened heart I viewed the poll results. Then I understood, first comes recognition, then comes change. Everyone reading this is the creme de la creme. The veteran, the newbie, the guy with a vision. I consider myself a newbie yet some of the posts I can read with a veteran's eye. If you know the answer, share it. If you need to find the answer, keep reading. I'm grateful to be in a country that allows me to express my entrepreneurial spirit and to have found a place to share and grow that spirit. Closer, thanks to the people that make forums like this possible.

Eagles fan so I would to say fingernails and the skin from my palm.

I sometimes get the impression that commercial is more profitable then residential from some posters. Let me put that myth to rest having experienced both sides. In the past six months I'm fairly certain I could match balance sheets with anyone that does business 12 months per year.

Mr Softee, never give up that heart. As much as I try to appear the hardened business guy I would have been out back building that same doghouse, the whole time thinking what I wanted to name my new pet. Good call Phillip, this is what true humanity is all about. Thanks for the reminder.

For commercially available products..Sikkens SRD and Cabot Aussie Oil for hardwoods or on certain softer species. Deckscapes from Sherwin Willimas is another on. I also like the Cabot's Clear Solutions products. Next season I will be using Wood Tux on everything but hardwoods.

Hey Adrian, can you clean my house for me? While you're at it I need you to walk the dog and change the oil on my car. We all live and learn. Now I easily look the customer right in the eye and say no. No explaination other than, I'd be happy to give you aquote for any other work needed. I was sealing a deck last month and when I'm done the lady not only witholds the check so her husband could check the job, she asks me to install a perimeter fence they bought to keep the dog off the fence. Huh? I don't think people do it to be mean or take advantage, some people just don't think. If I had a contractor coming to do my deck, it would be clear of furniture and swept. I had one early summer where the people had a party the night before and all food, tables etc were on the deck. By the amount of tables and debris they had to have 100 people. I asked a very hung over looking homeowner if he prefferred to move all of the stuff off the deck while we setup and mixed chemicals or have us move it all for an extra $75.

I had a German Shepard that was an escape artist. My neighbors said he would scale the cyclone fence like a human being would. The only way I got him back quickly was to call the local pound (SPCA) and ask if he was there. If you release him in a higher end neighborhood I doubt the result will be like on TV "Oh mom, he's so cute, please can we keep him"? With the climate of fear surrounding dogs (which may be much worse up here in the Philadelphia region) most affluent people would react by calling the police or the dog catcher. Place an ad in your local paper or look up the lost and founds yourself to se if he is in there. He's a good lookin pooch underneath the mange, hopefully someone will claim him.

It's definitely been wet. I haven't seen the sun in about ten days.

It looks good to me. I have never touched a log other than when I took vacations in the Poconos as a kid so I'm not sure what to look for or if the discolorations are normal. I'd say a definite nice job for a person that doesn't do this for a living!

Here is how I read these boards, "if it doesn't apply, let it fly" Customers learning how to do their own decks. Big Deal. I can also learn how to pour a concrete patio, build an addition and wire my entire house. The info is out there. I am not foolish enough to think by reading technique that I can accomplish those things to the same degree a professional can. I enjoy reading the banter most of the time. This is a cross section of personality not a canvas of automaton drivel .. If everyone adapted to a close lipped, avoid debate at all costs mentality while posting, this board, and all others like it would probably die. I've said this before and it may not make me real popular..If something someone types on a message board offends or intimidates you, you probably don't have the cajones neccessary to run a business. Everett, the world changes for better or worse. I completely understand where you are coming from. But as it usually goes in any hierchy, you teach the young (newbies) and then you step aside and let them make mistakes. When they are ready, it is they whom will share the knowlege that has been shared with them. I'm kind of sad that you have sworn off the boards so to speak. I always learn new things after reading your posts. I hope you'll reconsider.

A buddy of mine chains up his Harley in the worst part of the city. I know he uses locks from ABUS (I think that is the spelling) Expensive though...

I hear ya, John. This was shipped so the freight killed the price. I haven't asked my local guy what he wants for a fifty of the oxalic since I ordered in a hundred lbs and it has lasted me all season.

It will work out. Every time a door closes a better one usually opens. Keep your faith.