PressurePros

A roof isn't part of the house? Following the mentality of including gutters, why not include the roof? Wait, there is a walkway that leads to the house and if that's dirty, guess what? The whole job looks like ****, you better clean that too. Oh no, that driveway..where does it end? A dirty roof will detract just as fast from a good housewash as wil dirty gutters. My housewash mix has butyl in it. The gutters come up about 65%. If they want them to shine, they pay extra. I'm not knocking anyone's way of making a profit. Think of it this way, the company in the next town doesn't do gutters at all.. he prices $50 below you. Bang he gets the job and then you come on here and complain about lowballers. (not directed at anyone whom posted just generalizing). Just because something has been done the same way for a long time doesn't make it right. Trust me, my drive off the tee always ends up as a slice, so I understand..With inflation, gas prices and general finance on everyone's mind, you have to figure out ways to cut expenses and stay profitable. I'm with Adrian on this one. If he is happy and homeowner is happy with his value, mission accomplished.

Ron, for me the writing was on the wall a couple of years ago. I ditched all of my commercial work. I was getting calls every day that XYZ Company was in and they are $20 cheaper and can I match? My expenses were going up and my profits down. That's a pie I want no part of. I hope all works out well for you, it may be time to diversify.

Great job, Adrian. It's amazing how the camera picks up color when light is reflected instead of being absorbed by mold and dirt.

I am not revising the free estimates but I am thorughly screening the homeonwers on the phone. I am heading out this morning to tackle this job sight unseen with just photographs and measurements. I unfortunately had to tack on a travel charge as it's a 45 minute ride. http://www.thegrimescene.com/forums/showthread.php?p=40350#post40350

$14 per gallon is way too expensive. I wouldn't pay more than $3.00 per gallon for the type of cleaner you are looking for. Check out Sunbrite, Delco, PressureTek or Rowlett Pressure Cleaning. Now you also have to compare apples to apples. The product you are buying has a very high aqueous concentration of sodium hydroxide which makes it a bit more expensive. There are formulas for cleaning concrete that have synergistic compunds that can save you a ton of money. They work very well on gutters also.

His life span would have ben limited to how well he could take 3500 psi at 180 degrees. Epitath: Here lies Boris A spider among the best Met up with a pressure pro who put those legs to rest.

Take two, they're small.

Thanks, Rod!

I'm not in MD, but give me a call. Two heads are better than one. Stay strong, bro, everything goes in cycles. While you are down it's a good time to take apart your marketing campaign and analyze it very closely. The amount of money you are spending is not proportionate to your return.

Same sentiments here. I am awaiting a pail from ES after seeing your results, Nice job, guys! Wood Tux is so far ahead of everything out there in terms of contractor profits and quality of raw materials. The spraying factor was the thing I was waiting for. I'll post more results as I get them.

Thanks, Jon. I'm glad you have shared a real world application. When you say your mix was 7-8% was that of chlorine yield or a 7-8% mix of solution you had prepared? The reason I ask is that in theory, if equal amounts of chlorine are delivered to a surface mold the efficacy should be equal. I also question because you mentioned that you used the calcium hypochlorite to save money. In researching pricing, proper mix ratios would make the NaCl cheaper.

You need to go with an acid. Safe Restore or GS Restoration are two products you could use. I don't recommend muriatic acid on brick. Burns the substrate unless you are very careful.

Both will yield the same results. Differences are 1) Price: You need approximately 30 oz of crystal Ca(OCl)2 mixed per gallon of water to yield 15% chlorine. This brings the cost to about $5.25 per gallon. NaClO with 15% chlorine is about half the price. 2) I think the Ca(OCl)2 is also a more active oxidizer than NaClO. I am not positive but from my thinking this could lead to some issues with flash rusting. Advantages: 1) Better storage, longer shelf life for dry chemical. 2) It's more stable in aqueous solution Disadvantages: 1) You have to mix up your solution in the field. 2) Mixing of the powder poses potential for inhalation thus respiratory protection should be utilized. 3) The powder is less soluble.

Celeste you work for and value what you have. If a new project is built and they are just given homes, the odds are they will not respect or maintain it. Everyone that will be given low income housing should particiapte in it's building (a la Habitat for Humanity) Then the majority will be less likely to abuse it.

You won't need to strip.. just clean it, reprime and seal with homowner choice color.

I doubt it, Everett. The key for my successful strip was poor preparation on homeowner part. It was not primed and doubtfully was two coats. It was also down for three years with no maintenance and was worn clear in some spots. The areas that gave me the most problems and required a second strip were where the customer had runs and drips and painted over them. I did have another deck where a solid was applied over another solid. H.O was unsure of products used and while it was a tough strip, we were able to apply a semi in both cases with excellent results.

$15 an hour PLUS benefits? Wow, Henry. With workman's comp that must come out to $40 per hour plus material costs, gas etc. You have mentioned your guys are fast and I guess they would have to be at that rate. Do you have crew leader rates or do two guys on a truck make the same rate?

I'd talk to Keith at kbkgraphics. He has been my one stop shopping for marketing material. Just got 1000 double sided, full color, thick stock, laminated cards through him for a very low price. I don't want to post that price as it may have been part of a package deal, but ask him. He is very easy to work with and comes through on deadlines.

Great post. Newbies read this three more times before you go to bed tonight. Not trying to be facetious but we have all made these same mistakes. Trust me, you don't have to place your hand on the pan to know it's hot. "John" deserves what he got. Not trying to be mean but I see so many people ask for advise knowing damn well they are going to follow their own plan anyway. I'm happy to give anyone advise from what I have learned but I will not validate someone's hair brained idea to make them feel good. Numbers 4 & 5 are so true. Everyone, including my family knows, I do this professionally. I don't mind giving advise but when I pull into their driveway, the meter is running. Hinting at future work is the oldest builder/property manager trick in the book.

LOL, I will. Maybe I will have them ship it to me piece by piece.

You and me both, Jeff.

I have had similar results as Rod. I used the HD at 8 oz per gallon to strip Cabot's solid.. 1800 square foot cedar deck. Took two full days but there was no residue. On the same note, I have heard that blue solid is a bit of a PIA. The Cabot's with teflon will not come off. That is more like porch paint.

The problem with assessing a machine based on hours can be flawed. A machine with meticulous performed maintenance and has always been run off of a large reserve tank could have a thousand hours and still be a perfect machine to last another five years. I'll give you an example.. Guy buys a machine, puts 300 hours on it, no reserve tank (portable cold 4 gpm belt drive) The area he works doesn't have municipal water, it is well supplied. One out of three jobs he cavitates that pump over and over. He never changes the pump or engine oil unrtil he is about to sell it. In comes a buyer and sees 300 hours and jumps on the deal. Two months later his pump is shot. The problems are worse if the machine is hot water. Any machine I were to purchase would be have to be torn apart if it had anything over 200 hours.

The more negative an experience, the more you learn from it. Complacency can creep in destroy just about anything that thrives. So unfortunately, we need events like Oklahoma, 911, and now Katrina to keep us on our toes. Systems we thought capable were proven woefully inadequate.. again. Okay, I'll take this opportunity to hijack the thread for personal agenda. The bleeding hearts are gonna hate me for this one and I will pretend I actually worry about that. The storm aftermath was not only a test of governmental preparedness, it was a test of fleeting humanity. You may call me prejudiced but what kind of animal declares war on the people that are risking their own lives and sacrificing everything of themselves to come and offer aid? Scumbags that society would be better off without. I am not condemning a whole race, I'm sure there were humans from various genetic that participated in the chaos. But one can only blame socioeconomics to a certain degree. It's deeper than that. There is a mentality that floats among certain people. Perhaps it has been breed through years of mistrust and mistreatment. The are many groups that have had political and economic hardship that have risen above squalor (both real and perceived) and climbed from poverty,. The prevailing factor is not race, there are plenty of Middle Eastern, Indian and Asians that are quite successful despite the contempt that is often parlayed onto those that differ from white anglo-America. The prevailing factor is personal motivation. Human beings are incredibly adept at changing enviromental conditions. Many immigrants come to this country on equal ground and many manage to rise above project living and handouts. One can cry about the inability of the afflicted poor to get out of the path of impending destruction. Does that same person shake their head in disbelief when many of those same afflicted are yielding guns, robbing, raping and pillaging and once again proving to world perception that this country's social system is fatally flawed? That we are indeed a nation of savages with aggrandized personal agenda? <sigh> Some things never change and perhaps never will. While I choose not to substantiate the facts of that article as real or other, I wholeheartedly agree with it's message.. If you hold nothing of value, have worked to achieve nothing and live handout to handout, of course you will not hold anything else, including human life or personal condition, as worthy of redeeming. Who cares whom is to blame for the woefully slow response in N.O.? I'm sick of hearing about it. How about the other areas that were hit and how they are coping and rebuilding. I'd like to see some positive aftermath for a change.

Everyone raves about Steve's Citracleen, have you tried that?