Palmetto Home and Deck

Trouble is there are folks out there that believe in perfection. The problem is an easy solve. On any new construction, we always state on our contract, the dry wallers must provide a level 5 finish. We stste the customer must sign and approve, the walls and trim. If not accepted, they must go back to work. We also provide so many hrs. for touch ups. If the customer has a bug, someone else has to fix it. After all, our work is to paint a level 5 finish. It doesn't get any better. We also use the National standards of the PDCA. This is accepted by the AIA, and many other organizations. This lets the HO know what to expect from us and what they will get. Again solving a problem. If after all this paper work and our perfect painting job, there is usually not a problem. If there is we work out the problems or stop work and go to court. Nothing is a given though. We all have to just be firm and do our home work. Hopefully one day, the ***** will offer such standards, etc. One bit of suggestion, Never burn bridges. If you insult the HO, they will smear your name. If they have any pull in your community, you may go out of business? Hope this helps. Thank you.

I stained a deck a few weeks ago and the other day the homeowner called me to say he found some over spray on his windows. Well, if I did, it was "my bad" so I told him I would be there as soon as I could to take care of the problem.
When I got there sure enough I found some over spray on his windows, but it did not look as bad as he described. This is a brand new house the owner bought about three months ago, but has not moved into yet. He told me there were a lot of problems in the house he was having the contractor repair before he moves in. A neighbor caught me in the yard and told me that for three months the contractor had been in and out with his work crews constantly and was wondering what was going on in the house.
I didn't think much of it at the time, but when I was there cleaning the windows I went inside to look through the glass to see if I could see the stain better from the inside.
The owner wasn't there when I went in, but when I did go in I could not believe what I saw. There were hundreds and hundreds of pieces of blue tape all over the walls and ceiling. I finally figured out that the owner was marking out what he thought were imperfections that he wanted fixed. I tried to find what he as marking and for the life of me I could not find anything out of the normal. I mean this was in every room, closet, behind doors, on top of doors, and ceiling. It would take someone days just to go around and pull the pieces of tape off the walls.
When the owner got back he got down on the hardwood floor on his knees and elbows with a spray bottle and a rag and started going over the floor inch by inch looking for any kind of mark or blemish no matter how small. By the time I left he had covered about five sf of floor and had little pieces of tape all over the place. He told me it was probably going to take him a week to go over and mark the living and dining room. He told me the house was still was under the warranty period where the contractor was suppose to come in and fix anything he found wrong so he was going to make sure everything was right before he moved in.
I have heard of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and have thought I have run into people with it before, but seeing this guy spending weeks and months in this new home looking for and marking out anything and everything he thinks is not just absolutely perfect like he was doing give me the chills.
I'm sure he will be calling me back for something as soon as he gets through going over the hardwood floor.

Hey MudDuck

I don't think he decided to get some other bids because of your price. I think it is because you told him something he didn't want to hear...the TRUTH. He does not want to admit he made a mistake with going with the Sherwin Williams Water Borne Stain in the first place. That is why he has gone back and bought the same thing again.

I lose jobs now and then, too, because I will tell the truth about a product. I think the biggest problem I run into is when the homeowner has decided to go with Behr stain on their deck. Most people are open minded to my information and opinion about different stains and sealers, but to a few, anything I say only against what they have decided to use only makes me a villain to them. They see the Behr commercials on TV and then they check it out on Consumer Reports that rates it as one of the best stains on the market and their minds are made up. It does not matter to them about my real world experience with it.

I’m sure he will find someone that will come along and tell this guy whatever he wants to hear. From you have described you may be better off if that happens at this point. If he decides to go with you anyway and use what you know to be the best thing for him and his deck he would probably turn out to be super critical and be looking for things to pick on because he does not want you to prove him wrong.

"I'm thinking about inc. my buisness this week. which is better INC. or LLC?"
Both INC. and LLC offer pretty much the same protection in separating your personal property and what actually belongs to your company. The basic difference is in the tax structure. The link below can give you some information to help you decide which is best for you.
www.bankrate.com/brm/news/biz/Biz_ops/20000831.asp
For more information Google INC. vs LLC

Since the US Gov is "bailing out" aka buying the mortgage company's bad debt properties and holding them for a year or three until market stabilizes, WILL they need maintenance? YES! We need to figure out how to get in the position to clean these properties. It should be an easy sell if you can get next to one of the management company's controlling this. Question is who are the company's? Has anyone heard anything yet? I bet it would be a good idea to figure this out and quickly! This would be VERY LUCRATIVE if you could figure this out and should be plenty of work for everyone minus the hacks without insurance. If anyone hears anything or has knowledge of "how to" please share.
Also I guarantee you that 810 BILLION dollars will be mis used and they will catch people paying people 1500.00 to mow a 50.00 single dwelling lawn every week, kind of like the 1200.00 toilet seat or 400.00 hammer from back in the day. Not that anyone here,,,,,,,would take advantage of something like that but this could be a way to keep or drive the premium up and keep us all here in buisness during the tight year or two to come. Again if anyone figures this out please get your share but share with the rest of us. Does anyone else see this idea or am I just day dreaming?
Just a food for thought in planing 2009. That is all.........

"His real estate agent told him don't pay over 175.00"
Something is bothering me about the real estate agent telling someone what to pay...or what not pay in this case. What makes them the expert in Pressure Washing?
What if a pressure washing company told the owner not to pay over 3% commission to the agent selling the house?
Just ranting...going to get another cup of coffee now......

This is the greatest thing ever! You can mop up all day long with the proper look and attitude. I pay a little extra for those people who shave, brush their teeth, keep their pants pulled up, and speak properly. Even if you can't immediately answer questions/solve problem tell them you will research it & get back with them. I'll get the job 9 out of 10 times even at a higher price.

Len -
This professional approach has worked very well for me too. Have the battle is showing up on time. I find that by being where you say you'll be, looking professional, and being an expert at what you do, eliminates a LOT of competition. Good post...
- John

If people who can determine your future have fixed views on matters of dress and grooming.It is good business sense to respect those views