Barry M

Did this one today with no problem using Gutter Shock.

I was just curious what the average age of starting up a PWing biz was. I started last year, I was 33. Part of me wishes I started when I was in my twenties and could go all day on 4 hours sleep, come home drink a 12er slap the old lady on the ass and do it all again tomarrow. But then again I didn't have the wisdom I do now.

What kind of extension ladder do you use and why? I'm trying to find out if one has an advantage over another, or if it is just a matter of opinion. I will go with a fiberglass step latter but I'm not sure on the extension. It's a tose up between aluminum and fiberglass.

Roof Cleaning Video.

I too was drawn in to read every single word Dan. Unbelievable post that was obviously very honest and extremely uplifting. I for one am glad that your season ended on a positive note. I feel like good things are going to happen for you in the upcoming season. Stay focused!

I've done that dance before also but I never thought about making a Youtube video, that's pretty funny.

Well let's see.......what I don't like is the weather. I can't stand being backed up on deck work. Then when it dries out all the decks are ready at once and people start complaining even though you've explained it to them before hand. But I voted for dealing with plants around the deck. This is something I've really started paying attention to and I'll up my sq ft price if there are PITA plants everywhere. I love it when the bushes are so overgrown that they are bursting between the spindles and growing ON the deck, NOT! Or when overgrown trees and shrubs are draped all over the railings and you can't even see the handrails. I hate it so much that I found a better way! I washed a partially elevated deck (5 ft above ground level) today with a jungle of overgrown bushes around it. I grabbed my 6' wand that I use for fleet washing and was able to stand outside all the bushes instead of in them. I stayed half way dry and was able to see better and manipulate the wand in, around, behind, and above all the bushes without fighting them. It was way better than using my usual 3 footer, getting all soaked, and getting tangled up.

Any advertisment for that "ladder saver" should be thrown out. It's a piece of pipe that is targetted to newbies that don't know any better, and they get $48 bucks for it! It's a joke and a rip off!

Looks like spam to me! Are you selling article submissions?

Great job! That story sounds familar, I have that same thing happen to me ALL the time.......minus the brushing part.

I agree with Mudduck. It isn't raising the bar it's actually lowering it. Basically Jeff is using the "brushing" pitch as a marketing gimmick to land jobs. It is his way of selling value, only problem with that is it is also hindering his profits. I also agree with the fact that now the customer thinks brushing is a necessity. But it is the next guys job to re-educate if he wants the work. It's dog eat dog and that is fair but it does suck when someone mis-educates or misinforms a customer. I have a competitor here that advertises "specializing in hot water washing" and his pitch is HIS hot water is better and he applies wet wax with it so it's more effective. Every time I follow after this guy on a bid I get asked "do you use hot water." So I have to educate them that the end result with cold water and the proper chems is the same. That hot water can warp the siding and can be detrimental to plants. I even had a brochure made up that educates them about it in case he does his estimate after me. It's just a marketing gimmick and again the customer only cares about the end result period!

Jeff, I do have a brush out when the customer chooses my more detailed package which includes gutter scrubbing. But believe me, I charge for it. Our minimum house wash starts at $329 even for a small ranch. Most houses take me 1-1.5 hours with gutter scrubbing. Public perception is I know what I'm doing and obviously I'm good at it. We have a guarantee that "it's the most detailed exterior cleaning ever or it's FREE!" So when I'm in and out in less than 2 hours and they are happy to pay then that is the perception I want. I've never had anyone say "hey you didn't work hard enough!" It's the end result they are paying for. It's the experience of doing business with me and how I was in and out so they could get on with their lives WITH a clean home. Again Jeff, I doubt your houses are any cleaner than mine. Sure I scrub spots if necessary like water streaks under windows or marks on the metal around windows if they need it and like I said the gutters if they choose that package. But once a house is clean it's clean. I understand your point that you aren't debating methods, but rather perception. What would your perception be of a contractor push mowing a huge yard? My perception would be he is new, unestablished, and even unprofessional, NOT that he is a hard worker or doing a better job. I want the company that has a couple of guy's on big fast riders with sharp blades to get in and out with the same results (fresh cut grass). Or in this case a nice clean house. This is why I was reluctant to debate this, you don't get it and you won't get it. That's fine I really don't care. I mean no disrespect Jeff. I just know a thing or two about washing houses, public perception, customer loyalty, efficiency, and profits. But never mind me, I'll go away now and I wish you luck in your business I hope you remain successful. Enjoy your holiday weekend!

Anything posted on a public forum IS debatable, sorry. If you don't want debate then don't post. It's what makes the forums so valuable or at least it used to. Jeff, I was going to let this go because I don't have the time anymore to argue with guys who don't listen anyway. But I couldn't disagree more with your statement, "brushing will get you more work." Having your caveman methods and your own opinion is cool, but don't make bold untrue statements like this on a public forum, please. Larry makes an excellent point with the lawn mowing example. I hope that makes sense to you. Working harder is not good business practice and it won't bring you more work. Just being out there working brings you more work. Just being in business year after year brings you more business. Giving a good end result to your customers will bring you more work. It doesn't matter HOW you do it, and IMO your methods are holding you back. How could you even handle more work if your methods are so slow. You are working harder than you need to. Put one of your houses next to one of mine and they are both dramatic and excellent results. A house can only get so clean. Some days we've done 3 house washes and maybe even a roof or driveway thrown in there. All excellent results and extremely pleased clients. Think about this; you are at one location all day working your ass off and a curious neighbor comes over and asks for an estimate or business card. The homeowner may also be happy with the end results and may refer you, great. Now I'm at 3 different locations because I use efficient methods (right chemicals, big GPM unit, efficient rig set up, and so on). I hand out 3 times as many business cards, get 3 times the referrals, and gain 3 new loyal customers. That is priceless my friend, do that every day and your business would grow at a much faster rate, guaranteed. It isn't rocket science, ever heard the expression work smarter not harder. That doesn't mean you're lazy or cutting corners, it means you have streamlined your methods and your business and putting more profit in your pocket. The ONLY measure of success IS profits, that's it. So I rebuttal your statement about brushing bringing more work with; educate yourself, invest in the right equipment, become more efficient, sell value, charge a premium, and deliver the results. That will bring you at least 3 times the work that you are experiencing now. Just my opinion of course, oh and my EXPERIENCE!

Hey Scott, My site is a PR 4 now. Unbelievable for only being a year old. The cool thing is that a lot of my secondary pages are PR 3 and going up. Looks like your site is a PR 4 also, congrats!

If you want to be more profitable, charge more, become more efficient (not by brushing), be honest, and do quality work. Just my experience.

Ron, What Ken is saying is that you are getting all worked up over nothing. That long tailed keyword you put into the search engine, "deck restoration company's 10 years old", has been searched zero times in the past year until now. Here's another one for you Ron. Search "$99 house wash services". I see a couple of guys on the first page that are reputable business' and message board members. They are surrounded by a bunch of hacks. But again it means nothing because that term has also been searched zero times in the last year, so who cares!

I've never heard of them but you can't go wrong buying a Honda motor.

The proper chemicals ALWAYS help. I use my house wash mix on concrete with great results.

Pete, Good to hear someone else has found the benefits of DSing decks. Now you just need to get a canvas tarp to drape over the railings so you can spray when it's windy. Nice job!

Downstream and super low pressure. After applying chems, pull your chem hose out so you can go very low pressure without drawing soap.

Good one Ant! You were funny even a couple of years ago :)

I don't mind them charging a fee, their service is great and I love the way they all answer the phone, they are so cheery and it makes me smile. I call them all the time asking for a proof of insurance, they always fax it right away and then I get a hard copy via snail mail in a couple of days. That work alone is worth $75 IMO.

She deserves to do some time!

I DS sodium hydroxide whether it's a clean or strip and then DS acid.

I think the main thing is to take care of your equipment (oil changes/regular maintenance) and it should last a long time.