Adrian

Man, I love stucco homes. Almost as easy as vinyl. I can't speak for everyone's rate, but, since I didn't actually see it really is hard to say. As far as a ballpark figure though .08 -.12 sf. Plus not knowing what the terrain looks like that's a fair margin I would think. More like the higher end though, because it is way outside my service area.

Just wait a little while Ken, it gets much more interesting!!!!

Just wanted to share a few pics of a resi today. It took an hour and fiftenn min. on this one. But had to wait an extra 30 for the customer to show up and pay. So I took that time to get sunburned a little more and stuff business cards on the neighborhood mail boxes. She was very pleased.

She didn't want the service. So I washed what I could with xjet. I charge extra for gutters. 7 gutter companies to compete with in my area. Boy I bet that statement is going to open up a can of worms.

I do Shane, and not just for plants. It's a disclosure that covers any potentiel damage. It's a blanket statement, that when customer signs (before I start) seals the deal from the get go. I carry ins., but it is a precautionary step.

I have cleaned alot of awnings using less bleach than a housewash mix with more soap. Dwell long enough to see an effect start then rinse with close range. lots of different finishes for awnings. Too much bleach can weaken fabric though. Keep that in mind. cover 10-15 ft sections. You will get it in no time. Piece of cake.

Congrats, that's great news. mine is in her 2nd year of college now. Talk about worry. So far away to protect. Suck it up man, it's all automatic and comes easy. You will be great at it. Daddy's girl without question. It's also kinda cool to put the fear of God in the potential suiters that come by a few years down the road.

I thought I might have to use a ladder on this one just because of the angle, but I got lucky on this one and was able to reach the highest point. I will be honest and say that not every house is a ladder free project, but most are. I have a smaller bucket and hose setup if I actually do find myself in a position where a ladder is needed. I have a hook/chain on the bucket to hang on a ladder rung (sp?). Then I have a really short draw hose that is a 3 footer. I have a qc on the end of a gun w/o the lance portion where I attach the x-jet. It hasn't failed me yet. Personally I am leary of ladders and heights. But the x-jetting process is so fast that I am not up there for too long. It's hard to believe that I once flew planes almost every free moment I had and still have issues with heights. But... planes aren't ladders. ..... and you got it Mr. Fenner... I do love the x-jet ( it's the greatest thing since Cindy Crawford). I would probably stop doing resi's if I did not have one. I have just always heard that downstreaming is hard on the pumps and hoses. Everyone has different methods of getting 30 ft high or better. The x-jet has just been the best time and body saver for me. Body meaning, High pressure on ladder up high only using one hand to hold on with the ladder and the other , the wand= big splat at some point. My hat is off to the ones behind the x-jet technology.

They call me a worry wart, and it's true. My buddy Steve Rodowski, ( most of you know him as Steve R on this forum) usually calls about everyday just to say "Hi" and to see what's cooking on my end of town. Well last week around Wednesday he touched base with me and we were going to hook up to swap some materials after he finished up a project close to my end of town. He said that he would hook up in about an hour or so......... that's the last I heard from him. I have all of his contact info including home # and even address. tried all the #'s several times to no avail. It's not normal behavior from him. He always touches base with me without fail. I know he has a fancy for fishing and hunting on the spur of the moment as well.And it is Turkey season. Plus he has a fishing boat in Fla. It's just very unusual for him not to touch base with me. Like the title says he's missing in action. He knows most of the PW firms here in the ATL area on a first name basis. But he seems to have dropped off of the face of the Earth. If anyone has heard from him, please let me know. I'd hate for anything bad to have happened to him. I know this Biz can be frustrating at times and makes a person want to go into seclusion, but geez , this is ridiculus. I just hope that he's cathing the big one down in the Gulf or something. Vs. anything negative happening to him.

here's a couple more

Oh yeah, Steve, I'll be in Orlando at the end of the week seeing Mickey, if you are on that side, shout at me. I 'll grab a rental and drive it off the dock, open the door, jump out and land on your boat. Get that extra pole ready with some squid bait.

Have you decided if your leaving in the morning or not? Still need to get those chems from you for next week if possible. Oh yeah... thanks for the driveway as well, I spoke with Bill and it is all setup. Stay away from that dreaded triangle if ya can, I heard some bad voodoo about that place.

B E cool Northern Alkota Karcher .... a few more for ya

Sorry to sound so alarming. Just heard from him, he's fine. Just a little behind on all his projects and had to drop out for a while to get caught up. ..... and do a little hunting like I thought. My Mama always told me I worry too much!!!!!!!!

It's around 30 psi per 50ft that you lose & and you are pushing enough psi and gpm that there will be barely any noticable drop in the PW 's ability to complete your job. It is normal to run 200 ft of pressure hose. Plus your speed will increase as you will no longer need to shag the PW unit around, not to mention the wear and tear on the spine and arms. You will appreciate the favor you are doing yourself by increasing hose length. Leave the unit on the trailer and unroll the hose. Working at a faster pace will increase the DPH as well. What is DPH you ask. I just made it up as I was replying (dollars per hour).

Great, Thx Neil. was just kinda worried.

Push your flatwork if he is only doing houses. Push a wax treatment to upsell with your house washes. Bypass his individual sales by addressing Home Owners Assoc. who enforce cleanliness by-laws, and offer your discounts on bulk cleanings. get into the H.O.A.'s newsletters with ads for bulk cleanings. Push fleetwashes. Go to your local private airfields and offer plane and helicopter and hanger washes. Push your service at every diner you eat at, Red Lobster, Wendy's, Dairy Queen, Waffle house. There are alot more services you can offer other than house washes. Dumpster cleaning ( I love shooting the rats). Clubs, swimming pools, decks, awnings. No one can stay afloat for long offering 50.00 house washes. It's only a matter. Know your enemies and keep them close.

wow! Great setup. Best of luck with it.

You know who you are. David Gilmour,the guitarist for Pink Floyd is going to release his 3rd solo albumn in over 15 years. He is also going to be touring the U.S. for around 6 (already sold out shows) and Canada. What does this have to do with our business......... absolutely nothing. I just wanted to share the info with anyone who has ever been a Floyd fan. I cannot emphasize how great an artist this guy is. His playing is completely genious. None of us will ever be able to see the Floyd again in this life ( or will we), so this is the next best thing. I have seen him perform and trust me, if you have never heard his material aside from the Floyd it is unreal. He is up there with the greats in my book Satriani, Vai, Chet Atkins, Eric Johnson (from my hometown, Austin, Tx.), Steve How. I have admired these guys all my life and tried to snag a few of their licks along the way. The cd will be released on March 6th, and yes I am one of those blokes that will be there when the store opens. Again, you ask, what does this have to do with our business? Slap on the ipod while you are doing a cleaning and just see if your day doesn't go a little better. I can hardly wait.:lgsideway

Wow!,you don't like the new material Jon? I mean the guy is 61 after all. The new release is the #1 seller on practically every chart from the U.K. to the U.S. and every show has been and is sold out for the duration of the tour. I don't know of too many artist' from today or yesterday ( in which he is both) that can sell over 100,000 units inside the first month of it's release. Personally, I don't think his vox has lost a bit of tonal quality. But, to each his own. Just wanting to share with the fans that weren't able to see any of this tour. ..... I mean there's always Brittany(*** sells, even if you have no talent) if you prefer what they categorize as popular music nowadays. Gilmour is avante garde. REAL talent. anyways.... hope you all liked the vid link.

Just thought I would share this link for those interested. http://www.nbc.com/nbc/The_Tonight_Show_with_Jay_Leno/Toyota_Concert_Series/videos/david_gilmour.shtml Notice Rick Wright in the background on the Hammond. Die hard fan, what can I say!

The Tick..... Hands down, then Cindy Crawford ( does she count?)

Excellent comments, AC! However, this one I don't like! Why is it good news to cap fuel prices? Mr. Williamson, I can answer your question with a very clear ( and non- smart allick) response. I simply have never had to focus on fuel prices as much as I have now. The simple fact that I am not that educated in the economics of supply and demand for fuel just make me wish that I didn't have to pay as much as I am paying now. Without crunching any numbers as of yet, but knowing full well that the cost of fuel is tapping into my profits is just hard to swallow. I can only raise my rates so much to offset the cost of fuel and maintain a profit before I start losing more bids than I land.There will be a point where everything will pan out evenly, with higher fuel prices in the mix. It is just trial and error for me right now. So some may have to forgive my ignorance in this matter. I am still learning the ropes after 2 years of simply running my firm. But I can say for sure that the day of 125.00 single story house washes are over for this kid. It seems every customer has a hard luck story and they think somehow that they are my only customer and deserve a price break somehow. I simply cannot afford to do price breaks for customers anymore. It's just too expensive for me. I truely am trying to educate all of my customers that this industry is not a fly by night industry. It is a viable need that the people have and expensive for me to keep a company afloat with continuous " gimme a break in price" mentality. It's just too expensive. I am forced to educate myself in matters that I have never had concerns for. But believe me, I am starting to see and sense some understanding in this area as it is being forced on us to pay close attention to it. After all I am not in business to just break even. I am in it for the profit, after the expenses of running the business. If fuel and materials are keeping me from making a profit, then why am I not just going back under the thumb of the man? I have to raise rates, but they will only go so much higher, before all the doors close in my face. On another side of the coin, business has never been better than right now and I clearly see your points as well. So I am learning to adjust in the areas that need it most. For me that is the cost of fuel and that 500.00 a month cc bill.

My intellect or verbal prouse is no where near a comparison to most on this board. 1+1 = 2. That's my simple understanding of most topics in life. Seeing is believing. I am somewhat of a follower than a leader. It's very hard sometimes to express the way we truely feel on a keyboard and computer, without it being misunderstood, shot down or stepped on, when we are simply trying to make a point. I consider myself to be at the very least, sophmore, which is better than when I started this biz. Without the help of many on this board I would still be at entry level doing things the hard way. Without the tactile involvement we have in a face to face scenario with each other, it is easy to be misunderstood on the pc because we can't physically see the people we are having conversations with. That's why I think things get twisted like a pretzel on forum topics, IMO. I am not writing in defense of anyone. This is the first time I have actually been requested to chime in. I am glad to as well. I have met and worked with a lot of people on this forum in my area and with my own reluctance, found that most are not in person anything like they come off as on the forum. That's not a negative statement either. Just my own misunderstandings. I have only met one person ( i won't say who) that I prefer not to work with, and it's not Philip. He is one of the greatest people I have met since I moved to Hellanta. Always helpful and willing to give until it draws blood. I think the fact that I have trouble expressing on the pc and keyboard, proves the point I am trying to make. So I hope I have not confused the issue with my inability to emotionify ( is that even a word) the topic. Personally, I would not be where I am without the help of all on this forum. Not that I am a big firm, but, that I am still afloat without going to the "Man" for a job. I have done it on my own with the help of the likes of Philip, Jeff, Steve R., Jim Crossley, Beth& Rod, Mike W, Mr. Williamson, Mr. Muskgraves, Mr. Littlefield and too many more to mention. I think you are all good people with many different approaches to get to the same goal. Plus many different opinions. To me, no one has spoiled the soup, only made it better tasting. I try never to read anything into what is said, except what is said!!! When I read all these post' I try my best to eliminate the emotional factors, because I am usually wrong about the feeling behind the post. Unless of course someone post' says something like, Hey AC your an idiot. That's pretty clearly understood. Nothing else could be read into that, except what it actually means. For what it is worth, I heard on the news this morning, that GW Bush is being petitioned to cap the fuel prices where they are. To me, that is good news. Isn't that what this thread is about.... Gas prices, not emotional indifferences. I mean, like I said earlier, I am not a big firm with 20 trucks and crews like alot on this site. I am just me, doing everything that needs to be done to keep my little firm afloat. If gas gets any higher, then I will have to pull my trailer like a rikshaw (sp) to get to my jobsites. I do wish fuel prices would come down or stay put. This rise has caused me to restructure my S.O.P. to adjust to the rates of fuel.

Cindy Crawford for prez.