Adrian

Hey that's not a bad price at all that you paid. Even afer you add hose and gun. We gotta start somewhere and that's a great unit to start with. Best of luck. Build as you grow. Hey I see you are in Hurst Tx. That's a great little part of the DFW metroplex. Do They still have that 24 hour Don Carters bowling alley right up the road from you? I spent many a moon in that area right around pipeline. I miss the ol H.E.B. area there. PEACE THROUGH SONIC DISTORTION

I always love it when you chime in Mr. Musgrave's. I walk away with alittle bit more than what I came in with. Also that's why I love this forum. Thanks to you and the time you have taken I have landed some real cool jobs per your advice. But darned if I still can't get some of those corporate mgrs. to return my calls. lol. But I keep plugging. Plus you never told me about the 3 foot high rats behind the dumpsters that just laugh at me when I squirt them with the x-jet.lol. kidding.... they need washing too. You are exactly right about educating the customer. That in itself is the dividing line whether I get the job sometimes. But there is always 1 or 2 customers that simply don't want to pay a professional and fair rate for a resi wash. They prefer to go with the lowballer, regardless of quality of service. Price is all that matters to them, which is why I said ( or meant ) that the lowballers help us not get those kind of customers. Hope everyone has a great weekend!!!! PEACE THROUGH SONIC DISTORTION

Not to sound dumb , but what is an open -gun machine?

Being that I have only had one PW so far. I have put it through the ringers and CAT pumps do seem to have nine lives

I am almost afraid to jump in here. Please don't beat me anyone ( my kidney is killing me). I think it just works both ways. If a customer only wants to drive a Yugo then that is their choice. I prefer a Jag myself (kidding). Then there are the customers that prefer caddy's. In Atlanta there are some 450 listed PW firms. I am one of them. I simply prefer the customers that want Caddy's but, when I started, I would take any job I could get just to stay afloat. My rates have fluctuated a bit because of fuel and chem increases. I have one account that I just raised their rate for that very reason. I explained to them that it has to be that way because of the economy. They didn't squirm a bit because they know I provide good service. On time everytime. BUT, they are not a resi customer. I like commercial work but wind up with alot of resi's. I do my best to educate the resi customer and let them know what they are paying for. Ironically when I ran flyers for 100.00 house wash I got only 1 response out of 300 flyers. Now,... I don't offer pricing when I advertise. But I do offer bundle packages for resi's. Sort of a pick and choose what you want. Included in the pricing I explain that they are also paying for insurance, license, and professionalism ( even with my little bitty rig setup) which is serving me quit well after doing 20,000 sq ft of mall in 2 days. But the point I am trying to make is that there is room for all types of operations. Example.... that spray on with water hose fence and deck stain... I bet that company is making a killing due to customers that don't want to spend alot on stain services. The product may stink, as the customer may soon find out the hard way, but as always ... you get what you pay for.... I know that Phillip does quality work..... I have seen it..... I have even worked with him. He just likes to service upper established clientel (Caddy people). The Yugo 's will weed themselves out, but still be available to the Yugo customers. I have learned so far that if a customer (resi that is) does not like my rates, then that just puts me one step closer to the customer that cannot live without my service. I think there is room for both types of operations, the Caddy's ( = Phillip) and the yugo's. The more people that choose the yugo's just saves the Caddy's time and money on wasted bids. I believe now that alot of your clientel is based upon how you target and reach reach them. In defense of no one, I myself am far above the 100.00 house wash in quality and service and call backs. I am proud of that. But don't think for a moment that I won't give a senior a break in price, or disabled, or fixed income types. But the yugo's looking for a Caddy just isn't going to happen in my company. I hope I got my point across 'cause it's been a long day. So, anyone who wants a quality house wash in Fayettville for an average price, call Phillip. Anyone who wants a yugo wash in Fayettville, call yugo man washing service. You get what you pay for. Peace Through Sonic Distortion.

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I have had to take grout off of floors and walls inside of garage before. Bring a squeegee just in case. Also be cautious of the sheetrock on the inside of garage. It is very absorbant and can cause molding after the fact. I have used plastic drop cloths to hang inside of garage to avoid splashing walls. A little time consuming but well worth avoiding call backs and potentiel mold after the fact. A putty knife will definately come in handy as well. If there are seems at the base of concrete and walls then you need to find a way to keep the water from falling in between the cracks as it will create mold down below unseen. Hope this helps.

Invest in an x jet setup geared for the psi of your machine and that will help out more than you can imagine for house washes. It will save you alot of ladder time. That helped me so much in my first year. It speeds up the washing process. I was only on a ladder maybe 2% of all my jobs this past Summer. Then get a 25.00 two wheeler to cart around your bucket of chems. Read Read Read the post' on this site about all the applications you can use your pw for. Once you save up enough to recycle ad cost's then think about a larger PW and even a surface cleaner for cleaning concrete. It is not easy what you are doing but you do have alot of advantages from the start as the earlier post mentioned. Learn to juggle since you have school and other work as well. This is a good honest living if you can get past the first three years like Rod said. You can do it, just be patient, and know that there may be a few blows along the way. Get insurance as well. It is a good selling tool and protects you. Get business license too. Be legal. The professionals on this board are very helpful and will get you where you need to be. Some cases in advice you will find several ways to do the same thing. Do what works best for you. Do your best to keep money for advertising. Sock a little away after each job to build up your equipment. It will take time but you will get there. Feel free anytime to ask questions or call if you need to. Yes Grime Scene, I am showing partiallity to my TEXAS bro.! lol.

Plus it will give you quicker consideration by them once they have you on file.

You actually have to be asked by the BBB to become a member, but, ..... you can ask for the application and get that process out of the way and it will put you ahead of the ones that don't have app's yet.

You must have been a member of the military but USAA has great rates.

There are alot of " Mold Remediation " certification courses around our parts as the mold is higher ratios. I would like to see how that works out for you Steve. You could tie the two Certs together and offer package deals on inspection and remediation and probably land alot of work.

I just wanted to share a link I found that has some videos of the LIVE 8 performance of Pink Floyd. This will probably be the last recorded live performance of PF. Just wanted to share how great they sound after all this time. Hope everyone is staying busy and making happy customers. here's the link..... http://www.youtube.com/w/Breathe?v=ZznyDZU5hnY&search=Pink%20Floyd%20Live%20Eight%20Money

What do chinese mothers use? If a cow laughed..... Laughing my A$$ off

A pessimist is an experienced optimist!

I usu. mix cascade in with my 12.5% mix as it helps reduce film on the glass, and promotes a shine on it as well. .5 cup to each gal of 12.5%. It makes a nice foam that the customer likes to see ( IMHO ) and you can get it with a lemon or citrus scent which reduces the odor of the 12.5%. Plus it does cut the time in half for a house wash if you are dealing with mold and algae buildup. Usually do one side of house at a time. Soak with chems and then rinse alot.

Gilmour's 2nd albumn is called "About face" and it is worth searching for. The 3rd albumn will be available on march 6th. As far as platforms go, I can't totally agree with you Jon. Alot of musical artist' use a musical platform because they are not the right type of spokesperson for a vocal push of that topic, so they sing about it. Their art may happen to coincide with a particular topic of widespread concern so they use it for a vehicle to help others. I have been involved with many many events focused on a certain topics that my band has fit into. Example, Habitat for humanity down to personal freinds who have lost everything to a fire in their home. I certainly would not affiliate myself or my band with the KKK rallies or The B.E.T. network because our art would not have anything to do with their platform. But I would certainly dedicate my time and art towards something like Farm Aid or Live 8 because if used to the fullest degree, could benefit the ones who are really in need. Plus I would have the setlist reflect the topic, verses singing about the time I got so drunk in Mexico...... I do agree however that a particular platform should not be interrupted or misused by mundaine opinions or beliefs of the individual, taking away from the original premise. The Floyd have always been political, and have always performed art to raise awareness to the understanding of THEIR reflections, but not once have I ever heard them interrupt a performance to shout out slogans about saving the New Zealand 3 toed pygmie leopard. If used correctly, these platforms can actually do what they are designed to do. Again, I am not completely disagreeing with you on the topic, in fact I am leaning towards a parrallel agreement. Think about this, David Gilmour sold one of his homes for 6.5 million $$. He did not keep one penny of that money for himself. He gave it all to charity. God Bless Him for that. And you will have to do some pretty extensive research to verify that. He was a silent hero in this case. The fact that Floyd ( all of the original members except Syd) got back together for one final performance proves that they are definately concerned for the benefit of others (because if you know Floyd like I do, then you know that they have had several personal conflicts with each other, longstanding). They knew that it would collectively draw attention to that particular platform of charity just because they are Pink Floyd. They were not in it for the money (.... and yes, these bands do get paid for their service at these charity events despite what you hear). They just buried the hatchet for the cause. But to abuse the time slot with in your face beliefs and convictions is misuse of the platform is not my cup of tea. I understand completely what you are referancing, and thank God not all artist are like that esp the Floyd. Most really care and donate time and money toward the cause. I certainly don't agree with every platform out there but I defend their right to have it. You certainly won't find Megedeth at a lilith fair tour. And then again alot of performers out their are just plain stupid to push their platform beyond it's perimeters. In the end their point is defeated and the general populus missed the point anyways because it is so clouded with the hit and run mentality and stupidity of the misuse. If only Jimi Hendrix was alive today he may be singing and playng tunes to the effect of how dangerous drugs are. We all have to live and grow and become aware of the world around us. But some just don't get. They would have you believe the way they do. I am with you Jon on the fact that we should just be able to enjoy the tunes without being pie faced with particular views. We should all take the Gilmour approach with our 6.5 million mansions. I am very sure that his accountants were very shakey at his decision to give it all away. I have always adhered to a proverb that says a wise man stands in a corner when a fool is in the middle of the room with his mouth wide open. God Save the Queen, God bless the leaders of our country and LONG LIVE PINK FLOYD!!!

I would love a box trk/ van, as I am just not ready yet, I would inject that it should have a walk ramp or a lift gate unless you get one that is close to the ground.

Shane, I got the Venice downloaded.... Thanks very much, I am going to burn this afternoon to a dvd. I can also copy a cd of the Pre- Wish You Were Here Show from '73 and get it your way. I remember when the Venice video came out way back when ( hmmm things were a little foggy back then) I complletely forgot that Rachel Fury was one of the back up singers. She is an awesome singer and also was on the Gilmour solo tour ( which I still need to get transferred from VHS format)

I actually paid 30.00 bucks for an american version of this disc an to tell the truth, I have learned more from The Grime Scene. Save your money. There are several different ways of running a PW firm. Ways for larger firms and ways for smaller firms. The How to: disc are very generic. save the money and keep asking question on this forum, I think it will benefit you the most.

I'm sure evryone knows by now about "The Dark Side Of The Rainbow" where you sync the albumn, Dark Side of the Moon with the movie the wizard of oz. It is unreal. ......also that there is a line of appearal that is DSotM. I got a pair of sleeper wear for Christmas. I'm not fanatical, not me, no never!!!

Excellent, I will check email in bit and give it time to load. Also may give a shout sat eve or sun eve. Doing trucks and copters during the day. Thanks man. oh yeah I meant to mention that I have a bootleg of a floyd show where the play entire wish you were here albumn before it was even released and the songs sound completely different from the recording. Very unrefined but a keeper nonetheless. It is from 1973. transferred from cassette recorder to cd. Analog to digi never comes out very good but I got it!!

abcpressurewashing@hotmail.com

Floyd puts on the best show. No drugs required!!! lol. The light show in itself is sensory overload. Yeah, Shane, you can try and send them to my email on my signature at the bottom. I have Pulse on video(practically memorized). If that will work.I do have cable. You may have to send one at a time. I have a video of gilmour solo tour back from the last century with Snoey white on backing guitar and chris Slade on drums (ac/dc drummer) and a host of other's from the brit circle. 2 hours of RULE!!!!! If that email address does'nt work for the files then PM me and I can give you a email addy that may hold a larger file. I may also give you a shout about sprayer systems. (thinking I may and push deck work a little harder this year). In the mean time... I found a site that managed to snag a vid of the PF reunion at live 8. Only one video though. Originally there were 3 songs in the set, but AOL pulled the vids and now you can only buy the entire broadcast. Here's the link, i have not found a way to actually download it to burn to cd but make sure you have cookies turned on in case this gets pulled off the web. I'm pretty sure it's unuthorised at this point.... http://onegoodmove.org/1gm/1gmarchive/002217.html

I saw the Live 8 video feed from london for reunion / final performance of Pink Floyd and they were tighter than ever. Dark Side of the moon still sells over 800 albumns a week even after 20 years and has been on the billboard charts for over 741 weeks in the top 100. Roger waters is a genius and Gilmour is a master on the guitar. The Laser shows are quit a treat to the eye and ear as well. That genre of music is not quit as popular as I would like to be here in the "dirty south" and great news like this is almost always at the last minute. I think the record store opens at 9:00 so I will be there at 8:00. lol. "There is no dark side of the moon really,...... as a matter of fact it's all dark"