Adrian

For the bachelor that refuses to die in me......... Eggo waffles ...... two of them......... toast them....... spread peanut butter and honey on them.... chase with a glass of chocolatey Ovaltine. It still tastes great in my 40's. I refuse to grow up.

Hey Scott , is dihydrogen monoxide good to go for the Georgia red clay as well? I have never used it and have always used good ole sh12 with alot of effort. What is the mix ratio? Does it have to be pumped through a sprayer full strength or can I run it through my xjet low flow nozzle? Thx

was your acid blend brushed on or were you able to xjet or downstream the chems on the house and rinse? I have a house to do this week that looks similar and I might be ok just using s.h.12%. But I may need to use your method. It is a stucco finish on the house I am about to do. Glad I looked at this post.

Hi Dave, I don't know about your area, but this worked out very well for me. I found a used surface cleaner (20" diameter) from a rental store that was reducing it's older inventory. Paid 75.00 for it and revamped all the hardware i.e. hoses. trigger handle and tips. Replacing the tips has made all the difference in the world for me and flatwork. At first the tips were setup for a 5gpm machine. I didn't have much faith in the unit, due to striping and overall poor effectiveness. I got some help from a fellow pressure washer (Philip Doolittle, of Power House) in my area ( and on this forum) that knows the math really well on tip sizes and gpm. (look him up, he's always happy to help) Now my surface cleaner just rips through dirty driveways and flat work, sometimes without using any chems at all, alot quicker than a wand. I only use the wand to rinse off the dirt that the surface cleaner lifted off of the flatwork. Plus since you have a hot water unit, that's half the battle in your favor. I am very pleased with the avenue I took to acquire my surface cleaner, as my budget was very small for new equipment purchases. My investment to date was less than 150.00 to get up and running with a surface cleaner. Some units cost as much as 1000.00 and up. Some people have told me that my surface cleaner, when sold brand new cost' 800.00, so I feel I went in the right direction with my purchase even though I had to revamp it a little. Plus I am so cheap with my money. But that's just me. Shop around, be patient, look for a used one, or a rental closeout deal. The most you may have to do is replace the tips to accomadate your machine's gpm. That is a very small investment. About 8.00 per tip, maybe even cheaper than that in Australia. This forum has what is called "the bargain basement" section for used gear for sale. Check it out and you might find one pretty cheap. Turbo nozzles are very effective if used in the right application like Craig said. They sure can do alot of damage though if not used properly, and end up costing more than the job is worth. Hope this helps with spawning new ideas for flatwork for you. Have a GREAT weekend. Adrian

Yeah, welcome Bryan. These people are great on this site and full of info. You can pretty much find out how to do anything related to running your PW business from these guys. They are from all walks of life and have great ideas and solutions. And they won't even send you a bill in the mail for the info. Have a GREAT weekend! ( Hi Rod, Hi Beth, Hi Celeste, i'm still afloat and not bailing as much water lately....lol) Adrian

2500 sq ft with a wand is a little bit of a job anyway you look at it, be it concrete or asphalt. It is hard to get an overall eveness with a wand verses a surface cleaner. That may be why you had to redo some of your work. Asphalt has alot of oil resins in the mix and when it is washed leaves a dark brown to near black haze with the same in the run off. Rinse , rinse , rinse!!!! If it dries with debris, it will most assuradly be visible, with different color tones of black and brown. You definately have the equipment specs to handle a job like that. But I would look into renting a surface cleaner ( or buying one)that matches your machines specs and you will see that the job you did with a wand will be finished about 5 times faster and more even. (i'm sure I will be corrected on this one)!!!!!. Just a suggestion....( if you are not into renting or buying a surface cleaner)...... pack that turbo nozzle away when doing asphalt. Use a 40 degree tip. It will create a more even flow result. That turbo nozzle can rip chunks out of asphalt if you hit a lip or there is existing divots in the asphalt . We don't even want to go there. Insurance.... repairs.... angry customers blah blah blah!!!! But to answer your question... I would not say that it is a lack of experience, we all should be learning more everyday in this line of work, and never stop learning. You are at the right place to learn about the ART of pressure washing. Flatwork, asphalt or concrete, just takes some time with a wand anyway you look at it. Do some research on surface cleaners. It's a whole other world. You will be amazed at how much time you will save. Just rent until you can afford to buy one, because some of the surface cleaners are pretty pricey. I hope this helps some. Good luck!!! Adrian

I believe it has taken all day. He is holding the wand pretty far away to begin with. A surface cleaner would make short work of that driveway. Nothing like a swipe of the wand across the top of a foot...... oh the pain of exposed subdermal flesh. He probably didn't use any chems either or else the bottoms of his feet would be history!

Hi Tropical Wave, What did you mean by defelted? Does that mean lifting off the fuzzies? How do you get rid of those fuzzies, by sanding? just curious as I had a deck this week that the landlord wanted cleaned only. It was 12 ft off of the ground and shifted when you walked on it and the wood was so weak that I had to be careful where I walked or my 180lbs would crack the wood slats. I tried to lean away from cleaning it all together because it seriously needed to be replaced (the entire deck), but the landlord insisted on cleaning it. The wood was so old it developed fuzzies after cleaning it. I could poke my finger through it if I tried. I feel sorry for the new tenants, and I hope the landlord at least does some repairs. The landlord was just looking for a good visual selling tool, which I gave them. The deck looked somewhat newer and definately brighter and more natural, but , talk about a weak structure. It really had me worried while I was up on it. Your restore job looks GREAT!!!!!

I called John Just Now. The location is "Atlantic Station". 800k asphalt. Brand new const. site cleanup. He wants it started TODAY. Location is at the new 17th st bridge.and I75S Atlantic Station is the new "city within a city" development project. Supposedly all parking area. VC Management is the firm's name I believe (very hard to understand John's accent). It's still up for grabs. He does not have a main contractor on board yet. Too big of a project for me to take the lead. lololol. But I am in as a sub if anyone lands it. Black asphalt, hmmmmmm, which might mean alot of oil residue and alot of recovery!

I'm in, I will call him. I think he may be talking about the area of centenial park (olympic site 1996) I have been there and there is alot of flatwork on the property and it is very dirty. Plus alot of monuments. Thanks

I am printing out some of these responses and putting together a guideline of sorts for field maketing. Thanks for the good pointers from all and thanks for chiming in Scott. 3 rules definately hit home and they will be on page uno! This should help alot and keep me from "getting Bucked off " so often. It's all starting to come together. A little refining here and there. A tweek here and there. There are tidbits from everyone's advice that has started to help and revamp the business plan and marketing plans. Closed on few deals today and leads were poping up around every corner. I won't say were I am at with the K-mart gig yet, I don't want to jinx the positive direction it is going (hint hint). Stephan Speilberg is not an explosives expert, alot of people think he is though. He just has the right group of people behind him!!!! Thanks for the help.

Lance, I understand your point and am leaning towards those directions mentioned. I don't really consider myself a hack either. I am just doing what I can afford to do at this point in time. I do have one advantage in the yellow pages concerning a saturated market whatever the ad size is. Alot of people may not want to browse through the umpteen million P.W. firms in my area and ABC Pressure washing is the very first ad under that category. So at least I have that working for me. Plus I know the company name sounds very generic ( kinda like a road runner cartoon and ACME explosives) but the reason I chose that name is because it is my initials and as far as marketing goes it does put me in the top listing. I am willing to try anything I can afford at this point in time, and am doing whatever I can. Unfortunatley to some , I look like the hack or low baller that many speak of. But really i'm not. I'm just a guy trying to keep his biz afloat. I am starting to agree with what someone said on another post about the terminology tossing. We are who we are and that's all I am. But I will leave that one alone. I am just trying to do whatever it takes to survive in this industry and gain a reputable name. Thanks for the help, I will investigate the rates on mailers. Also am reading some marketing strategies as well. But as most would agree, it's the initial purchase that has to show some results before we sink more money into that plan and I can only afford to try one plan at a time. Have a great weekend Adrian

Great advice gentlemen, and thankyou. I can't begin to think of how much $$ I have saved through this forum. Especially after re- upping my local yellow pages ad this morning. My sales rep was alot like the 59.00 carpet guy. she suggested a larger ad space and also to go national with my ad for alot more money than I have in my ad budget. realistically as much as I would like to have national space or a larger ad space locally what really is the likelihood of getting any calls from another state when this market is so saturated? I explained to her I want what I want and can afford at this point , not what she wants. Her Cadillac payment is not my problem (just guessing) , but the attitude certainly changed after that. I got what I want though. But , I will start reflecting, my pride and professionalism with my rates, as well as my demographics and areas. I see the vital importance of that now. I will be in the wood shed with my new marketing book this weekend. I cannot help but think about my home town of Austin and a young man who started his home based business from his garage making computers and peripherals. Michael Dell has really done alright for himself. I am sure if he thought of only the perameters of his garage he would not be where he is today. Not trying to be a lowballer guys, really. But I have to weed out some of the advice of others who say bid low or bid high. I have to measure with integrity as well as ability and professionalism. So you can see where I get a bit confused at times. I don't know if it was just beginners luck or what, but when I started a year ago (having that fired up feeling) I was landing 300.00 single story jobs. Somehow a seed krept in my head that I was ripping these people off. Even though they showed no remorse at the time and were very pleased with my work. It is not them that have to suffer the trials I am going through right now. Afew good high paying jobs outweigh a lot of low paying jobs with much more physical effort involved. I ain't a spring chicken anymore.lol once again, Thanks to the coolest forum in the universe. Adrian

Hi Mike, they are middle class homes that average 20 to 40 years old. They are close to my home area. I have been tagging single stories. I have gotten my clean time down to about 1.5 hours for that type. I did have a church in that area call about one of my fliers and they understand that I cannot clean it for that rate. I gave them a good bid nonetheless and hopefully will get the go ahead shortly. I have not gone the route of mailers like you suggested. But am very interested in the process and especially in seeing your fliers. Thx for that. I will also be going to pick up my book that I had to order from Barnes and noble today entitled Guerilla marketing High profits for low investments. That one was suggested by RC Bill. I can't wait to get my hands on that. I agree with the class level of neighborhoods you mentioned. It is kind of a pilot program I am experimenting with. One advantage is that i'm burning plenty of calories by hand delivering the fliers. Not to dispute anyone's advice on raising the rates, but mine are pretty dog gone close to what the major advertised competitors are offering in the phone yellow pages. Others are even lower. One firm took the approach that said " my ad is small so it saves you money" 85.00 house was the rate. I think a key point in this area is to do upselling once onsite. I did upsell a two story house wash the other day by 400.00 after adding the drive and sidewalk and doing the front entry for free. It just seems I am doing an unusual amount of scampering in these neighborhoods for very little results. Not to mention I hate dogs running after me. So I feel that you may have a valid point to the upper scale neighborhoods. The feeling I just can't deal with is that of a homeowner with a very nice house (and pricey) that feels I am asking too much for a wash. I don't feel my rates are too high or low ( I think alot of us bid according to what we see in the job) We offer price reductions that usually tap into profit margins instead of operating expenses, I know I do anyway. It doean't really cost alot to clean a single story. My ideology in the single stories is that I can do more of them in a short amount of time. But , like you said I might be fishing in the wrong lake,lol. At any rate the advice is heeded, and I will set some time aside this weekend to email you about your fliers. Truely am interested in that book as well. I think it is geared for guys just like me. I wish I could get my pc to highlight the quoted areas of your responses, but it never seems to work. off to battle. Have a great moring. Adrian

Hey John, Thanks man for the support. So you're the getting all my jobs in Cobb county huh? lol just kidding man. Yea I never shut up about my firm and have a 3 foot rule ..... If you are within 3 feet you get a business card. I get your point as well about just talking to people. It just seems that alot of people just don't want to part with the green. But I am not swayed and I feel confident that things will pan out. I just want to be busy EVERYDAY. Thanks for the offer as well. A good friend of mine lives in Fayettville too. He's got a pretty solid P.W. firm and is usu. busy all the time and even he said he is slow right now. So it goes and comes I guess. Well, gotta run and collect some more tins cans, I almost have enough to get a gallon of milk. lol take care. Adrian

After some research, i.e. looking through the some 200 plus p.w. firms in the Atlanta "Real Yellow Pages", my rates , even my specials are above the norm. Now I don't feel so bad. Although I have generally investigated the rates in my county, after seeing this ( most with no coupons ) I feel in my mind that I am just as competative as the next guy. Some of the Georgia firms on this forum please check my findings by looking for yourself. I just can't reel in the biz. I am only in my counties yellow pages (not the big book) but just the same I called a few of these larger firms to see how business was so far this Summer. Most of the replies were from very slow to steady. Of course that doesn't change the financial side of things for me but at least I know now that my rates are fair to average and when it's all said and done we will all huddle in a cardboard box community downtown under a bridge. Hey , at least I still have my sense of humor. So Hats off to you guys who are getting the big bucks for resi's and commercial work. The Gods are smiling on you. Have a great day all, I'm off to collect some tin cans,lol Adrian

Jeff, Degraffed, and Big Mike, Very good advice from all of you. Thanks in advance. The ads are a trial run to see what it draws. Your points are well taken and not offensive at all. That's why I like the grime scene better than any other forum. Some of the points you mentioned are exactly what I am experiencing at this very moment. Week to week hand to mouth. On the other hand, some think my rates are too high, so it is kind of catch 22. But that is very sound advice and one can't really work with great pride at low ball ( I hate that term) rates. So back to the drawing board, I guess. I will try to fall somewhere in the middle of the competitors. So long long as no one is calling me a dummy or idiot or rolling their eyes I am good with whatever you guys have to say. I mean, I started out with no help or advice and have at least survived up to this point,so fire away guys. I've beat cancer and and arm reconstruction surgery and as long as no one is taking shots at me about my practices, say whatever you want. I kind of look at the p.w. business like a couple of Harley's passing each other on the freeway..... they always wave at each other, like a private club. Although I am not looking for a black eye, I do however always appreciate the "wave " that all have given me on this forum. Your help is always duely noted and once again I will revamp my operations dept. Take care and thanks. Adrian

I have handed out almost 500 flyers this week running 100.00 single story cleanings in my immediate neighborhoods ( 5 mile radius) with only a few bites. I'm freakin desperate for work. My 2 news paper ads are a little more risky at 125.00 for ANY house in the metro area (Atlanta). I don't know what I'm doing wrong, but I do great work and the fish still aren't biting. I upsell after I get onsite and hope for the best. It's very hard to get the right demograph. I mean, some people don't even realize how dirty their driveway is until it is pointed out to them. I am focusing on resi's since the new x-jet has made life a little easier for me.

Does anyone operate from a Van? I am weighing the pros and cons of a used van vs. a trailer. I need to expand to a less wear and tear situation.

They both have their advantages. Both seem easy to operate out of. I would not mind getting an older solid used van with air conditioning, that is completely gutted in the back.

I am a little reluctant to post this but at least I am being up front about it. Bumped in the Bible Belt First of all, I hope I am posting this in the right section. The clubhouse section title said that I could "run my mouth" here or tell a joke or whatever. This does have to do with business, however, my business. This is my 2nd year as a pw business owner, and several times so far I have been forced to pull out the "life raft", so to speak. Anyone who knows me on this forum knows I am sincere and honest and do great work. Here's the scoop, and I will try to make this a brief story. I go into this vitamin store in the town that I live in and purchase about 75.00 worth of wares from the little old lady that swears by what she is selling. In the background the tv she has on is BLASTING some evangelist trying to do the world a favor. She asks me what line of work I was in and I explained to her my line of business. She replies by having me go do a bid on her property she has for sale. The house and a length of fence in the back yard. I give her a great bid and she does everything but accept and sign my bid form. All the while the tv blasting and me finding myself having to talk a little louder over the tv. It's not hard to guess that she is a very devoted woman to our Father in Heaven. I've got no problem with it though and I hope to see on the other side. Nonetheless I have had an uneasy feeling each time I have followed up. Well, as I am doing other jobs over the period of about a month and a half, I finally have a chance to follow up for a third time, I get back in touch with her again today on the phone. If you are with me so far then you can probably guess that as she picks up the phone I hear the tv evangelist in the back ground better than I hear her. I reminded her of who I am and she said it was nice to hear from me and that she has decided to let some boys from so and so ministries p.w. her property and that if she hasn't gotten the job done within a month then " I" should call "her" back. Now how can I possibly know whether she has gotten this job done or not? She just told me that she is going to let some inexperienced boys from her church do the job. How do you think I feel after being so professional to her in my trade, knowing flat out that she is just dancing around the truth. Ok lying all this time. Sorry folks, if I seem angry, but I am! She is supposed to be a representation of the church and a holy person (which she openly professes) but yet only emulates hypocracy and favoritism towards some kids that I know cannot do half of the job I can. The fact that her house is for sale prompts me to get the job done asap for her so she can have a quick sale. But to make me go through the obvious hassles of bidding and following up time after time and leading me on to do the job, and finally telling me that she wants a couple of kids to do the work just urks me. My point : When I need a priest I go to a church, not the bowling alley! When I need glasses I go to an optomitrist, not a glass blower. When my auto needs repair I go to an automotive repair shop not a motorcycle repair shop. Does anyone get my point? Am I just farting in the wind? I very sorry if no one agrees with some of the things I have said, but I am very insulted and choose not to follow up on this particular bid a fourth time. Not to mention that her vitamins that she swears cured her cancer haven't done a thing for my similar health issues, and am considering giving her back the unused portions. I put good money out on equipment, insurance, etc. and am very professional at what I do. I just refuse to be insulted with hypocracy and transparant appearances. I am sure she has her "rightstanding" with the Good Lord, but not with me. Really trying to make a go of it here in the Bible Belt. I am from another part of the country and very used to people being honest and speaking their mind without bringing up the conditions of my salvation, right or wrong. But after repeatedly telling me I have the job with her and never being able to schedule a start date, to end up telling me that she is giving it to a couple of kids to do the job, well I guess I can only wish her luck that they don't destroy her house. If anyone can relate to this please feel free to reply. If anyone thinks I am wrong for voicing this opinion, please feel free to reply( I'm in just the right mood to reply back). If anyone thinks I am off my rocker for this post, well, you are probably right, but just don't say it's all good when you don't really mean it. I usually am a bit more firm in these situations, but this one just got to me. God Bless everyone (and I really mean that) Where's the smoking section? I hope everyone is having a great summer ( and I really mean that too!)

Yea , I pretty much give all the old folks a discount or a freebie add- on. It just feels right. I'll be there some day myself and would want the same. I gotta mother too! ha ha. Take care and have a great weekend

It just seems you are taking this a bit personally, and I'm sure it wasn't personal...she made a decision (whether good or bad) that was surely motivated by her limited financial options, and that's something we've all done. Mike, you are right, I did take it personal, like I said previously. And since we're all sharing our age, I'm 42 and still have some growing up to do as well. But simply put, the time I invested in landing a start date, i will never be able to get back. Also (like I stated) I am still learning the ropes of running my own business and realize that this is part of the game. But I certainly can't be faulted for my emotional stance at failing in this case. Again, I have a little growing up to do in this situation. Please don't think I am being combative towards anyone, because the whole scenario was handled professionally on my end. I just wanted the job... that's all. I know there will be plenty more work for me. I just have not run into this situation before. As for her "limited financial options", in this case there truely isn't one, as she is a very successful local business woman in my area, in which this particular house is just a "spare" for her. Nonetheless, your points are well taken and humbly recieved and appreciated. I truely need the advice of professionals such as yourself and the others that have responded. It can only better the operations of my firm. So thank you with much respect. But I will say this and close. She truely has shattered the cliche ..."an offer you can't refuse" Maybe at some point I will be able to toss a few pointers back atcha.... 'til then, keep'em coming. Thanks again! Heb 13:2 Adrian

Good point Beth and well taken. I am only further educated which I am greatful for. Plus free is always better, price wise, But that does not mean that it will be a good job. We all know that if an injury takes place that it could very well fall back on the homeowner. I do not feel that she was afraid to tell me that she could not afford me.Because she initially told that she wanted me to do the job in which I gave a bid form that very day after viewing the jobsite. I am not a low baller, I just gave her a great rate with consideration that she was a senior, who has a house on the market. When I moved to Ga. from the great lone star state, my house was on the market for 8 months and if I would have thought to have it pressure washed I feel it would have sold sooner than it did. Therefore I genuinly had her interest at heart. After the follow ups I did, the final result is that she could not actually land a start date for me and during that interrim she found some boys at her church that will do it for free. Which is what bothers me. I think all the professionals on this site would agree that, that is a very questionable decision she made to have them do the job for obvious reasons. But like I said live and learn. I guess my point is that the problem with this issue lies with me in that I feel I was given the run around and should just learn to deal with it as it a part of being in business. Some of you pro's would probably want to slap my face at the rate I gave her, which is less than what her electric bill is , i'm sure. I honestly am not trying to stir up a hornet's nest with the "keep it in the church family" scenario. But I am just a firm believer that if you need a certain service done, you choose a firm that specializes in the service. Plus after basically being given the go ahead to do the job I was simply trying to follow up on "when " to perform the service. At any rate, thanks for the input from you as well as everyone else' and I promise I will be less of a smart a$$ concerning future post'. I hope you have a GREAT weekend. Looks like more rain on my end again. Geez almost 14 inches this month. Time to get some scuba gear. adios all.

live and learn I guess. But I just like it when people are honest up front instead of leading me on. I don't mind following up a time or two because I am not as busy as some of you are and I need to get every job possible. I just feel that she used really poor etiquette in this matter. I do follow some guidelines but she was able to pull the wool over my eyes in this case, by telling me I have the bid but just couldn't land a start date. Didn't want you guys to think I was a dumb or desperate business operator, I just wanted to know when she wanted me to do it. But she found a better deal (free) from the church which obviously, everyone knows the church does a better p.w. job thas an actual pw firm who does it all the time. Like I said live and learn. Alot of very good tips from you guys though, which I greatly appreciate. Now, I'm off to get my pastorial ordainment papers so I can be a real qualified pressure washing technician. Thanks all for the input and the feedback. I will be holding services this Sunday on top of my trailer, bring your extension wands and a hefty donation.....(love offering) and expect to be cleansed and blessed. adios and a great weekend to all.