Celeste

Glad to see you guys are alright - after those nasties left you, they visited NC last evening. It was amazing to watch the sky & clouds (on the news and then approaching us live) Fortunately, somewhere in the next county before us, it lost it's punch and we didn't get anything severe although the news folks had my kids running for the basement! Mother Nature is not to be fooled with!

All of our t-shirts, sweatshirts & golf shirts are logo'd (some front only, some front/back). We've been cheesey with the money for these however, as I print the logos from my computer onto transfer paper and just iron on. The goal this year is to have some nicer shirts embroidered then get the t-shirts and sweatshirts printed up. Celeste

Yes we use a stabilizer - if using a ladder was a day in day out ordeal, we might reconsider but so far it's been fine. The two of us have no problem - we have a good buddy system for getting our 40 footer up and down :) (But then again....I'm one hell of a woman! LOL) Celeste

Barry, We use (when we have to use an extension ladder) a fiberglass. It weighs about 3000 lbs more than the aluminum BUT, just last week while working out at a development we have, I watched guys with aluminum extensions - It was really scary the way those things flopped around, even with someone holding it at the bottom. I'm a height chicken so for me there's something to be said for what I think is a more solid ladder. The guys you see around here with aluminums are the hispanic painters (clearly no fear as they will put two on a ladder with a quickness) and the roofers (they're all crazy anyway) ....the gutter guys use the fiberglass and seem to respect the heights they are working at a little more than the others. Celeste

I am a PWNA member and still post regularly - I am just selective where I post and am making it a point not to engage in posts that may become counter-productive to my business :) Celeste

Some weight issues to consider: (1) Will you be carrying water? If so, how many gallons. Figure 8 lbs/gallon - a 325 gallon tank is going to weigh 2600 lbs. (2) What does your machine weigh? (3) How much chemical weight will you have - 40 lbs here and there will add up. (4) Ladders? with rack? Surface cleaner? As to the enclosed versus open - enclosed you will have to vent for exhaust. However, the security and weatherizing is a plus. You can have as much or as little signage on either. We have an open trailer and like the accessibility on the sides, top and underneath if we have to :) But freezing weather has been a b*tch since we can't just throw a space heater inside something. Welcome to the board :) Celeste

Crown, It takes a variety of equipment to do a full service PW job properly....there are many opinions on whether one needs a hot or cold water unit. We actually have one hot and two cold.....hot water makes cleaning concrete much more efficient but is asolutely not needed if you are going to concentrate in wood restoration. GPM is more important than PSI. As Don said, you are going to get twice as many opinions as you ask questions which is why I encouraged using the search feature to compile some of the more common ones. Pricing varies widely...there are guys on the west coast getting $4+/sq foot for decks - we could never get that here. If you're going to do a lot of concrete, you should look into a surface cleaner that is compatible with your machine. Our personal opinion is an X-jet/M-5 is an absolute must. There's a thread (somewhere - Mike you know where EVERYTHING is) that is lists of what folks have that they feel is necessary. We have never concentrated on what "the other val pack guy" was advertising. Many of them are "bulk" businesses and don't do the quality job that we feel we offer our clients. We have "felt" out the folks we deal with and priced accordingly. We have been the highest and lowest...but most always right in the infield. Wish you the best of luck in your venture - our offer still stands to do a ride along with us as we have a pretty wide variety of work that we do. Celeste

Dan, Without coming off as rude, you stated that pressure washing is not your bread and butter. It is ours. Guys like you that come in and charge $20.00 hour because it's not your main income are the ones that kill us. If you are licensed, fully insured, educated enough, etc... to let your customer believe that you're a professional, then you should keep your prices within the industry range - out of respect for the industry. Turning this around, how would you like it if someone new came in and underbid your concrete thingies by more than 50%, because they could do that and it wasn't their main source of support? If I have misinterpreted something, I apologize. Celeste

But what about JEB??????? (LOL)

Dan, Welcome to the board! Like the others have said, there is a wealth of information on here. Don't hesistate to ask questions - the only dumb question is the one unasked! We do encourage the use of the search features as many of your questions will be answered there. I would say that most of us have been where you are today, some much longer ago than others :) I do have some concern about you cutting yourself very short on your deck pricing. Newport News is not a "low end" community and you should be able to charge over $1.50/sq ft for a strip/stain. They're getting a little more than that in the Maryland area, we're getting in that neighborhood down here in NC. We're also not a horrible drive from you if you ever wanted to come tag along with us :) Celeste

ROFLMAO Ken :) Celeste In all seriousness, we use ours often on new construction brick (if the brick type allows it) Also curbing and concrete areas where the surface cleaner will not fit.

Hi Mike, You'll find plenty of fellow pressure washers in Georgia to help you along. Check some of the other threads for your specific area to find meetings/round tables and just some general conversation about things that apply in your state :) Welcome aboard! Celeste

Okay guys....lets play nice here. No one was attacking anyone on a personal level. Degraff....it was only insinuated (and again, let's keep in mind that we're all TYPING here, not having a true conversation) The fact is, yes this bbs, and most of us in the industry want and do help fellow PW'ers. Things get taken out of context when typed and heaven forbid, one should type something then say - go to bed - while someone else responds. Bottom line is where your professionalism lies. Let's all show some here :) Cheers! Celeste

Hi Chris - we've used a stack brush on gutters before. Don't know that they worked any better or any worse than any other brush honestly. They are soft and reduce the risk of scratching some gutters. Celeste

That's hilarious! LOL Celeste

And that would be the exact reason why I don't foresee us ever, ever cleaning hoods! I'm thinking after seeing some of that, I'd never want to eat out again! LOL Celeste

I remember them closing up the Jack...Boxes in Vegas about 18 years back because of the nasties they gave out with their burgers! Celeste

First of all, you need to explain to your "buddies" that want something for cheap, that you're not in business to do discount work. You have costs to pay, chemicals, INSURANCE, taxes, etc... that dictate that you don't work for free. Don't set yourself up to be on a "learning curve" to the general public right out of the gate or you're going to become a lowballer in your area and that's not what you want, I'm sure. Celeste

Well said Cujo :) Celeste

I get Starbucks from my own coffee pot :) It's the only thing at the grocery store I won't compromise on! As far as stopping to buy a CUP, we have none of the above anyway - but when out of town, it's Starbucks. Celeste

Contemporary Christian :)

There's a great sample package in the store.....very reasonably priced and will give you enough product to actually see some results :) Celeste

I may have to second Atlanta.......good flights from about anywhere, not a bad drive from many others, lots to do :) Is there anything fun to do somewhere in Texas? I wouldn't mind crossing the Mississippi too much either :) Vegas would be a'ight I suppose - lived there for 5 years, never anticipated going back once I escaped! How about Lake Tahoe?????? Celeste

Depending on your area of work, something to keep in mind is whether the actual COMPANY that is the carrier, has exclusions that will not work for those who actually read the policy. Case in point: We had a regular GL policy with some very tightly written rules as to who could be held liable for what (when it really came right down to who could be sued). When we got our million dollar contract, this company would not accept our COMPANY, so we, in order to stay in compliance with our contract, had to change companies. We've also noticed, while researching multiple other companies that write PW policies, some are so loosely written, you are going to be screwed if you ever have a claim. Best advise I would give on your GL is to take your entire policy, read it cover to cover - including all the exclusions tacked to the end - then call your agent to discuss the actual coverage. Celeste

Now that would be a get together! What a great idea :) Lets's make some plans! Celeste