Mike Sullivan
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Posts posted by Mike Sullivan
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Good thing they didn't call us....we'd have been doing CPR when they saw our bid. We wouldn't begin to clean and seal for only a $1.00! Even factoring in the large amount of square footage we'd have been higher by at least another .50/sq.I know, I have never charged that little for wood before. My original price was $30,000. I went down to a $1 because of the competition. I will still make decent money if I get the job, because the wood is only a year old, hasn't even turned gray yet and it will clean up easy and fast. Sealer should spread well since the wood is not as dry as old wood. Probably about 200 square feet per gallon, I would guess. I usually charge $1.50 - $3.00 per square foot depending on product, height, and condition of wood for residential.
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Hey guys, I just bid on cleaning and sealing with one coat of Cabot's Natural Clear Solution at an apt. complex yesterday. I got a referral from a faithful client and talked me up pretty good to the apartment manager.
I was lucky enough to see my competitors bids! He actually showed them to me, first time that has happened.
I was very appalled at how low their prices were....:banghead:
I probably won't get the job. Even if I sold myself like crazy and had everything covered, insurance, website, referrences, quality, etc. Owners of big commercial properties rarely take the highest bid from my experience. Usually the lowest. Here is my price and competitors.
MY BID
25,800 square feet of wood - clean & seal at $1.00/square foot= $25,800
COMPETITOR 1
25,800 sq.ft - clean & seal at $0.72/square foot= $18,000
COMPETITOR 2
25,800 sq.ft - clean & seal at $0.32/square foot= $8,000
THERE IS NO WAY I SHOULD CHARGE LESS THAN a $1 per square foot to clean and seal wood with $20/gallon high quality sealer on commercial properties.
Would everyone agree????????????
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Quote:
Originally Posted by plainpainter
I have on of those 2 gal plus machines that I downstream at 10:1 directly from a 6% clorox bottle, but I add tsp and nonylphenol to that bottle of tsp and it knocks all the mildew right off every house I have ever done in minutes! I also add that mildew check to the bleach, never have any problems.
-Dan
"I am using TSP and nonylphenol non-ionic surfactants, just have to work out the ratios. I think I will try upping the nonylphenol. Steve Rowlet's citracleen uses sodium metasilicate and nonylphenol."
Dan, dude... :banghead: ... you are killing yourself. Your chemicals are fine, just invest in a 13Hp 4gpm 3500psi machine. You will get work done twice as fast and you can put a real chemical injector on it. A 20% high draw General. You will also need a good gun, hoses, the right nozzles. After four house washes it will have paid for itself with the time you save. Call me if you are serious about upgrading your equipment.
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Mathew, how's that video going you were going to send me back in the spring? Would you like me to give you some bucks to help you finish it?
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I have on of those 2 gal plus machines that I downstream at 10:1 directly from a 6% clorox bottle, but I add tsp and nonylphenol to that bottle of tsp and it knocks all the mildew right off every house I have ever done in minutes! I also add that mildew check to the bleach, never have any problems.-Dan
Dan, dude... :banghead: ... you are killing yourself. Invest in a 13Hp 4gpm 3500psi machine. You will get work done twice as fast and you can put a real chemical injector on it. A 20% high draw General. After four house washes it will have paid for itself with the time you save.
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God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve.:lol:
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If you're lucky you can charge extra for brushing gutters, but I don't. I include it with the price of the house. 10 cents per square foot. It's too competitive in my town and brushing the gutters usually gets me the job because my competitors don't do it.
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And weak chems. 3/4 gallons of 12% for a house that should have used 3 gallons.same here. :banana: :banana:
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Dan, how big is your machine?
Do you have hose reels? How much hose?
A water tank? What kind of injector?
I have a 5.5gpm 4000psi 20Hp Honda running off a 335 gallon water tank. I rarely use a ladder. I can shoot chemical up to 40 feet in the air with a four foot aluminum wand with a 0030 nozzle with one hand.
You may be killing yourself with the artillery fungus. I haven't had any complaints about not removing them. Did the customer ask you to get those little tiny black spots off? Now I see why you charged them $550.
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Mighty Max plus from Soap Warehouse also works well. Cheaper than gutter zap and stronger. Mighty Max plus has 10% butyl vs. 9% butyl in gutter zap.
1-800-SOAP-911
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Yes, 1.2-1.5% works well most of the time for vinyl or mildly dirty painted surfaces. Really bad painted houses you will need close to 2%. It pays to have a good injector and 12% bleach.
How big is your machine? A bigger machine will draw more chemical. I have a AR RKV 5.5gpm 4000psi on a 20 Hp Honda. I run my General 5-8gpm injector in between 2 sections of 100 foot hose. I noticed some guys are running small injectors on larger gpm pumps and can draw up to 200ft, but that puts strain on the pump. Wears it out faster.
http://pressuretek.com/injectors.html
GP is General brand I believe.
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I like to downstream with a high draw 20% General 5-8gpm injector, 2.5 gallons of 12% Bleach and 8oz. of Emulsifier Plus in premixed 2.5 gallons of water to make 5 gallons of House wash. Emulsifier Plus has TSP on the MSDS. For painted houses that are really nasty I up the bleach and use Brown Derby truck wash or Emulsifier Plus with a cup of Sodium Hydroxide or Metasilicate added.
Mike Sullivan
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I agree with Barry. If that house is about 3000 square feet, at 10 cents per sq.ft would be $300. $50 for the garage and shed makes about $350. Hand brushing the gutters just about doubles the time to clean a house. Like Barry said, no more than 1.5 hours without brushing gutters would be the same time for me too.
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Good website Phillip. Like Dan was saying add more/larger digital photographs when you get around to it. My website has images scanned from film and don't look as good as digital. I will change them eventually.
Only other suggestion would be to have a graphic artist design a cool logo to make your company stand out. My designer did a great job with my logo, check it out.
Mike Sullivan
Pressure Washing Pro, Inc.
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When I switched from using a 4gpm pump to a 5.5gpm, I had pressure drop problems too. I discovered my unloader was the problem. You will have to screw it down tighter for larger gpm machines to compensate.
Mike
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40# Pail, $50.00I found a better deal than the Chemistry Store. Feel free to call if you are interested.
Mike Sullivan
Pressure Washing Pro, Inc.
Mobile (336) 362-7659
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I would charge at least $1500 for that job
Mike Sullivan
Pressure Washing Pro, Inc.
www.pressurewashingpro.com
Mobile (336) 362-7659
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For maximum draw use the 5-8GPM injector and attach in between two 100' sections of hose.
Mike
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The only service I can not do while raining is roofs. Bleach works better on dry singles. Just found this out yesterday. The rain dilutes the chemicals to much. I have to go back and finish the roof today.
Pressure Washing Pro, Inc.
Mike Sullivan
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Philip, I found a 10% Butyl Degreaser from Soap Warehouse called Mighty Max Plus. Costs about $8 per gallon if you order 5 gallons. $6 per gallon if you order a 55 gallon drum kit. 1-800-SOAP-911.
Mike Sullivan
Pressure Washing Pro, Inc.
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Beth and Rod with www.seedirtrun.com Everett Abrams with www.deckrestorationplus.com and Pete Marantey with www.sunbritedecks.com are a few of the best at decks.
Myself including them use a Sodium Hydroxide based chemical for stripping old finishes, neutralize/brighten with Oxalic Acid, and for gray decks with no finish use Sodium Percarbonate, pressure wash, and neutralize/brighten with Oxalic Acid.
I use straight 12.5% Bleach and a couple of cups of pure Sodium Hydroxide and run it straight through my double stainless steel chemical injector for really nasty black driveways. Sometimes a concrete cleaner still won't cut it very fast and I'll have to use a turbo nozzle. Get the Turbo Tech Terminator Turbo Nozzle from Envirospec. It is by far the very best.
For red mud or rust stains I'll use a mild Hydrochloric Acid or Phosphoric Acid presoak.
Mike
Pressure Washing Pro, Inc.
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The Turbo Tech Terminator Turbo Nozzle from Envirospec is the BEST!!
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Guns
YRL50 13.2 GPM from Envirospec is the best gun I have used.
Unloader
AL-607 with the black spring is a very tough reliable unloader
Hi pressure pump
I am a big fan of the AR RKV 5.0-5.5 GPM 4000psi pumps. I have heard that General and CAT make great pumps too, though I haven't tried them.
Shurflo pump
3.3 GPM 115V Shurflo pump from Northern Tool has dramatically sped up my deck, fence and roof work.
Chemical injectors
Stainless steel dual injector from Envirospec is a great injector to have as well as the single stainless steel 5-8 GPM injector.
Turbo Nozzle
The brand new 2005 TurboTech Terminator from Envirospec is by far the best turbo nozzle I have ever used.
Mike
Pressure Washing Pro, Inc.
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My crew and I did 33 apartment buildings in two weeks in the summer of 2001 one time. I have yet to receive a job that big since then.
Mike
Pressure Washing Pro, Inc.
Price
in Wood Cleaning & Restoration - Decks, Fences, etc.
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I will have two guys and myself.
They are wood walkways and steps with vinyl rails. Three story buildings. The second floor and third floor is wood, bottom is concrete. I will have to rinse all the vinyl and concrete. Wood is only one year old nothing on it, hasn't even turned gray yet. I will only need Sodium Percarbonate to clean the covered sections and brighten with oxalic on just the outside walkways exposed to the elements. Only one side per building, so my hoses will reach easily. "Did I just give too much information?" I hope my comp doesn't see this.
If a miracle happens and the red sea parts, and they call me to do it, this will be my largest job since I started in 1999.