Deck Guy

I love the appearamce of WTW, but I guess I'll have to get together with someone who uses it. It seems like too much labor, compared to what I can make per sq. ft here. I need to shoot it, and move on. Is someone in St. Louis using it? I'll help for a day,and I can rock an airless sprayer.

I'm too drunk to comment, but not too drunk to read... Jeff, you win. I'll post some simple thoughts tomorrow.

Why must you bait me so??? I think it's all very complicated, and I lack enough trust in our government to believe I will ever be told the entire truth (by either party) about any meaningful issue. Particularly by anyone who stands to gain or lose status, influence, or especially money as a result of us peons knowing the truth.

SH based cleaners have no effect on vinyl siding or brick...other than cleaning them. I have rarely done more than pre-wet plants before stripping. I don't recall ever masking a house before stripping.

So I gues we can all see that there are disagreements about the War on Terror, 9/11, and our president's abilities. Who would have thought?

I thought I'd pass this story along, since it involves an acquaintance of mine. His wife is a beerternder at my favorite watering hole, so I see him from time to time.Mo. man shares golf cart with bobcat - Boston.com To elaborate on this story...they use golf carts with rain covers as they make their usual rounds at the water treeatment facility where this happened. Mitch had zipped up the passenger side door since no-one was with him. The rabbit entered on his side of the cart, then sped out a small opening at the bottom of the passenger side, along the floor of the golf cart. Apparently, the bobcat couldn't find that small hole, so the fight was on!!! How strange!

Greg's right as far as knowing her expectations. I've had quotes where the deck had old failing stain, and the homeowner thought a quick wash would make it look like new. I don't necessarily agree on the bleach though. Cedar looks beautiful with a mild bleach solution followed by a gentle cleaning if it is just grey with no previous coating. Questions to ask... What type wood? What type finish, and how old? Mildew, mold, etc...? You can't make a silk purse from a sow's ear! Elevated?

Laquer Thinner, but don't leave it on too long.

I don't think we're much safer, but maybe marginally safer. Any terrorist with a creative bent could figure out how to infect the water suppy of any major city, and make the 9/11 casualties look small by comparison. I could probably think of twenty ways to cause mass casualties that our gov't doesn't protect us against. Gladly though, my 81 year-old mother had to prove she didn't have shoe bomb last week on her trip to Vegas. Go get'em TSA! I still can't believe that idiot (the shoe bomber) couldn't afford a lighter.

I just went to get gas and ran into a customer from two years ago. He said the decks showing some wear and could use some sprucing up! I love maintenence jobs. Quick work, in and out, good $$ per hour! Things are absolutely rockin' here!

45 with a 27 year-old wife! You ARE the man! As far as kids go though, you're nuts. You'll have your hands full when they're teenagers.

John, you and I are very close on all figures you quoted above.

Right now I'm cranking out a privacy fence to match a deck I did for the customer last year. I'm pretty much booked out all of next month, and I haven't even ran an ad this year yet! I plan on making a few phone calls today to customers from three years ago, to see if they need some sprucing up again. I know a few are definite shoe-ins. I get a little stressed when I'm overbooked, but it sure beats wondering where the next job is as you're rolling up the hoses! Fourth year in business, and I have never completed a job without having more work on the books, and have always had jobs lined up to start the season off!

Skirts???

Man, am I sorry I spent today making money (on woodie crap) instead of paying attention here! One thing I'm learning is that when someone here says to call, stop by, or whatever, they mean it. I'm reluctant to pick up the phone myself, but when I have, I have always been met with a warm response, and realized that online communication (typing instead of talking) magnifies (or even creates) our differences. So...some of you guys can expect the phone to ring (especially you LIBERAL heathens). Be prepared! Now...it's time for a big group hug!

Good Point! I don't use caustics unless I have to remove a previous finish. And that was even before learning the Gospel of BDA!

I may get crucified here for suggesting this, but I bid fences (and have only done a few) using time and materials vs. the sq. ft. method I use for decks. Why?? Because I can flat-out move on some fences, and my deck pricing would be ridiculous given the total sq. ft. of some fences. I'm not sure about time on this one though. If you're talking clear sealer, OK, but if you're talking anything with color to it, those spaces between the boards are just enough to make you crazy, and have to work quite a bit harder. BTW, I never recommend clear sealer to my customers. I figure they will just call and complain next year when the deck/fence turns grey again. So I would just figure the hours I need times my hourly expectation ($75), plus materials for the fence. Price the deck as always. Don't be surprised when the guy says, "I thought you could do the fence for a couple hundred bucks!"

I just couldn't resist it, but I'm staying out of politics, remember? Jarrod...let us in on your theories!

Click on the link in the post above yours!

If they are the type I'm thinking of, they screw in to the top and bottom rails from the outside with one screw into each. I've wondered myself about what to do if faced with one of these, and I think I would just remove them if the deck is on the ground or easily accessible. As far as pricing, I would price it the same as if I were staining them, since removing them will take about the same time. Just be sure to keep everyone off the deck while the spindles are off!

I like Jeff's last excuse the best. I'm not necessarily the KING though, more like some low-level assistant court jester. Some day though...

Yeah, but at least he was a bit more delicate about it! Old, fat, and I don't even want to know what the "etc." is. OUCH! BTW, I'm not fat, I'm just short for my weight!

I have watched forecasts for years in my regular job, along with quite a bit of meteorlogical training. Mother nature is fickle. A front can easily slide sixty miles one way or another, which means the forecast was actually pretty accurate, except if you're within that sixty miles. Checking those sites, it would appear that they rely on historical averages. It seems that this would be a reasonable way to guage expected averages, but I would doubt that method to predict the likelyhood of specific activity on a specific day. It's not entirely random though, since there are seasonal slants. But in one sense, that method of forecasting is like roulette...if red has hit three times in a row, that doesn't change the percentage that red will hit on the next spin. The odds will still be 50/50, since the wheel doesn't know or care what the last spin was. Personally, I don't trust any forecast more that 24 hours out, and even then I take it with a grain of salt.

Wow! I'm speechless...

I have my son (or another helper) work with me on jobs I could do alone. It's OJT for them now, and it's worth it to just to see my son sweat! Like others have said, he loads, unloads, etc, while I am working on other things. It saves me maybe 1/3 of the time, but at the end of the day, I'm not nearly as wiped out either. Remember, we routinely work in temps of 90-100 degrees down here. I also like having someone around when I'm working on a ladder. I used to be more cat-like than I am now, and I can just imagine a homeowner coming home to find me laying in her back yard with a broken back. BTW Jarod, I sent you a couple emails through this board. Did you get them??