fireandrain

I agree with Lance. Stick with a pump up for stripper until your ready to step up to a deckster. I'll take it a step further, get a deckster! Best investment I've made.

Hey thanks Rafal, I emailed the HO your pics yesterday. Cheers for letting me know about my PM box. Ill get that cleaned out a bit. Im getting pretty flooded with bids this week, new round of advertising went out on Monday. Im leaning on pricing this monster in the $10K territory. Probably won't end of working it, cant imagine why a guy would want to pay...well, what Charlie said. If I get some time over the weekend, I'll do a bit of testing and see what gives. Bottom line, I think Im really too busy to tackle this one. On the other hand, that other Acrylic strip from a few days back ( with the 1x2 redwood flooring) came through and Ill be starting in3 weeks when the HO is in Europe. Yum yum yum! Cant wait to get acrylic!

My thoughts exactly Charlie. I just sent him a long-winded informational email which explained the need to remove the existing finish. Strange how some folks need that one explained... $10K,eh? Wouldnt be surprised at all. I

Wise words. Thanks.

Funny, I was thinking the same thing. The homeowner said his main concern was getting a stain on the deck around the pool that will hold up against chlorine and constant kid traffic. Im thinking that acrylic would be the WORST choice considering its tendency to peel and scratch. It's really amazing how these homeowners with huge gorgeous decks rarely seem to ask their 'deck guy' what he intends on staining the deck with. I mean, this guy seems bent on getting the old stuff off and better finish back on. Not sure how he's going to feel when he sees my quote on the strip job! With all of those plants around the deck and the pool right up against the decking thats gonna be stripped....man, I just don't know what to say... This may have to fall into the category of 'price it so high as to pass it by... Dunno.

where, pray tell, did Rafal's great pictures disappear to?

Hey thanks Rick. I'll be building my strip tester kit this weekend! (I'll try not to get those bottles mixed up with my misters for the BBQ!)

p.s. think you used too much brightener on that horse friend of yours!

brilliant work, you SHOULD pat yer'self on the back! Thats not GW's ranch is it?

Thanks Rick. Seems like it would be quite a closing technique... Do you just allow an hour for this sort of testing? At a different time than the original meet-up?

...the ghost of future for me!

Did a bit of research on the last guy to work this deck... He tends to use eco-friendly sealers... this one might possibly be that timber tech / timber pro stuff.... Was a nightmare on a job 2 yrs. ago. LIke Ive said before, I see so few of these acrylics, really need to put together a tester kit! Feel like I'm always scratching my head when building a proposal for these buggers! Any tips on putting together a tester kit? Chem resistant bottle w/ 8oz/gal ratio HD80 or F-18? Is it generally acceptable to perform this kind of test on a deck that hasnt been inked into contract yet?

Thanks Ken. As always.

The nails/screws are already sunk on this one.. thats why I was considering... Also, floor boards are 1x2, very little space between boards (when asked, HO said he hasnt seen any puddling in winter...) Guess my point is that, with little to no visibility of the sides of these floor boards, and the screws/nails already sunk, would it be a more cost effective approach to just sand this one down instead of engage in heavy stripping/furring.... Just trying to find a way to save this HO some money, and perhaps, me, some serious aggravation...

Thanks for those words of encouragement Kevin... This guy seems pretty sold on me doing the job for him, although he hasnt seen my price yet...

Yeah, I figured I'm in for a real hum dinger with this one! The HO told me that when they bought the house, the decking was just weather a gray.... Wish he had called me over then! When I asked the Ho whether or not the guy he had returning every year for maintenance did any stripping, he said, " Well, not sure, the guy told me that he was doing some sort of acid wash before re-coating..." Pretty sad, this homeowner is a super nice guy, just had no idea what to be demanding from his deck guy. I advised the HO that he should never allow this guy back on his property... Previous deck guy actually left all kinds of stain over spray on the side of the house, edges of surrounding concrete,etc... Absolutely ridiculous! And, he wasn't going the guy much of deal with respect to price for this crappy work... If I find this guy I'm apt to zip tie him to the handrails and call the authorities! Man..... Anyways, as Charlie pointed out, good thing Im not going to be dealing with any verts on this job. The wood caps on the steel handrail framing I might just sand those, figuring that I'm going to get a fair amount of furring anyways... Id like to be able to isolate my heavy stripping to the floorboards...lots of plants around, like to limit the NAOH travel. Anyone ever just hit a deck like this with a floor sander instead? I dont do much sanding, but since the floorboards are the only surface needing attention...

...working on the pics...just a minute~

or maybe not built in, but nice details. thx for the video demos Kevin, makes me wanna fur up a deck real bad and call you over to bring that thing out! My floor boards have been good to me this season, so far... getting fuzzy on my verts with a good many others... Looking forward to giving the SUPER pricy Harbor Freight polisher a go w/ 3M's next week.

Sweet Built-in Benches!

I have been up late the last few nights mulling over in my head the best strategy for hiring help. I was up til 3AM last night running calculations on the potential for increased productivity if I were to hire on more full time help. I have worked hard the last few years on honing in my techniques, knowledge of chems and re-finishing skills and really feel like Im ready to start my expansion process. I have been so busy taking care of all of my decks that I have fallen behind on my advertising schedule, and, in some cases, keeping on top of my call backs and bids. I have always taken great care in dealing with my clients so It's been pretty embarrassing that I haven't been able to manage my time better to get to everyone in a timely manner. I am still pretty nervous about letting anyone else get there hands on my pressure washer, but think I am ready start delegating the staining responsibilities over to hired help. The bottom line is that I just need more time away from my jobs to take care of bids and manage my advertising schedule! I really think I've kissed quite a few profitable jobs this year due to the fact that I'm always out on every job start to finish! I haven't had a free Saturday in nearly 4 months and my fiance is not so happy these days. I recognize that many of you already have a few years of hiring and managing a crew behind your belts. I would appreciate it if you could share your "growth process" a bit more with me, perhaps how you went about training in your guys-task delegation,etc... I'd fing any input HUGELY helpful!

Ron, I like the way you think. I,too have had concerns around this issue. But your absolutely right, the techs don't need to know more than you need them to. The way I figure, if a guy wants to strike out on his own, let him. Most guys are just happy with steady work and a respectful working environment. And, if you manage your growth effectively, you become less concerned with newbie competition... I hope to be there myself one day soon!

Well I ran some numbers this weekend on net losses due to me being unable to get to all of my bids last month. I have always done my level best to handle call-backs within 24hrs of the original call, provide quotes within a week,. and schedule new projects within 2 weeks of contract signing. This has worked OK, but I know that I'm missing out on LOTS of jobs as a result of not more aggressively managing my advertising schedule and increasing my bids p/week. I guess what Im getting at is that I really feel like I have been far too tangled up in completing all of my decks as a one man show, when I my time could be better spent doing everything neccessary to increase volume of new projects, staying on top of advertising and being more astute at follow-ups once a bid has been submitted to my prospective new client. I know this is some real rookie rambling here, but its killing me trying to manage 100% of my business alone w/o help in the field and in the office. I actually quite enjoy putting together my proposals, meeting with clients, strategizing on new marketing ideas,etc... I've been in business for myself since I was a kid.. I love that aspect. I also love, for the most part, all the aspects of exterior wood restoration. This has been an enlightening couple of years participating in discussions on this forum and learning from all the experienced and hard working wood contractors in here. I really think Im ready to begin training in a crew and, maybe most importantly "letting go" on the job site. I agree with Ron with respect to solid training and paying help well. I've always believed in this. I always leave enough room in my bids for this and realize that respect is an earned commodity. Whats going to be most difficult for me is this "letting go" of control process I think. When I run the #'s, it seems pretty clear that I'll be making more money and slaving less if I train a crew to takeover the labor end of my deck restoration work. Funny that, hmmm, less work (physically that is) and more pay at the end of the month? I dont know why its so darn hard for me to let go!

Thanks for your input Ron... words to live by.

Thanks for taking the time to share,Ken. I appreciate that! I more than just recall our conversation regarding systemization. I have really taken that to heart in the last couple of weeks. It's been pretty enlightening to get my system out of my head and onto paper. The laminate idea is far from corny, it makes sense to me. Seems like getting things out on paper is an important BIG first step! Do you think that it makes sense to start first with delegating stain duties? My thinking last night was that I would train 1 guy at a time, all the essential tasks that revolve around the finishing process. At first, keeping him away from spraying, until he has a chance to really get used to the hand work. Set-up work, load-outs, masking, prep really does wear me down. I've been a workaholic my entire life and have been blessed with a strong back and a real get-er-done attitude. I attribute my die hard work ethic to the summers I spent commercial fishing up in Alaska. Trouble is, seems like that has really slowed me down in getting around to 'letting go' and hiring helpers. As I mentioned in my post, my biggest motivation right now is profitability. I have spent years developing my advertising strategy (love that stuff!) and have been getting right around an 800% return on advertising in my area. My market is loaded with fly by night guys, hacks, and loads of HO's with the dispensable income to hire a professional to get the job done right and on schedule. I really go to great lengths to keep my customer satisfaction at 100% whatever it takes. At 37 yrs. old, I think its time to start making the shift towards a crew. When I get out of bed in the morning, I feel like Im 90 yrs. old! A couple of cups of coffee and Im right back in it, but I really think its time to start working smarter, not harder. Thanks for your wise thoughts, Ken.

Nice one Ken. I mentioned yesterday that I hadn't seen a solid in over 2 years so Im pretty spoiled out here. I must say, Id have to take this one on as well GREAT portfolio deck! Kevin, I take the same approach to metal spindles when I see them. MUCH faster than wrapping and/or taping. My chem resistant spray bottle of min. spirits travels everywhere with me when Im spraying. With RS, a bottle of simple green as well. That is one beauty of a deck Ken,as always, well done!