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Paul B.

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Posts posted by Paul B.

  2. Posted · Report reply

    Doug,

    My minimum is $135-$150 depending on type of work, workload and season.

    $575 for that size house (including gutter) would get you 1 out of 100 or maybe 50 jobs in my area. Most customers are frugal and somewhat smart (my area is very conservative) - they would figure if it took you 5 hrs. for you to do the job at $60 per hour it would cost $300 at best. GENERALLY, services around here charge approx. in the $60 per hour range or lower (exceptions are plumbers at $65/hr.; car repair is $75; average lawyer is about $100; and the average doctor is about $225 (insurance pays most of doctor's charges). Higher prices are based on supply and demand as in plumber; car repair; doctors; lawyers. Theory is that when your car breaks down, you need to get it fixed NOW (same with lawyers, plumbers and doctors) but if your house is dirty, it can be put off for 2 months, 6 months or a year.

    Part of what drives pricing is - whether it's a necessity, commodity, luxury or cosmetic? The other part is competition.

    At $300, if you charge 4 hours for the job, it would gross you $75/hr. (This rate would include all your overhead and all expenses, including estimating averages and your drive time.) If the customer sees a higher rate than what they can justify in their head, (meaning they feel overpriced or cheated) they will not refer you - nor will they consider you for future needs.

    If you spend 3 hours on site (1 person) you can generally charge 4 hours and cover all your O/H and expenses and you end up with $100 per hour on site rate. This will generally end in a win-win scenario. This is a rate structure that works for me (and is therefore MY OPINION.)

    De-icing in my area would be generally very slow business. It happens MAYBE once a year.

    There are some high risks in de-icing roof and gutter areas as you could drive water inside the home. This is a common problem even without forced de-icing. I would not feel comfortable doing this without previous knowledge of the home.

    Installing icing and snow build-up prevention devices would be a safer approach. (MY OPINION)

  3. Posted · Report reply

    Folks,

    I didn't say if you could or could not wash those homes in 2 hours - what I said was:

    "I guess washing and rinsing 2 sides of a house at one time depends on what size the houses are that you are washing, how dirty they are and if the sides are exposed to the sun in 95+ degree temperatures. ..."

    We did have to disconnect several down-spouts as they drained into a pond and the storm drain system. The patio and sidewalk were already clean and the sealer was still in tact on that property (no wooden deck). However, we cleaned & resealed the customer's driveway. In addition we cleaned his brothers house, cleaned and sealed his brother's driveway. These people helped me generate over $25K of work in their neighborhood (in 1 year). They continue to be my "diamond in the rough" customers.

    Rob,

    Just curious - If you charge $450 for a 2 hour job ($225 per hour), why do you charge $125 for an hour of gutter cleaning?

    Here is the front of the 2nd house:

  4. Posted · Report reply

    Rob,

    Insurance will vary not only based on provider's differences but between regions and also the specifics of the businesses being insured along with specifics of the policy.

    Off the top of my head, here are some factors I can think of that impact costs of a policy:

    - How long you've been in business.

    - How many claims have been made against you.

    - What type of work you do (commercial, residential, deck restoration, concrete cleaning, fleets, tall buildings, etc.).

    - How many employees you have.

    - How much liability coverage is on YOUR facility.

    - How much of YOUR equipment is covered.

    - How much liability coverage you carry on single incident and aggregate.

    - Whether your coverage includes the substrate you are cleaning or working on or NOT.

  5. Posted · Report reply

    Ron,

    The precautions we take are fairly common:

    - Pre-wet and rinse plants and foliage.

    - Windows are pre-wet and rinsed before detergent dries.

    - Only tape if we run across open phone boxes, open electrical outlets or vents we can't cautiously work around.

    - We use EXTREME caution around electric lines leading into homes.

    - I look for paint that may be failing/chipping when I bid the work and either pass on the work, or if I feel comfortable enough not to pass on the work, I put a note in the estimate and we use extreme caution when cleaning.

    - With pre-wetting and rinsing, brass and most metals are not or have not been an issue for us. However, I keep an eye out and make notes of special items on each estimate. The only time brass, copper and other metals are of concern is when we do new construction, or clean with acids - then we tape as necessary.

    - Run-off is always a concern - I check to see where the gutter spouts run off to and sometimes have to redirect or disconnect, as I've found some to run off onto plants, into creeks, ponds or storm systems.

    - Run-off is also a concern on driveways - we dam to keep it away from the streets and storm systems.

    - Working around asphalt is always a concern for us, using detergents that are heavy degreasers - it tends to take the oils out of asphalt. We pre-wet and rinse heavily and keep run-off from puddling on asphalt. 90% of driveways are horribly constructed - rather than being slightly crowned (less crown than football fields have), they are concave or flat with sink holes, sags or just run toward a garage, or the house. If constructed flat, driveways should slant away from structures and slightly to one side. Driveway, porch and other concrete rinsing is one of the key elements I look for when estimating, as in a lot of cases can consume a lot of time and kill healthy profits.

    - We use the X-jet and other methods to clean. When we use the X-jet, we are cautious to avoid close contact and not blow water under the siding. We stick around long enough after each job to ensure that if there are any, all weeps are wiped away so we don't have to make a trip back to FIX. We also do a walk around after we think we are finished, but before clean-up to ensure nothing is missed. If the customer is home, then they are asked to review and judge the work before we leave.

    - Of course general safety is always on our minds. We keep it there with two key mottos:

    "Safety First and Make IT Last!" and

    "Safety is NO Accident!"

  6. Posted · Report reply

    It didn't happen on my shift!

    Looks like that one fella is getting a new truck out of this deal!

    I was watching them unload railcars the other day. They had about 6 of those small unloaders and 2 large units working at one time.

    I've seen a train with an oversized load dump its load at a tunnel a century ago when I was consulting for P&G. (That didn't happen on my shift either.) That one lost a .75MM piece of equipment.

    There were a couple of heads that rolled over that one. The rail company is supposed to check sizes but they had a short tape measure also. The insurance company was not real pleased either. The only ones that made out were the fabricators and machine shops - they got to make a bunch of new parts and re-assemble it again.

  8. Posted · Report reply

    Rob,

    You need to remember that for a large number of folks out there, downstreaming does not work (or work properly) when hose lengths are in excess of 150 feet. The X-jet is a solution for those folks.

    I guess washing and rinsing 2 sides of a house at one time depends on what size the houses are that you are washing, how dirty they are and if the sides are exposed to the sun in 95+ degree temperatures.

    Here is the typical size (vinyl sided) house we wash.

  9. Posted · Report reply

    Doug,

    The rinse aid technology is fairly complicated as it pertains to formulations and there are many different types of rinse aids on the market. You can put rinse aid in your detergent mix, but you have to be careful to choose the correct product.

    Originally dishwashers had a separete rinse aid dispenser. As the consumer forgot to fill this dispenser, dishes were not being rinsed properly which shifted companies strategy to start adding time release water conditioning and rinse agent beads to the detergents which are released in the rinse cycle.

    Most rinse aids that are formulated to be used in the rinse cycle, counteract foaming action. If you put these types into your detergent, they start breaking it down. Many of these rinse aids also work by reducing/neutralizing the pH level.

    Depending on the rinse aids effectiveness, you may or may not see a drastic reduction of your detergent's effectiveness.

    In any case, look for commercial products that are formulated to be combined with high pH detergents such as Citracleen (which has concentrate ph of 12.8 and 1% Dilution ph of 11.3). I'm sure the supplier can tell you if their rinse agent is formulated for use in Citracleen.

  11. Posted · Report reply

    Rob,

    My question/statements were based on your statement of:

    "...some of these people have never had their house washed and they are 70-80 years old..."

    In any case, I understand what you are saying.

    My amazement is still there for anyone wanting vinyl siding on a home over $300K. Be it popular or not, there is nothing pretty about vinyl siding! (I suppose these are the same people that buy $750K houses on 1/4 acre lots.)

    Some of the newer style siding (two toned or multi-toned) looks like it's always dirty. People are always offended that I offer to clean them. - well, ...They look dirty!

  12. Posted · Report reply

    Rob,

    "I have some neighborhoods that I have to x-jet the chlorine 3 or 4 to 1 just to kill the first layer of mold, and the repeat that again, some of these people have never had their house washed and they are 70-80 years old and well over $750K in price, now for houses like that I know I have to wash twice I usually charge double, maybe $500-$900 range thaey are in bad shape.."

    What type of exterior are you cleaning?

    If the house is that old, it's not vinyl siding and most likely not even aluminum siding. If it's painted wood and that old, the paint is most likely lead based and in poor condition. Cedar siding was not popular in the 20's and 30's and would also be in poor condition if never cleaned or treated. In any case, I wouldn't touch a house like that.

    I've always been amazed at why houses over $300K would have any vinyl siding on them. It takes all kinds, I guess!

  13. Posted · Report reply

    Liquid pool shock normally runs between 10% and 15% Sodium Hypochlorite. It varies by manufacturer, but you can find the percentage on the label. It may be available in higher %, but I have not seen any in my area for the past 5 years.

    Bleach comes in 3-4% and 6% Sodium Hypochlorite content. You have to read the label for which one you are buying. If you buy Ultra Bleach it's most likely 6%. The 6% bleach is also most commonly presented in the 3/4 gallon containers in the grocery stores. (I don't shop at Wal-Mart so I can't say what they offer.)

    Powdered Calcium Hypochlorite is generally used as pool shock because it has a close to neutral pH versus the Sodium Hypochlorite which has a high pH of about 14. You can use either for pool shock, but if you use Sodium Hypochlorite then you MAY need to add other chemicals to the water to lower the pH level.

    There have been a few cases where mold/mildew was so concentrated on homes, that we used 12% at 1:3 dilution rate to get it off quickly.

    Low concentrations of Sodium Hypochlorite will work, but will take longer. Time is money, so some folks prefer spending an extra $5 in chemicals in lieu of spending an extra 15 minutes, 1/2 hour or 1 hour on the job.

  14. Posted · Report reply

    Good information for newbies and some veterans alike!

    I would like to make a couple of comments:

    1) It is important that you read the whole document, as there are statements such as "Charge by the square foot" which may initially sound like that's the only way you should price but in a later section has additional clarification which says it's not really practical to price everything at a square foot rate. The reasoning behind charging by the square foot is the best written explaination I've seen anywhere on these BB's for the newbies.

    Personally I believe that you should know both methods and use one to cross check against the other and keep in mind that increasing your speed, in most cases is your reward, if you are already competitive in your pricing.

    2) While I agree that we can't tell a person what to charge for any specific job, I believe most folks are asking for guidance or a starting point, which we can help with. If we can't guide new contractors in pricing because there are too many variables, than how can we aid them in procedures and what chemicals or products to use, since there are just as many variables in those areas.

    3) Closing ratios for call-ins is another area that has some very good points, but again, increasing your cost by 40% can have very negative long term effects that people should understand.

    For example, you could not apply that to new construction brick cleaning as the pricing is very competitive and set. A 40% increase in that field would lose you 99% of the jobs. Also, if a customer finds out that you are overpricing, you could lose that customer (and by word of mouth others) for life.

    I believe there are other methods that are more customer friendly and still allow you to make good money.

    I also believe that finding ways to increase your closing ratio is more important or helpful to a contractor in the long term, than increasing prices. (Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against raising prices for many reasons, including supply and demand.)

    4) While I don't agree with the philosophy "If you can't price it, you shouldn't do it", I would concur with a statement more in line with "If you don't know how to get the job done, you shouldn't do it." Pricing is a learning process, especially for people new in the field and losing money on some jobs is a part of the learning process (limiting your losses and speeding up your learning curve should be a major focus for new contractors).

    Again, I'll say: Don't get me wrong, I think the post is very good and as he says, it's still in the works. My point is that nothing is etched in stone and each contractor needs to continue to read, explore, ask/listen and search new methods to stay competitive in this ever changing world. The contractor that never changes, has the highest risk of becoming obsolete.

  20. Posted · Report reply

    Jon,

    You are correct - Jewish is not a race but could be a regionality.

    It is difficult because many books and many Jews can't tell you and many think they are a race.

    Judaism being the religion of Israel (or the Jewish religion); The area of Judaea which was governed by Pontius Pilate (no longer exists); Judah, the kingdom in the southern part of ancient Palestine formed by the two tribes (Judah & Benjamin) that broke with the other 10 tribes (12 tribes of Israelites); Judean - which can refer to the people of Judeae or refer to Jewish people of Jewish religion...

    Scott,

    My understanding is that Christian Jews are referred to as Messianic Jews.

    Coptic refers to Egyptian Christians:

    The word Copt is derived from the Greek word Aigyptos, which was, in turn, derived from "Hikaptah", one of the names for Memphis, the first capital of Ancient Egypt (Copt can refer to a native of Egypt - descendants of the ancient inhabitants). The modern use of the term "Coptic" describes Egyptian Christians, as well as the last stage of the ancient Egyptian language script. Also, it describes the distinctive art and architecture that developed as an early expression of the new faith.

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