I'm not gonna try anymore

[Chappy 138]

I've become disgusted with the market here in regards to wood restoration. I have decided to just offer cleaning, and re-applying the same product as was there before. If not sure, put a water based solid. No more stripping. The market just doesn't bear the cost. I think I price fairly for a complete strip, but my competitors (usually painters) just quick clean and apply whatever. Tired of wasting time on estimates to be beat by a $500 dollar bid.

I recently did a dock and reapplied Flood Spa N Deck (which I hate) and another dock with.....

Behr supreme. And they came out beautifully. no more stripping. give the customer a beautiful finished product. They dont really care how long it lasts, they wont call for maintenance for 4-5 years anyway or until the move. And they wont pay for real restoration work.

And I make money. Quickly. No more killing myself over what turns out to be my least profitable service catagory.

[apsurfacesolutions 17]

I think you mat be onto something here. Selling restorations is an uphill battle. If you just clean the deck what are you using to do it?

[Chappy 138]

Sodium Percarb with a little NP9.

For those that do decks full time and have great success with it, I give you mega kudo's. And I have had success in the past. I still get calls, although not as many as in the past, because my website works. But like Clark said, it really is an uphill battle in certain areas of the country.

Rick Petry asked me when he flew into Orlando. How do you make a living doing decks? he couldn't see one deck from the plane. Thats one of the problems, not enough decks. The other is an attitude of Cheapness that runs through Florida (more so than other areas of the country, especially in urban markets. ) People are used to hiring contractors that are happy to make $10 an hour.

Its a shame, but Ive replaced it with paver sealing and am doing great with it. Thats a money maker in these parts, and Ive been able to do better combatting the cheap guys.

[Doug Black 18]

Cost/ benefit wise, what you have "resigned" yourself to is really the best way.

Hell, a lot of people are even too cheap to get THAT done correctly.

Around here, a lot of companies seem to hire off craiglist and offer to train... quickly...

Or like you said...use painters. I'm sure some painters know about proper prep but I'm still waiting to meet one.

[Doug Rucker 31]

Sodium Percarb with a little NP9.

For those that do decks full time and have great success with it, I give you mega kudo's. And I have had success in the past. I still get calls, although not as many as in the past, because my website works. But like Clark said, it really is an uphill battle in certain areas of the country.

Rick Petry asked me when he flew into Orlando. How do you make a living doing decks? he couldn't see one deck from the plane. Thats one of the problems, not enough decks. The other is an attitude of Cheapness that runs through Florida (more so than other areas of the country, especially in urban markets. ) People are used to hiring contractors that are happy to make $10 an hour.

Its a shame, but Ive replaced it with paver sealing and am doing great with it. Thats a money maker in these parts, and Ive been able to do better combatting the cheap guys.

Pinellas County - one of the toughest markets in the U.S. to do anything right. So many hacks and scammers running around. I was in business in Clearwater for 10 years. It was a daily fight against the low ballers, lawn companies and painters, and everyone else that does "pressure cleaning".

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

Bummer. It's too bad people are not willing to get the job done right. We get that here too, not much you can do except go on to the next bid.

Beth

Edited April 18, 2011 by Beth n Rod

[apsurfacesolutions 17]

Bummer. It's too bad people are not willing to get the job done right. We get that here too, not much you can do except go on to the next bid.

Beth

Thats's what I am struggling with drive 30 miles to do a quote I hate to walk away empty handed Last week gave a quote of $1380.00 was told the other guy told them $350.00 tried to explain the benefits but it was like talking to a brick wall

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

All I hear Chappy is : if ya can't beat em, join em!

Where do you compromise next?

I understand your position quite well. We have much of the same here so I am not without empathy here.

I think you over look one thing...liability. you have been covering yourself and now you are going to leave yourself wide open.

Rod!~

[splashandash 15]

Woodcare is not big in florida if your profit is not there then your doing the right thing. I"m sure you can tell when you walk onto someone's property if they take care of their stuff or not. With that being said most decks in florida look like they were put together for a couple hundred bucks.

[Chappy 138]

Its not a matter of joining them. The flood Spa n Deck is extremely hard to remove. If I know what it is, why bother stripping and staining with something else. Same with the Behr Supreme. There is no more liability than with anything else. In fact, stripping a dock of old stain opens up a huge can of worms, as opposed to a percarb cleaning and re-staining.

How would it leave me wide open to anything, Rod?

Im still going to prep it better than any of the painters I see doing decks. I still use proper cleaning, neutralizing and staining techniques. Im just tired of presenting the best option as the only option. Few of my estimates know the difference. I can educate them I'm blue in the face. Some will go with the cheaper guy because he didnt try to educate them, he just gave them what they wanted, or at least a finished product. 2 years down the road when it fails the customer may not be in the same house, or the other guy may not be around.

I'm just being realistic in my market.

[Celeste 341]

We have developed enough of a "good quality" and loyal customer base with the EXCELLENT deck services (full blown & proper) that we will just leave the cheapies to the other guys. If someone's deck is not a valuable investment to them - well, we just can't fix that - those folks are better left to the painters. Keeps them busy and away from the high end jobs anyway.

[Chappy 138]

Here is a good for instance. I called a customer that I did a dock and gazebo for to schedule a courtesy evaluation for maintenance. I had stripped and stained with wood tux. Beautiful job at what was then a pretty reasonable price.

His response. "Nah, My son is going to do it. He needs some extra money " This was an executive in a million dollar waterfront home! Now imagine the normal joe blow in a 150K home with an estimate for $1500 to strip, sand, repl a couple boards, stain with a high quality stain or a $600 clean and apply a water based solid.

Im just bowing to reality and moving on to more profitable work. Plus my calls have gone from 75-100 estimates a year to less than 20 last year with only 4 landed. Thats a pretty poor percentage. And Im still #1 in my area on searches for deck sealing.

I will still do what is right on a deck when I can get the money for it, but Im saying Im going to try to be a better judge of my client and not overdo it. Give them what they want, not what I want.

Edited April 19, 2011 by Chappy

[Christopher 102]

I hear you Jon. I get maybe 4-10 calls per year for deck restoration and the people here don't like hearing the numbers I give them for a good job.

Most people around here will just let the deck go until it needs to be replaced and some file a claim on their insurance for the rot and they get it replaced.

4 people last year told me that what it cost to maintain every 1.5 to 3 years, after 3 restorations that would cover the cost of a new deck so why bother??????

I try to explain to them the maintenance is protecting their investment and keeping them from replacing after it is rotting away but they are only looking at the $$$$$$ out of their pocket, not as protecting their investment.

I would like to hear some good sales techniques for these situations, not the "used car salesman" typical stuff, good sales that will help in these situations. Anyone up to the challenge????

[bigchaz 157]

Its more a matter of a whether the deck is being used as an outdoor living space or in many of our customers cases an extension of the home basically. Sure it may be cheaper to replace the deck every 10 years, but if the customer utilizes the deck as a gathering point, a dining room, a play area, a kitchen, etc, etc then the following 10 years after you replace the deck the condition is slowly and surely deteriorating to the point where as you mentioned they literally are filing an insurance claim for the rot and damage. Sure would make it hard to enjoy a nice dinner while the grandkids play with their toy trucks and your husband grills out when the deck is covered in splinters, algae and the stairs are wobbly and at risk of falling off

[Cat Powerwashing Inc. 17]

Deck work fills in the void from other jobs. Yes, not as profitable as house washing, but keeps the guys working every day.

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

How would it leave me wide open to anything, Rod?

Just sounded like you were not going to keep up your standards.

Rod!~

[plainpainter 217]

Jon, I know where you are coming from. I've made good money re-doing peeling painted decks with paint again. We all

have to review our services from time to time. Sometimes guys make something into a high priesthood, like deck care.

[James 624]

Brother Dan , it is the Priestwood not Priesthood . And instead of being called the Pope just call me the Pulp !!

[big mike 14]

I had long suspected you were the Pulp of Priestwood. Almost sounds like royalty.....

[carltoncleans 16]

Good conversation. Chappy its a good biz decision. I also recently stopped turning away deck painting jobs. I explain the cost of stripping and sanding and if the deck is elevated I than follow up with I do not offer the service on elevated decks anyway. I than proceed to submit a proposal based on the customers reaction to the information. 9.99 is precarb, scrap and paint (only on prior painted decks). Here is the crazy thing since so many people only push oil in my county and painters do not successfully market deck refinishing I charge more per sqft than hydroxide and AC stain due to slower application (paint is slower to apply). I prefer oil application but biz growth is more important. I'm a certified appraiser and develop 200-300 reports a year and the biz has gone to the toilet due to nasty regs and knee jerk reactions. Submitting a proposal to paint a deck where I control ever thing is far better than dealing with say the mortgage industry. I hope in the near future for deck refinishing and other home improvement services to carry my family with appraisal and inspection work as bonus money. For example, I gave a proposal and have already finished the job on a town home where my main competitor refused to offer anything other than strip and oil. The town home was FOR SALE!!!!! Amazing. My opinion is perform many services covering many market segments.

[Phil Rogers 14]

What does precarb, scrap and paint mean? Maybe I am misunderstanding scrap because I assumed precarb was the cleaner and paint is obviously the sealer or stain.