AC Needs help in Atlanta

[Adrian 155]

Hi everyone, it's been a while & have been taking advantage of the peak season so haven't been on BBS much lately.

I did a PW bid for a community developer in Marietta on Fri. for cleaning a 2 story and all of the flatwork.

Brand new house, just completed. This firm could mean very steady business.

He likes the bid I gave him for the flatwork and house and is going through the chain of command to get it approved.

The one glich I am having is finding a sub to clean and recover the basement of this brand new home.

I can't clean the basement! I don't have recovery system.

PLEASE DON'T START BEATING UP ON ME ABOUT RECOVERY!!!!!!

If anyone does recover in the Atlanta area and is interested in helping me land this one, it could mean alot more work down the road.

I'm positive I am in the running with this firm and future business. I would just like to "go the extra mile" for this firm and cover all the bases.

I should know around mid week if I have his business.

The basement area covers around 3500-4000 sq.ft. approx.

Please either email me or call or respond to this post. I will check back as often as possible.

Thanks

Adrian

[John Doherty 126]

It's not as difficult as you think, sump pump and a long handled squeege. I do new construction flatwork all day, you can do this pretty cheaply.

The only problem you have is that cold water unit. In my opinion you can not do this kind of work with cold water.

[Adrian 155]

With much respect, I do not want to go around again about not having hot water.

Alot of firms here in Atlanta don't have hot water units.

I am just looking for someone to help with this project.

Counting my blessings for the abundance of work lately. I need it. I will eventually get hot water and recovery. But for now, just looking for help on the project if I land it.

Thanks

[flimmy 14]

Doesn't the basement have a sump pump in it already ? Use a surface cleaner if you have one. It will help with the water staying on the floor and not spraying all over the place. You can also use a shop vac that has a garden hose outlet that pumps the water to recover the water. I'm guessing your not worried about the real recovery of the water just the removal from the basement. Here is the vac I have

http://www.shopvac.com/web/products/ultrapump.shtml

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

Wet dry vacs are wonderful....

Beth

[Don Phelps 85]

With much respect, I do not want to go around again about not having hot water.

Alot of firms here in Atlanta don't have hot water units.

I am just looking for someone to help with this project.

Counting my blessings for the abundance of work lately. I need it. I will eventually get hot water and recovery. But for now, just looking for help on the project if I land it.

Thanks

I normally might not say this, but based on your posts and others so far, it sounds like what you're really saying is:

"I see dollar signs in my future if I can pull this off, but I've been caught with my pants down. It's been said before that I need more/better equipment than I currently have. Now I know that, but I'm desperate to impress these people, so screw all the above mentioned limitations and just give me someone/something for a quick resolution to my situation."

Don't take it personally, but if business is so good right now, why not spend the cash and take care of the situation yourself AND improve your set-up for the future?

Like I said, I'm not trying to argue, but the cart was ahead of the mule on this one in my most humble opinion.

Whatever the case might be, Good Luck!

[Pams Pressure & Clean 64]

Adrian,

As mentioned above, getting rid of the water in the basement is really not too hard.. A shop vac w/ auto pump out, a sump pump, or similar device could answer the call for not much cash..

The larger issue is do you really want to introduce that much moisture into the home? Interior mold is a very real concern and perhaps you may want to rethink your liability on such a concern.....

I'm in the Metro area and would be glad to give you any tips, thoughts, or suggestions if you want to give me a call..

Cujo

[RyanH 14]

They pressure washed my basement before we moved in. I don't what the hell the guy was smoking but somehow he got the water high enough to trip our GFCI outlets and ruined the bottom 3' of wallboard in the areas where they had it. Also, humidity was so stinkin high that I ran a dehumidifier for two weeks straight and still could not get it below 85% (relative). If you don't want to go with a sump pump or a shop vac, consider renting a carpet cleaning extractor. They have wands and good vacuums on them and can hold from 5 - 20 gallons depending on the size and are very versatile. I used one solely for this purpose when cleaning a kitchen in one of my janitorial customers' facility.

[Adrian 155]

Thanks Beth- I have a shop wet dry vac that would probably handle the job and I may go that route. I use it for my auto accts. mid size 8 gallon I think......

Thanks Scott, I have a surface cleaner as well,a 32" squeegee, and would most likely just redistribute the water outside of the house or just pour it in my tank when i'm through. I like the vac with the water outlet as well. Mine you just fill up and empty.

Thanks for your input too, Don. But really didn't mean to imply "so much" work, abundance, meaning, more than my usual 2 or 3 jobs a week if that much.LOL! . Mule and cart.....caught with my pants down.....lol, you always crack me up !!!!

As soon as I pay for my new kidney stones, I'll get a recovery unit and hot water.

But until then...... the stones rule the finances. LOL !!!! (The Rolling Stones too!!!)

I have all the gear that everyone suggested and can remove the water.

Plus I will definately go that route if no one wants to gang up on this one with me.

I came to the right place, great advice, ideas, and yuks.

[squirtgun 122]

Adrian,

You don't have to buy an expensive unit to reclaim.Don't be scared into buying a unit that you can't afford.Berms,sump pumps and filters can get you started.Also,if you can put the water in a sanitarty sewer after filtering you don't have the worry of hauling water.

Alan will be the first to tell you reclaim doesn't have to be expensive.He's in Cali and deals with stricter reclaim laws than most of us.Call your water district and see what they require for you to dump in the sanitary sewer system(i.e how filtered do they want the water).

[Don Phelps 85]

But until then...... the stones rule the finances. LOL !!!! (The Rolling Stones too!!!)

QUOTE]

Does the "Big Chicken" still have his stones too? :lgbugeyes

[Adrian 155]

Funny you should mention the Big Chicken (local landmark for directions in this town i.e. " turn right at the Big Chicken").

It could use a good cleaning as well as it is very streaked.

[Don Phelps 85]

I had a g/f that lived in Marietta in the late 80's/early 90's, so I know all about the "Big Chicken."

[One Tough Pressure 580]

Sump pumps, wet vacs and squeeges will all be useful, but how do you plan to deal with the mist that even a cold water unit will create?

Interior cleaning is much more critical than exterior, due to drying issues. Turn on the heater to make it dry faster and you get humidity, which will cause many problems. Turn on fans and it may be to cold to dry for exended periods.

Even draping the walls and ceiling in plastic is questionable as mist will travel.

Why does a basement need pressure cleaning anyway? Especially on a brand new house.

[flimmy 14]

Alan , my guess is the concrete has some mud stains on it.

[Adrian 155]

exactly!!! Mud from construction and forms. I don't have to do the basement plus I didn't even bid on the basement, just the rest of the property. I will not get in over my head, trust me. Mold issues are bad in these parts. I don't want to be the cause of mold damage, just the solution. I am just trying to get my foot in the door with this developer, and wanted to offer him every courtesy to try and find him someone that could do the basement for him.

thanks for the good advise.

Adrian

[Neil_Asheville 114]

Hey AC -

Listen to RyanH. And I'm with him 100% on this one. Go rent a carpet steam cleaner from the grocery store. Works great on getting up dried mud on concrete, drywall putty off OSB subflooring, and a general cleanup prior to padding and carpet going down in a new home.

http://www.rugdoctor.com/

Rent first, see if it fits your application, then shop used with your a** load of cash you just made off this new contract. Sounds like you have a great thing going.

cheers,

/neil

[PLD 14]

Why does a basement need pressure cleaning anyway? Especially on a brand new house.

Never been to Georgia, eh?

Most likely it's the red clay. It gets tracked everywhere from the worksite during construction. Post construction on most homes requires a good head to toe and driveway scrubbing so the owner doesn't move into an orange house.

Philip

[flimmy 14]

Talk to the builder about getting in early in the constrution to do the basement. Go to other new home sites and see what is being done , maybe even ask a builder what they do about it.

[John Doherty 126]

Home builders work on thin margins and pay accordingly. Time is money!! How long would it take to clean up a basement floor with that carpet thing? How often do you stop to empty it out etc? How about power? I'm in new homes everyday, what if the electrician is there and there's no power?

You need to spend no more than 1 hr at these homes, it should take 45 minutes on average. If you spend any more time, you will make McDonalds money.

Good luck and always think about time, the more time you spend the more $ you lose.

JD