Deck Question

[Blizzard Man]

I looked in search but didn't find what I was looking for.First off wife and are starting a power wash business next year,looks like we are going with a hotsy 3200@3.5 cold water.
We will be washing houese but would like to wash decks.My question is how should we bid to wash decks?I have read any where from .75
to $2.00 square foot.We don't want to be lowballers by any means at all but we don't want to over price it.Thanks

 

[john orr]

I can't help you on the pricing ( decks are house washing "add-ons" for me) but I would strongly suggest you look at more gpm's. Psi is fine (I use 400 to 700 psi for most decks), but at least 4 gpm or more is best. You don't need hot water, but you will want the extra flow.

 

[Aplus]

Blizz,
I would recommend getting some experience washing houses and decks before you start bidding or even thinking about doing them yourself right now.

Do whatever you can to get some hands-on experience.
Phone all your relatives, and ask them if you can wash their house or decks for free. Then, you'll get an idea of how much time and materials cost to do various jobs. With that knowledge, just add in overhead costs, to figure your total cost to do a job, and the labor hours it takes.

For example, let's say your total cost to restore a deck is $200. It took you 4 hours, and let's say you need to make $75/hour. You would have to charge at least $500 to do the job.

Since I know what my total costs are for doing a particular job, I know what I have to bid to make the hourly rate I want. It's a number with which I can make a living. Your pricing will have to reflect your costs and the earnings you need to live on.

It will take you time to learn, you will make pricing mistakes, that's just the way it is for a time while you learn the ropes. Sometimes certain jobs are backloaded with challenging surprises that you didn't expect. It's common to underestimate the labor required to complete a job. After awhile, the more you do, the more you learn, it becomes easier to accurately estimate jobs.

I wish it was so easy to just plug in raw numbers all the time and make fistfuls of money.

Where are you in SW Mi?

 

[Blizzard Man]

Thanks guys,Tony we live in kalamazoo,feel free to email us Badens@webtv.net
We are going to take another look at our future equipment purchase.We will talk to some friends about p/w for them.We are not looking at doing anything till next year,thought we would start asking questions now.I have done some p/wing in the past.
The more we read the more we are wondering if this is going to be for my wife and I.We will have money tied up and hope we get some work.
My wife is reading this to and said maybe we better hold off on this idea,so gues we are on hold for now.

 

[Aplus]

Blizz,
If you make the trip across the state, you are welcome to spend a day or two on my crew. Consider it a working education. You'll get a first hand peek to see if you will like this business. I can tell you this right now, it's a lot harder than you think. Each facet of "power washing" requires completely different techniques and skill sets. It can take years to perfect them. I come home totally exhausted mosts nights, after spending long days out in the sun. Then, it's time to get showered up, and go out doing estimates till 9:00 at night.

Every now and then I wonder what the heck I was thinking when I left the computer business to do this. But for right now I never want to go back to the office. I've grown to like being my own boss.

 

[Blizzard Man]

Thanks Tony.whenever I get over that way I will give you a call.

 

[Mike Gwas]

Blizz,
I am right up the road near GR. I will offer the same invite as Tony. I love free labor...... I do work in the K-Zoo area and alot in the BC area. So whenever you want to grab a brush let me know. I would also like to talk to you about your machine choice before you purchase. (GPM and PSi)..