Hard to get good price

Mikespowrwash

New Member
Hey guys and gals. I am fairly new to this board but I have been doing wood restoration for the past 2 years. I have had great success with the jobs I have gotten but here in lower Delaware it is hard to get the money one needs on deck work. I am one of the few contractors that offer cleaning and sealing services. Most guys just blow the wood apart and call it a day. I have pics and references I take with me to every job but when I give them the price it's wow I didn't know it would cost that much. Do you guys have a sugestion on pricing. I charge 1.00 per sq ft. for flat surfaces to clean and seal and 1>00 per linear foot of handrail as well as 25.00per step with 3 treads anything more is extra. Am I too high. I find that I usually make 45 to 60.00 per hr with this method. Thank you for any replies. Have a good night.

Mike @ Mike's Powerwashing
 

Deck Works

New Member
No you are not too high. However, if you are not getting business due to your prices you need to adjust. Some work is better than no work.
 

ghouchu

New Member
do you explain to the customer exactly what your price includes? if you describe each step of the process, perhaps contrasting what you do with what lower priced folks can be expected to do, the customer may find your quote more palatable. i have found that most folks don't really understand how much time and effort--and expertise--is involved in a pressure washing job. i explain that wood requires special care to avoid splintering or furring, that reduced pressure to protect the wood requires more time to clean than, say, a cement driveway, that the cleaning will include application of a cleaning mixture, thorough pressure washing, and the application of a neutralizer/brightener. i also explain that expertise is required in selecting the appropriate chemicals, appropriate dwell time, and appropriate pressure. ditto with the staining/sealing process. i encourage potential customers to get other estimates but to find out what each bidder intends to do and how he or she intends to do it, in order to make a fair comparison. i also tell them what they cannot expect(that stain won't come up without tearing up the wood, and anyone who tells you different is exaggerating). you might also consider a satisfaction guarantee, but only after making sure the customer understands what can and cannot be expected.

consider also breaking your bid down into componants--so much for the stripping/cleaning, so much for the staining/sealing. also, the spindles of many decks are in good shape, and i'll give a quote that expressly excludes the spindles.

finally, in face to face situations where i can gauge the reaction to the price, i start out at the high end of the appropriate range but then reduce the amount by eliminating work that the customer probably didn't have in mind in the first place(if i don't do the curb, i can do it for $25 less) or by setting conditions that would justify a lower price(if i can do it on monday, when i'll be finishing up another job in this area, i can do it for $50 less). i've also had success by calling an undecided customer back and saying i finished a job early and don't have anything scheduled tomorrow, i'll do your job for $50 less to avoid having a non-productive day.
those approaches give you the possibility of your prefered charge but also let you back off of it without making the customer feel that you were high-balling on the first quote. any legitimate reasons for reducing an initial bid may do the trick(i'll do it for less to get an example of my work into this neighborhood, or if you are willing to be named a a referrence, or if you don't mind if i use before and after pictures of your deck to promote my business, and so forth.

all that said, i think the most important aspect to emphasize is that more work is required than they realize. i've had 2 customers in the last month who negotiated me down from my initial qute but who, when they saw how much work was required, and how conscienciously i performed the work, ended up paying me the amount i originally quoted, without me saying a word.

good luck

richard
 

Mike Hughes

New Member
Originally posted by ghouchu
i also tell them what they cannot expect(that stain won't come up without tearing up the wood, and anyone who tells you different is exaggerating).


Richard,


What exactly do you mean by that statement? It is 100% possible to remove most stains without tearing up wood......if the proper stripper is used.
 

ghouchu

New Member
mike,

i couldn't identify most of the stains i've had problems with. some were oil stains; sometimes rust stains are set so deep they won't come up(or else leave discoloration). i've also had trouble with heavy mildew, not so much tearing up the wood but requiring extra application of bleach, which then leaves the wood in that area lighter than the rest of the deck(my plea in this forum for advice on that problem went unanswered). as i recall, you are anti-bleach on wood, but i don't know what else will kill the mildew.

i most often have to address limitations when the customer is not willing to spring for a quote that includes sanding--choice is possibility of some remaining stains versus likelihood of furring.

but whatever the job, i always explain that some stains might not come out, but if they don't, it will not be for lack of trying.

if there's something out there that i should be using, please let me know.

thanks

richard
 

Jon Fife

New Member
ghoucho,

am i correct in understanding that you cannot get out preservative stains?? or do you mean only non-intentional stains??

For stripping stains (preservatives) out of wood, you need to be using HD-80, best thing out there and will remove anything you'll run in to in B'ham.

For rust stains, try your brightener (oxalic acid). Put it on extra strong on those spots.

I don't use bleach, some do, some don't, i haven't done any long-term research to see what adverse effects it can have on wood so I would be speaking out of turn to say if it is destructive to wood, I simply don't know. Most everyone that says anything pro or con about bleach is basing their belief on what someone that they respect has said. That being said, I personally don't use it because i don't think it does a good job. For heavily-mildewed jobs, i will use a sodium hydroxide stripper diluted way down. I think this works better.

For grey decks that are not mildewed badly, i use a sodium bicarbonate (oxygenated bleach) cleaner. Works great.

happy t'giving,

Jon Fife

If you ever want to come up to N'ville in the spring just let me know. Be happy to let you work with us for a day or two and you can see our methods and products.
 

Chris Detter

New Member
Hey Mike in Delaware,

If you feel like coming to Miami, Fl at the end of Jan The PWNA is doing there wood restoration & certification course. You will learn basically everything about doing wood , pricing , chemicals etc. If you need any more info about the convention or school, Give the PWNA a call and they will send you all the stuff. 1-800-393-PWNA Good luck

Chris Detter/ Sun Brite / VP PWNA :) :) :)
 

rvagnoni

New Member
Mike,

As far as your pricing is concerned I believe you are fine. I don't now what your overhead is but try and check out who your competition is in your market area. There are alot of part-time fly by nighters out there getting into this business and trying to make a fast buck. Come next year...there no where to be found. Most also don't have insurance or references either.

Also try and find out what type of products they use on the deck jobs. A job bidded out using Thompson's would be less than a job using a quality sealer such as Ready Seal or ABR, etc.

I work in PA not far from you so I know your prices are inline. As long as you are doing quality work. I wouldn't change a thing.

By the way welcome back Mr. Detter! Happy to hear from you again.
 

Chris Detter

New Member
Hey Rick,

Thanks for the (Welcome Back). Sorry I've been such a stranger, just havn't had the chance to spend much time on these bbs's hopefully if it ever gets cold here and the decks stop. I can help out a little more. Have a great Holiday Buddy. Thanks again Chris :) :) :)
 

doug mckenzie

New Member
deck cleaning

i use newagain roof and deck cleaner,it cuts cleaning time in half AND TAKES ANYTHING OFF THE WOOD.contact me for more info.
 

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