Need help!

[newbie pete]

Hey, as you can tell from my name im new to this site. I'm also new to the business, brand new. My problem is I can't really get a job doing this to gain experience so I'm just kind of jumping into it blindly. I know that's a dangerous thing to do so you don't need to tell me about that. I started advertising (word of mouth, craigs list etc.) nothing major. But, when i get a call I wanna be able to get a rough estimate on price per sq. foot if the customer asks me. I know it depends on the condition of the house but what about for the average house with average amount of mold on it. Just a ballpark figure. I know a lot of you will disagree with the fact I'm jumping into it without experience but I'm doing a lot of research and I'm gonna do friends and family houses to try and get a grasp on the whole thing before taking care of paying customers. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[jetstream1]

What do you need to know the most you are a pats fan I will help out any way I can

 

[newbie pete]

Basically I've got enough common sense to get started but, are there any dangers to power washing a house I might not know about. Or any techniques I need to use so I don't screw anything up. And also a rough estimate on price per square foot if a customer contacts me by phone and asks about how much it would be for an xxxx sq. ft. house. Thanx for any help. Go pats!

 

[Scrappy]

I'm not a pats fan by far (GO COLTS) BUT i will give you this little word of advice when i stared out i didn't do my home work big no no READ THIS this was my first big no no lol always always always do your home work !!! good luck to yah

 

[Larry L.]

Basically I've got"" enough common sense""" to get started but, are there any ""dangers"" to power washing a house ""I might not know about.""

A person with enough common sense if he has enough of it there should not be no hiden danger.If you'll list the ones you know we may see one that you may have over looked or it could be you listed one that we didn't know.

(rough estimate on price per square foot if a customer contacts me by phone and asks about how much it would be for an xxxx sq. ft. house.)

Where did that common sense go,that could be your competitor,its better to have alittle horse sense to go alone with that common stuff.

Take your time and rearch the board,theres alot of good info and its time will spent.

 

[PressurePros]

LOL, scrappy, I just reread my reply in that thread you linked. Sorry about that. Your timing was bad on that post. I was in the midst of fixing a couple of decks from the "my warranty lasts as long as you can see my taillights" crowd. I'm glad to see you stayed around.

Newbie one day, giving advice the next.. that's what these boards are about. (I mean that in a sense of sharing)

 

[Scrappy]

lol great times great time . . . . hey i got a question for you guys what do you think about me combing my two businesses Yard Smart Land Care & Lanscaing and then of course Scrappy's Power Washing under one name . . . .The Exterior Experts i was thinking thatthis would keep my customer base closer together and really save me money on advertising only having to ad one company instead of two ?????

 

[squirtgun]

LOL, scrappy, I just reread my reply in that thread you linked. Sorry about that. Your timing was bad on that post. I was in the midst of fixing a couple of decks from the "my warranty lasts as long as you can see my taillights" crowd. I'm glad to see you stayed around.

Newbie one day, giving advice the next.. that's what these boards are about. (I mean that in a sense of sharing)

I know of guys who think that is the "Gold Standard" for warranties.

 

[PressurePros]

lol great times great time . . . . hey i got a question for you guys what do you think about me combing my two businesses Yard Smart Land Care & Lanscaing and then of course Scrappy's Power Washing under one name . . . .The Exterior Experts i was thinking thatthis would keep my customer base closer together and really save me money on advertising only having to ad one company instead of two ?????

You could do that. Keep in mind people like to see clear, abbreviated advertising. If you throw too much at them in one piece of advertising the message could get jumbled and/or watered down. If you were to take the umbrella approach I think you could maximize the dollars you make from each customer by being a one-stop exterior company. There would be great opportunity for upselling service. But.. I think you would still have to do multiple campaigns (ie one postcard advertises the landscaping end, the next advertisies your PW'ing services). In the short term you would obviously not save on advertising but ultimately I think you would gain $$ by cross selling to your customer database.

 

[newbie pete]

Thanks for the advice

 

[newbie pete]

I do have a couple of questions (probably stupid ques. but I'm gonna put myself out there). Basically I have a DeWalt 3750. A Home Depot PW but it was the best model they had available. I'm in RI so I have a couple months before the season starts. Anyways my understanding is that for the average residential home, all you have to do is spray the chemical on a section, bottom to top, let it sit for a few minutes then spray it down. I'm assuming the chemicals used are not purchased at Home Depot, or maybe I'm wrong. Do i need different chemicals for vinyl and wood siding. Also, do I need different chems for mold or do you guys usually use the same chemical for each house. I did some work with a roof cleaner who also did siding and he used a chemical mixture he made himself with bleach as a main ingredient along with some others mixed in. He used no pressure and the stuff worked great (and quick) but it was really harsh to work with and not too good for the homeowners flower beds either. I'm also not sure if it's good for the siding. Is this the more common approach or do most pressure washer operators use the pressure as the main way of getting the house clean. I know some of you have a lot of time and experience put into this and might not feel like divulging the information that took you so long to accumulate but, any help would be greatly appreciaed

 

[CaroliProWash]

Larry's advise works for all questions

Take your time and rearch the board,theres alot of good info and its time will spent.

People have been freely taking their time for years to post answers. They're all there if you just look.

 

[newbie pete]

Will do. Thanx.