New to the Deckwork side of things

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LynxProWash

New Member
I am interested in doing deckwork/fencework. I recently washed my parents cedar siding with no chemicals and was amazed at the results. I just started my business last year and did well simply in the vinyl siding market, and I think I can do well in the deckwork market now. I am wondering if anyone can give me some pointers on bidding. I will be going through the wolmann certified contractor program but was just curious how much you guys are making on a per deck basis. I know that markets are different in every region but I'm just trying to get a ballpark. Do you charge by the square foot or by each individual job?? Just some basics if you could. Thanks!!

Jeremy Yoder
LynxProWash
417.207.0179
 
PressurePros

PressurePros

New Member
The very first thing for you to do is learn how to decks properly by using detergents and lowering your pressure WAY down.
 
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deckrock

New Member
Newbies tend to use water pressure only (no chemicals) and as time goes on, the more experience you get, the more you learn about what chemicals work and what doesn't. Take a look at previous posts about pricing, bleach (to use or not to use is a big debate), wood brightener, pros / cons of sanding wood, pros / cons of charging by square foot, which sealers / stains to use (and which ones you find easiest to work with) You can read these posts til you're blue in the face, but you need to figure what works for you best.

It wouldn't hurt to call a couple competitors in the area to see what they charge (yes, we've all done it).

As your learning, figure out how many hours a job will take you, plus materials and travel, insurance, upkeep, helpers, etc. After you figure out expenses, determine what you want to make per hour ($65.00???).... that seems to work for us, as opposed to square footage. Some decks require more labor then other decks and square footage can bite you in the *ss sometimes.

Live and learn and read past posts.
 
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LynxProWash

New Member
Thanks for the replies

Thanks for the replies. I don't consider myself a "newbie" I've been in the business for over a year now and already have seen what chemicals can do. That's why I'm planning on going through the certified contractor program from Wolman Wood Care Products so I can find out how to use chemicals on wood etc. The reason I didn't use chemicals on my parents house was more a convenience issue. I only had about four hours to wash their deck and my dad had gotten ahold of my machine the day before and put streaks on the house. I was just trying to get the streaks out of it and realized that pressure alone did a pretty good job. Because of that I decided to go ahead and do the Wolman program to learn about chems used on wood. I appreciate the comments!!! Please let me know on an average how much you are making per deck. Please!! I'm just curious how much can be made in this market. I heard somewhere (I can't remember where) that an average deck could bring around $800 for a strip clean and restain/sealer. Is that about right?? We're not talking a huge deck here just a simple like 300 sq ft deck or so. Thanks again!!

Deckrock I really appreciate your comment I don't mean any disrespect by not calling myself a newbie I am a newbie to the deck market. Thank you so much for your time in replying.
 
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deckrock

New Member
No offense taken. The average deck in this area goes for about $475. It depends on the market you're in. During slow season (like end of June and all of July), we tend to lower our prices a bit so we can cover our monthly expenses (truck, advertisement, insurance, etc). I think the national average is $1.10- $1.30 per linear foot. There's always another guy down the road that will undoutedly undercut you, just to get the job. We have a shmoe in our phonebook that has a nice sized color ad that states he'll beat any written estimate by 10%.

I'd seriously call another competitor and get pricing from him, tell 'em you just want a ballpark figure.
 
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deckrock

New Member
Oh, and when working on fences, be aware of shadow box fences... they're more labor intensive and take longer to do than board on board.
 
PressurePros

PressurePros

New Member
Trust me, you canot get rich doing deck work. I find it to be the lowest paying of all areas of service we offer. It's a hard sell sometimes.
 
F

FCPWLLC

New Member
PressurePros said:
Trust me, you canot get rich doing deck work. I find it to be the lowest paying of all areas of service we offer. It's a hard sell sometimes.
Click to expand...

AMEN!!

I have greatly reduced the amount of wood that we clean. Mostly, I qualify the customer as to whether or not we will do the work. I end up referring them to a competitor that refers all of his Vinyl Siding to me. Very hard to get Full Value for Decks.

I start at $3/sqft, then go from there depending on all the PITA factors.
Very rare to find an educated consumer that understands the true value of doing Deck work properly.

No big heart break for me...... Profit Margin so much higher doing Vinyl Siding and Flat work.
 
Everett

Everett

Member
Jeremy,

I guess it is all a matter of perception and how you build your business. First I have a minimum job of $500.00. Anything below that I can not really make enough money on. Second, my average deck job is over $1000.00. We do a lot of wood houses as well. Most of these are referrals that I get from many years in the business and in my area with a great reputation. Many of these jobs I am the only one bidding because of the referral. This certainly does not happen over night but when you have reached this place it is VERY rewarding and VERY profitable. My prices basically vary from $1.50-$3.50/sq.ft. depending on the scope of the work. I would say that most jobs are around $2.00/sq.ft. I also build and sell a maintenance plan for the customer from the first visit. This way they know what they will spend when the next service is needed. At that time my price runs about 60% of the original price and I call them. When the next time does come around they probably will not get that price beaten and are usually very happy to continue with me. My profit margin runs approximately 30%-50% on jobs. Obviously there are fixed costs and depending on the top number, that determines profit percentage. At the end of the day this has been the most rewarding service I have offered which is why I enjoy what I do. I do believe that while most associate deck and wood cleaning with pressure washing that "wood restoration" is really a seperate industry and that is how I approach it with my customers, maybe this is why it works for me.
 
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CaroliProWash

New Member
I will second Everett - we have built a pretty successful wood care business - we don't necessarily turn away other jobs so that we can keep our other truck busy sometimes, but our wood has contributed over 80% of our income thusfar this year.

Celeste
 
PressurePros

PressurePros

New Member
But to compare apples to apples we are talking about deck care. I understand that houses and cedar shake roofs are more profitable.

I make decent money doing deck care and will expand my market beginning next year. I have done every deck with a craftsman's eye attention to detail. Every single customer is sold on long term maintenance to offset the initial cost shock. We are talking about time, energy and money expenditure without the same profit margin as other venues of PW'ing.. pure business analysis. I am not saying you can't make money from deck care. You can, just not as much.

I can easily average $150/hr doing property cleaning/housewashing and have half the overhead of deck care. I don't have to worry about weather nearly as much. I don't have to explain to each and every customer that deck care is a different beast and requires more knowlege and skill than other areas of washing. I don't have to spend $200 in chemical and sealer another $200 in labor and expenses and visit a property two separate times and check the weather ten times to gross back $750.


Perhaps our definition of "rich" is also differing. A quarter million dollar a year business is a comfortable gross, but again, not really going to make you rich in and of itself.
 
PressurePros

PressurePros

New Member
I'll be sure to watch out for wetwash dominating my market.

Give me a holler if you are looking for a good web designer, I have a great guy I can recommend.
 
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wetwash

Banned
Thanks, I might sell you work . So be nice . The last I saw your website not the new one you should have called him .
The funny thing I think any company with 200,000 cash could dominate this industry of residental power washing . Pressure Pros your new website not helping us much looks like you are selling out .




Terah
WetWash Home Improvement
WetWash Power Washing
www.quickywashy.com
www.pressurewashingpros.com
 
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