Rust Question

Donte55

New member
I haven't done a rust job on a driveway yet but a customer asked me to remove the stains on her driveway when i cleaned it. I know the driveway needs to be dry so i scheduled her out to next week due to rain.
My question are:
1. How much would you guys charge for the removal?
2. I only have one gallon on hand, should that be enough or should i order more to "blend" the entire driveway?
Their are about 40 spots across the driveway, most of the spots are smaller than a penny. Customers not sure what they are from, and i dont think they are from irrigation or fertilizer.

I know everyone has different overhead and cost just curious. I already quoted her $76 plus tax to remove it, and wont go back on that. I just wanted to know if i underbid my self here and if i should order more F9.

Thanks
 

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I haven't done a rust job either but this is just my 2 cennts. I think of something like that as a specialty job, its not like the homeowner is going to try and do it by watching youtube videos. You already have the chemical you know which chemical works and you have the know how. I think your quote is fair maybe a little too fair ...that's just my opinion. I would think something like that would fetch a little bit of a higher price. Off the top you'll probably have an hour time plus your chemical.
 
The one gallon should be enough if you fan-out each spot spray. This will help eliminate any clean spots but you need to fan it out rather than concentrate on just the spot. That will get you in trouble in a hurry.

As for pricing, You're approx. 50% too low. Keep in mind for future bids similar to this one, You are providing more than just a simple cleaning. Keep your word with this one...

Mike
 
Donte,

Don't beat yourself up with the money issue! It's probably safe to say, most all of us have gone through the same thing.

This is just what I've done in a similar situation, I try to flip the imaginary switch in the back of our minds over to a positive side and treat it as this will be a training exercise which I will be able to use down the road. You've lost the money so forget about it at this point. At least you will have enough to cover your fuel and chemicals used.

Use this driveway as valuable practice and "time" yourself with each phase. Take note of how long it took to treat the stains and write it down. Take note of a "set" square foot of area(say 5' x 5' or 6' x 5') to be cleaned and write it down. Now, take note of how long it took to clean that "set" area and write it down.

Pay close attention to any other stains on the drive and how they reacted to your cleaning solution. Gather all this information along with multiple pictures of before, during and after so you can look back and review each step. You may very well forget different aspects of the job however, The pictures won't!!!

Remember, When you start the job, Forget about the lost money and treat it as a training exercise...

All the best to you and keep us in the loop as to how everything turned out....

Mike
 
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