deck cleaning

Henderson Services

Henderson Services

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okay so i have a client that has a deck (14x16.5) which is 231 sq.ft. and she's talking about just having it cleaned. strictly water and pressure basically cleaning the top layer of dirt and mold off the deck. im trying to talk her into a full restoration but we'll see how that goes. im not sure what to charge though if all shes gonna want is it cleaned. any suggestions? thanks
 
Don't use pressure would be the first suggestion. If all it has on it is dirt, etc... and no sealer, then she may just be someone that doesn't believe in putting anything on it. Price it to clean (although you really should explain that a cleaner is just a necessity, not an upcharge) and collect your check. Are there no handrails or did you price that in your "floor" rate?

Celeste

PS - If she still balks on the nothing but water, simply put it to her in a way she can understand - she doesn't wash clothes, dishes or herself with just water.
 
haha good point! and yes it does have rails, the deck looks in bad shape. im going to post 2 pics as soon as i can which should help alot. thanks for the help so far
 
It's green.......and you've got a "countable" amount of square footage in those handrails. Gonna need soap.
 
Each 2x4 and 2x2 adds up. It's where most time is spent doing a restoration so make sure it finds it way into the bid. I convert to square inches then to feet. For example: a 10 foot long 2x4 handrail (120 inches long) times the circumference of a 2x4 (3.5+1.5+3.5+1.5) , 10 inches = 1200 sq inches. 1200 divided by 144 (square inches in a square foot) = 8.33 square feet. So say your only charging $1 per square and not counting railings, post, etc. You just lost $8.33 on 1 board.


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NEED SOAP , it will look like crap without it
 
thanks jason that helped alot! and yeah im gonna use some soap, she told me yesterday she only wanted to get all the grime off and do a restoration later, so im gonna use soap so that way it will look good and hopefully better than she expects. ive done window cleaning for her before so she is a returning customer.
 
BE PREPARED with a number for her to go ahead and stain when you're done cleaning. Sealing/staining is almost the only step that makes it a "restoration" in a lot of circumstances. When she sees the look when it's clean - be sure to tell her that she will only keep that "look" for a few months and it would cost her less at this stage of the game to finish the job than later, when you'll charge her all over again for the prep. Oh geez. Just call me.
 
Im going to. The only reason she is getting it cleaned for now is she said she has company coming this upcoming week and was on her deck a few weeks ago and noticed how dirty it was and felt it may be a little embaressing to have it like that. haha. She said she has most her money tied up in a business deal right now so shes gonna do the restoration later in the year. I really appreciate everyones help! These forums are awesome!
 
Yeah, I explained it to her and she said she was just gonna have to wait and see. But to go ahead and clean it for now
 
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