Yes or no ?

M

M.C.

New member
General question for anyone who cares to comment,

I have oppturnity to bid on a 10,000+ sq ft (not including siderails) boardwalk. It has been stained before, so I would need to strip it also.I have a number of problems::
1. Never done any woodwork (Clean and seal lots of brick pavers but no wood)
2. Boardwalk whinds thru a mangrove swamp(dont want trouble with the EPA or enviormental wackos)

3. No water hookup any near the place.(property manager says last time they cleaned it they used a pump to draw water from the pond to clean it?)

I have a pretty good chance of landing job (connections,connections)

I think I may be getting in over my head. I hate to pass a job up(especially a big one like this) but I have worked very hard to keep my name in good standing in my city, and dont want to risk tarnishing it by screwing something like this up. Any thoughts?

M.C.
:confused:
 
use your own judgement on taking the job or not,if you do go to greg rentschlenger's website,and let the wood proffessionals walk you thru step by step.

i dont have the web address,since i just spent the last two days reformatting my hard drive(lost everything) maybe someone else will list his domain name.
 
MC this is a no brainer, you seem to have some doubts so pass on it and know you did the right thing.

You already know about the EPA problems that will surely come up and if your not ready to deal with it another reason to pass.

Then not having done wood before is a 3rd reason.

It might be that you truly do good and want to add wood to your cleaning but I personally would suggest doing someone's patio deck free for the experience first.

Connections or not can they protect you if you really screw up the job or the water?




(My opinion only and others will not agree with me as is their choice).
 
Why not just ask yhe EPA people to give you advice?

better you learn how to do it right then let some dumbass screw up the water. If you INVEST in learning how to do it now, you might just be the guy that get's the more sensitive job's with little comp. If the wood is the older pressure treated wood, you can exsplain to them by NOT washing and sealing that the CCA is doing more harm then what your going to do by washing it and by sealing it will make the wood safer for the envrioment.[this is proven fact] Also use a sealer that can recoated without stripping. [ready seal]
Use a oxi-bleach to clean[very safe stuff].
I think if you show them that you put some time into the thinking on this project they will help you. As wind and rain work away at the woods surface it's ending up in the water anyway.
www.biowash.com
nothing wrong with a holding tank,gen.,sump pump and large water filter as your water supply.
Also lot's of construction co have water tank trucks that im sure you could rent for a reasonable amount if you needed too.
 
First Wood Restoration Job

I too think this is a "no brainer". A 10'000 sq/ft. job with no water supply is probably not a good idea. Remember after you leave that is going to be you and your companies' name on that project. I would just add that besides getting educated first perhaps there is a competitor in your area that you have a good relationship with that you may have the oppurtunity to work with on this project. I happen to have a great working relationship with a few in my area and it's very beneficial to to have positive working relationships with some competitors.Same as above this is just my opinion, I feel the downside of this project could be too great.
 
You hit it right on the head with #2.
I know that Mangroves are highly protected in Florida.
They leavy hefty fines for someone causing harm to them (directly or indirectly). At best they'll take up a bunch of your time even if you're doing everything right. Make sure you get a permit (if it's required). Know exactly what's required, or pass it on.
This is not a place you wan't to learn the hard way.
Read Jon's and Everett's posts a couple of times.

Regards,
 
Take bids on subbing it out to a local company with experience and insurance.
 
You would have to use a water based sealer on a job like that.

Maybe you could sub it out, and use your equipment to help them on the job, so you make some money too............that all depends on the relationship you have with the sub.
 
Gee, we could use a vacation..... give us a call is you want to sub work out. We'll travel.

Beth:cool:
 
Hey everyone,

Just wanted to take a minute to thank everyone who took time to reply to my questions. Lots of great advice. I'm leaning towards passing on the job .I've got plenty of work to keep me busy right now anyway. This does'nt seem to be the right job to get started
in woodwork. I had not thought of subbing it out though? I 'm going to put more thought into it over the weekend (maybe check out some of the websites mentioned in the replies) Thanks again everyone, I am very fortunate to have stumbled onto such a great site, very helpfull and knowledgeable peolple.


M.C.
 
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