my situation

bulletproof

bulletproof

New member
I live in the Bahamas. Here I have been doing window cleaning for the past two years and working with a pw for about 1 year now. Made some good money from it .Now I want to move up to a more professional type of setup. A more powerful type of machine, chemicals etc. Believe it or not , the residential area here is virtually untapped. When home owners hear talk of pw work, they think paint removal and prep. People have the fear that the machine is so powerful that it can only be used for this type of work. Other than this, it's roof cleaning in the commercial area and upscale areas where people usually have Spanish tile roofs or the vinyl. Only one or two if anyone cleans asphalt. As far as fleet washing there are the fuel rigs.The company,s may be open to it. The heavy equipment guys may not be. Its not a main concern they appear to be of the mindset that "Hey it's construction, it'll get dirty anyway". Our society is comprised of mostly middle, upper middle and the upscale economic classes , so it can be done. I know my people, I only need to convince a few people of the value of residential house washing and roof cleaning and it will catch on like wild fire.The season here for me starts between late Oct- Dec during which time window and fascia cleaning are in demand. Both of these I have done by hand in the past. After this time it gets slow. As this is the case I would want to convince most customers to schedule house washings on a quarterly or bi-annual basis, thus starting out partime for me is best. I am a police officer by occupation - money is somewhat of an issue , so I do not wish to get a hot water unit at this time. I invested in a ford ranger truck last year to haul my equipment which at the time was a 1500 psi 2gpm unit , ladders, scaffolds, etc. I feel as though I need something bigger now. Any advice wuold be greatly appreciated
 
Hard to understand what you are looking for help with.

I would recomend you start educating your customers. Why they want to protect thier investment, the value of a clean home and how you clean - that you are not going to damage property.

I would say you would need to upgrade your equipment - look for more flow (at the very least 4 gallons per minute). This will allow you to work faster and do a better job. Also, you didn't mention the use of detergents/ cleaners - very important to the cleaning process.
 
bulletproof,

It's normally recommended that you list your questions one thread at a time. You'll get more response to each issue you have on your mind. I'd agree with Tim though that 4 gpm would be the starting point for your upgrade of equipment.

How do you intend to market yourself? Give us some ideas as to what you have done so far and what you see other residential service companies doing.
And if your season is late in the year, you can talk me into coming down and working with you. I can be some inexpensive part time labor! A trip to the bahamas would be nice.

John
 
Just a thought, but what kind of water pressure are you finding down there? I usually would suggest a minimum of 4gpm, but not if the water supply can't keep up with it!
 
most persons here have their own freshwater wells on electric pumps to supply water so water pressure is not an issue I could easily supply a 4gpm pw. I do know that in some areas where persons use city water it could pose a problem which is why having a tank is a good idea for me.
 
I would love to come down and help you out with some of the questions you have. The family and I are looking to get out of New Jersey:) I think I could get use to not having to worry about the winter time. Good luck!!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top