Matty, Rog is right, I do have a couple of days where I earn very, very good money indeed, but that just happens to be very well priced work that I used to do trad, and that I now do in half the time due to WFP...actually, what took me 4 hours or 5 hours now takes me just over an hour in one instance.
I don't bang on about it (earnings wise) because it is atypical.
Can I clean 4 windows in 4 minutes, each window having..say...4 panes?
With WFP certainly, no argument there, and I'll throw in the frames and sills too in that time.
Could I do that trad?
In short, no, and I doubt many others could either.
Like many of us on here I am a quick window cleaner, but you still have to position your ladder, clinb it, clean window, climb down ladder and move to the next window.
You then have to clean the two downstairs windows, you might, just might manage to do two windows with 4 panes per window in a minute apiece, but you would be motoring. Not all windows are straight forward to clean, even the best of us have to detail some panes, and sills have to be wiped.
Not all windows are easy to get too, not all windows can be done without use of a pointer ladder (or at least a ladder of some description)
And you still have to move between houses, knock doors, collect money, write out invoices.
Some customers will talk to you, even if it is only to pass the time of day while they ferret around in their purse for the money, or write you out a cheque.
Not all windows are going to be identical, new build houses (at least around here) are often 3 floor affairs, over time, people have conservatories, extensions, patio doors, leaded style panes.
Over the years I have done plenty of time and motion studies, to get the most out those who have worked for me I found it essential to work out these things.
I would love you to make me eat my words, and I would also be more than happy to come on here to tell all that I was wrong and that you really can do all you say you can, I might even be persuaded to come and watch you for a day, lets face it, that's the best way for you to make me eat dirt.
There was another guy some time back who claimed he was like lightning, few of us believed him at the time, but someone went along and watched him in action and he proved he was as good as his word.
So I know there are people out there who can truly fly!
But 60 houses in 6 hours?
I'm sorry, but I'd need to see it with my own eyes to believe it Matty.
A sole trader will do a standard semi with 10 windows, start to finish, (walking up path, cleaning, knocking on door to collect money, walking down path) in 15 to 20 minutes.
THAT is a reasonable target time.
3 or 4 an hour is possible for Mr Average Window Cleaner, if he can
average 4 an hour he is doing very well indeed, most will be lucky to
average 3 an hour, and that would be on pretty compact work too.
In this by the way I am talking trad, not WFP, and of work done to a good standard.
time to get to work!
Where in the Northeast are you Matty?
Maybe I could skive a day off to come watch you and the guy who works for you in action sometime??
Prove me wrong and I'll buy you and your mate a pint at the end of the day
Ian
