[lucymulligan]

the wingow is above the porch above the front door and the window is more to the left its not central so if i put the ladder to the left i should be ok ............ i see zurich have window cleaning as the most dangerous job . my husband is in the forces wait till i tell him that one " look love , my job needs skill adrenaline and guts ... now wheres the credit card "
i just ordered some stuff from scrim city and it just got delivered...do i have to ask for a VAT reciept or do they send it on after the stuff has arrived

[Mike_G]

Receipt should be there somewhere, normally wrapped up under your name and address label.

[seanmcshane]

doesn`t matter about VAT. That is only required when you are VAT registered and can claim back what you have paid in VAT.
The receipt should be kept and offest at end of financial year as a deductible expense.

[KarlJones]

Start asking for reciepts on everything you buy.  Your not interested in VAT, but what you are interested in is the total.  It reduces your profit.  You pay income tax on your profit.

[lucymulligan]

got public liability  insurance ....what about accident  any ideas whos the best ....we got no snow here its really sunny but bloody freezing .... tommorrow be my first day ....brough a wicked snowboarders jacket to keep me warm ...  any of you guys wear tights ?? ha ha do you reckon i should get some overalls

[Mike_G]

I dont wear tights but I have heard they are very good for keeping you warm though. Dont know about accident insurance (personal) either and as for overalls, I would not worry about spending much on things like that until you decide you really can or indeed want to stick at it. Forecast looks a lot milder for tomorrow so you should be ok. Good luck, have you got much to do?

[marc al]

  I am brave enough to admit to having worn tights under my trousers when it gets very cold - they work very well.

   As for personal accident insurance, I am led to believe that it is very expensive, although I have never looked myself.

[steve k]

I pay £26 per month for £1200 per month sickness/injury pay for 12 months

[[GQC] Tim]

I pay £26 per month for £1200 per month sickness/injury pay for 12 months

That's not bad at all!!!! What's the name of the insurer? Man, when I get married I def. will get that, better be safe then sorry!!!

[steve k]

http://www.payprotect.co.uk/income-protection-insurance.asp

[lucymulligan]

ok first day went bad ! best day of weather but hubbby and two year old said in a nutshell that they would rather i wait till i got my accident insurance out (fair enough) so done our windows again . my ladder extends about a foot over the window sill cant reach windows to well unless i stand on third rung is this safe ?? ladder says do not stand on top four rungs ......P.S some of you guys are up really early in the morning

[steve k]

were your customers expecting you yesterday?

[lucymulligan]

only all the people in my road but there all my mates , i will see them all tommorrow at mums n tots ..its cool they wont be miffed or anything ...... what rung do you stand on do you stand on the top three .. ?

[wimbledonhandyman]

Hi Lucy,

Good luck to you in your new venture. Two bits of advice I would offer for you to keep in mind while you build up the experiance.

1) What if? Apply this to each situation you come across and try and work out what might happen if you put the ladder up and used it as you can work out what may go wrong on you as you work. Say for example, resting on plastic gutters, it may slip sideways so find an alternative way of siting the ladder more safely for example but take all factors in such as weather, ground condition etc.

2) Does it feel right? If you get up there and it don't feel right question why. Your better off coming down and adjusting the ladder rather than carrying on and risking a fall.

Only when you have got the experiance under your belt will access at height become second nature. Better to be slow than risk an accident I say and even after 25 years plus of ladder climbimg, I still ask these questions of myself.

Good luck - Steve

[Mike_G]

If you cant reach from underneath the window and the ladder is fully extended, try putting the ladder at the side of the window but you will need to do 2 moves per window. Failing that you might need to invest in a longer ladder and put it above the window if possible

[KarlJones]

As above,  do not feel like you have to prove anything.  Two things I have learned you will say a lot...
"I will need to see it before I can quote it"
and
"I can not do that one, but will have the pole to do it by next month"
and
"You're not going to pay my wages for 10 weeks if I fall are you?"

Yes I know it is 3 things, not 2.  Get used to accepting work and then finding out later that you have miscalculated/missjudged.  If it takes 4 climbs not 2 then do it in 4,  do not risk the 2.  It takes a minute ot two to move your ladder, thats all.

[lucymulligan]

thanks for all your advice .... its kinda weird ...i got all my kit out on sat morning ready to go and then hubby came out and said " oh what if you die or need looking after for the rest of your life ...blah blah" i see his point that money would make things easier but it made me stop and think and question my judgement ...am i brave or just plain stupid .....saying that when i was a kid i did use to climb a tree then think "sh*t how am i gonna get down " ...i always got down though the only time i ever broke a bone was when i fell of me bike ...  does anyone think men just have more confidence when it comes to  dangerous stuff

[RO-Sheen]

Hi Lucy

make sure your ladder is positioned at 75 deg from the building. This angle is recommended from Health and Safety. If you can, use a sandbag over the bottom rung to weigh it down or  you can buy a 'ladderstopper'. These measures will help prevent the ladder from slipping underneath you.
And needless to say, dont take risks by overstretching. Its really not worth the fall and the pain when you can easily move it.

[Mr.G]

you're not supposed to stand on the top 3 rungs, as far as i know.

[Ian Rochester]

Lucy,

Good to hear you are starting off, where in Hampshire are you, I used to be based at Middle Wallop in the 80's.

My best piece of advise is....... try and find a window cleaner on this forum who lives reasonably close to you and spend a day or two with him/her.  You will be amazed how much you will learn from just working with him/her for a short time.

You're more than welcome to come and spend a day with my lads.........but we're up in North Northumberland and if you are feeling the cold in Hampshire then trust me, you don't want to be cleaning windows up here at the moment.

Bit more advise, use a BOAB and pouches and also get one of the Unger zip up pouches for keeping your book or PDA and money in.  Once you have a reasonable sized business invest in George and a pda, well worth it.

Good luck

Ian