Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Tim Rose on January 24, 2008, 07:57:13 am
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I'm thinking about getting into this pressure cleaning game patio etc. Anyone know what to charge per square metre or yard/acre?
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dunno if its a good idea, look on the buy and sell bit and there's enough kit on there for sale cos they're all giving up, and I dont think its cos they've made their million
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Your gonna need to spend about £1500 for a basic kit, the money is in commercial, if i was you i would advertise with your customers, so they ask you to clean their driver patios etc,
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I'm thinking about getting into this pressure cleaning game patio etc. Anyone know what to charge per square metre or yard/acre?
I've been thinking of pressure washing to... But as an ad on service. I can't see it making decent money all year round.
Andy
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Yes, but how much to charge?
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Hi Rosy,
The price It does vary unfortunately depending on what the surface is your cleaning. If your needing to re-sand or treat surface in some way obviously its more expensive.
Pressure washing has really dropped off in recent years due to cheap affordable machines flooding the market. Commercial work is the best to get but you need to "know" what your doing or it might be a costly job.
Personally I have several large commercial contracts but its still it is a miniscule part of our business as people don't bother at all or the jobs are rarely done.
Hope this helps
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Thanks KevR. I asked this because I have a new w/c custy who has a large patio area that is really green and minging, and if they asked me to do it, I'd have wanted some idea/ballpark, that's all.
That siad, yes, there are these Karchers around in the diy shops, and the men like to whip it out at the weekend (fnarr fnarr!) and not only 'have a go' at the patio but also washdown their expensive mountain bikes, so I'm not sure I'd want to gamble on full time for that lark if they want to do it themselves.
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I used to do a bit of PCing and charged £1 per yard. I gave it up as it's very seasonal.
I found that people started to want their patios cleaned about the beginning of April so they're clean for the summer...I'd work through until about July, maybe August....people who had not had them done by then won't because winter is around the corner. Also as somebody said there's a lot of cheap PWers on the market nowadays.
Probably as an add-on to WCing it's ok....but you won't get fat on it!
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I think a £1 per sq yard is an ok price to charge for a basic clean, or if it is a massive area then go by day rate plus fuel etc. Have a minimum charge though as it all takes time to set up. ;)
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A Honda GX engine for a pressure washer is a must, I have gone thought loads of cheap ones PW and don't last 5 mins, but then they was not for commercial use, just house holders
This is what I have just purchase http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230202982916&ssPageName=ADME:X:RTQ:GB:1123
I am still trying to set up the PW from the tank from the van, does take time to work it all out
Andy
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Pressure cleaning with the right equipment can be a good add on to your business. We charge depending on size of area, and how dirty the area is to be cleaned. Average price is around £2 per m2 and a bit more for re-sanding block paving.
We have customers all year through wanting patios etc cleaned Jan to Dec but yes it is a lot busier from March to July
We enclosed a leaflet last year with every customers christmas card and we have got more than we expected booking pressure washing cleans.
Well worth looking into...unless you are in sunny Clacton ;)
Steve G
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£1.30 sq metre plus sanding.... dont seal whatever you do... its a grey area..and you have to use the best.
...... also why seal it? you want the stuff to grow again for next years clean ;)
.its definately a summer job... a good earner too, very dirty job.. and you can pick up a decent pressure washer on ebay for around 200 quid.... and my mate makes them
dont forget to spray it first with tfr... i do them fridays and saturdays all summer.
tell your customers now!... and get them booked in.
Gary
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we were thinking along the same lines can i ask what you do for water assuming no o/s tap i know of one guy who carries a bowser on a trailer
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My WFP tank, but your have to make sure you supply the pressure washer with the LPM it needs to work, looking at a gravity feed, most pro PW use a wheelie bin!
Andy
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I looked into it last year but it's such a grubby job and the advice i had was that people have a fit when they see the quote " how much - i can BUY a pressure washer for that and still have money left over!"Had a good look at one commercial set up - he was doing big contract jobs all over the country. He didn't look too wealthy or happy. :(
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Forgot to add, that it often needs two people for the larger jobs - one operator and another worker just to attend the pump, water supply, diesel supply for the heater (hot wash) cordoning off public areas etc. and generally keeping an eye on things away from the operators vision.
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im looking into the same thing what would be the best psi machine for this sort of work if any 1 knows i have had a lot of peeps asking me if i do this sort of work.
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listen,... you need a petrol pressure washer, it can feed from a tank if need be , but it...s not essential
connect it to the customers tap, and crack on...
i do it all the time in summer,... make sure you clean it thorough and clean all the mess away afterwards...
you dont need two people at all,... and if you keep your prices at a reasonable rate that you are happy with, you will get plenty of work....... and dont forget to add 25. 35 pound for sanding.
its easy and enjoyable... a bit mucky but its not something we should be bothering abou bit of muck,
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petrol ones r they all diffrent psi or what i just neet 2 know what is best psi im getting a petrol 1 any way.
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I looked into it last year but it's such a grubby job and the advice i had was that people have a fit when they see the quote " how much - i can BUY a pressure washer for that and still have money left over!"Had a good look at one commercial set up - he was doing big contract jobs all over the country. He didn't look too wealthy or happy. :(
maybe you looked at a guy doing it wrong, is great money,
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No, the guy knew what he was doing, he only did big contract stuff, thousands of pounds a job which ranged from pressure washing the plaster from house exteriors to washing car parks and removing white lines from airport runways. His job meant being away from home for a week at a time all over the country. He had a collection of waterproofs hanging up 'cos he went through at least three a day. The day i saw him his arms were covered in chemical burns too. I'm sure some do make good money and enjoy it but it was not for me thats all.
At the end of the day wfp windowcleaning is far lighter/easier/cleaner work. :)
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petrol ones r they all diffrent psi or what i just neet 2 know what is best psi im getting a petrol 1 any way.
YES they all come in diffrant PSI, the link poleman put up shows a pressure washer with 6.5 HP / 13 LPM, you dont really wont to go lower than that spec, and honda petrol is a must
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I'm thinking about getting into this pressure cleaning game patio etc. Anyone know what to charge per square metre or yard/acre?
so are you still going to do it?
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CBA
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we started as a p/w company but found that we needed to develope a window cleaning round to keep the wolf from the door etc. We charge £2 per m2. Add 50 per m2 if the area needs resanding. After 2 years we have got quite a good customer base and have quite a few jobs booked up already. Now and again you get people saying that they could buy a p/w for less than we quote but at the end of the day if you use a little B&Q machine you will have zebra stripes everywhere and the job will look cr*p. A decent machine and a whirlaway and the jobs a good un.
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CBA
well, that was a waste of time. lol
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Not really, I just CBA at the moment, but the inof, like much of it here, is good stuff and will not be forgotten, and I'm not the only one reading this thread.
:)
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Not really, I just CBA at the moment, but the inof, like much of it here, is good stuff and will not be forgotten, and I'm not the only one reading this thread.
:)
true.... it is a good earner tho, so worth doing it as an extra... also you could book a couple in when its a little too wet to window clean.... as long as the customer knows and agrees.... but anyway whatever you decide its worth it