Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: drive surgeon on May 06, 2009, 05:23:38 pm
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had a bad start to gutter cleaning. i need to get a better way of spiking the sludge as it was compacted hard and i struggled to break it up on a 3 bed semi. my arma are aching too. its not as easy as it sounds and you have to take into your prcing the time to set up and break down. to a lot longer than expected :'(
i was using a telescpoic pressure washing lance with a bit of metal bent to try to dislodge the sludge.
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What diameter is your hose and inlet. If its 38mm its can cause problems.
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the u bend is made up of 51mm hose with 28mm hose pushed into it and then a hard plastic tube inside that. the vacuum hose at bottom of poles is 38mm yes going into vac. it has enough suction tho its just i need to break up the sludge easier so it sucks out.
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Work your spike from the side rather than from above and shunt it along the gutter resting the pole on the gutter side.
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To break up the sludge try tapeing a couple of metal spikes like tent pegs to the u bend so when you vac you also break up debris. Ive never tried it but it might help. As ftp says also try vacing from the side along the gutter.
With so many changes of diameter the sludge will hit the different size changes and cause blockages. When you get a small blockages the air and debris will slow down and the wet sludge will stick to the sides of the hose, further reducing the diameter and preventing air flow and suction.
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when i feel the pole getting heavy i suck a bucket of water up to clear it out. the hard part i find is breaking up the compacted sludge.
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3 bed semi would take me about 1hr tops just cleaning out gutters and i would charge about £30
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£30? you cant be using a vac? you must be using ladders. thats too cheap. have you added the health and safety factor of ladders into your pricing? thats only £10 per lenght? ok maybe if you are a window cleaner but im not travelling from mine to a house 5 miles away to clean gutters out for 30 quid. ???
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Interesting chat.
Remember, in this sort of discussion a lot read with interest but don't comment because those involved seem to know a bit more than we do.
What i'm trying to say is, i've cleaned lots of gutters, but i also think i can learn a lot off ftp etc, and drive surgeon(because he's a novice and making the mistakes that i would probably make with a vac).
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Guuter vacs are great. But only if you don't want to use a ladder. Just because you've spent thousands on a system doesn't mean you can automatically charge top whack on residential work. I've used mine loads of times but i tend to be quite cheap or realistic possibly. I tend to charge around thirty pounds for a clear out (less than an hour) but substancially more if the full soffit, outside gutter clean is required too. i haven't purchased my kit as a way to make a fast buck although I have made good money.
You need to look at the competition and their methods and prices. If you've got guys willing to empty off a ladder in your area then you can't really charge double their prices just because you've spent a lot. It's a handy bit of kit but a hell of a lot of equipment to lug about and way over the top really for what it does but it enables me to do a job I previously had no interest in whatsoever.
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i charged 100 quid and yes its booked in for next year. i did a 3 bed semi inc conservatory gutters.
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the window cleaners by us charge 20 quid easy per length of gutter so i charged about the same inc the conservatory gutters. ???
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If you are getting away with £100 just to empty gutters of a house what would you charge for a full clean out of interest Drive Surgeon.
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£150 for around 3 hours work ???
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my friend is a plumber and he charges £70 to fit a tap which takes an hour so £150 for 3 hours work is not to bad.
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So £100 to empty and £50 to wash down the soffits, outside of the gutters and fascias?
Not critisizing just curious.
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yeah i guess. or maybe it should be more!!
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What you have to remember, is you dont get if you dont ask!!
Im getting the vac soon, in fact im getting a new van specificaly for gutters, commercial and residential. Im expensive on windows, conservatory cleans and pvcu cleans, but i must be doing something right, im booked right up!!
Some people will pay some will laugh at you when you ask. I used to work mon - thurs, i now work mon - fri and some saturdays, ive never dropped any price, in fact ive put them up!
Happy days!!!! ;D ;D ;D
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Ive thought about a gutter vac but yesterday changed my mind.
The gutters had very dry crud in them which took quite a time to chip out.
Then their were the down pipes....all blocked.
How will a gutter vac cope with that especially the blocked down pipes?
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It won't that's why you need a pressure washer too, or be prepared to scamper up the ladders. It won't put an end cap back on either if you knock one off. :)
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yeah guys well as i said im only learning but i will see how i get on price wise before i judge myself as cheap or dear. i know some of my customers like paying more as they think they are getting a better cervice than someone who turns up in a clapped out van and rough looking like the gypsies. :-X
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i heard a guy local to me, still on ladders
a 4 bed detached house on a nice estate, he is doing them inside and outside gutters / soffits etc etc for 30 quid, takes him about 2 hours off his ladder
just because you have spent a few quid on a gutter-vac, doesnt mean you can charge the customer ALOT more than a ladder guy
2 of my customers have had them done by him, why ?? ? ? because they knew it was really cheap and i wouldnt bother to do them for that money
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yeah well he has no overheads obviously. i need to earn a minimum of 50 quid an hour to just break even. :'(
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yeah well he has no overheads obviously. i need to earn a minimum of 50 quid an hour to just break even. :'(
So your saying if you don't earn more than fifty pounds an hour you make a loss, you need to cut your costs.
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yeah well he has no overheads obviously. i need to earn a minimum of 50 quid an hour to just break even. :'(
WOW, I'd sack your advisor! :o
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yeah well he has no overheads obviously. i need to earn a minimum of 50 quid an hour to just break even. :'(
thats 400 quid a day :o :o
what costs do you have for that, a new van ?? ? a top end system ? ? ? ?
2 K a week, 8 K a month, 96 K a year
i guess you dont use a DIY fishing pole then :P
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still waiting for an answer to this £50 per hour to break even.
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I charge £5 per metre and for that the customer gets the guttering cleared and washed down, and the fascia and soffits cleaned too, I use ladders and a 3 bed semi takes me about hour and half including set up and pack up.
Matt
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just because you have spent a few quid on a gutter-vac, doesnt mean you can charge the customer ALOT more than a ladder guy
Of course you can.
At the end of the day its what the customer is prepared to pay. Why do something for less than you can earn cleaning windows? I charge more for cleaning gutters, conservatory roofs etc per hour than i earn cleaning windows per hour. No point doing other services if i get paid less..
I could go to McDonalds to eat out or i could go to a fancy restaurant and pay a lot more for dinner.. end of the day i have a full belly. Im prepared to pay extra... so whats the problem?
So there the difference cost is the difference in service that im paying for right? Remember not everyones service is the same.
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Ok madam, I can get up a ladder and empty your gutters for £15 or you can have them sucked out with my all singing all dancing guttervac for £150 which will it be?
"Well which one leaves them the cleanest?"
Errrr option 1. actually
"Ok i'll pay the £150 then" ???
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er vacuum leaves it completely empty, and its safer for everyone involved, what are you on about ftp?
I can clean over pitched roofs, dorma guttering and around cars and other obstacles incl conservatories.
Do you actually have a gutter vacuum ftp? cos you really dont know what your on about unless you have, and are any good at using it.
at the end of the day, people charge what they want to charge.
People have the choice of what they want to pay.
If you want to spend 1.5 hrs cleaning gutters at £15 you stick with it.. ;)
I'll charge my £40+ and get it over and done with in 30 mins :D
Why has this forum got an issue about people making money? Really, you dont get this attitude anywhere else - yeah i'll charge pennies.. cos im worthless and shouldn't be charging more.. what a dim view.
Business is business, supply and demand and all that.. about time people realised that.
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The more tools you can show a customer the more you can charge.
I would imagine that the £50 per hour includes any wages that are paid. For example when i work out my personal expenses I include the regular wage I pay myself from the business account to my personal account.
I may be wrong as I am in no position to speak for anyone else.
Stuart
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GWCS i don't have an issue with you making money - charge what you like :)
The point I was making was that spending loads on fancy equipment won't mean anything to the customer - they just want their gutters cleaned at the cheapest price.
Do you charge double just because you've spent a lot on a wfp system? I doubt it.
Yes I use a vac and would agree it will reach difficult areas and higher storeys but for your run of the mill semis why would a custy pay more than they have to? The vac is more for my benefit than theirs in most cases.
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GWCS i don't have an issue with you making money - charge what you like :)
The point I was making was that spending loads on fancy equipment won't mean anything to the customer - they just want their gutters cleaned at the cheapest price.
Do you charge double just because you've spent a lot on a wfp system? I doubt it.
Yes I use a vac and would agree it will reach difficult areas and higher storeys but for your run of the mill semis why would a custy pay more than they have to? The vac is more for my benefit than theirs in most cases.
Probably because the see the price as good value. They may not have a comparison in front of them. They probably don't know anyone else who would even do the job, so £150 once a year for piece of mind is ok.
Dont forget only you know what people in your line of work charge. Most customers dont have a clue.
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You got sunstroke today?
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Ahh Ewen back to his best, what we like to see (im being serious)
As some have said you look a better service, and are well equipped - people are prepared to pay more. Although you will always get people who want things for peanuts - concentrate on better, let the other guys do the cheap stuff.
Those that charge more generally have higher operating costs, better equipment and are actually insured for the job at hand.
Im covered for cleaning windows, handyman and gutter/fascia installation - that covers cleaning windows, conservatory roof cleaning and gutter fascia cleaning.
Most window cleaning insurance doesn't cover gutter cleaning.
I bet the guy that does it for £15 isn;t insured for it, and who's gonna be picking up that cost, if there is an accident? The customer. It was their choice..
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During my market research that I am conducting to decide where to build my round a suprising fact has come to light on numerous occasions....
The would be custy is interested in Value for Money not no who is the cheapest. They want to know that thier windows will be done regularly and professionally and are willing to pay aliitle more for the privilage.
Apparently a major point in my favour is that my price will be alittle higher "so that i can make aliving and so keep doing thier windows"
I should say I am targeting homeowners rather than commerical work ...for npw at least :)
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agree...but gutter cleaning is a bigger out lay for the customer.....at one go...
with the gutter vac being a new tool on the market it would be a benifit to get your pricing structure right from the start....as more and more people will start using them..
with windows your maybe talking a few pound of a difference..
if you talking a 80 -100 pound difference its to big for the customer to let you away with...
with any job you want repeat business makes life easier...you will get one of jobs at high prices but you will have to chase it...give an affordable price at the start and they will stay with you..
drive surgeon says he has booked them for next year......if someone with the same set up comes along offering them the same service at £50 cheaper i would think he will get a call to say just leave it....then again what do i know
What they may think is that the new guy isn't going to do a proper job.
What some on here fail to realise is that customers dont always think like business owners. Often thay are more than happy to pay more for what they know rather than get it "done on the cheap" and risk a bad job or loosing their previous cleaner.
It comes down to whether or not you have BMW customers or Ford Ka customers.
BMW customers tend to be sceptical about cheap. Ka customers tend to be price shoppers.
My advice, FWIW, is charge as much as you can for any job you do. If £150 is accepted then this is the correct price. If more than 50% reject your price your prob too high, likewise, if 100% accept for sure you are too cheap.