[shammy davis jnr]

Is this the way to go our is it more viable for just one man Ie would two get more production done in a day with say a 750ltr than one with a 300ltr set up I'm really interested to hear replies on this as I don't know what way to go for my residential run and are trying to way up the pros and cons so anyone that has done both our does both can I have your reasons in the end as to why you choose this path

[david thomas]

I have tryed 2 man 1 van would average £250 a day now have 1 man per van average £150 per day we have 3 vans 2 are set up for 2 men the other van I man. We are set to do big marketing next year to increase our turnover but will have to go back to 2 man per van not as much profit.

[wightsurf]

Have you worked out the true running cost of one man per van ?

[david thomas]

I'm based in Blackpool so prices are poor up here but in saying that Labour is cheap.I have 2 compact
rounds, and1 round which I do where the house are dotted around.looking at my accounts this year my net from 1 man is £78.00 per day the biggest problem I have found is the bad weather still worked as best we could but my net would have been much higher       

[R.C Property]

when ive worked with a second man, the most we got done in one day was 87 properties, that day was a very profitable day for use,
that day the take was over £500 for 6 hours work!

[Stu Wallace]

Hi

Richard have I got this right you averaged just over 4 mins to clean and charged £5.74 for each property

[Halfadaylee]

Hi

Richard have I got this right you averaged just over 4 mins to clean and charged £5.74 for each property

Including any moves

[Ste M]

Two men working 6 hours is effectively 1 man 12 hours so it's just over 8 minutes per house.

I can do 30 houses without moving my van and majority are detached, I use 100 metre reels and have a lot of compact work. The 30 will take about 3 hours. I have some other council house work that we do even quicker due to access being even better

[shammy davis jnr]

this is interesting thanks for replies so far

[Lee Pryor]

it is a well known fact that per head one man per van produces better turnover and proffit than 2 per van. If you add up the small amount extra that one can do each day and add that up over 12 months it far outweighs the cost of an extra van.

[R.C Property]

Hi

Richard have I got this right you averaged just over 4 mins to clean and charged £5.74 for each property

There was about an hour travel, and i did say over £500,
78 of them was a commercial price, not houses. So all in one area. Then had to drive an hour to get to the other 9 houses, each between £15-£20 each.

[paul marshall]

i hate doing 2 men , we do get more done but i just think its a hassle i have to worry about 2 sets of tools , if the weathers bad i still have to find his wage , the van looks like a bombs hit it at end of day , i have to worry about filling xtra barrels up , we get in each others way , we end up having the pavement blocked with hoses and cones , i really dont think its worth the hassle , BUT most vans i see seem to have a 2 man set up , and as i want to expand its something im going to have to try again , but its really not for me  

[R.C Property]

it is a well known fact that per head one man per van produces better turnover and proffit than 2 per van. If you add up the small amount extra that one can do each day and add that up over 12 months it far outweighs the cost of an extra van.

Depends if you are a splash and dash firm, we are taking work off a national company that send 2 guys out, charges £15+ per house, but only at each house for about 5 minutes!

[R.C Property]

i hate doing 2 men , we do get more done but i just think its a hassle i have to worry about 2 sets of tools , if the weathers bad i still have to find his wage , the van looks like a bombs hit it at end of day , i have to worry about filling xtra barrels up , we get in each others way , we end up having the pavement blocked with hoses and cones , i really dont think its worth the hassle , BUT most vans i see seem to have a 2 man set up , and as i want to expand its something im going to have to try again , but its really not for me  

You hate doing 2men!! Lol

Why do you still pay wage when he not working??

[Dave Turley]

I've tried it and even working on larger houses we could only earn around 50% more than on my own.

My brother worked with me for a year and half. Although he worked well, he was unreliable and it was more hassle than it was worth.

I was probably slightly better off but it wasn't worth the trouble.

Hope this helps.

[telfordwindowclnr]

Seems to be some strange systems of work out there.  I average £200 per day on my own.  We always do £350 a day or more with 2. With 3 of us, we do upwards of £450 and that's with me just pushing tickets through doors, chatting to customers and winding in hoses as the guys get nearer the van.  So no, it's not 3x £200.

However, I have worked out that annually, based on wages where I am, I would spend 18k-ish.  Then I have cost of vehicle, running costs, kit and grief.  That's another 4k on a vehicle cost, 4k in diesel, £800-1000 insurance & tax, plus employers liability at £500+ plus a shed load of hassle along the way.

That's over 25k per year! I still haven't made a profit!  For me, and this is only for me, I am happier with legit part timers and earning a bit from them daily than the cost, grief and responsibility that comes with employing.  I would find it hard to make a substantial profit.

I hope that answers your question to a degree....

[KS Cleaning]

Seems to be some strange systems of work out there.  I average £200 per day on my own.  We always do £350 a day or more with 2. With 3 of us, we do upwards of £450 and that's with me just pushing tickets through doors, chatting to customers and winding in hoses as the guys get nearer the van.  So no, it's not 3x £200.

However, I have worked out that annually, based on wages where I am, I would spend 18k-ish.  Then I have cost of vehicle, running costs, kit and grief.  That's another 4k on a vehicle cost, 4k in diesel, £800-1000 insurance & tax, plus employers liability at £500+ plus a shed load of hassle along the way.

That's over 25k per year! I still haven't made a profit!  For me, and this is only for me, I am happier with legit part timers and earning a bit from them daily than the cost, grief and responsibility that comes with employing.  I would find it hard to make a substantial profit.

I hope that answers your question to a degree....

But surely with 'legit part timers' you are employing?

[Window Washers]

Simple answer is no it doesn't

[Neil Gornall]

i hate doing 2 men , we do get more done but i just think its a hassle i have to worry about 2 sets of tools , if the weathers bad i still have to find his wage , the van looks like a bombs hit it at end of day , i have to worry about filling xtra barrels up , we get in each others way , we end up having the pavement blocked with hoses and cones , i really dont think its worth the hassle , BUT most vans i see seem to have a 2 man set up , and as i want to expand its something im going to have to try again , but its really not for me  

You hate doing 2men!! Lol

Why do you still pay wage when he not working??

Because the law says he has to.

https://www.gov.uk/lay-offs-short-timeworking/guarantee-pay