[julia]

Hi All

We do build cleans and I know losts of you guys do as well.  Can I ask what state your houses/apartments are in when you get them to clean.

Do you have to removed paint, plastic strips, glue etc from windows?
Are the houses empty and swept out?
Do you have to remove loads of rubbish?
Do you remove decorators paint pots/buckets etc?
Do you have to take out other trades equipment ie boards they put over kitchen surfaces?

I am having a lot of problems with my sites at the moment and just seeking some advice. 

My building company is not in the top 4 builders just in case you need to know.

Any advice would be gratefully received.

Thanks
Julia

[mgba_78]

Do you have to removed paint, plastic strips, glue etc from windows?
YES sometimes the windows we have cleaned aslo have a full plastic protection thing on which when pulled off leaves an awful mess and has to be scrapped off by hand!!! very annoying!!!

Are the houses empty and swept out?
Sometimes yes sometimes no

Do you have to remove loads of rubbish?
Again sometimes yes others no, i think it depends on when you get to go into the property, if its straight away normally we find a lot of rubbish( i think the labourers normally clear most of the rubbish)

Do you remove decorators paint pots/buckets etc?
We never remove this stuff, we stack it all in one room and let someone else sort it

Do you have to take out other trades equipment ie boards they put over kitchen surfaces?
Normally the stuff used is a plastic covering which we re-use after we have cleaned the kitchen, it keeps it all dust free and makes it easier when we do a re-clean, we then remove on the last clean!

I am having a lot of problems with my sites at the moment and just seeking some advice. 

My building company is not in the top 4 builders just in case you need to know.

Any advice would be gratefully received.

Thanks
Julia

Hope that helps a little

[Andy Foster]

Know what you mean about the protective coating on the glass... it is 'protectaglaze' and can be a real pain in the rear!!!

[martin19842]

hi there,

glas protection film, has a shelf life, once applied, and this length of time cannot also be drastically affected by weather.en fi

therefore if you read the blurb on this stuf, and then highlight this to the builder it puts the ball fairly and squarely back in their lap. 

you may even find a plot label on the glass, that will tell you the date it was manufactured, we've had glass on site for 6 months before installation, by then the film has totalled delaminated.  ive had many an argument about this.

regards

martin

[Neil Mc Anulty]

mgba 78
How do you remove the adhesive that has delaminated on to the glass? I use solvent degreaser from Clover. My hands are destroyed with using so much of it and the latex gloves dont work as the solvent eats them.
I would love to find an easier solution.


Andy
Do you mean the peelable paint. If so what problems are you having?

Cheers
neil

[martin19842]

hi there

the solvent is a powerful answer to this problem,

but make sure that that you point this out to the client, and then point out the fact that you want extra money per plot, if that doesnt work get a metting with the area build director.

explain the cost implication per plot, they will then atart to listen, and in some cases they get the protection removed by on site staff as they strike the scaffold.

regards

martin

[julia]

Hi All
Thank you for your very kind advice.  I cannot get anyone to discuss the site problems with me I just pushed from pillar to post.  The site has been held back for 4 months leaving us without work, and us finding plenty of work to do in the meantime.  Now that the site is back up and running at full speed they expect us to drop everything and do what they want.  I have having major problems at the minute and just think it would be better to walk way as had enough.  My staff clean these houses with builders still doing jobs such as tiles, mastic round everthing etc etc. 
Now they want build cleans and sparkle cleans on everything all at once, the site manager that has left has been so rude to my staff they dont want to return even thought he has left and my window cleaner has said he will finish what I had agreed with him. but after that he is out of there as well.
What do you all do in these circumstances as I am at the end of my tether.
I look forward to your reply, I apologise for the rant.
Regards
Julia

[Andy Foster]

Hi nr_neil

It's not paint, but the clear silicon type stuff I mean.
They paint it on the glass as a liquid and it sets to a thin film to protect the glass.
If they go too near the edge, it gets trapped by the frame and then it is a real b****d to get off.

On a job that should have taken 1 man 1 week, it took 3 people 2 weeks to complete.
Fortunately the site manager was on my side and got me a work order for the rest... phew!

Andy

[Jan K]

when i read about problems builders like julia is having to cope with, it makes me reaslise why i always hesitate over getting into the builders clean market

cant add anything of help for you julia, but hope it all comes out in the wash and doesnt leave you too our of pocket

[martin19842]

hi there

julia, be very careful about walking off site, check the sub contract terms and conditions

if they get another cleaning company in, they will pay over the gontract price you agreed, and then they will recharge that to you.

be aware

regards

martin

[mgba_78]

mgba 78
How do you remove the adhesive that has delaminated on to the glass? I use solvent degreaser from Clover. My hands are destroyed with using so much of it and the latex gloves dont work as the solvent eats them.
I would love to find an easier solution.

We use a scraper just the normal ones we use for window cleaning, i think they are the unger soft metal ones, and a brand new blade every time.
It takes less than 10 minutes to do a french door(both pteces of glass), not the easiest method to get it off but it saves using chemicals and possibly damaging the doors or even your hands
Its weird as some houses have had it left on some of the windows and others none, weird 

HTH
Andy

[PHILC]

have you got a contract?

if so did you get a scope of work outlining exactly what you are expected to do?

[laurabird]

Hi I am staring up next month and hope get some buisines in this area anybody got any tips/copies of contracts or anything to help me

thankyou   

steve Total Clean

[laurabird]

hi ,No contract yet I am speaking to persimmon homes next week a complete novice but you gota start somewhere

[Ian Rochester]

We do the odd builders clean and you will find the plots in all sorts of states, it generally depends on whether or not they have employed a general labourer to d the odd jobs like emptying the house out.

Ideally you need to get a schedule of work from the site manager detailing what will be done prior to your arrival and what you are expected to do.

The majority of the houses we do now are towards the top end of the price scale and we do not fix a price prior to commencement, instead we charge them an hourly rate to get the property to standard.

It still baffles me as to why window manufacturers stick so many labels on the windows and have not cottoned on to these easy peel labels!  The best product we have found is cans of Solvent Cleaner from EXTRACTA and a window cleaning scraper, takes seconds, even on brittle hard sun bleached labels.

[Neil Mc Anulty]

We use a scraper just the normal ones we use for window cleaning, i think they are the unger soft metal ones, and a brand new blade every time.
It takes less than 10 minutes to do a french door(both pteces of glass), not the easiest method to get it off but it saves using chemicals and possibly damaging the doors or even your hands
Its weird as some houses have had it left on some of the windows and others none, weird 

HTH
Andy

Andy do you not find this leaves scratches any way. I know this method would definitely not work for me in my situation.
Toughened glass, if not tempered and cleaned properly during the tempering process in the factory leaves tiny particles of debris on the surface. Therefore when you rub with a scraper will carry the debris over and scratch the surface..
You can hear the difference of the scraper over the two different surfaces of glass.

There are different types of adhesive used for the plastic and also different grades and price levels. The best type to use is a water based adhesive this is more expensive than the solvent based but will not give the problems. Obviously, when you are not directly involved in the task of removing these products you will not know the problems in removal of the products.
Communication withn site managers and quantity surveyors is sometimes difficult but they tend to listen when you tell them you need more money and what the problem is.
I apply protectorglaze as service to the builders and find it much easier to remove than the plastic. If there is a small amount of residue left it can be removed easily with a standard window clean.
Andy
How did you go about removing the leftover protectorglaze?

Cheers
Neil

[PHILC]

if theres no contract then you can walk away simple as that

[Andy Foster]

If protectorglaze is water based, then that isn't what was on the windows I had to do... it was a nightmare!!!!!

Had to use a solvent and plastic scouring pads along with a scraper... took ages but came off eventually.

If the protectorglaze had been applied after the frames were assembled, it would have been easy, but it was the other way round in this instance.

[Neil Mc Anulty]

What type of frames were they?

Cheers
Neil

[julia]

Hi Martin 19842

Thank you for your advice. 
My contract clearly states that we are the last people in the property before handover to sales, and the houses should be cleared and swept out. 
Our job is to remove stickers, paint, glue, dust and give it a really good clean. 
A small 3 bed house which is only 850 sq ft in size has taken us 15 hours in the past because of the state the trades leave it in and I feel that this is quite unacceptable.  My staff get shouted at and sworn at and this makes them leave or refuse to go back on site.  What would you do in this situation??  Even the window cleaner I use has refused to go back on site - must be something wrong somewhere.
Regards
Julia