[PremierPDS]

Hi again all!

I'm about to do my first builder clean and I'm a bit nervous about it so I'm hoping your wisdom might help me with a few tips. This isn't a clean for a building company, it's for a couple who have just had a house built privately.

There's plaster dust all over the place and it's thick. I know a good hoover will get most of it up but I'm worried about mopping and the streaks it's likely to leave behind. What would you do to tackle this situation and would you seal the rooms off and do one at a time? I plan to work from top down (the house has 3 floors) and I have 3 cleaners lined up for the job scheduled for the 16th May and I'd really appreciate your advice. Also, they have solid oak floors and are very unsure about using chemicals on it and would prefer just plain old warm water only (I can't blame them it's gorgeous and must have cost a pretty penny). I'm not sure that just warm water is gonna cut it though. What would you use in this situation? I'm thinking microfibre mop heads but maybe you have other and maybe better ideas. I'd really appreciate your feedback guys and thanks for reading.

Nickie x

[East coast window cleaning Services]

Good luck its not so easy when working for the joe public. When on site they have 2 cleans one biulders then a final sparkle 3 weeks laters

[PremierPDS]

Hi

Thanks for your reply it's much appreciated. The builders clean will already be complete when I get there. Sorry, my mistake, it's a sparkle and not the builders clean- more like cleaning up after the builders!!!

Nickie x

[East coast window cleaning Services]

should be ok if its had biulders clean already most of the mess should long gone just prop be paint on light switchs skirtings etc

[PremierPDS]

Have you done this type of clean before? I'm now wondering what I'm letting myelf in for but maybe that's just jitters. I give them a whopping quote and never thought for one minute they'd ask me to do it lol. It's a huge house mind! 5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 2 offices, as well as the usual massive kitchen and 3 lounge areas and a dining and utility room! I'm probably fretting about nothing- I know I can do this, it's just the first time thingy lol.

The client phoned earlier and seemed surprised at the quote (£580) to say the least so I had to justify everything- wages, equipment, materials and overheads etc. Fortunately I'm not VAT registered yet (not earning nearly enough for that yet)  - imagine his face if I'd have added VAT on top lol. I told him he wasn't obliged to use me and was free to get other quotes in but he seemed to humble then and agreed that the price was justified. It won't be an easy job and I just pray to God that there's no hassle or quibbling about specs here and there. All we can do is our best and what'll be will be.

Nickie x

[PremierPDS]

Any ideas on what I seal the doors with? I don't want dust flying back into rooms that have already been cleaned! Bin liners and masking tape would probably do it but it don't look too professional does it and for the money they're paying I want things spot on. We're por's and I want it to look that way.

[PremierPDS]

pro's even

[PremierPDS]

Anyone know where I can get some professional knee pads at a decent price?

[martin19842]

hi there
dont seal the doors,

complete waste of time. never done that and never will.

we only seal openings if refurbshment works being done, in one area.


microfibre clothes, in a neutral detergent will cut thrugh most plaster.


are the kitchen and bathrooms new ??

are all the stickers still on the units and appliances.

when was the builders clean completed.  have you seen the property as it is now??

are you cleaning the windows.  ??

knee pads, go to B and Q and get the mid price ones.

regards

martin

[PremierPDS]

Hi Martin

Thought it might have been a good idea to seal the doors to stop the dust flying back into the rooms already cleaned but maybe I'm wrong- this is my first builders sparkle so I'm really grateful for your advice Martin.

Yes, all the bathrooms are new and all the protective film has been removed already so I won't get away with just removing it when the job is done and giving it a quick wash out. Yes we are doing the windows inside and out but I have sub contractors in to do this. I went to see the house on Wednesday evening and the builders aren't due to do their clean and leave until this coming Wednesday.  I will be doing the sparkle exactly a week after the builders clean - do you think this is a bit early? They have to have the sparkle done on the day I'm going in as they move in the following day. They currently live next door to the new property and have sold the old house and the new owners are moving in on the same day. What neutral detergent would you use? I'm a bit stuck with this one having not done anything on this scale before and as for microfibre, I have this covered although getting hold of the genuine article has been a task in itself- all shoddy copies that look more like face cloths. I've now got the contact details of a wholesaler in nearby Liverpool so hopefully I can source everything I need from them.

Nickie x

[martin19842]

hi there,

how much is the window cleaner charging you??

id be very concerned, not seeing it in a post builders clean state, prior to the clean that you have agreed to.


weve build cleaned and then sparkled the next day the same plot, there isnt any problem in doing that.

just use a 10% neutral detergent, that will sort out a multitude of sins.

is it oak floor throughut ?? or are there some carpetted rooms, whatever when are the floor cverings going in

are the windows upvc r wood frames??  are they all new aswell  ??

has your window cleaner quoted to do all the frames, seals, and casements??

when is the mastic man doing the mastic  ??

regards

martin

regards

martin

[PremierPDS]

Hi Martin

Yes, I was a little concerned myself although I did state that I was agreeing to the job only if the builders had cleaned all the debris away before we go in due to health and safety blah blah. The woman assured me that this will be done and that the thick of the dirt will be removed by the builders also.

The oak floor covers the whole of the ground floor but the rest of the house is laminate (no carpets anywhere). The floor wasn't finished when I went to look at the job (although it was nearly finished) and again she reassured me that this will also be finished. The windows are new UPVC and yes the window cleaners have been read the riot act and think my first name is Adolf lol. They have agreed an all in price to do the frames seals and casements. I assume that 'mastic man' will also have been and gone by the time we go in to do the clean as they're due to move in the following day (I didn't ask her about this and I guess it shows a bit of naivety but then we all live and learn). I'm planning to write to them before we do the job with a schedule of works (what time we'll be there etc) and I'll also add in something about the agreement standing only if the builders clean  has been completed and all debris removed by the builders as promised. I think this is the best way around it unless of course you have a better idea. Thanks for the advice about the detergent by the way, it's much appreciated.

Nickie x

[martin19842]

hi there,

i dont knw what price you have agreed with your windw cleaners, but im pretty sure that, it will eat into your quoted price.

i would visit the plot 48 hours before you are scheduled to do the job, t reassure yourself f what state it is in.

we do a lot of emergency flood and clean ups, and therefre im used to walking into a mess, but others arent.   we spent 5 hours the other night on site cleaniing at a shop cleaning up after a black water flooding,, all we had was the phone call.  as you get more experienced, you'll start to take things in your stride.

regards

martin

[martin19842]

hi there

wherabouts in the country are you ??

regards

martin

[PremierPDS]

Hi Martin

I'm on the Wirral (just over the water from Liverpool). You're so right about about the experience thing but hey I've got to start somewhere and it may as well be here! Yes the window cleaning has eaten into my budget but thankfully they're friend of my ex's and agreed to their fee before I gave the customers their quote so I budgeted for it before hand. Because I've never done this before I don't know what I'd normally be charged to expect to be charged but they have agreed to £80 for the completed job (no matter how long it takes). They have done builders window clean ups before so they know what they're doing and they know what to expect. How much would you expect to pay for window cleaners on this property? I know it wouldn't be an exact estimate without you having seen it but just a rough guide would help for next time. I don't know if £80 is too much or too little but they have agreed anyway so it won't matter this time at least. You're a star Martin and thanks again for all your advice, I'll be forever in your debt! Keep it coming.

Nickie x

[martin19842]

hi there

we never ever subbed out the window cleaning, because of the costing involved, i was quoted £1.50 per pane per side, and at that pint makes it far to expensive.

the bathrooms and the kitchens are going to take the time.

the airing cupboard, make sure that you wipe down all the pipework, valves etc.

the door architrave, especially the tp architrave, alng with the top of the doors.

the door hinges, may well have paint on them.

the top of the kitchen units need to be cleaned, along with the underside of the wall units, these will be dirty after the tiling.

light switches and sockets require cleaning, and paint removing, the top of the boiler will need wiping. the tps of the skirtings will be very dusty.

pull out the drawers completely in the kitchen, you'll be amazed at the amount f debris in the carcass of the drawer unit.

regards

martin

[PremierPDS]

Hi Martin

I hadn't considered the airing cupboard but I certainly will now. Hopefully I'll have my sister on board and she's an absolute cleaning god although she works with the homeless in her 'real' job. I think I'll have 2 of us working the other rooms and one doing the bathrooms and then hopefully we can all pitch in in the kitchen if it works out that way. Would have done the draws in the kitchen units anyway but it's all good reminders for me and I'm sincerely grateful to you. As for the window cleaners I am probably paying them about the going rate then. I considered doing them ourselves but we only have one day in there as they move in on the following day and paying another cleaner just to do windows wouldn't have saved me any real money so I just went with the subbies. They best make a good job that's all I can say or I'll whip them ladders out from beneath them lol (only joking of course!)

Nickie x

[martin19842]

hi there

put one person into the first bathroom, and let them work through the bathrooms.

when you move downstairs, get the kitchen and downstairs toilet done next, leave the utility room sink till last. thne you can exit through the back door if you wish.

ecternals--  downpies, to about 8 ft up

get the window cleaners to do the fascias whilst they are doing the windows.

wash down the garage door, and the personnel dxor to the garage.

meter boxes, open them and wipe out the insides as well.

when you arrive on site, the first thing you want to check is make sure that the hot water is on, if not get it turned on.

regards

martin

[PremierPDS]

Hi Martin

I just thought I'd let you know how things went on Wednesday...

I phoned the clients the night before on Tuesday to make sure everything was ok for the following day. They said yes everything was fine but they were not moving into the house the day after the clean after all as there were little jobs that still needed finishing off. Naively I didn't think to ask just what jobs hadn't been finished and turned up there on the Wednesday morning at 8am with 2 cleaners and 2 window cleaners. I was absolutely horrified! How right you were to tell me to go and inspect the site the day before going in! Builders were crawling everywhere cutting paving and joiners upstairs fitting doors as well as a fireplace being fitted in the oversized lounge and NO HOT WATER available. I told her that there was no chance that we were staying and that the agreement was that the builders had left by the time we came in to do the clean. She wasn't too happy about this but was very nice all the same and almost begged me to do the clean regardless. I then launched into this big speech on how we couldn't be expected to do the clean to usual standards with all the work going on around. After speaking to the window cleaners they refused to stay but said they'd come back on Sunday when nobody is on site.

Lord Jesus, I've well and truly learnt my lesson and will never but never let this happen again. I will also include penalty payments in my contracts for such cleans in the future if we are unable to carry out work within the agreed conditions. If nothing else I've learnt so much with this clean that it was worth doing. It took 3 of us 10 hours and considering we had no hot water we did really well and the clients were very happy. Maybe I should have refused point blank to stay but I'd allocated the day for it and shuffled rotas around preparing for it. At the end of the day we were paid the full amount and I guess that that's all that matters.

One good thing did come of it though...the fellas fitting the fireplace were really nice and we had a laugh over a cuppa and it was obvious that there was an attraction there with me and one of them. As they were leaving he asked me out and we're going out this week- he's gorgeous and loaded (he owns the company) so fingers crossed, maybe I did the right thing in staying afterall lol

Thanks for all the advice you gave me Martin, I really appreciate it

Nickie x

[Kevin White]

Nickie

That sounds like a normal builders clean !
Welcome to the industry.
I always put in my quote that charges will be added if work needs re-addressing due to other contractors delays. You will get used to hoovering carpets as they are being laid because the new pubs grand opening is in 10 minutes.
PS Aldi do a cracking microfibre if you are stuck.
Regards
Kevin