[savages]

Ive been cleaning windows about 10 years now ,all ladder work and domestic,all monthly cleans.I  earn 1800 pm and i can get it done in 14working days.,and have done all this time .The rest of the 15 days off im a  qualified carpenter aswell so i usually work the rest on those days.i spose i earn 24k gross in both jobs added together, which isnt much .Im finding that in all the years i havent really got much extra w.c more work maybe the odd 1 or 2 a year,also finding it getting harder on the old body ,acheing .Dont get me wrong i aint weak.its a hard job up and down up and down day in day out and trying to earn a decent wage aswell and the weather and sometimes the customer can p... you off always +threatening to rain.Is it just me ?can i see my self doing this for another 30 years...by the way im 38 dont smoke +fit at else could i do?the chippy work at the moment sucks due to recession and i wouldnt like to do that full time i know what the building trade is like .Does anyone else ache on lower back and shoulder or am i ovr doing it ?i  dont get it all the time just about 12pm every day flipping knackered and im off by 3pm. i do approx 14 houses a day.Any info on you lot out there good or bad all welcome....cheers

[Nathanael Jones]

I'm 30,.. and reasonably fit & healthy,... but when I was using ladders I still felt exactly as you describe there! Its hard physical work, and I used to come home wrecked tired and with a pain in my back. I went WFP 18 months ago and it was a huge turn around. Now I actually look forward to going to work! I can work faster, and work longer hours, and still get home in the evening not half as worn out.

If you're 100% trad then making the change to WFP might seem daunting,.. but I honestly thing its worth the hassle. Get a cheap DIY setup, minimal investment for maximum gain!

[peter holley]

14 houses a day, would be at least£140 a day, thats more than 24k a year  :

[LWC]

14 houses a day, would be at least£140 a day, thats more than 24k a year  :

approx

[Wayne Thomas]

I'm 43, suffer from chronic arthritis. Have to rely on medication daily and blood test 4 weekly. Occupational therapy and visits to a specialist every 6 months.
Had to pack in work and be cared for 6 years ago because I was unable to wash myself, feed myself, dress myself. Lost all my independence and dignity. Sheer perserverance and determination, lots of medical help and a stubborn acceptance of my health drove me to get myself well and working again to reclaim a half normal life. I'm back to a regular working week (kind of) with limitations, but I can accept that.
Anything is possible (within reason) if you put your mind to it.

[LWC]

good on ya wayne

all i can say is

go wfp

[Tosh]

ladder all day ,i feel tired but dont ache,im fifty now an d am slower than i used to be,5 years ago i could knock 6 council houses a hour out,now its 4,i dont think im going slower but i must be

Get a pole, Stan, you know it makes sense.

Instead of going on holiday to Cuba, come to South Wales and I'll show you how it all works.

[Oakley Windows]

14 houses a day, would be at least£140 a day, thats more than 24k a year  :

Its not far off once youve taken into consideration rain interrupting your earning potential, time off for sickness, time off for bank holidays, time off for holidays, time off perhaps for vehicle servicing and the like, and the simple but pleasurable fact that being self-employed some of us just take an extra day or two off BECAUSE WE CAN!

Regarding keeping going in this job. I worked off a ladder for 10 years and am now WFP, getting on for 9 months, so not long. In the end off the ladder I was finding it  harder and harder to keep going like I used to. Understandable I guess. These last few days Ive been so pleased with myself that I havent had to bother with the ladder in this weather, so much easier not having to carry a piece of metal around on your shoulder with wet hands.

ANYWAY! From day 1 WFP Ive never earnt less on a daily basis than I targeted when I was on the ladder.

My earnings are approx 45-50% more than they were.

God knows why people defend using ladders.

[L.J.Thorpe]

my advice would be give up carpentry :
on your figures you make 21600 pa from window cleaning
and 2400 pa from carpentry
or 128 quid a day cleaning windows
and less than £14 a day as a chippy
 
unless i am reading that wrong
if not its a no brainer
go wfp and spend your spare 15 days canvassing
them figures dont add up

[L.J.Thorpe]

14 houses a day, would be at least£140 a day, thats more than 24k a year  :

depends how much you charge per house surely :

[peter holley]

14 houses a day, would be at least£140 a day, thats more than 24k a year  :

depends how much you charge per house surely :

thats why i said "at least"  ! ....  14 houses on my round would be more, but i speculated on a minimum charge of a tenner :

[L.J.Thorpe]

my point is that it could be much less
 the term 14 houses means nowt
i have houses priced at a fiver
i have houses priced at 70 +
anyway
 
 
didnt want to come across as a smart arse
however you look at it he would do better just cleaning windows
like i said those figure dont add up
1800 a month wc ing
and 24k a year combined income fromboth jobs

[karygate]

a minimum charge of a tenner sounds nice but you must have to be in the right area 

[lovewindows]

So roughly 196 properties paying an ave of £9.16, you could increase prices by 10% that would give you extra £2.4k per year. Also look at other services you could offer  your customers esp if your a chippy [ smoking shelters ] gutter work etc etc .

If you think about it £21.6k a year for working 6mths of it aint bad.

[seandyer2003]

a minimum charge of a tenner sounds nice but you must have to be in the right area 

My average price for house works out about £8 i reckon but most are due a rise now, but hoping not to lose custies, but i am putting all new stuff at good price, but you just cant get a minimum charge of tenner up here in manchester, unless it is a ten pound house, people know you are ripping them off if they have a tiny house, if someone said to me my house would be a tenner, its only got 6-7 easy windows, i do it in about 5 mins - id laugh in their face....some of the stuff people spew as fact on this site sometimes could really give newbies either depression or a very warped view of window cleaning reality.....by the way i can still knock out a double ton on all but one day a month in my work...on ladders

[AuRavelling79]

I think I'm having a psychological it's "getting harder" this past week.

A poem:-

Bit of a cold, cold weather, cold hands...
losing the afternoon light...

Pushing 50 and aching limbs ...
oh, give up the fight ...


But then ...

A record month in half the time...
Stop moaning - you're doing fine!

Sort your round, forget the crunch...
Join the "K" a week happy bunch!

Ta Da!

Poet nauseate goldilocks!

[savages]

ok ok...right.. how easy is this wfp??how much does it cost for first set up ?where to get? does it really do a good job?how do you do it?do i need a van as only got estate?etc cheers all for replys..

[Trotsky]

This link is a very good place to start looking

http://www.windowcleaningresources.co.uk/html/water_fed_pole_systems.html

and of course Ebay!
Shop around!
My advise would be get a 40/40 RO ( I haven't got one but wish I did!)
and a highbrid pole (light enough-not too flexy... 24ft ideal for all my domestic work!)
Maybe a trolly system to start with inter-changeable (4)barrels (this could fit in your boot/back seats)
But I am sure you will get a lot more advice on this subject!