Tips on Pressure Washing & Roof Cleaning Estimates

Providing estimates for customers is somewhat of an art, as you have probably already discovered for yourself. I can't tell you exactly what to charge someone if I haven't seen it with my own two eyes. However, I can give you some advice to follow that can help you achieve a reasonable goal. What I mean by that is you can't get every job you bid on but you should be able to get at least half of them. That is pretty much the industry standard as far as I've heard. If your getting more than that it doesn't mean that something is wrong, but perhaps you are underbidding your jobs and just getting lucky. I can tell you from experience that too low of a price is not good! Don't sell yourself short for the service you provide. When you price roof cleaning jobs too low you might end up regretting it, may not do as good of a job, upset and hurt your competition financially and break your back all week for peanuts. It's pointless running all around town doing a million jobs to make what you could have made doing a couple of jobs priced accordingly. You'll have much less stress and fewer things that could possibly go wrong. Now here are some pointers to ensure that you have a fair chance of getting the jobs you bid on. First, answer your phone when it rings and give yourself a little time to arrive for the estimate. Try to have a 2 day gap when you can stop by so that way you are not late for whatever reasons. When you arrive, arrive on time with a clean work shirt on minus the sunglasses. People want to look you in the eyes and you'll be able to show them that you are confident and trustworthy...hopefully you are. Try to be friendly without over-doing it and read their body language in order to match it which will put them at ease. After reviewing the work that needs to be done feel free to tell them you'd like to step out for a few minutes to run some numbers. There is no shame in that and can only help you make a decision that is rational. If it's a very large job, you might want to tell them that you will get it typed up and email it to them before the day is over. If you are stumped about what to charge try to determine how long the job will take you to complete and charge according to a daily rate. If you need to make $500 a day and the roof will take 4 hours to clean charge $250. But I have to say that this isn't always the best way. You may want to calculate the price per square foot or the way I like to price roofs is by using my experience and setting a fixed price for each homes' roof depending on the size, pitch, type of tile & staining. Keep in mind that the bigger style barrel tile roofs usually tale a lot longer to clean then a flat tile roof. Of course that is if you are actually pressure cleaning them, instead of a chlorine application. Remember that whatever you end up pricing a roof for that in my opinion every roof that needs to be cleaned should cost a minimum of at least $200. Think about it....your on a roof with a $1000+ piece of equipment most people don't have, you are risking your life on a regular basis, you are liable for someones dream home, you may be inhaling chlorine fumes or end up killing plants, you have overhead like ads, chemicals, tools, repair, maintenence, gas & many more reasons to charge that kind of minimum price. Whatever you end up making please put safety first and keep checking back in for more great information to be posted!

Why it's best to have a partner help you clean a roof .

There are a lot of good reasons why you should have a partner with you while cleaning a roof. The most important reason that comes to mind is safety. What if you slip and fall off the roof and can't get up for help? Of course nobody thinks or wants this to happen, but it does happen and if no one sees you fall it could be hours before someone finds you. If this reason alone isn't important enough for you, then consider the other benefits. If you clean a roof with pressure it can take all day or even longer if you work by yourself. It gets extremely hot, you get sunburnt, your shoes or boots are soaking wet all day. You may have to share your profit, but the process is much more easier to complete and above all safer. If you clean a roof by applying a chlorine solution then it's best to only have one guy on the roof because it gets so slippery during the process. However, you still need a partner on the ground to water the roots of the plants, rinse bushes & any overspray that gets on the house. Please read my other blogs about this particular method of which I am not too fond of. It damages the enviornment and anytime you can avoid toxic chemicals you should.
There are still more reasons to have some help with you. You can protect your equipment better by having your partner turn the pressure washing machine off as soon as you are done cleaning the roof or taking a break. This prevents pressure from building while you try to exit the roof safely. Blowing a hose is never good and this is one of the ways it can happen. The best reason of all has to just simply be the fact that you get done quicker, feel better & look forward to doing it again tomorrow. If you do a great job ,the neighbors will notice and be calling you soon for an estimate. Good Luck!