[TomCrowther]

Quoted a customer £550 for cleaning and resanding 210 square meters of block paving. She very nearly had a heart attack  Can't win them all I suppose..

[Kenny83]

It depends where you live but 200 m2 is easily done in one morning usually (dependant on if it's a straight run or loads of paths etc also drainage), then its just a case of sanding, 2 hours max, so my price would have been a hell of a lot cheaper to be fair mate.

[JetVac Cleaning]

My sqm price would have worked out at £787 but I'm down south. I think when you get a large area you need a day or half day rate otherwise you get the reaction you got. They would of been even unhappier if you charged that and was only there a few hours so very difficult to quote. I find people who have a massive drive are the hardest ones to please. I prefer the 50 ish sqm jobs all day long

[SteveAllan]

My way that would go for £300

[Smudger]

That's life mate, and people's expectations of the job.

I've quoted higher than that and been told that's cheap another time like yourself they've nearly keeled over thinking I'd be doing it for £30

Your price is your price, never work cheap.

The only thing you could do is ask what exactly they thought the price would be, if it's close you could give it some blarney about paying cash and knock 10% off this helps the tight wads think they are getting a bargain ( something for nothing )

Darran

[TomCrowther]

Cheers guys.

[wpclean]

I gave a price for a driveway, and the lad told me I was too dear as he could do it in a day with his Karcher 

[Kenny83]

I reckon at the end of the day it's quoting prices like that what makes pressure washing such an attractive business to go into, ie, the franchises say you can charge x amount per m2 etc, but those times are slowly fading as more people jump on the band wagon and there will always be someone round the corner that will do it for £20 cheaper, or there will be someone who can fly the job off and do it cheaper that way, it's becoming dog eat dog these days and if you can't be competitive then it's not going to be a bright future, seems harsh but that's the reality
 

[Roger Oakley]

I reckon at the end of the day it's quoting prices like that what makes pressure washing such an attractive business to go into, ie, the franchises say you can charge x amount per m2 etc, but those times are slowly fading as more people jump on the band wagon and there will always be someone round the corner that will do it for £20 cheaper, or there will be someone who can fly the job off and do it cheaper that way, it's becoming dog eat dog these days and if you can't be competitive then it's not going to be a bright future, seems harsh but that's the reality
 

Kenny
All true really mate, which is why we have diversified into a few areas only, and specialise in them.
Offer the customer something different works for me.
Any idiot can charge top dollar but can they deliver?

P/W is a growing business, if done right, and I have said this before I'd like to see it licensed in some form, so let's say when there is a drought order in place, no issue to a licensed operator as this is there core business. Pricing we all be what it is, someone will do it cheaper, but can they deliver?

[Kenny83]

I reckon at the end of the day it's quoting prices like that what makes pressure washing such an attractive business to go into, ie, the franchises say you can charge x amount per m2 etc, but those times are slowly fading as more people jump on the band wagon and there will always be someone round the corner that will do it for £20 cheaper, or there will be someone who can fly the job off and do it cheaper that way, it's becoming dog eat dog these days and if you can't be competitive then it's not going to be a bright future, seems harsh but that's the reality
 

Kenny
All true really mate, which is why we have diversified into a few areas only, and specialise in them.
Offer the customer something different works for me.
Any idiot can charge top dollar but can they deliver?

P/W is a growing business, if done right, and I have said this before I'd like to see it licensed in some form, so let's say when there is a drought order in place, no issue to a licensed operator as this is there core business. Pricing we all be what it is, someone will do it cheaper, but can they deliver?

I agree Roger, the licence is a good idea, I heard somewhere the other day that the UK isone of very few places in Europe where pressure washing isn't licenced, not sure how true it is, but would be a good idea, I know that I am only insured to use up to 3600psi so I would assume anything over needs some kind of licence? Or is that just for insurance purposes? ... However when it comes business I must say I have had my busiest month so far, (I've been going around 5 years), and I would say around 60 percent of my work this year is new custom and recommendation, I am also running about a 95 percent success rate of getting the jobs I price, which I'm very happy about, mainly domestic aswell. So the cowboys can keep doing whtever it is they do as they don't seem to be affecting me 
I can imagine that your busy too mate, how do you cope with new work? do you ever have to take on temps through summer? That's my next big step, taking someone on, maybe part time, I am quite nervous about it to be honest
 

[Matt Gibson]

Roger,

How would you license it? I assume there would have to be some sort of trade body? I just cant see it carrying much weight, unless it was associated with an existing worldwide license type authority.

I would like to look into this..

[Roger Oakley]

Matt & Kenny,
I don't really know the answer to licensing but feel it would give our business some credence.
Look we all seen the "franchise" types come and go and don't have a f**king idea what they are doing other then being on a 1 day course and been sold the "pot of gold" at the end of it as long as you buy our products etc etc.
National register then, everyone on board has insurance, H&S policies in place etc, again I don't know.
I've said for ages this is a growing business, the works there, lets not mess it up with a cowboy approach.

Re booking's Kenny, now booking into September, turning away at least 10 jobs a week minimum, just had someone on full-time, lasted around 2 weeks before they let us down big time,training them to do our wood side of things, machines bought, new vehicle just about to be ordered, then they f**k up, cost us around £5K of work, managed to salvage most of it, so will stay as we are for this year, over worked and manic schedules.
 

[Rob_Mac]

Roger

I agree with you but unfortunately it is a lot like window cleaning, the entry level is so low, as far as set up, anyone can do it.

We are both in a somewhat privileged position, in as much as we have particular clients and have set ourselves apart from the 'average' service provider.

There are a handful of others on here who all know who they are at the same level, who have invested and have the knowledge to back it up - this automatically sets you apart from the crowd.

To me I don't care about the avalanche of 'wannabes' and 'new starts' and 'half arsed' service providers. I certainly don't want to drag them along and up to a level where they will be competing with me.

I have just overhauled my method statement, more compact, fresh and right where it should be as part of my business package and with the year I had last year I will continue this overhaul through the whole business.

I just keep on improving it to keep it where it should be.

Sod the masses and registration and cards.

Rob

[chris scott]

Roger

I agree with you but unfortunately it is a lot like window cleaning, the entry level is so low, as far as set up, anyone can do it.

We are both in a somewhat privileged position, in as much as we have particular clients and have set ourselves apart from the 'average' service provider.

There are a handful of others on here who all know who they are at the same level, who have invested and have the knowledge to back it up - this automatically sets you apart from the crowd.

To me I don't care about the avalanche of 'wannabes' and 'new starts' and 'half arsed' service providers. I certainly don't want to drag them along and up to a level where they will be competing with me.

I have just overhauled my method statement, more compact, fresh and right where it should be as part of my business package and with the year I had last year I will continue this overhaul through the whole business.

I just keep on improving it to keep it where it should be.

Sod the masses and registration and cards.

Rob

Will you be employing anybody this year or just continuing as a "one man band" ...like myself?

[Blast Away]

Tarmac Tennis courts 3850m2 if it was 35 miles away from you, what would you charge? It's mossy and how long do you anticipate it will take you to scate(flat surface clean)and rinse off in the process scooping up the moss, with your equipment from a tap on site more than suitable for 1 machine?

[Kenny83]

'he was a skater boy, he said see you later boy'

 

[KLEENAWAY]

Roger

I agree with you but unfortunately it is a lot like window cleaning, the entry level is so low, as far as set up, anyone can do it.

We are both in a somewhat privileged position, in as much as we have particular clients and have set ourselves apart from the 'average' service provider.

There are a handful of others on here who all know who they are at the same level, who have invested and have the knowledge to back it up - this automatically sets you apart from the crowd.

To me I don't care about the avalanche of 'wannabes' and 'new starts' and 'half arsed' service providers. I certainly don't want to drag them along and up to a level where they will be competing with me.

I have just overhauled my method statement, more compact, fresh and right where it should be as part of my business package and with the year I had last year I will continue this overhaul through the whole business.

I just keep on improving it to keep it where it should be.

Sod the masses and registration and cards.

Rob

Will you be employing anybody this year or just continuing as a "one man band" ...like myself?

I thought he had a couple vans and lads working for him 

[chris scott]

Tarmac Tennis courts 3850m2 if it was 35 miles away from you, what would you charge? It's mossy and how long do you anticipate it will take you to scate(flat surface clean)and rinse off in the process scooping up the moss, with your equipment from a tap on site more than suitable for 1 machine?

14 courts ? Will they allow a petrol brush (paddock sweeper) first?

[KLEENAWAY]

Tarmac Tennis courts 3850m2 if it was 35 miles away from you, what would you charge? It's mossy and how long do you anticipate it will take you to scate(flat surface clean)and rinse off in the process scooping up the moss, with your equipment from a tap on site more than suitable for 1 machine?

Get this guy to do it 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwjfzEGBmDg

[Rob_Mac]

Chris

Sorry for the late reply.

Had a very long day completing the last section of the roof at Kingston and a very long & wet drive home through the rush hour & up to 10pm.

I shall be continuing as a one man band, using my two vans and possibly (if I keep it) my pickup to develop the business further.

This will all be done through the management of people I directly sub contract to, who do indeed use my vans, my uniforms and represent my business really well.

On top of these lads I can call more than one person to size the business up, if I need to, so although I am a non employing 'one man band' as you put it there are different ways of running a business and I find that this way suits my activities just fine

Rob