[leepaton1]

hi guy just starting window cleaning in your opinion which would be the best way forward to start with . i have got a custom base of 120 houses which im going to start next week .  what would be the best way to start either trad or wfp till i get into the hang of things and hopefully build up more work thanks for any help/advice given   

[frames to panes]

All down to your budget really and where you want to go with it - part time or full time?

[L.J.Thorpe]

man....watch this one go nuts : : : big old row coming on here.personally i went trad then trolley and wil have van and trolley by ...summer i hope .all depends on your budget etc ..what djw said really.GET THE POPCORN OUT MATT

[mark dew]

even if you decide to get a trolley, just by adding a water tank a submersible pump and battery to it will give you a van mount and the ability to detatch if you really need it.
If cash is a problem, then a backpack, pole, RO and 25 litre barrels will at least get your foot off the ladder for the least possible outlay.

[frames to panes]

There are three threads all titled "who's got his head screwed on" try and pick the bones out of them and decide for yourself. All down to money

[frames to panes]

Oh and age/fitness come into it too - if your young and fit then you could start with ladders, backpack or trolley. If your older, richer,with a tired body then go van mount.

[L.J.Thorpe]

There are three threads all titled "who's got his head screwed on" try and pick the bones out of them and decide for yourself. All down to money

learn to do trad tho

[mark dew]

when i 1st went wfp i bought a van mount and a mark1 freedom trolley. I broke statues, plants and knocked all sorts of things over with the microbore and started using mainly the trolley for a long time. I got very quick with it and learnt to do a good job using water sparingly.
But i've had what i thought was back problems for a while and went to get a massage off some yoga woman back in october and she told me my back was fine but i have a "raised hip." She said its normally due to heavy lifting.
So i've gone back to using the van mount as the main bit of equipment.
This was caused by the trolley but its unfair to blame the trolley as it was the posture i used to get it out of the van.
Lifting the hose reel out isn't such a strain and i can alternate how i lift it out which i couldn't really do with the trolley.
I would have stuck with the trolley as i got more work done with the 400 litres i carried as i could keep an eye on it with every 25 litres i used.
Now with a tap to restrict flow rate i'm almost getting as much work done with the van mount as i was with the trolley but much quicker.

[suds window service]

took advice from this forum and went wfp straight away,has taken me 3 months to perfect but it is the right decision,however still part time with only 80 properties.   you have done well to be starting with 120 good luck.         

[Pj]

You've only given us one vote so I'm not voting.

I would vote all 4

You'll need all of them.

In today's market with house and commercial building designs challenging you, what is needed in the average w/c arsenal of tools is a versatile kit.  This includes being flexible enough to be skilled with all 4 methods.

Hows about that

[L.J.Thorpe]

befor the various camps notice this thread and start shouting about van mounts ,back packs ,hot systems,etc, i think a trolley is a good compromise tostart with but as mark says the lifting is hard work.however i use a trolley but combined with a hose reel it gives option of leaving in van and swap barrels in there(LESS LIFTING) or run it round to awkward bits if you have to

[leepaton1]

djw i plan to go full time ive got a nice start of 120 houses do be done fortnightly . mark thanks for the reply hope your hips ok now . budget wise its a bit tight at the moment but i want to be safe while i work a wfp looks the way to go .  Dos anyone have a link for the working at height regs that they can post on here please .

[leepaton1]

i understand pj about needing all for , ive done a bit of trad before so i should be ok with that its just wfp as its all new to me and im trying to find a good way to start with this on a shoestring budget .

[Pj]

120 houses a fortnight is a pretty good shoestring.

Buy the best you can afford

[mark dew]

working at height stuff is here.
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/SI/si2005/20050735.htm

yeah, i'm getting more flexible again now, thanks. The reason i mentioned is that it came about slowly and took several months of minor irritation until i got to the stage where i couldn't stretch away the niggles. Funnily enough, i got the most relief by working. It was sitting around thet caused me problems.
A backpack, cheap RO and an xtel pole will be your cheapest introduction to wfp. Apart from the cheapest RO which you would want to probably buy again but larger or by upgrading with new membranes if possible, the rest of the kit will have its place and wouldn't be wasted.

[leepaton1]

pj these houses are whats been given to me from the old cleaner who retired and they are not the best prices hopefully once i start i will put the prices up and work on it from there , i reckon the prices have been same for the last 5 years but i will work at it a hopefully make something of it . mark thanks for the link and glad you are on the mend .

[groundhog]

Don't mess about with trolleys or backpacks, if your serious about this business get yourself a van mount! Most people including myself make the mistake of starting small with a trolley or backpack and then end up wishing that they had got the proper equipment to begin with, you don't have to spend a fortune, but get the best equipment you can afford and the biggest tank that you can fit in your van, your business will soon grow into it, but if you start with bp's or trolleys you will soon want to upgrade!!

[BVC]

leepaton1,
Tread carefully, Sad but true the customer is most important here. without them you wont be earning. Dont lose sight of the fact that what it all boils down to is cash in your pocket.

Is this work established? do you know how to wfp? what are the customers used to?
If its established wfp then go for it, and just use whatever system you can get your hands on, they are all as cheap or expensive as you want them to be. However if its "fresh" work or been done previously with a ladder I personally would establish myself with the customer as a good, reliable, honest window cleaner and use a ladder. (with a definate goal of switching to wfp within a year.)

Make sure you keep your 120 customers and make sure that number goes up not down.

Ps: A personal experience:
I bought 600 customers a few years ago, worth about 4k a month (established work, trad, and a little underpriced) but a nice round. It took me about 3 months to totally decimate it. changed to wfp, done a rubbish job and lost over 400 of them. Didnt even have the sense to tell them I would do it trad from now on, because I was so adamant I was wfp from now on!!! With a little forethought I could have kept those customers, raised the prices over a couple of years gone wfp and had an awesome round.

[leepaton1]

taken on board groundhog what you say , yes im serious about this business as im fed up with being in dead end jobs .

[BVC]

djw i plan to go full time ive got a nice start of 120 houses do be done fortnightly . mark thanks for the reply hope your hips ok now . budget wise its a bit tight at the moment but i want to be safe while i work a wfp looks the way to go .  Dos anyone have a link for the working at height regs that they can post on here please .

Leepaton1 If youve got 120 houses to be done fortnightly thats 240 a month you should be getting on for a couple of grand a month thats more than enough to keep you busy for a few months. Dont get to bogged down with how you clean, just make sure that you do clean them.