How many hours for this job?

#1

I have approval for bid to clean a town square in a neighboring town. This job involves flat work that consists of brick and concrete. It also has brick fence ranging in height from 18" to 44" that will be cleaned on one side and top only(the other side faces flower beds and will not be cleaned). I figured an average height 30" to make the calculation easier. There is also curb and gutter around the perimeter of the square. There no issue with water…hook up the buffer and go to work.

I understand that it is almost a must to walk on a project like this to get an accurate assessment of what is required…but…I would like to see a ballpark estimate of the hours that you think it would take you to do the job. If you would like to offer a price that is fine but price is subjective as we all charge differently. To be honest, I figure my hours and add 10% just in case. Now, if it goes better than I expect, I will deduct that 10% when we settle up…personally, I think that is the fair thing to do.

I will go ahead and say that my quote was based on 34hrs.

18000sq ft of flat surface
870ft of 30" brick fence
820ft of curb/gutter
6 3ftx3ftx8ft brick columns

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#2

Your spot on, after doing math I’m right around 36 hours.

#3

Looks like a good gig, what is your equation to get the hours? Or are you just eyeballing it?

#4

@PremierPowerCleaning Not sure about others, but I have timed myself in different scenerios to figure out my timing. For example, day before yesterday I was doing a restaurant where they want the front parking lot done. It was roughly 4000 sq ft and I was done in 1 hour 53 minutes. I am using 8 gpm hot water and a 21 inch surface cleaner. It also involved getting about 200-250 piece of gum off as well. Without the gum, I would have been done in 1 hour 20ish minutes.
I have done this enough times now to know based on the condition of the surface and the sq ft about how long it will take.
Using the restaurant example, I did 50 sq ft per minute. If you think about it, with a 21 inch surface cleaner I am doing 1.75 sq ft in one spot. So if I walk 28 ft in a minute then I have done 50 sq ft. That is 1 ft every 2 seconds. That would be a very slow walk.

I go to the next restaurant and see a parking lot in similar condition. I know that I can do 50 sq ft every minute. Walk it off, do some math and I know just about how long it will take.

You can do the same exercise for just about anything we do, calculating your times based on the specific conditions (weather, temp, surface condition, mold/algae/dirt/oil build up).

My pace may not be the same as yours - do we have the same equipment? Same surface cleaner? Are you running hot water? Did we spray the same chem with the same dwell? Note - I will “two-hand” a job often. By that, I am using my soft wash to spray chem on the other side of the parking lot, while I am cleaning so that when I reach that side, it has been dwelling for 10-15 minutes and I really do not stop moving. I have also been known to use a ninja sword holder on my back to store my lance so every so often, I can flip the ball valve, pull out the wand, connect and rinse and then back to cleaning. No walking back and forth to get lance, back to cleaner, get pump up to spray chem, etc.

#5

Here I am in my working outfit - notice the full body PPE -
Full Head Shield
Long Sleeves, gloves, carbon fiber protective plates
And Ninja lance on back, ready to go

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Seriously, I’ll have to find a picture of it. I tried a clip on the belt, but it would just flop around, got tired of walking back and forth to get it, that I had a sheath that i modified for the lance to slide into, making it easy to use, out of the way and always with me.

#6

I prop my lance on the SC, hanging off the jrod. But it can fall of easily, I’ve been trying to think of a better way to hang it, perhaps Velcro

#7

$.99 spring clamps every where. It’s like having a bunch of child laborers hold stuff for you all day. I’ll get you a pic of the trailer. If there’s any less than 15 spring clamps on the IBC cage I’ll send you 15 out of the other 40 or so in a tub. I’ve got stuff hanging from and clipped to spring clips all over my garage.

#8

https://www.homedepot.com/p/ANVIL-2-in-Spring-Clamp-99691/302755764

#9

Yeeesss, I was gonna buy some today at HD, but ran out of time, so I’ll stop by tomorrow

#10

I use those clamps…work GREAT for several things that I use them for.

#11

I didn’t even see you’re 34 hours until I went back and read again. I came up with about 30 hours. So we’re all in the ballpark. You’re going to go thru a fair amount of bleach with the condition of all those brick walls. Plus due to pedestrian traffic, going to need some manpower to keep people from hurting themselves and out of your way, signage, traffic barriers, and caution tape. Plus any permits. I’d probably be in the $8-9k range.

#12

You are GOLDEN…Racer…right in the ballpark.

I am not going to use a lot of strong mix on those walls as I don’t want it running off and people walking through it. All of that heavy stuff will get a dose of the turbo nozzle. I will have a bent lance that allows for getting the tops of higher areas of the fence with the turbo.

#13

I saw one of the videos on here where they had hose clamped a piece of PVC to the SC handle and put the wand in there so it was always handy to swap out. I have been meaning to try it, I just seem to run out of hours in the day.

#14

All you country bumpkins and your spring clamp redneck engineering are taking the fun out of dressing up like a ninja to clean a parking lot. :wink:

PVC Pipe with clamps sounds like a plan. Will get it tomorrow and try it out.

#15

Going to take forever and if that’s older brick going to have to watch out for the grout joints with a turbo. Plus after you get thru cleaning that 800’ of curbs with a turbo, you won’t be wanting to see that sucker again anytime soon, lol.

#16

Not gonna do the whole fence with a turbo…gonna treat the fence with a 2% dose and hit the stubborn spots with the turbo…that will blow it right off. That mix will loosen that crap up great…did that with some other brick work and it went quick and worked great. It is gonna take some pressure to get that stuff regardless of the mix…you can put straight SH on it and it will not take it off with a light rinse.

#17

Works like a charm

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Thanks for the tip