New to the forum and happy to have found it. Would anyone be willing to recommend the bare necessities to provide good quality house washing. I would like to test my market before making a huge investment. I’ve been looking at PowerWashers Direct - they have a Pressure Pro 2700 PSI with 3GMP. Is this enough to get started? I already have a utility trailer. I was thinking of buying two lengths of 50 ft hose (without a reel) the kind that doesn’t mark.
I prefer Pressure Tek for equipment. You want, at a minimum, a 4gpm machine. There are several other excellent vendors as well. I’m not familiar with the one you mentioned.
Where are you?
I have use a extenda wand (yellow noodle) once. On a church steeple. So you probably don’t need one just yet.
Turbo nozzle. Nothing about a rookie and a turbo nozzle on residential makes sense to me. Skip it or now.
I would say my start up budget is around $1500. I already have a pretty good trailer.
The pressure tek washer on wheels that I see on their site is $1700 for a 4gmp belt drive and 1200 for a direct drive. I was hoping to spend a little less on my first washer just to make sure it’s a viable business for me to do here. What is the major problem with 3GPM? Does it just take longer or is the cleaning not as good?
I’m thinking two 50 ft non mark hoses to start.
I’m not a novice to pressure cleaning but I am a novice to house washing. I used to clean tile roofs in Miami - with just straight water. It was so lucrative. Thanks for your help.!!
I am not able to understand how that amount is enough to show serious intent. There are a lot of good folks on this board, I’ll step aside now in hopes that somebody else can help.
I agree with Tim… I wouldn’t go with power washers direct… and I for sure wouldn’t go with a 3gpm it will take all day to finish anything…and to me time is money. But all of this depends on what your start up budget allows. For a turbo nozzle… if you don’t know what your doing with one of these you can mess a lot of things up and end up costing you money instead of making money.
Your post bothers me for this: the contractors on this forum, this is not a summer job,this is their
livelihood, you said it your self: school teacher looking to start up a summer business. Your vague
intro, United States, no name , narrows it down a lot. Every question you ask is readily available
use of the search button. Have seen many in my area want to use their "off time " in this industry
successfully give it one more black eye for everyone else to endure. Best of luck.
Bill Sullivan
Bill’s Window Cleaning.
902-471-8008.
Starting up a new business is NEW you got to learn. This is good place to learn yea there are lots of hey let full timers get the business but
you looking for money on the side to feed a family go for it… I started out 2 years ago washing got a Lowes $400 7hp washer put out ads got some jobs made some money got pretty good at it… Most times one job, you do it good it will lead to another refer will come along…
2 years later I come across one on Craigs list… 18hp Van Guard 300gallon tank electric hose reel $2,000… I paid for it in 2 mos…
Best thing to get is a nice web side and business card…Mine list what all I do on both sides… Every where you go you look at concrete and give a card out… Get a 20’ wand sprayer, surface cleaner, Lowes got a good one for $70 to start with. I now got a Northstar and a Classic on its way/
Again you hustle you will make money on the side… I work in a Steel Mill 33 years make over 90K. I got side jobs washing, mowing buying selling stuff. I bring in another 40 50K ever year… Both kids grown paid all their college one a Dr. one a RN by side jobs … I do pretty good and never went a day in college. Left school in the 10th grade.
Now that’s just my 2 cents, good luck and keep it up…
Dave dmcconcreteclean.com
Does it really make you feel good about taking money out of the pockets of hard working, TAX PAYING, business owners??? Did your children cheat to get through college? Are their degrees worth the paper they are written on or just a ticket to high paying jobs? Maybe they didnt follow in your footsteps and truly are good at their jobs, who knows, but the example you set leaves me with doubts?? You should be ashamed of yourself!!
I am a school teacher as well and I run my business year round. If you have any questions or want to discuss the logistics of running this type of business while teaching, just call or text me directly at 678-509-5089.
I don’t always agree with you, JC, but I can usually respect your opinion. This time, I just don’t get all the hate for part timers. Sure, there are hacks out there who don’t bother to pay taxes, and put a black eye on the industry. On the other hand, we have individuals posting here, who are obviously not afraid of hard work. Are their part time gigs on the same level as your full time business? Almost certainly not. Does that warrant personal attacks and negative assumptions about their character (and that of their family members)? I don’t see how it could.
As for Professor Powerwash (the OP), I think if he’s serious about doing this right, and playing by the rules (taxes, insurance, etc), he can be very successful doing this part time. I wish him the best. It will go a long way to supplementing what is probably an unfairly low salary.
its getting under my skin more recently because its hitting closer to home and will be affecting me directly. For years I had no problem tolerating the part timers because they could not have a serious effect on my business, now they are popping up everyplace, dropping the prices and creating a false “fair” price for PWing. The economy in my area is terrible and getting worse, when more and more people buy into the signs stating “$99 house wash” its getting harder and harder selling my washes for more than three times that amount.
Part timers have a “real” job and for the most part, they dont “need” the money, they only want extra money for toys or vacations. The guy quoted said he made $90k/year at his real job, there is no reason he could not afford to send his kids to school, especially when his home state is Tenn, with a very low cost of living.
Way to go WDC to help the guy out… JCin has a bad attitude the POWERS THAT ARE ought to man him for talking so bad about my kids…
I’m proud of my kids and proud I paid in full for their college by hustling on the side making money. You want to be little somebody cause you sitting on you butt wanting a Obama hand out then do to some pressure washing and not report you taxes.
see I can be man to… Tell you what Im going to PRAY FOR YOU that you change your bad ways…
But I was that way one time jealous mad other other part times… See I also have done mowing on the side… I got and have had 2 over $10,000 Kubota mowers ,have blowers, weed eaters, sprayers, dump truck… I got money in it… I see a guy pulling a old 5x5 trailer with a old snapper with a sign on his old truck… I used to get mad then realize I’m glad he is not getting stamps, money sitting home on his azz… A man has to better himself
no matter what your level is…
and JC I clock in clock out for the last 33 years, I work 14 days a month 2 weekends a month 7 days n 7 nights 12hr shifts.
I go through a lot to get my 90K a year.
I never said you didnt work hard for that money, unless you were part of a union, then I know you didnt work hard for it.
I said you are ripping off everyone by not paying taxes and more importantly you are hurting those of us who spend all our waking hours figuring out how to get the phone to ring. Power washing is my only form of income and I live, eat and breathe this business, 24/7 trying to make ends meet and have enough money to make it through the winter months when we dont work. Even in the winter I am busy with post card, mailings, phone calls and anything else I can think of to get the phone to ring. I had one, one week vacation in the past 15 years because all I do is work on my business
You tried to say something about taking an obama hand out, if you were implying that I am doing that, you’re very wrong!! I dont take any govt. help and will never have a reason to take help from the govt…
I had a hard time trying to understand you other two posts, maybe you should have spent some of the 90k on your own education and learn to write
my bad Mr Mods I do see them did not at first post.
JC my raising and education was not good I do misspell and have bad writing skills.
I’m just not as good as you…
Mr. Mods
is there anyway to EDIT or delete a thread after you make one.
Fatdaddy - at the bottom of each of your post look for the words in bold. You’ll notice a pencil with the words “Edit Post”. You can click that on any of your post and edit them.
While I understand what you are trying to say here, I don’t think the situation is quite that dramatic. A guy with a 3 GPM pressure washer, 100 ft. of hose and a trailer is not taking money away from me. His customers are not my customers.
