I’m in the process of quoting a 5,000 sq ft house with a copper roof, copper gutters and copper light fixtures. From above, the house is shaped kind of like a U, and in the middle they have a Koi pond that I can’t cover up because all of the runoff from the gutters/sides of the house go into this pond. It’s kind of a nightmare job and I quoted it accordingly.
Some parts of the lower foundation are stucco which is where most of the growth is thankfully. I’m also using a downspout extension to wash off the gutter guards as opposed to climbing on a copper roof with a blower in 95 degree heat.
Just curious what suggestions y’all had. This job is gonna take me 2 days as I’m by myself and very thorough about plant/copper protection. I do not want to take any chances here! Thanks fellas
I’ve already done a test spot on the back of the house to make sure I’m not doing any damage to the copper with proper rinsing. I’ve attached a picture of a side of the house so y’all have an idea of what youre looking at
Well, you use “y’all” correctly in a sentence so you have to had have decent upbringing, but, is just walk away from a job like that and go find some vinyl houses to wash.
Apply sh carefully and locally where needed (except anywhere that the runoff can get into the coi pond) with a pump up sprayer or even a big tile sponge and bucket and wash the rest of the house with just water using a 700 psi tip (for 8gpm I use a size 20 with either 65 or 40 deg fan.) believe it or not it’s actually possible to wash houses without using chemicals. Softwashing with Powersolve from hydro-chem systems may also be an option but you should contact them to discuss if the product is unsafe for fish.
Vinyl houses don’t pay the bills quite the same. This is a special scenario where my schedule allows for it and its justified in the quote. I’m confident in my ability to rinse well and keep the copper looking good but I wanted to consult with the guys i’ve been learning from for a long time about this specific job. If I don’t wash it some yahoo is gonna underquote them and wreck the house
That’s the plan. I’m going with a 3% solution in my 12v system for the stucco and everywhere except near the copper/koi. Then maybe a 1% SH solution in my backpack sprayer near the copper but I also love the sponge idea. There isn’t too much growth around the koi pond so I might be okay with my 850psi tip and just using water but we’ll see. Thanks for the great suggestions
Like i said theres practically no growth around the koi pond. Just spiderwebs and debris that Would rinse off with a garden hose. I’ve already done a test spot with a 2% mixture and my backpack sprayer to see if it looks different and there is no difference so I should be good. 98% of that area gets sunlight anyhow. The main issue is a stucco foundation piece around there that has a good bit of growth on it. I’ve opted to tape a plastic dropcloth along the bottom to catch all the runoff before it enters the soil and use my reclaim system to put it directly into the koi pond so I can do this lady a favor and get her new fish because the ones she has are old.
I keep thinking about this…and just make sure you realize that risk is a cost too. Most high $$$ jobs are either big (= time) or risky (= potential loss).
If a koi pond is ever close enough to the house that it’s unavoidable, it’s a hard pass. The only one we did was a client that my predecessor allowed to be done a few years ago, so the guy was like, “you all did it 3 years ago and it was fine, so do it again.” It’s like saying “you won russian roulette the first time, give it another go.”
Vinyl boxes will out produce fancy smancy houses any and every day of they week, no exceptions. But folks have got to figure stuff out on their own. I did. I think that’s just human nature.
Yes I understand. I’m very meticulous and haven’t caused any damage yet. Surprisingly. I just prefer the challenge of a risky house. I hate pre wash prep and break down of hoses and all the other stuff and doing 4-5 houses a day doesn’t seem that appealing. From what I understand I’m making about the same if not more.
I quoted it right around 4K. They can afford it and it was rushed with a driveway cleaning too. I’d much rather over bid in this scenario because I’m not doing this job if its not very well worth my time. Dont wanna rush it and mess up.
2 days is too much.
And it sounds to me u are not confident to take on this job. Yet you want the money, who wouldnt.
But if you dont think u can tackle it, walk away.
I have to cover their entire runoff area where the pond is with plastic and time it perfectly over the pond so I dont turn her koi into japanese jambalaya. I’m also using my homemade reclaim system which is just a modified pond pump. Then my 20ft extension with a 1020psi tip comes into play to blow the leaves off the roof/gutter guards. If she didn’t have guards I’d be up there with a ladder but she just wants them “rinsed” and the debris off without taking her gutter guards off. All included in that is copper/plant protection which i’m not taking any chances on. Plus a driveway cleaning. I’m scheduling myself for two days just to be sure I have enough time to do it right. She went to the beach and said she’d get back with me tomorrow, her photographer rescheduled. I’d rather take a little extra time and not make any mistakes, reputation is a hard thing to fix!
