Pressure washing driveways

[Rekkovitch]

Hi All

I am in the process of exploring starting up ( from a low cost point of view initially) a pressure washing and general maintenance company.

I have been working self employed in a different industry for the past 15 years and relocation means I cannot take my local customers with me. It's a dog walking company.

I'm thinking low risk start up and providing gutter cleaning, driveway maintenance, gardening services and internal and external painting. I have experience in all of these.

My current sole trader business owns a van and a zafira tourer ( large estate car) . I'm going to dispose of the van as its unreliable and sign write the car / magnetic decals and advertise online / leaflets etc.

I own all the equipment to start so don't require a large investment at start up.

I am in a position where I only need to clear around £1500 per month after costs/tax etc. Initially I could clear around £1000 ( although this wouldn't need to be within the first 6 months ) so it's low figures really.

I guess my question is what does everyone think ?

Any thoughts , feedback , advice and criticism welcome.

 

[Ozzy]

As you have all the equipment, give it a go!
What have you got to lose from at least trying?

Attending networking breakfasts/etc around your area may help get the name our there as well as putting some low cost ads in local village magazines, Facebook groups in your area.

I know a guy who does just this, focuses on commercial, seems to do alright for himself.

 

[fisicx]

Go for it. Bloke who cleans our bins does all that as well. Never works more than 4 hours a day.

 

[DontAsk]

Have a look at a few cleaning channels on YouTube. You might be surprised at the amount of kit you really need to do a good job. I wouldn't trust my drive to someone who turned up in an estate car.

 

[Paul Kelly ICHYB]

Why can't you restart dog walking locally?

As for drive cleaning (and anything that can be cleaned by a pressure washer), there are always opportunities.

BTW, is the pressure washer self powered or do you need to plug it into the mains?

 

[BusterBloodvessel]

Given you've got the gear then as said above it can't really hurt to give it a go. Bloke i know started up in jetwashing with no experience whatsoever 7 or 8 years ago. Makes a fine little living for himself, not actually doing much work if any himself these days, he has a young lad with him who he leaves on jobs whilst he goes pricing jobs up or eating long lunches.

As said above though.... would I trust somebody turning up in an estate car/tourer....hmm. Maybe. if it was cleanly kept and well signwritten up. Would I trust them turning up with a Karcher that I could buy for £200 and asking to plug into my mains and water? At that point I'd be starting to wonder.

Do you want to be an out and out jet washing company, or general maintenance? I think you need to make your mind up. For me if I was wanting a "proper" professional jet wash company capable of properly sorting my drive, resanding it, doing large areas etc then I'd probably expect you to be turning up with some really heavy duty equipment and be independent running from your van with a tank of water. If you were general trades/repairs then I'd probably be a bit more forgiving - a friend of mine does this, he does a lot of maintenance and house turnarounds for landlords - so yes when a tenant leaves he might decorate all the inside, weed and mow all the back garden and jet wash down the patio. For that he uses a decent-ish plug in Karcher - it's just a small extra service he's doing as part of a general clean and tidy. He doesn't market himself as the areas premier jet washing company capable of doing full driveways or full buildings etc.

 

[Rekkovitch]

Given you've got the gear then as said above it can't really hurt to give it a go. Bloke i know started up in jetwashing with no experience whatsoever 7 or 8 years ago. Makes a fine little living for himself, not actually doing much work if any himself these days, he has a young lad with him who he leaves on jobs whilst he goes pricing jobs up or eating long lunches.

As said above though.... would I trust somebody turning up in an estate car/tourer....hmm. Maybe. if it was cleanly kept and well signwritten up. Would I trust them turning up with a Karcher that I could buy for £200 and asking to plug into my mains and water? At that point I'd be starting to wonder.

Do you want to be an out and out jet washing company, or general maintenance? I think you need to make your mind up. For me if I was wanting a "proper" professional jet wash company capable of properly sorting my drive, resanding it, doing large areas etc then I'd probably expect you to be turning up with some really heavy duty equipment and be independent running from your van with a tank of water. If you were general trades/repairs then I'd probably be a bit more forgiving - a friend of mine does this, he does a lot of maintenance and house turnarounds for landlords - so yes when a tenant leaves he might decorate all the inside, weed and mow all the back garden and jet wash down the patio. For that he uses a decent-ish plug in Karcher - it's just a small extra service he's doing as part of a general clean and tidy. He doesn't market himself as the areas premier jet washing company capable of doing full driveways or full buildings etc.

Thanks for the reply.

The pressure washing would really just be a small part ( if a part atall )

I would market myself really as a small general maintenance type of service so my fees would reflect this. My clients would be just local residents and the like. I have a good experience in painting so my thought process was gutters / outdoor maintenance when the weather's good and painting/decorating/general maintenance when the weather's bad as a backup.

 

[Rekkovitch]

Why can't you restart dog walking locally?

As for drive cleaning (and anything that can be cleaned by a pressure washer), there are always opportunities.

BTW, is the pressure washer self powered or do you need to plug it into the mains?

Dog walking is very saturated and not something I think I want to do again. To build up in bulk is the only way to turn a profit to make it worthwhile and it will take way too long to do that from scratch.

The pressure washing would be literally using my own equipment but plugging into their mains / water source. I really don't know if it's worthwhile to be honest but it's just another service. My thinking was by offering a fair few services at the start will make it easier to get work flowing.

 

[Rekkovitch]

Given you've got the gear then as said above it can't really hurt to give it a go. Bloke i know started up in jetwashing with no experience whatsoever 7 or 8 years ago. Makes a fine little living for himself, not actually doing much work if any himself these days, he has a young lad with him who he leaves on jobs whilst he goes pricing jobs up or eating long lunches.

As said above though.... would I trust somebody turning up in an estate car/tourer....hmm. Maybe. if it was cleanly kept and well signwritten up. Would I trust them turning up with a Karcher that I could buy for £200 and asking to plug into my mains and water? At that point I'd be starting to wonder.

Do you want to be an out and out jet washing company, or general maintenance? I think you need to make your mind up. For me if I was wanting a "proper" professional jet wash company capable of properly sorting my drive, resanding it, doing large areas etc then I'd probably expect you to be turning up with some really heavy duty equipment and be independent running from your van with a tank of water. If you were general trades/repairs then I'd probably be a bit more forgiving - a friend of mine does this, he does a lot of maintenance and house turnarounds for landlords - so yes when a tenant leaves he might decorate all the inside, weed and mow all the back garden and jet wash down the patio. For that he uses a decent-ish plug in Karcher - it's just a small extra service he's doing as part of a general clean and tidy. He doesn't market himself as the areas premier jet washing company capable of doing full driveways or full buildings etc.

Thanks for the reply. I completely agree with you regarding the pressure washing, I'm not aiming to claim to be this and that , just providing a basic service. My pricing would reflect the fact that I'm using their water/ electricity to set up , from this I'd look to doing their guttering perhaps, clean up the frontage ( if needed ) etc - so a bit of allsorts.

I'm at a crossroads where I don't want to bite the bullet and work employed again as my wife is now working but I don't want to claim benefits as that's not me. Having worked since 16 and now I'm 44 self employed suits me. I figure giving something a try is better than nothing

 

[Rekkovitch]

Go for it. Bloke who cleans our bins does all that as well. Never works more than 4 hours a day.

Exactly , I really don't need ( or want ) to be working long hours chasing money , I'm quite happy to just make ends meet now I no longer have a mortgage or any debtors. Around 1k a month after expenditure as a household income would easily be good enough as my wife has a decent job

 

[Paul Kelly ICHYB]

my own equipment but plugging into their mains / water source.

As mentioned, this will restrict your reach (clients need to be there) and might put some off!

 

[HFE Signs]

Sounds viable to me if you can get the work. By the way we do magnetic signs Prices online

 

[BusterBloodvessel]

Slightly related, I have mentioned this on the forum some time ago....there seems to be this all or nothing/peak and trough when it comes to jet washing your decking, patio etc. That is pay someone a big chunk to do it once a year, let it get progressively slimy and dangerous particularly throughout winter, pay someone to sort it all out again, and rinse and repeat! I can't help but think there might be mileage in a regular monthly patio/decking cleaning? Keep on top of things all year round therefore the areas more useable throughout the year and also avoid getting hit with a sudden £150 - £200 bill to have someone spend a full day sorting it all out once a year. Could potentially then add on annual top up services - restaining decking once a year for example or sealing flags.

It would also give a more regular income stream to yourself with a regular round paying monthly rather than relying on everyone wanting a one off job at the start of summer.

I think one thing somebody did say was you have to be careful how often you jet wash certain things, wooden decking being one of them. Maybe there could be soft washes or brushed washers rather than jet washing some of the time to negate that perhaps.

It's just a thought anyway....

 

[DontAsk]

The pressure washing would be literally using my own equipment but plugging into their mains / water source.

What do you do when there's no hose union tap to connect to? (I know the answer, but do you?)

 

[Rekkovitch]

What do you do when there's no hose union tap to connect to? (I know the answer, but do you?)

If you mean no tap with an adapter then I'd probably be carrying a variety of attachments. If there's no water source then it's a no go !

( I'm probably being thick so no offence ! )

 

[Rekkovitch]

Slightly related, I have mentioned this on the forum some time ago....there seems to be this all or nothing/peak and trough when it comes to jet washing your decking, patio etc. That is pay someone a big chunk to do it once a year, let it get progressively slimy and dangerous particularly throughout winter, pay someone to sort it all out again, and rinse and repeat! I can't help but think there might be mileage in a regular monthly patio/decking cleaning? Keep on top of things all year round therefore the areas more useable throughout the year and also avoid getting hit with a sudden £150 - £200 bill to have someone spend a full day sorting it all out once a year. Could potentially then add on annual top up services - restaining decking once a year for example or sealing flags.

It would also give a more regular income stream to yourself with a regular round paying monthly rather than relying on everyone wanting a one off job at the start of summer.

I think one thing somebody did say was you have to be careful how often you jet wash certain things, wooden decking being one of them. Maybe there could be soft washes or brushed washers rather than jet washing some of the time to negate that perhaps.

It's just a thought anyway....

I was literally thinking similar , have some sort of scheduled cleaning rinse and repeat ( no pun intended )

 

[Rekkovitch]

Sounds viable to me if you can get the work. By the way we do magnetic signs Prices online

Excellent , I will save this post thanks. I'm thinking 4 big magnetic signs when it comes to it as there's plenty of pannel on the tourer

 

[Fagin2021]

I can only speak from observation of my own locality but there always seems to be a demand for these types of service. However...

By concentrating on no-skill needed, no-investment required, no bar-to-entry services you're always vulnerable to a race-to-the-bottom - where price is the dominant factor and lots of people can nick your customers.

People looking to employ a 'general maintenance' person do so because...

• they can't do it themselves (needs skill, knowledge, equipment or physical ability).
• they don't want to do it themselves (eg. climb a ladder, gutter cleaning).
• they haven't time to do it themselves (pressure washer, grass cutting).

Might it be a good idea to acquire some basic skills other than the things everyone can do. For example, you don't need to be a plumber to change a central heating radiator or flush the system - you just need to know how to do it. You don't need to be a carpenter to repair a rotten window frame. And so on.

In our village there are two people who do general maintenance. One has a beat-up old yellow van with his name roughly signed on the side over someone else's faded signage. I don't know how much work he gets but his van is always parked at home. The other has a (not new) tidy, clean blue van with clear sign-writing giving a list of his services and contact methods. Most of his new business comes not from leaflets, not from advertisements, not from networking but from people spotting his van in the road and stopping to talk or calling him later.

Personally, I wouldn't use someone with a decaled Zafira. Smacks too much of an amateur part-timer. Maybe that's just me though.

 

[Rekkovitch]

I can only speak from observation of my own locality but there always seems to be a demand for these types of service. However...

By concentrating on no-skill needed, no-investment required, no bar-to-entry services you're always vulnerable to a race-to-the-bottom - where price is the dominant factor and lots of people can nick your customers.

People looking to employ a 'general maintenance' person do so because...

• they can't do it themselves (needs skill, knowledge, equipment or physical ability).
• they don't want to do it themselves (eg. climb a ladder, gutter cleaning).
• they haven't time to do it themselves (pressure washer, grass cutting).

Might it be a good idea to acquire some basic skills other than the things everyone can do. For example, you don't need to be a plumber to change a central heating radiator or flush the system - you just need to know how to do it. You don't need to be a carpenter to repair a rotten window frame. And so on.

In our village there are two people who do general maintenance. One has a beat-up old yellow van with his name roughly signed on the side over someone else's faded signage. I don't know how much work he gets but his van is always parked at home. The other has a (not new) tidy, clean blue van with clear sign-writing giving a list of his services and contact methods. Most of his new business comes not from leaflets, not from advertisements, not from networking but from people spotting his van in the road and stopping to talk or calling him later.

Personally, I wouldn't use someone with a decaled Zafira. Smacks too much of an amateur part-timer. Maybe that's just me though.

I do agree with you but I have to say it can vary wildly. At the moment I see dog walkers with old bangers doing just as well as myself with a sign written van. I think mine looks better but people don't seem to care about the van as much as the flexibility. Either way I sont be getting another van, had 7 so far all been very unreliable and costly. Car suits me better as I know it well and it is reliable

 

[Rekkovitch]

Appreciate all these replies , glad people are being honest , I'd rather hear negatives too as I know it's not a finalised decision . I will be doing painting / decorating alongside to mitigate any failings on the pressure washing / gutter cleaning. I'm not looking for a crazy busy business with all singing all dancing. Spent 15 years doing that , I just want to turn a small profit to live on

 

[JEREMY HAWKE]

I think there is a good market for it My daughter is always pressure washing her place I dont bother at our cottage as the drive way is gravel

 

[bodgitt&scarperLTD]

Given you've got the gear then as said above it can't really hurt to give it a go. Bloke i know started up in jetwashing with no experience whatsoever 7 or 8 years ago. Makes a fine little living for himself, not actually doing much work if any himself these days, he has a young lad with him who he leaves on jobs whilst he goes pricing jobs up or eating long lunches.

As said above though.... would I trust somebody turning up in an estate car/tourer....hmm. Maybe. if it was cleanly kept and well signwritten up. Would I trust them turning up with a Karcher that I could buy for £200 and asking to plug into my mains and water? At that point I'd be starting to wonder.

Do you want to be an out and out jet washing company, or general maintenance? I think you need to make your mind up. For me if I was wanting a "proper" professional jet wash company capable of properly sorting my drive, resanding it, doing large areas etc then I'd probably expect you to be turning up with some really heavy duty equipment and be independent running from your van with a tank of water. If you were general trades/repairs then I'd probably be a bit more forgiving - a friend of mine does this, he does a lot of maintenance and house turnarounds for landlords - so yes when a tenant leaves he might decorate all the inside, weed and mow all the back garden and jet wash down the patio. For that he uses a decent-ish plug in Karcher - it's just a small extra service he's doing as part of a general clean and tidy. He doesn't market himself as the areas premier jet washing company capable of doing full driveways or full buildings etc.

Fair points, save for expecting the contractor to bring their own water. It's not like window clearning where you need a filtered water supply. A decent pressure washer will be putting out 20+ litres per minute, and it won't take long to use a ton (literally) of water at that rate. Not many vans can carry a ton of water in addition to 400kg of equipment and driver, and pointless if it would only last for less than an hour.

A buffer tank filling from the hose on site is a sensible soloution for both parties.

 

[RevoMark]

I have just my own block paving driveway and 3 patios - took me 2 days solid - will happily be outsourcing next time

 

[fantheflames]

Outdoor work is a great area to get into!

You could specialise in a couple of services like pressure washing, exterior wood, outdoor metal, and stone and brickwork.

We've just had our garden fence repaired rather than getting a new one. If it can be restored, I'd always go for that option personally.

Or you could perhaps focusing on pressure washing or exterior wood, if it's exterior wood restoration that would be cleaning and treating wooden fences, decks, and garden furniture. Pressure washing might be something you could do alongside it.

These are very much more popular during the hotter months (which we don't get a lot of), so perhaps offering more services such as winterising outdoor spaces, gutter clearance and repair, and perhaps more offers during the winter months might get you more custom.

I'm definitely one of those people that leave the garden go during the winter months...

 

[fisicx]

Pressure washing is a once a year activity for most people. Cleaning windows and wheelie bins is a monthly activity and doesn't need access to water or power. Regular work will be better for your bank balance.

What you then offer is the add on services of pressure washing and gutter cleaning.

 

[BusterBloodvessel]

Fair points, save for expecting the contractor to bring their own water. It's not like window clearning where you need a filtered water supply. A decent pressure washer will be putting out 20+ litres per minute, and it won't take long to use a ton (literally) of water at that rate. Not many vans can carry a ton of water in addition to 400kg of equipment and driver, and pointless if it would only last for less than an hour.

A buffer tank filling from the hose on site is a sensible soloution for both parties.

I'm always happy to stand corrected, that makes sense! Thinking about it now I think my mate does exactly what you say - he definitely has a tank in his van but I think that's being topped up by hose, at least where he can.

 

[Mister B]

As others have said, as part of a larger business plan it's probably a sound move.

In addition to the pressure washing service, I would be inclined to offer an additional service whereby tarmac driveways could be painted. I did ours at home for the first time a few years ago and it transformed the appearance-to the extent that all of my neighbours followed suit.

Get some before and after flyers made up and guaranteed that you could drum business up quite quickly. And make a good living out of it.

 

[fisicx]

But… this is a one time activity. Which means you need to keep marketing for new business. Repetitive work (like window cleaning) means your marketing spend and time reduces to almost nothing after a while.

 

[kwikdry]

Sorry if someone else has already said this, but I'd not water down your perceived expertise by offering gutter cleaning, driveway maintenance, gardening services and internal and external painting....or at least not all under one brand / website.

Many people will want to employ an expert as opposed to a jack of all trades, so best to group the gutter cleaning and pressure washing under one brand, and thus be an expert in external cleaning services.

Just on another point, Google Ads would work very well for both gutter cleaning and pressure washing, so worth looking into them.

 

[SillyBill]

Slightly related, I have mentioned this on the forum some time ago....there seems to be this all or nothing/peak and trough when it comes to jet washing your decking, patio etc. That is pay someone a big chunk to do it once a year, let it get progressively slimy and dangerous particularly throughout winter, pay someone to sort it all out again, and rinse and repeat! I can't help but think there might be mileage in a regular monthly patio/decking cleaning? Keep on top of things all year round therefore the areas more useable throughout the year and also avoid getting hit with a sudden £150 - £200 bill to have someone spend a full day sorting it all out once a year. Could potentially then add on annual top up services - restaining decking once a year for example or sealing flags.

It would also give a more regular income stream to yourself with a regular round paying monthly rather than relying on everyone wanting a one off job at the start of summer.

I think one thing somebody did say was you have to be careful how often you jet wash certain things, wooden decking being one of them. Maybe there could be soft washes or brushed washers rather than jet washing some of the time to negate that perhaps.

It's just a thought anyway....

£150 is the sort of rate I'd have expected to see 10+ years ago for a day rate for someone using their hands - has it really not moved at all? I'd be embarrassed to pay someone that low myself, really not far off the poverty line if they've got any expenses at all and that is your only chargeable work for the day. And I can't really see how there is money breaking such a low earning job into smaller "regular" components, going around someone's house to make £40 or so hardly seems worth it once you have driven there, got the tools out and pack them away at the end, be lucky to get 2-3 jobs in a day at a push so making even less. And 2x3 the admin/paperwork, chasing payments etc. I think there is a reason that isn't done.

FWIW can't see why the OP can't make what he is after odd jobbing. My "cleaner" at my business does this, he basically will do any odd job you ask for a price, which is very useful and he gets more work than he can handle, including from both my business and me personally, even painted and decorated my house too, jumps on my shopfloor if I need an extra hand too. Word of mouth gets around as he always has people who want him to do something or other, he has no particular skill but a good work ethic and the right attitude, which will keep anyone busy. These people are great when you don't want nor need a sparky in just to change a few bulbs etc., where a Karcher wash down is more than adequate, and you don't need a Picasso job on the factory's office walls.

 

[BusterBloodvessel]

£150 is the sort of rate I'd have expected to see 10+ years ago for a day rate for someone using their hands - has it really not moved at all? I'd be embarrassed to pay someone that low myself, really not far off the poverty line if they've got any expenses at all and that is your only chargeable work for the day. And I can't really see how there is money breaking such a low earning job into smaller "regular" components, going around someone's house to make £40 or so hardly seems worth it once you have driven there, got the tools out and pack them away at the end, be lucky to get 2-3 jobs in a day at a push so making even less. And 2x3 the admin/paperwork, chasing payments etc. I think there is a reason that isn't done.

FWIW can't see why the OP can't make what he is after odd jobbing. My "cleaner" at my business does this, he basically will do any odd job you ask for a price, which is very useful and he gets more work than he can handle, including from both my business and me personally, even painted and decorated my house too, jumps on my shopfloor if I need an extra hand too. Word of mouth gets around as he always has people who want him to do something or other, he has no particular skill but a good work ethic and the right attitude, which will keep anyone busy. These people are great when you don't want nor need a sparky in just to change a few bulbs etc., where a Karcher wash down is more than adequate, and you don't need a Picasso job on the factory's office walls.

It's an old thread but for what it's worth I wasn't really focusing on the prices as such, more the idea of a regular thing rather than just a big bill once a year.

 

[adam thompson1981]

£300 a day minimum labour plus your costs, to do pressure washing properly you need at least 2k in machine plus the rest. Turning up with a mains powered karcher lol ok.

 

[Ashley_Price]

I was halfway through this before I realised it was an old thread.

My main concern would have been him using the client's water source. With people being metered now for their water I wonder how many will be happy to be paying the extra on top of the fees for all the water used for cleaning their driveway, patio etcetera?

When I had someone do our pathways a couple of years ago, they had large water tanks on the back of their van, so as not to use the client's.