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Mar 7, 2011

RE: Top ROOF Cleaning Companies

Guest

I'm with you Chuck,.I've been cleaning roofs alone for about ten years. Whether it's good policy or not is a personal thing,..but to say it can't be done successfully is way off base.

Jeff

Mar 7, 2011

Travis wrote:

So what are the biggest roofing cleaning companies out there and what states are you in?I know most people are just running a one man show so If we can get a top 5 cleaners

I believe in all honesty, that I am the best. But by choice I am not the biggest.
I choose to remain small. I only go up to 30 miles [98% of the time] in any direction away from my home base!Years ago I had a 5 men working for me for 1 full year. It drove me nuts. Profit wise, after paying wages, Social Security, Unemployment, Liability Insurance, workers comp, cigarrette breaks x 5 etc etc. I didn't make enough extra to wake up every night thinking about should I fire this guy, who will be best on this job etc. Plus 2 guys that year left and became competition for me!
I prefer my father and son only business!
Chuck

Mar 7, 2011

Raystown Roof Cleaning Central PA 1-800-236-0322 wrote:

I'm with you Chuck,.I've been cleaning roofs alone for about ten years. Whether it's good policy or not is a personal thing,..but to say it can't be done successfully is way off base.

Jeff

I'm glad you have seen this to be true also Jeff. You are well respected here!
Chuck

Confident Roof Cleaning Houston TX · Guest

It CAN be done succesfully. it SHOULDNT be encouraged because most people dont have the quailty standards as you.

Guest

Bergman Roof Cleaning Port Charlotte FL 941-698-1959 wrote:

I'm glad you have seen this to be true also Jeff. You are well respected here!
Chuck

Thanks Chuck,...But that is a debatable statement amongst the followers here..,Ha,Ha,Ha...

Mar 7, 2011

Confident Roof Cleaning Houston TX wrote:

It CAN be done succesfully. it SHOULDNT be encouraged because most people dont have the quailty standards as you.

Thanks for agreeing! biggrin

What you say about "should'nt" may be true. But that is something that depends on the individual.
The thing is, by the time you have been in business long enough to have a customer base that allows you to hire someone, you should be an expert at doing it alone! biggrin

Now, if you want a bigger business, it will become necessary to hire one more man at a time, as you grow. I assume every roof cleaning company here at RCIA, started out alone for at least the 1st year-in general?
Unless they had a friend or family member to go along on the occasional job you have for the 1st year?
Another thing to consider, along this line of thought. If a company is new and they jump right in with hiring an employee, will that be done properly and by RCIA standards? Fair pay, insurance, workers comp, taxes done legally, etc etc? A man is more important even than the plants! biggrin

They are both important and with or without a 2nd man-all should be done right and above board. Plus, the customer deserves a decent clean, trained, insured etc legal employee-if an employee is going to be on his property. Not a guy you got from AA, as I have read suggested here at RCIA in another post. { Not that there is anything wrong with a guy from AA, it was the fact that a post was made about how to get cheap help-suggesting a non reformed alcoholic? ]
In most cases, that can only be afforded after a roof cleaning company has already been in business for quite some time!
Chuck

Mar 7, 2011

Raystown Roof Cleaning Central PA 1-800-236-0322 wrote:

Bergman Roof Cleaning Port Charlotte FL 941-698-1959 wrote:

I'm glad you have seen this to be true also Jeff. You are well respected here!
Chuck

Thanks Chuck,...But that is a debatable statement amongst the followers here..,Ha,Ha,Ha...

Jeff, other than perhaps one or 2 I doubt it's debatable. I know I'm a fan! roof cleaning

RCIA Founder

Confident Roof Cleaning Houston TX wrote:

It CAN be done succesfully. it SHOULDNT be encouraged because most people dont have the quailty standards as you.

I have cleaned hundreds of roofs, alone. It CAN be done, but why ? It takes many trips up and down a ladder sometimes, with no one to hold it. Plus, tarps can blow off, and a gust of wind can catch the run off and spot paint on the walls.

Guest

Hey Chris,..thanks for the vote of confidence!

Jeff

Confident Roof Cleaning Houston TX · Guest

Bergman Roof Cleaning Port Charlotte FL 941-698-1959 wrote:

Confident Roof Cleaning Houston TX wrote:

It CAN be done succesfully. it SHOULDNT be encouraged because most people dont have the quailty standards as you.

Thanks for agreeing! What you say about "should'nt" may be true. But that is something that depends on the individual.
The thing is, by the time you have been in business long enough to have a customer base that allows you to hire someone, you should be an expert at doing it alone!
Now, if you want a bigger business, it will become necessary to hire one more man at a time, as you grow. I assume every roof cleaning company here at RCIA, started out alone for at least the 1st year-in general?
Unless they had a friend or family member to go along on the occasional job you have for the 1st year?
Another thing to consider, along this line of thought. If a company is new and they jump right in with hiring an employee, will that be done properly and by RCIA standards? Fair pay, insurance, workers comp, taxes done legally, etc etc? A man is more important even than the plants!
They are both important and with or without a 2nd man-all should be done right and above board. Plus, the customer deserves a decent clean, trained, insured etc legal employee-if an employee is going to be on his property. Not a guy you got from AA, as I have read suggested here at RCIA in another post. { Not that there is anything wrong with a guy from AA, it was the fact that a post was made about how to get cheap help-suggesting a non reformed alcoholic? ]
In most cases, that can only be afforded after a roof cleaning company has already been in business for quite some time!
Chuck

Chuck, I couldnt argue with you on how you do things if I wanted to, which I dont. My point is that when someones just learning this business, working alone isnt the best plan. Me, you, Chris, Jeff, etc could clean roofs alone if we were so inclined, but like chris said, its too much work for me.

I just dont recommend it for new guys. Too much risk until you get really good.

Mar 7, 2011

Confident Roof Cleaning Houston TX wrote:

Bergman Roof Cleaning Port Charlotte FL 941-698-1959 wrote:

Confident Roof Cleaning Houston TX wrote:

It CAN be done succesfully. it SHOULDNT be encouraged because most people dont have the quailty standards as you.

Thanks for agreeing! What you say about "should'nt" may be true. But that is something that depends on the individual.
The thing is, by the time you have been in business long enough to have a customer base that allows you to hire someone, you should be an expert at doing it alone!
Now, if you want a bigger business, it will become necessary to hire one more man at a time, as you grow. I assume every roof cleaning company here at RCIA, started out alone for at least the 1st year-in general?
Unless they had a friend or family member to go along on the occasional job you have for the 1st year?
Another thing to consider, along this line of thought. If a company is new and they jump right in with hiring an employee, will that be done properly and by RCIA standards? Fair pay, insurance, workers comp, taxes done legally, etc etc? A man is more important even than the plants!
They are both important and with or without a 2nd man-all should be done right and above board. Plus, the customer deserves a decent clean, trained, insured etc legal employee-if an employee is going to be on his property. Not a guy you got from AA, as I have read suggested here at RCIA in another post. { Not that there is anything wrong with a guy from AA, it was the fact that a post was made about how to get cheap help-suggesting a non reformed alcoholic? ]
In most cases, that can only be afforded after a roof cleaning company has already been in business for quite some time!
Chuck

Chuck, I couldnt argue with you on how you do things if I wanted to, which I dont. My point is that when someones just learning this business, working alone isnt the best plan. Me, you, Chris, Jeff, etc could clean roofs alone if we were so inclined, but like chris said, its too much work for me.

I just dont recommend it for new guys. Too much risk until you get really good.

Well, I CERTAINLY agree, a truely "NEW GUY" should not do his 1st roofs alone. But not because he needs a helper-he needs a trainer!
That's one more good thing about RCIA. If you are just about to start off in business, go work with a pro for a week. Explain that you can't afford to start out in business with an employee [if you can even find a decent employee ready to accept your job with no guarantee of getting a days work in! biggrin

]
Once properly trained, then we can all choose if we want to go the more complicated employee route, or work alone. Again, it's not the 2nd man that's so important, it's that the guy going into business-or already in business-knows how to do roofs properly alone.

Mar 7, 2011

Apple Roof Cleaning Tampa FL (813) 655-8777 wrote:

Confident Roof Cleaning Houston TX wrote:

It CAN be done succesfully. it SHOULDNT be encouraged because most people dont have the quailty standards as you.

I have cleaned hundreds of roofs, alone. It CAN be done, but why ? It takes many trips up and down a ladder sometimes, with no one to hold it. Plus, tarps can blow off, and a gust of wind can catch the run off and spot paint on the walls.

Hi Chris, the "why" is that I don't want employees and know there is no need. I have clamps for my tarps and tie offs-they don't blow off. My constantly running sprinklers are set up to hit the walls and plants and they run from the 1st few minutes after I arrive, until right before I drive away. The sprinklers run even if I tarp! It keeps the tarps cool and saturated the ground around the plants-+ "IF" a tarp came off, the sprinklers take over. Getting up and down the ladder is no big deal to me. I'm not working in a rush.
You probably have even more years in this business than my 20+ years?
Your having done hundreds alone, was probably due to necessity in the beginning= [ no $ for employees ] now, during these years that you can afford employees, you have them. But again, it's just what you "Choose" to do, not what is necessary, as is proven by the hundreds you did alone.
I choose not to be an employer and don't allow my business to grow intentionally to keep that necessity from ever coming up!
I am a licensed painting contractor too, but seldom even bid paint jobs anymore, because that would up the workload, making an employee necessary.
I am happy small. biggrin

Guest

Hey Scott,..I hear ya' on the more work thing,.. I think it comes down to where you choose to make the work simpler,...using employees and taking the physical strain away, and having employee issues and expenses,...or working alone without the employees and taking on the physical strain and related issues instead.

Now and then I will have someone tag along who may need a little extra money,.,...it is nice to have the help, not to mention someone to talk to and tell stories to. Just not worth the overall trade-off for me though to have an employee all the time.

Yea,..not for the new start-ups.

Jeff

Roof Cleaning Raleigh NC · Mar 7, 2011

Bergman Roof Cleaning Port Charlotte FL 941-698-1959 wrote:

Roof Cleaning Toledo Ohio (419) 265-3306 wrote:

Travis, My young newbie, there is no way to run a successful roof cleaning company as a one man show. You must have at least two full time employees. AT LEAST TWO.

My sucessful 21 years of experience in this business disagrees.

Ditto!

RCIA Founder

ONE Day, some of the new guys will have employees. We all have to start somewhere, and some will choose to work alone. As I said before, it is possible to clean a roof by yourself, if you take your time. Is it the BEST way to do it ? I do not believe it is. We don't spend extra money on dedicated groundspeople for nothing. Our Air Diapraghm Pumps are capable of using tiny orfice nozzles on Tile Roofs, unlike a 12 volt pump. We are trying to be a Roof Cleaning Company vs a Guy that cleans roofs. In MY area, one of the first questions asked by shoppers is " You DO have 2 men, don't you" ?

Roof Cleaning Toledo Ohio (419) 265-3306 · Guest

From day 1 we have had employee's, It's so much easier to have a ground guy. Another reason we always have two guys on each job is for safety. 90% of our jobs we do when the homeowner is at work. I hate to say this but what are you going to do if you slip off the roof or later? Is nice to have someone there just in case. Last year I had a guy call in sick so I went out alone and did a roof alone, the homeowner ask me if I was alone and they advised me that they didn't think that was safe. Just my opion, an extra guy doesn't cost that much.

Mar 7, 2011

Raystown Roof Cleaning Central PA 1-800-236-0322 wrote:

Hey Chris,..thanks for the vote of confidence!

Jeff

Yes, Thanks Chris! biggrin

Mar 7, 2011

Roof Cleaning Toledo Ohio (419) 265-3306 wrote:

From day 1 we have had employee's, It's so much easier to have a ground guy. Another reason we always have two guys on each job is for safety. 90% of our jobs we do when the homeowner is at work. I hate to say this but what are you going to do if you slip off the roof or later? Is nice to have someone there just in case. Last year I had a guy call in sick so I went out alone and did a roof alone, the homeowner ask me if I was alone and they advised me that they didn't think that was safe. Just my opion, an extra guy doesn't cost that much.

I understand your thinking. It's not the cost. I don't want to be an employer and I don't want to have guys in training on my roofs. My son and I are experts at what we do. If a ground man is needed, we work together.
Nothing wrong with your opinion, but I have my opinion too, based on 20 + years of doing this. biggrin

Mar 7, 2011

Apple Roof Cleaning Tampa FL (813) 655-8777 wrote:

ONE Day, some of the new guys will have employees. We all have to start somewhere, and some will choose to work alone. As I said before, it is possible to clean a roof by yourself, if you take your time. Is it the BEST way to do it ? I do not believe it is. We don't spend extra money on dedicated groundspeople for nothing. Our Air Diapraghm Pumps are capable of using tiny orfice nozzles on Tile Roofs, unlike a 12 volt pump. We are trying to be a Roof Cleaning Company vs a Guy that cleans roofs. In MY area, one of the first questions asked by shoppers is " You DO have 2 men, don't you" ?

I agree, some 1 man operations will choose to become employers and go through the headaches of hiring, training, firing, rehiring and training etc etc thing. Part of my advertising says "Never a man in training on your roof, father and son only business" Some just like a simpler life. Like me

. I prefer extra labor to employee headaches. I had a 5 man crew as a painting contractor in Ithaca, Ny in 1986 and hated every minute of it! Never again!
PS: I have never once had a customer suggest that there should be 2 of us, and that's the honest truth!

The Roof Cleaning Institute Of America Training & Certification Forum "Find A Certified Roof Cleaner Directory"

The Roof Cleaning Institute Of America Training & Certification Forum
"Find A Certified Roof Cleaner Directory"