PAGE: FAQs

Many people ask many questions that have easy answers. Some answers are not so easy, unless you spend a lot of time on research. For what most people only come into contact with once every two or three years, it is not something that most people want to spend hours and hours researching.


The First Question always is:
What Are Your Prices?
   Or: Why don't you advertise your prices?
   Or: How much is pressure washing this or that?
The easiest answer is: I don't know, yet. Why not?
Let's face it, not every house, deck, fence or driveway in Metro Atlanta, or anywhere else,  is the same. There are different sizes of houses, with different types of exterior siding. It takes a lot more work & materials to pressure clean a 4,000 sq. ft. house with stucco siding than a 2200 sq ft. cedar sided or than a 1,600 sq. ft. with vinyl siding. One may have been maintained and cleaned every two or three years and another maybe not been touched since the house was new - 15 years ago. Likewise decks come in all different shapes and sizes, some with steps and some without. Some may have been stained or sealed, or may have been sealed with an ineffective product or never had anything done in years. Driveways can be any size or may have oil or rust stains.
I hope you can see that each job has to be considered on its own. Plus, we also offer specials which can change everything.


 

Are You The Lowest Priced Pressure Cleaning Company?
Sometimes I am and sometimes I am not. Don't go with the lowest offered price alone. The cheapest priced person will rarely do a very good job or have the needed equipment and knowledge. Most of the people in this business are not qualified to do it. Most are ex- or current painters, handymen or builders. Some even use rented equipment or don't have the proper equipment. I know that most guys offering the cheap prices don't have a decent spinner or any spinner at all (a spinner is a large round device that looks like a buffer, it is used for driveways). Without a decent spinner, the results on a driveway can leave stripes. With a wand or a cheap spinner, you can actually damage the driveway permanently. I saw a guy use a spinner on a deck, guaranteeing damage. Or they have a huge pressure washer and use power alone to clean things. Or they use bleach to clean decks, a definite no no. This can create permanent damage. These are just examples of what cheap prices can get you. It applies to houses, decks, fences and concrete. We have the proper equipment and the knowledge to do any job, without damaging to your residence, driveway, deck or fence. An excellent job and a reasonable price is the key to our success, and more repeat and referral business.

How Long Will It Take You To Finish?
Generally speaking, most jobs are done in only a few hours. If, however you want your deck or fence cleaned & sealed or stained, it takes two trips as we have to wait for the wood to dry (about 36 to 48 hours) before applying the seal. So if we clean a deck on Monday, we can usually seal it on Wednesday, if it doesn't rain. Because of having the right equipment for each particular type of job, we can do jobs in a fraction of time it takes others, or the home owners, themselves. This also saves you on water use.



What Is The Difference Between Seal And Stain?
Seal is supposed to protect the wood, and stain is to color the wood. Simple? Not really.
There are dozens of brands of seals and stains on the market, today. I won't mention any names as I don't want to be sued. Most seals are really a joke. They just don't do a very good job. And most stains will not protect the wood and wear off easily. Solid-based stains can chip or peel off. Some brands tout a seal and stain in one product, but most of these don't do a very good job at either. Plus most products that use a stain, have to be stripped off the next time you have your deck done. This adds extra costs down the road. Each situation is different and every deck is different, so call me and we can consider what is needed for your deck or fence.



Do You Bring Your Own Water? OR How Much Water Will You Use?
When I first started out in this business, I had a trailer with a 500 gallon tank for water. I offered two prices, one using my water and one using the customers water. After a while I started discounting more to use my customers water. Why? With the wear and tear on my truck from the extra weight and the poorer gas mileage, it just didn't make sense to haul all that extra weight around.
My systems uses 4 gallons a minute or 240 gallons an hour if it is run continually. I have never done a job that I didn't have stop to move or adjust at least ten times in an hour. Still most jobs take about two hours or less. If I ran a job for 2 hours (without ever stopping) @ 240 gallons per hour = 480 Gallons. I live in Cobb County and my Water Company charges about $4.04 per 1000 gallons for water and $5.30 per 1000 gallons for sewer usage. That equals $9.34 per 1000 gallons total. So, that is $4.48 for a two hours of continuous use. Most houses (2000 Sq Ft) take about 1½ hours. Most decks (300 Sq Ft) are 1½ hours or less. Most driveways (1500 Sq Ft) take about 1½ hours. If I were to do a total average house, deck and driveway, with out ever stopping for the 4½ hours that would be 1080 gallons or $10.09 for everything. Now, remember, this is for continuous use, not very probable.
In fact, in most cases, I could do your house, deck and driveway and still not use $8.00 in total water charges.
If I hauled the water to your house to do a job, the most I could haul would be 500 gallons and 500 gallons weighs over 2 tons. I would have to make two trips in the above example. I would have to charge considerably more than $8.00 to even break even, when you consider the wear and tear on my truck from the extra weight and the poorer gas mileage, plus I have to pay for the water, myself. I have found that most professional cleaners charge 3 cents more per Sq. Ft. on concrete cleaning to make up the costs. That's about $45.00 more for an 1500 Sq. Ft. driveway. Prices for houses and decks are similarly higher.
Be your own judge about which is smarter.



These are the five most asked questions. If you have one that is not listed, call me. Thank You,  Johnny O