Teaming up with local dryvit installer, opinions please!!

precisionpowerclean

precisionpowerclean

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I recieved a call from an aquantance yesterday who is a local dryvit installer. He is one of the premier dryvit guys in the area, does great work and is well respected. He told me that to fill in any lulls in business to keep his crews busy he started offering pressure washing to his dryvit customers. He has had more demand for pressure washing than he expected as well as no lulls in dryvit installs. He wants to team up with Precision Power Cleaning to offer a type of maintenance program to all his past customers to include, pressure washing, caulk check and recaulk if needed, etc.. Being late in the season, we decided that we will meet over the winter to see if we can work something out.

He asked me to stop and bid a house they were working on to see if we could work a deal to get that house done right now. I bid the job, he seemed ok with the price. He asked how long it would take to complete and I told him no more than 8 hours. He said for that same job it would take his crew 2 men working 3 full days!!! He said he has been using off the shelf Lowes detergents and high pressure!!!

I really think there is an opportunity here to make us and him a fair amount of money. I also think it would be a good way to get our name out there associated with an established company with a great reputation!!

Has anyone ever teamed up like this before? Any suggestions on how to go about bidding, billing, etc?? I figured it would be easiest if i bid the job, and let him mark up whatever he wants?? Please feel free to comment.

Thanks
Cory
 
I have done stuff like this in the past and it has worked out very well for me. Your plan in working with him sounds good, if you leave him some room to make money he will be much more likely to use you more often.

If you have a good relationship with this contractor and a good level of trust I would consider telling him the jobs will be time and materials that way you don't have to go out to all of the jobs to bid after he gets an idea of the typical cost.
 
Thanks for the input so far. I'm really not sure where this relationship will go but I would like to give it a try. This installer has access to quite a few multi million dollar houses. I basically want to be a subcontractor for him. I would like to go out and bid the homes to him, if he feels that he can mark it up enough to be worth his time then we all win. The way this guy has been washing is very inefficent. From what I can tell, he has been charging an arm and a leg due to the amount of time he has in each job. It appears I can charge him my normal rate, he can bid it to the customer at what he would usually charge using his crew and that would leave him with a good profit. Not sure if this will work, thats why i'm asking for any input. Are there any forms anyone has used in these type situations? Thanks a bunch!!!
 
It's good that you get a few jobs from the guy.The question is is your name gonna be the one referenced to all the high dollar friends and neighbors?

I would also caution getting to dependent on this guy and putting all your eggs in one basket.Also when work slows down he will go back to using his guys to keep them busy.

Don't train your replacement either.If he asks you to not wear any advertising or truck lettering on his job then you know whats up.

All words of warning.

I wish you luck.
 
Actually, in the short talk we had, he mentioned making a flyer offering dryvit yearly maintenance program with both our company logos, he has no problem with my uniform shirts or highly lettered truck. Granted this was all in a short initial conversation. After I have done all my research and made up my mind on how to handle all this, then I will sit down and have a good discussion with him. I agree with not putting all your eggs in one basket and plan to pursue everything else as I always have done. I will operate as my own seperate company always, just a subcontractor. There is no way I will use any of his guys or let any of my trade secrets loose to him.

Again, thanks for all the input everyone!! This board is the best!! Too bad it will be below freezing here soon, i'm really getting on a roll this past month!!!
 
Cory, these can be blessings and nightmares. Just make sure to cover the bottom line. Make sure you get him to pay you on time. Discuss all arrangements and assume nothing. Don't get greedy just set a price and give it to him. Tell him it's .10 cents (or whatever you charge) a square foot that way it is a agreed upon price for both of you and it looks more proffession and more convenient for the customer. The customer will not have to wait for you to come out for a estimate.
 
I agree with Kory. Also try to cover a few scenarios that will eventually happen. IE: What happens when the neighbor writes down your phone number and calls you direct? Is your guy still in the deal since he generated the lead? As long a reasonable minds prevail everything is cool.

I've seen deals like this go sour when the guy subbing the work thinks the guy he's subbing from is making too much off of his work. They don't consider what it costs to get a customer.
 
Here's my $.02...Having working in the pest control industry, I can tell you that Dryvit structures are more likely than any other type of construction to suffer from moisture damage. The older the structure, the more likely there will all ready be damage. The number one cause of damage is water entering through cracks in the Dryvit itself or through improperly caulked - or maintained - joints; particularly around the bottoms of windows. Moisture inside the walls will attract termites. With a moisture supply within the structure, traditional termite treatments may be ineffective.

Due to amazingly widespread and fast-moving damage in these structures, we were ordered to not even leave our vehicles if we got a call for service from a Dryvit structure. I personally have observed numerous houses where all Dryvit had to be removed, repairs made and, amazingly, sometimes Dryvit reapplied.

Construction techniques as well as the materials themselves have been modified in the last 10 years, but the bottom line is that anyone that has anything to do with manufacturing, installing, maintaining and even washing Dryvit are likely to be (and have been) sued. The costs of moisture damage in a Dryvit structure can be enormous.

Having said all that, there is a great need for maintenance and cleaning of Dryvit structures - particularly residential, which have wood framing. My advice would be to have contracts that specifically absolve you of any liability for pre-existing damage. In fact, adding moisture damage testing would be a great additional service. (This testing is required in most areas prior to any sale.)

Personally, I always advise customers (they already know about moisture and Dryvit.) that I will use no pressure, so if there is a crack, I will not be forcing water into it. If I see a crack, I let them know. My suggestion would be for you to Goggle Dryvit moisture damage. Good luck!
 
10+ on John's post and suggestions. Dryvit is a very fragile DPR textured acrylic finish, and there have been numerous failures and health hazards reported over the years.

Your Dryvit contractor told your his guys used "high pressure" ? Guaranteed if they did they ended up severally damaging the Dryvit.

Check his contractors license, review previously filed complaints, claims and resolutions.
 
Google Dryvit and learn of the thousands of lawsuits over the past 15 years. Most failures where from improperly sealed exterior openings. But in the first phase the Synthetic EIFS EEFS Dryvit material was so airtight houses were not able to "breath", and some claimed poisonous interior air quality conditions, mold, etc., if I remember correctly.

I assume those issues have been resolved. But EIFS EEFS Dryvit still remains a very delicate and fragile exterior surface, and needs to be washed gently, never with high pressure. Take note of any structural cracks, especially around windows and door openings. I personally would not want to accept the liability risks of moisture penetration.
 
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