Need some quick Advice!!

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Scott D.

Member
I've got a 12000sqft foot house i am bidding on. It also has a 4 car garage, 2 pool houses, and a detached game room...all covered by slate tile roofing. Heres my problem...

The roof line is 35 ft up. My ladders only reach 26 feet. The driveway is one of these fancy ones, and the owner was told that a lift would break the decorative stones it is made of, and therefore doesnt want me to use one. There are a few place I can get up to the ridge, but since the tiles have an underside, I can not spray them from the top. So when your looking up from the ground, you will still be able to see black on the "feet' of the tiles. And it is too flat to be able to spray from a ladder.

Will the rundown from me spraying be enough to clean the bottoms? If not, what the hell can I do!! They need this one done within a week, to put it on the market. Any advise would be GREAT! A picture of the typ of tile is attached.
 

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Can your pump shoot that high?, we shot "flat" tiles from the ground. It can be done, if you have a good pump.
 
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Ive got a delevan 5800 but when your standing on the ground, you cant even see the tiles. and if there's any wind at all, it would be next to impossible, especially since the peak of the roof is about 50 feet up. And my ladders arent big enough.
 
I posted during your response.

get on the ladder and shoot from there.

Apple has some pics of a ladder shooting job
 
I wish my ladders would reach. The roof is 35 feet and my ladders are only 26ft. I guess I could get some bigger ladders, but short of doing that, im at a loss...
 
Be SURE and use as large a diameter hose on the Delevan as possible and as short as possible too.
1/2 inch hose will hurt you on this job, you need bigger to minimise pressure and flow loss.
This may even mean going out and buying 3/4 or even 1 inch hose for JUST this job Scott.
THe Delevan will need all the help it can get for this job.
Like David from Reef said, flood the roof, and the run off will catch the edges.
Be honest with your customer, and tell him the fancy pavers keep you from using the lift you need for a PERFECT job.
Underpromise Scott, but plan to overdeliver:)
 
Scott D. said:
I wish my ladders would reach. The roof is 35 feet and my ladders are only 26ft. I guess I could get some bigger ladders, but short of doing that, im at a loss...
Click to expand...
Perhaps NOW is the time to invest in a 40 foot ladder ?
You are coming to the point in your carreer Scott where you need better equipment.
 
I agree...however I dont enjoy the straight aluminum ladders. I use the Little giant type ladders, that fold up and extend. Much more handy and take up almost no room. The problem is that they dont make them that big, as far as I know. And I dont need it that big hardly ever. maybe ill just get it and keep it in storage.

Tell me, 12,000 sqft, 2 pool houses, 4 car garage with about a 1.3 somewhat steep pitch. How much to charge? Ive got a number, Im just curious?
 

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Scott D. said:
I agree...however I dont enjoy the straight aluminum ladders. I use the Little giant type ladders, that fold up and extend. Much more handy and take up almost no room. The problem is that they dont make them that big, as far as I know. And I dont need it that big hardly ever. maybe ill just get it and keep it in storage.

Tell me, 12,000 sqft, 2 pool houses, 4 car garage with about a 1.3 somewhat steep pitch. How much to charge? Ive got a number, Im just curious?
Click to expand...

If you do invest into a BIG ladder, spend the extra money to get a nice one. Louisville Ladders are very sturdy, and keep wobbling to a minimum. The last thing you want is to be 40' in the air, on a wobbly ladder.
 
I have never cleaned a roof. Ever. But, someone said something about shooting up there from the ground. I have a size 10 nozzle with zero angle. It shoots at least 50 feet with my pump. I know yours would do that. Just an idea. $1000 no less.
 
Scott D. said:
I agree...however I dont enjoy the straight aluminum ladders. I use the Little giant type ladders, that fold up and extend. Much more handy and take up almost no room. The problem is that they dont make them that big, as far as I know. And I dont need it that big hardly ever. maybe ill just get it and keep it in storage.

Tell me, 12,000 sqft, 2 pool houses, 4 car garage with about a 1.3 somewhat steep pitch. How much to charge? Ive got a number, Im just curious?
Click to expand...

I would charge $2500.00 for just the roof. I would get up on it and soak it, you will get enough run off to get the face of the tile clean.

Or you can tie off and do it with climbing gear as we have done in the roof in the picture below.

This home was 10,000 sq ft and we charged him $1500.00 but that was about 5 years ago..
 

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(whistles) Have you raised your prices since then? Like I said the House Alone is 12,000 Sqft. Then 4 car garage, 2 pool houses and a game house. I quoted $4500. I charge .20 cents for tile and slate. I think Im gonna have to do it from a forty footer, they dont want me on the roof, they think im gonna break the tiles, and its on the market and dont want to have to fix any, even if I pay for it.
 
Scott D. said:
(whistles) Have you raised your prices since then? Like I said the House Alone is 12,000 Sqft. Then 4 car garage, 2 pool houses and a game house. I quoted $4500. I charge .20 cents for tile and slate. I think Im gonna have to do it from a forty footer, they dont want me on the roof, they think im gonna break the tiles, and its on the market and dont want to have to fix any, even if I pay for it.
Click to expand...

Like i said, this was 5 years ago. We charged $1500.00 for roof only. It took us only 6 hours and we pressure cleaned the entire roof. If we would have softwashed it we would have been done in 2 hours or less.

Down here we get between .12 and .15 a sq ft for roof jobs. I did not give you a total for the whole job, because you did not give any sq ft measurements for the rest of the work that needed to be cleaned. I would think that you are in the ball park at $4500.00.
 
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