Vinyl siding

Nobody in my area offers gutter brightening as far as I'm aware. If the customer is getting multiple bids, and I'm automatically including gutter brightening, there's a good chance i will lose that customer due to my price being higher because I'm simply not bidding apples to apples with everyone else. On the plus side though, being that I'm the only company offering this, it sometimes does land me the job, but i only offer it as an upsell.

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I would never leave the gutters looking nasty, even if the homeowner did not want them cleaned. doing that would not reflect good on my cleaning abilities. they either pay my price to clean EVERYTHING or i don't do the job.
 
I do pretty much the same. I explain to the customer at the time of the estimate about the difficulty with making gutters look good. The customer needs to be aware of the fact that when you apply a stronger cleaner which is necessary to clean the gutters, We run the risk of taking the paint down to the aluminum.

I've battled the gutter problem for almost 30 years now and know how the gutter finish is going to respond to the cleaners. Since most gutters(at least the ones around my area) require an Alkaline cleaner, They will remove a layer of oxidation. Question is, Has this been done before and if so, How many times??? I explain to the customer, Each time this is done, A microscopic layer of paint is removed and since the layer of paint is fairly thin to begin with, The finish can only handle a few times of the aggressive cleaners.

At least if the customer is aware of the risk involved, They can(hopefully) make an educated decision as to the risk involved. I access the condition of the gutters upon writing an estimate and try to determine the durability of the gutter finish and I've had my share of customers whom don't seem to believe me when I try to explain it to them so, I go to an area which is hard to see(if possible) and perform a test. I've had gutters which went straight down to bare aluminum and stop to show the customer. Then they understand and suffice to the fact, The only way to make them look good at that point is to have them lightly cleaned and painted by a professional painter or simply replace them.

I try to explain to the customer of the fact that the finish on gutters is not the same kind of paint as most other painted items are. When the gutters come to the home, They are a big flat roll of painted aluminum. In order for the paint to survive running through the "on-site" bending brake and rollers, The paint needs to be a "soft paint" otherwise it would crack and start to peel. Therefore, It cannot handle too much aggressive chemicals and being a soft paint, That's why it absorbs stains and doesn't want to release them.

Educating is the key here!!! If you can educate the customer in a way the competition doesn't, You will most likely land the job as the customer will(hopefully) realize you know more than the others and truly care about the end result rather than taking their money and running!!!

All the best,
Mike
 
The way I see it,..the ones who offer it as an option REALLY don't like to clean gutters,..and making it an add on is as a deterrent to the customer. But we are the professionals,.not the customer,..we are supposed to know what it takes to make a clean appearing home.

But like mentioned above,..how can you leave the gutters dirty? I don't get it,..they are so important in the appearance,..that you must REALLY hate doing them if you can leave them dirty and have that reflect on your work,..what must the neighbors think. The wear away of the finish is a cop out,..you just don't want to do them.

I don't even think of the gutters as a separate price in my mind,..I think of the job as to what's in front of me,..gutters included..and price accordingly.


Jeff
 
dave mac said:
I personally do not think its fair to the customer to include the price of gutter scrubbing in the house wash price. Reasons

1. It does not work all the time, so if it does not work and you have included it do you give them a refund?

2. Sometimes it is simply not needed, what then give them money back?

3. Some people do not want it, as sooner or later it speeds up the process of deterioration on the gutter finish.

4. Giving them the choice is the only fair thing to do IMO

I think of it as person painting a bedroom, if the person only wants the walls painted you do not paint the trim as well.
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(1) It is priced according to my evaluation, and explanation if special circumstances are there.

(2) Again,..it is priced accordingly to my evaluation

(3)It does not ruin the finish that isn't already degraded due to UV rays and weather in general,..(Unless,.you hate scrubbing them so much that you apply cleaners so strong that it does remove the paint,..simply because you don't want to use a moderate cleaner with a little agitation)

*(Oxidation isn't a layer of quality paint,.it's a layer of burnt paint,.with no quality left to it)

(4) Not really,..I am the professional,.and they called me about a house wash,..they want a clean appearing house and gutters are usually a huge part of that. People who call for this service want a good job,.they aren't looking to save a few bucks on a mediocre job.

Dave,.you just don't like to do gutters,.and want to figure out a "legitimate" way in your own mind so as to not have to do them. (AKA Phoney Baloney Excuses)

Jeff
 
I am all about cleaning the gutters as part of my house wash. I am just trying to figure out how and how long it takes to clean the top window sills.
 
Steven,..3 story would be a PITA if I had to do very many. But as far as two story they aren't that bad,.you just get used to throwing up an aluminum ladder and going up. And that will put you above the competition possibly. And customers do remember the details. Maybe it comes down to a matter as to whether it's worth it to you or not. Many times it's easy enough to simply push the screen up with the long handled brush and do it from an 8'-10' step ladder and the long brush,...depends how bad they are,..which can be judged many times by how the lower sills look on that side.

Believe me,.I'd rather run into windows with the fixed screens and not have to do them neither Ha,Ha,...but it is what it is. And I sell exterior house washing and don't want to start choosing what can be excluded in a "whole" house wash the customer ordered.


*Here's what I may be missing,..competition is so fierce in some areas that people are trying to offer the lowest possible price to a customer just to get the work,..and can't afford the time and materials it takes to do the job entirely,...maybe I would do the same thing? Sounds like there is an expectation of what house washing in some places,... and the precedence has been set by the contractors over the years. But I think I would still charge what it took to clean entirely with a greater emphasis on the selling my service over what others are offering.

Jeff
 
Gutter Brightening is always an additional price for us and never included in the house wash price...it is simply shown as a separate line item, and allowing the customer to choose if they want to pay for the additional service. Just like window cleaning, driveway cleaning and other services.
 
Doug Rucker said:
Gutter Brightening is always an additional price for us and never included in the house wash price...it is simply shown as a separate line item, and allowing the customer to choose if they want to pay for the additional service. Just like window cleaning, driveway cleaning and other services.
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Ok maybe I am missing something here.

Do you wash the gutters with your house wash mix and then charge to remove what didn't come off, hence the " brightening "?
 
junker1 said:
Ok maybe I am missing something here.

Do you wash the gutters with your house wash mix and then charge to remove what didn't come off, hence the " brightening "?
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What didn't come off is pollutant that is embedded in an oxidized layer of paint. It is not a part of basic cleaning. Brightening occurs when the oxidized layer is removed. Hence the extra charge. I charge for rust stain removal or oil stain removal when I clean a driveway. It is not part of driveway cleaning. I usually throw in the gutter brightening in my house washes because it is only a couple of minutes of extra work down here. A second story run of striped gutters would definitely be a line item for me though.
 
junker1 said:
Ok maybe I am missing something here.

Do you wash the gutters with your house wash mix and then charge to remove what didn't come off, hence the " brightening "?
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Yes. Mold mildew algae comes off with the usual house wash mix. Tiger stripes and oxidation is always an extra charge. It's not uncommon for a whole house here to have gutters. 1st and 2nd story. No way I can just make that part of the house wash. Had to be a choice. We actually have many homes that I'll charge more for the gutter brightening than the house wash.


Doug Rucker Call or Text 2818838470
Clean And Green Solutions
Pressure Cleaning and Roof Cleaning School
 
I don't think gutters have to be oxidized to have tiger stripes,..I've seen gutters that aren't even a year old develop these,...on top of the shiny new surface of the gutter.

I agree Doug,.typically the gutters are the hardest part on a house wash,.. and can add to the cost immensely.

I see there are are couple theories on how to charge for this service,..I say use what works for you and if you and your customer are happy,..well,.."Keep on Truckin'"

Jeff
 
Manage your customers expectations. Tell them about oxidation and what may happen. Unless it is really bad you can usually use a light bleach mixture and rinse it off within a few minutes, but make sure your customer knows about oxidation and what might happen.
 
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