Gutter Cleaning Only Buisness ?

[Tuffers]

You got the Viper vac Kieman? I bought mine from the same supplier.

 

[KieMan]

You got the Viper vac Kieman? I bought mine from the same supplier.

Yeah the red & chrome one - looks like R2D2's evil brother

 

[Guybrush]

Hi KieMan, I am based in Twickenham so only down the road from you. I have some experience with checkatrade but nothing to do with windows or gutters. From my experience the most important thing to do is keep the reviews/customer feedback coming in so it is updated on your profile. I think once the ball is rolling you will be getting calls every week.

I am looking into buying a gutter vac soon so I am fully up and running in that department by the end of summer. Funnily enough the website you linked to is the one that caught my eye, reason being it's not a fancy site doesn't need all that jazz to sell and there normally the best suppliers in my opinion.

 

[KieMan]

Hi KieMan, I am based in Twickenham so only down the road from you. I have some experience with checkatrade but nothing to do with windows or gutters. From my experience the most important thing to do is keep the reviews/customer feedback coming in so it is updated on your profile. I think once the ball is rolling you will be getting calls every week.
I am looking into buying a gutter vac soon so I am fully up and running in that department by the end of summer. Funnily enough the website you linked to is the one that caught my eye, reason being it's not a fancy site doesn't need all that jazz to sell and there normally the best suppliers in my opinion.

BLIMEY - small world - I spend 2 weeks out of my 6 in Whitton that's where large amount of my regular window round is - Bridge way - Cypress Ave - Chertsey rd - Courtway etc do you know area. Hahaah don't be tapping up my work - maybe in future and gutter cleaning takes off you can have fist dips on my work (for a small price of course ) yeah that suit is a good supplier - only place I would buy complete systems from - does exactly what you need but not prices in the £2000 bracket like skyvac etc. be lucky mate

 

[Guybrush]

I live in Whitton KieMan so you are actually on MY toes hahah. I also work down court way, small world indeed. Good to hear good feedback about that company and agree about the pricing.

I have a citroen dispatch with the hose inlet/outlets at the back if you see me round there come and say hello. Nick.

 

[KieMan]

I live in Whitton KieMan so you are actually on MY toes hahah. I also work down court way, small world indeed. Good to hear good feedback about that company and agree about the pricing.
I have a citroen dispatch with the hose inlet/outlets at the back if you see me round there come and say hello. Nick.

Hahaha very true - Strangely I think I've spoke to you already down bridge way ? My company is called Bob Squash but my names Kieran - like wise if see my van come say hello.

 

[Guest]

Gutter cleaning sounds interesting, alot of my customers ask for it, but I dont do it. How much do you charge for gutter cleaning on average and how do you price the job?

 

[KieMan]

Roy I think there is a good bit a wedge to me made in offering Gutter Cleaning - I charge £25 a run on average - so a semi detached I would usually charge £75 - normally takes 1 1/2 hours.

 

[Guest]

Yes, also would be interested to know how you would get on if you knocked doors saying you did gutter cleaning.. as a one off job, what do you think the response would be?

 

[KieMan]

Yes, also would be interested to know how you would get on if you knocked doors saying you did gutter cleaning.. as a one off job, what do you think the response would be?

Depends on how many doors you knock - knock enough of course you will have some success - but I do think are traveller friends have put a bad rep in that game so I think people would be reluctant to say yes on a door knock. Most of the work would have to be advertise and let it come to you.

 

[Declan Mc]

Do you guys with guttervac's run into any issues with regards to power supply? Looks like you'd have to time a job with when a customer is home and if they worked 5 days, you'd be squeezing jobs into your weekend?

 

[spruce]

Do you guys with guttervac's run into any issues with regards to power supply? Looks like you'd have to time a job with when a customer is home and if they worked 5 days, you'd be squeezing jobs into your weekend?

This is a good point. If he wants to go into gutter cleaning seriously then he has to be self contained. As an add-on he can arrange a convenient time with his customer if an external power socket isn't available. I once saw a cable extension put through an open window for the gardener to use. The cable wasn't a heavy duty 13 amp cable, more like 10 amp. Whilst it may have been ok for the gardener's strimmer it wouldn't power a decent gutter vac. If this is a full time job then I believe he has to have a suitable generator (5.5KVA is more than enough) as a power source. This now becomes a whole new story.

I have a swb Citroen Relay and have looked into this as well. In my situation I could squeeze a vacuum cleaner and poles into the van, but not a generator. So this would have to be a bigger van or a separate stand alone trailer with all the gutter cleaning equipment on that. For me the issue would be storing a trailer safely. So I would tend to lean toward a lwb van, and I have found there aren't many good, clean, low mileage, reasonably priced examples of them around.

@Smurf does a lot of gutter cleaning and it seems to me that this is the focus of his business. Window cleaning is secondary so his input would be helpful to you.

Regularity of work is another. Like carpet cleaning, it isn't a job that's done on a short cycle. So they will mainly be one offs. I believe that you will need to do a schedule of those customers you have cleaned gutters for and contact them annually for repeat business, unlike window cleaning where you rock up and clean to an agreed schedule.

We offered gutter cleaning as a extra when we first started window cleaning, but now we are overladen with window cleaning work we don't promote it any longer. We reluctantly do a clean when asked and only have 2 regulars who we clean annually. One of them always contacts me and the other I contact to make sure they are still around. The latter customer has a regular trad cleaner, but he refuses to clean conservatory roofs, clear and clean gutters and fascias or the window above the conservatory.

 

[peter rogers]

alll u do is have a generator and a chain to the wheel for when ur round the back extension lead for it to stretch then after time can get the exhaust vent thru the roof

 

[Trev81]

I think there is a good business to be had by specalising in any of the extra services we do on the side of window cleaning if you go about it the right way, I met a nice chap when I was having my pure water system fitted earlier this year at X-line systems over in Derbyshire, forget his company name now but he was soley doing gutter clearing and managed to get in with a local council for all their buildings on regular maintenance contracts, however he was also having a water system fitted, think he was going into cleaning them after clearing them too, and possible other commercial stuff like cladding cleans etc.

I have done a few F/S/G cleans over the past few weeks mostly on decent estates, you know the types, pair of posh 4x4's in the drive, perfect sealed block driveways, landscapred gardens, nout out of place etc, but as I looked up at all there plastic F/S/G many were a right state, got me thinking about producing a seperate flyer just for clenaing them and go at them only on these posh estates and see how it goes, from what I get away with charging so far I'd only want 1 or 2 a day 5 days a week and I'd be chuffed with it, problem is balance as I am growing with window custys, need to keep day or 2 a week free to get these one offs done and dusted!

 

[Dave B]

You lot are giving me ideas now

 

[KieMan]

To be honest I've probably done over 30 gutter cleans last year without advertising it (most was my window customers) and for gutter clean jobs I think it's not that much of a problem for them to be in while doing it - if you know your getting £100+ for a job you book it in with a time a make sure you turn up on time and you just say you need to be in so I can plug my electric reel in....when I did I block of flats I just used the communal area power source plugged into a 45m electric reel, but if thinks do really pick up a £400 petrol generator will pay for itself roughly in 5 jobs....through doing window cleaning I have found the add on services like gutter clean are MUCH BETTER paying - plus if you state you show before after pictures of clean they are much more likely to get it done. In prospective Aspect charge £124 + Vat PER HOUR for gutter cleans. I'm sure around £100 for full system clean including down pipes is resonable value considering cost of water damage leaks etc if not cleaned

 

[Tuffers]

You lot are giving me ideas now

The darkside beckons Davey :thumbsup:

 

[Tuffers]

There is money in S/F/G cleaning for sure. I did one last week where I had done the conny roof in the spring. He had obviously had a go at cleaning the plastic but must have thought stuff this for a game of soldiers /emoticons/biggrin.png. He watched me clean them and must have thought if only I had the gear to do that. It does make your shoulders ache and you do get wet, but there is money to be made doing it. There are plenty of riffy plastics on houses around. I advertise cleaning plastics on my site, but I think a lot of people need to be nudged into having it done as up towards the roofline isn't in your normal vision when you're outside. Maybe a big leaflet drop or newspaper ad would bring in more work?

Sorry, I'm waffling......

 

[Poles Apart]

Not interested in gutter cleaning, if I get asked I send my mate round who's a roofer, then I'll clean the outside if they want it? Got enough to do with windows, facias, conny's etc without worrying about taking on awkward work like that, I certainly couldn't be *rsed with generators and the like, plugging in electrical equipment into the custy's mains isn't very professional.

 

[adamangler]

The main thing to remember with "one off" type services duch as gutters, connys, carpets etc is you will need a constant marketting plan. Its ok doing them as an addition to windows but as a sole business its an entirely different ball game.

Its great you have the window cleaning custies as your base as this gives you the platform to do other things.

 

[adamangler]

Not interested in gutter cleaning, if I get asked I send my mate round who's a roofer, then I'll clean the outside if they want it? Got enough to do with windows, facias, conny's etc without worrying about taking on awkward work like that, I certainly couldn't be *rsed with generators and the like, plugging in electrical equipment into the custy's mains isn't very professional.

Disagree with using custies leccy isnt professional. I use it all the time for valeting, i have a genny but its much better using the mains, less noise and gear runs better. Carpet cleaners generally use custies leccy also.