Pricing trad gutter clean

Just been to price a gutter clean on a converted brick barn, theres 55mtrs of guttering give or take, access is good and can easily get my hand in the gutter to remove the ****, i generally price my work on time taken, id eatimate that this would be a 3hr job so £60, but this time i thought id change tactics and priced the job p/mtr told the customer its £2p/mt but as shes a mate mother inlaw it would be £90 not £110.

She looked at me like i was **** fkn Turpin and told me she would have a think about it, thinking on my feet i told her its always best to get 2 quotes minimum and i certainly wasnt offended by not recieving a booking on the spot, surely she wont get a better quote or have i gone in to high?

Tell her to get the other quote off @Pjj, she'll love you then. Joking aside if you're intending to do this type of work, off a ladder, get a decent stand-off, some pro gutter tools and a harris pole / converted old WFP. You're price in my eyes is competitive and I wouldn't be cheaper. 

HWCS said:

Just been to price a gutter clean on a converted brick barn, theres 55mtrs of guttering give or take, access is good and can easily get my hand in the gutter to remove the ****, i generally price my work on time taken, id eatimate that this would be a 3hr job so £60, but this time i thought id change tactics and priced the job p/mtr told the customer its £2p/mt but as shes a mate mother inlaw it would be £90 not £110.

She looked at me like i was **** fkn Turpin and told me she would have a think about it, thinking on my feet i told her its always best to get 2 quotes minimum and i certainly wasnt offended by not recieving a booking on the spot, surely she wont get a better quote or have i gone in to high?

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55 meters is a decent amount we would be at least £150 for that by the sounds of it , your price is very reasonable and I doubt she will get a cheaper price , I wouldn’t however be doing it off a ladder it would be vacced from the ground . Some people are unrealistic about pricing , we don’t get all we quote when I get a phone call I ask a few pertinent questions and say the price for this type of job starts from £££ some will instantly go silent and I suggest they have a think about it  and get back to me if they would like me to take a look and give them an exact price .others will say ok can you come and give me an exact price , I find this sorts out the messers and those that expect you to pay them for working on there properties, at a rough guess I think we probably get over 90% that we go and look at by using this method . 

Pjj said:

55 meters is a decent amount we would be at least £150 for that by the sounds of it , your price is very reasonable and I doubt she will get a cheaper price , I wouldn’t however be doing it off a ladder it would be vacced from the ground . Some people are unrealistic about pricing , we don’t get all we quote when I get a phone call I ask a few pertinent questions and say the price for this type of job starts from £££ some will instantly go silent and I suggest they have a think about it  and get back to me if they would like me to take a look and give them an exact price .others will say ok can you come and give me an exact price , I find this sorts out the messers and those that expect you to pay them for working on there properties, at a rough guess I think we probably get over 90% that we go and look at by using this method . 

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Cheers mate, i will be doing it off the ladder but will be investimg in a good stay first and will have a lad at base of ladder that i bung a few quid to hold it on jobs that i need a 2nd pair of hands for comfort.

Can amybody recomend a good gutter vac and poles ive got £400 to spend.

Can anybody give me a link to a decent gutter vac and kit?

Ive got £400 to spend

HWCS said:

Cheers mate, i will be doing it off the ladder but will be investimg in a good stay first and will have a lad at base of ladder that i bung a few quid to hold it on jobs that i need a 2nd pair of hands for comfort.

Can amybody recomend a good gutter vac and poles ive got £400 to spend.

Can anybody give me a link to a decent gutter vac and kit?

Ive got £400 to spend

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Without being rude £400 isn’t going to get you very much , ideally get a side entry vac if going mains powered the higher the wattage the more powerful the vac should be I know some on hear use the maxiblast I think it’s called Ime sure some who have them will comment in a bit , as for poles alloy are cheap but heavy , if you can afford it go for decent 100% carbon they are lite , stiff and easy to use , sky vac or Grippatank poles are good , I have carbon fibre tubes taper fit poles I bought them years ago before the newer poles were available, I have been meaning to upgrade them to newer ones but they are still fine so have stuck with them 

Pjj said:

Without being rude £400 isn’t going to get you very much , ideally get a side entry vac if going mains powered the higher the wattage the more powerful the vac should be I know some on hear use the maxiblast I think it’s called Ime sure some who have them will comment in a bit , as for poles alloy are cheap but heavy , if you can afford it go for decent 100% carbon they are lite , stiff and easy to use , sky vac or Grippatank poles are good , I have carbon fibre tubes taper fit poles I bought them years ago before the newer poles were available, I have been meaning to upgrade them to newer ones but they are still fine so have stuck with them 

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How much do you think a decent setup is gonna coat me?

Personally id rather work and save more and get better than just get all i can afford and end up workimg it till it blows up.

It depends if you buy it as a complete set up from one company or buy a vac and poles separately, try googling sky vac ( spinner clean) and Grippatank both of theses are good systems but not cheap , Ime not up on current prices , my vac from Grippatank was around £900 I already had poles so didn’t need them , I also have a big 3600 watt omnivac it’s old now but works fine , this one is 110 volt and runs off a genie , the Grippatank one is mains electric . Sotecco vacs are very good I think they are Italian they generally come with centre inlet that blocks easily but you can convert it to side entry they work much better , @Part Timer has a skyvac industrial vac hopefully he will comment on this as well , that’s what I want to get next, they are about 3k though with the genie 

Tell her to go on google type in cost to have gutter cleared out UK.

http://quotationcheck.com/average-cost-clear-roof-gutters/#

I picked up a decent 2nd hand vac for £200 off a local windie who knew i was after something more powerful. Pjj is right unless its 2nd hand youll struggle with £400 dude. Theres a lot to be said for Ladders and pro gutter tools on a lot of jobs.

regarding price, lot of people in the game now and competition is stiff. Seem to be plenty of people around who will charge a very basic rate and work all the hours under the sun including bank holidays and weekends. Youll have an idea of what you want to charge by looking at it, if you think its worth it go for it, there will always be someone cheaper but prices can only go so low before you accept in your mind its got to the point of ridiculousness 

THL4KEL said:

Tell her to go on google type in cost to have gutter cleared out UK.

http://quotationcheck.com/average-cost-clear-roof-gutters/#

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Just tried to put my address  but it doesn’t give you the option for gutter clearance , only window cleaning or end of tenancy cleans not an easy site to navigate ????

Can somebody take a look at thia li k and give me an honest opinion?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/SkyVac-Atom-Gutter-Cleaning-Machine/dp/B07B55R1FQ/ref=asc_df_B07B55R1FQ/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=232060167295&hvpos=1o9&hvnetw=g&hvrand=354795949927414054&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9044865&hvtargid=pla-438348196508&psc=1&th=1&psc=1

I bought a sky vac atom a couple of months ago about £400 brand new. It's only a small one but still powerful with great suction. Its paid for itself already. You get 6 carbon fibre poles attachments and carry case. Great starter vac 

HWCS said:

Can somebody take a look at thia li k and give me an honest opinion?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/SkyVac-Atom-Gutter-Cleaning-Machine/dp/B07B55R1FQ/ref=asc_df_B07B55R1FQ/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=232060167295&hvpos=1o9&hvnetw=g&hvrand=354795949927414054&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9044865&hvtargid=pla-438348196508&psc=1&th=1&psc=1

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Not used one but would probably do ok it’s centre inlet so will be prone to blockages especially with lumps of moss , but to get you going on two storey houses Ime guessing it would be ok , I seam to remember someone on hear had one a while ago and then sold it on to buy a bigger one it’s not particularly powerful only 1600 watts  and only 35 ltr capacity but if you empty it regularly will get you going , once it’s paid for it’s self look at selling it if you do lots of this type of work then buy a bigger more powerful one 

Pjj said:

Not used one but would probably do ok it’s centre inlet so will be prone to blockages especially with lumps of moss , but to get you going on two storey houses Ime guessing it would be ok , I seam to remember someone on hear had one a while ago and then sold it on to buy a bigger one it’s not particularly powerful only 1600 watts  and only 35 ltr capacity but if you empty it regularly will get you going , once it’s paid for it’s self look at selling it if you do lots of this type of work then buy a bigger more powerful one 

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Scuse my ignorance but with a 35ltr capacity does this mean it would do a standard 3bed terraced house or would it need emptying once or twice throughout the job?

Assuming gutters are full?

HWCS said:

Scuse my ignorance but with a 35ltr capacity does this mean it would do a standard 3bed terraced house or would it need emptying once or twice throughout the job?

Assuming gutters are full?

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Depends how much is in them if its moss then a three bed semi it will probably half fill it the problem comes when the gutters are full of water the vac will cut out stopping the water going through the motors , but again you should be ok on a small house doing big 5 bed detached or commercial will require more emptying , but you will probably have to stop to remove blockages from the inlet more than it being full , Ime sure it would be ok for smaller jobs 

Pjj said:

Timer has a skyvac industrial vac hopefully he will comment on this as well , that’s what I want to get next, they are about 3k though with the genie 

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Paid circa £4k with elite poles, no genie. They've actually got a new all encompassing vac out what genie and vac on a trolley. Looks really good and is a one man system, tad expensive though 

Sorry to hijack the thread but I just wanted to ask if everyone quotes for downpipes as well? At the same price or different?

cheers!!

maxbruffell said:

Sorry to hijack the thread but I just wanted to ask if everyone quotes for downpipes as well? At the same price or different?

cheers!!

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Yes we do check and unblock them as we go all part of the job as far as Ime concerned, you cannot vac the gutters and leave downpipes blocked 

maxbruffell said:

Sorry to hijack the thread but I just wanted to ask if everyone quotes for downpipes as well? At the same price or different?

cheers!!

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You can't really claim to have cleared the gutters without doing the downpipes. A blocked downpipe prevents the water leaving the gutters, the whole reason for clearing the gutters is to make sure the water escapes as quickly as possible. 

Cheers guys. I fully intended on clearing downpipes. Maybe I should have worded my question better, do you also quote these by the metre? Or differently?

@Part Timer @Pjj

maxbruffell said:

Cheers guys. I fully intended on clearing downpipes. Maybe I should have worded my question better, do you also quote these by the metre? Or differently?

@Part Timer @Pjj

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Just allow for it in the price ,sometimes they arnt blocked so you are a few quid up sometimes they are and it might take a little longer , if in any doubt put the camera up  and take a look if you don’t have a camera just put up a ladder and take a look , biggest problem is making sure that there is enough room to get the vac in the gutter between the roof tiles and gutter