gutter cleaning – What Does Gutter Cleaning Cost and How to Estimate For Your Gutter Cleaning Business
Once you’ve decided to start a gutter cleaning business, you need to understand how much to charge for gutter cleaning and how to give an estimate. There are four key ways to estimate a gutter cleaning job:
The first two methods will be most useful if you are just starting your business and aren’t really sure how long it may take, or what makes a job more difficult.
The first method is to charge based on the total square footage of the house. Essentially, you charge 4 to 6 cents per square foot. This would make a 2,500 square foot home cost between $100 and $150, and a 3,000 square foot home cost between $120 and $180. Generally speaking, the larger the home, the more likely it is to have multiple stories, which take longer to clean and are often more dangerous.
The second method is to charge a set fee for showing up and then charge a rate per linear foot of gutter. For example, you may charge a $50 appointment fee, and then $0.50 per foot of gutter you clean. For a house with 200 feet of gutter, it would cost a $50 appointment fee + $100, for a total of $150. This method of estimate does not take into account multiple stories or roof lines, or the steepness of the roof.
The next two methods of estimating may be more appropriate once you have cleaned several gutters and have a better idea of how long it takes you and the types of things that you want to charge extra for.
One way to give an estimate is to have a set price that you can adjust minimally either up or down based on the difficulty or size of the job. For example, you can begin with $120 average price and then deduct down to $70 for smaller houses with a single roof line, or increase up to $170 for larger homes or those with steep roofs or multiple roof lines.
The final method is to charge per hour. The standard rate is between $30 and $50 per hour, and most jobs take between 1 and 4 hours. This may be the most accurate and fair way of charging, since it takes into account not only the size of the house but also any anomalies or elements that may make the job more difficult or dangerous. However, this method is really only appropriate once you have been cleaning gutters for a while. If you are going to charge an hourly rate, you need to be sure that you not only know how long a job will take, but that you can complete that job in a reasonable amount of time.
Spencer A. is an professional gutter cleaner and cleans 100s of gutters a year. For more detailed and up to date information on Cleaning gutters visit our blog.
For free estimates on Portland Gutter Cleaning please visit our site!
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Spencer_Arnold
How To Safely Remove Ice Dams From Your Home
by: Henry Bockman
This article was written to explain the causes of ice dams and how to remove them safely. For more information or pictures of the processes see ice dam removals.
The art of ice dam removal. By Henry’s Housework
You may have noticed long icicles hanging from your gutters and not realize the significance of the damage that may be occurring behind them. Icicles are usually one of the first warning signs of possible ice dams on your roof. This article will explain what ice dams are, how they form and the best methods for removing them safely.
What is an ice dam?
An ice dam is a wall of ice that forms at the edge of the roof, usually at the gutters or soffit. When it forms the water then backs up behind the ice dam and creates a pool of water. This pool of water can leak into your home and cause damage to walls, ceilings, insulation, and other areas
What causes ice dams
Ice dams are usually caused by heavy snowfall and improper ventilation in the attic. This causes warmer areas in your attic then the snow begins to melt, even when the outside temperature is well below freezing. When the accumulated snow on your roof starts melting it runs down your roof underneath the snow until it reaches a “colder” section like the soffit’s, valleys or in gutters then it begins to freeze again, this process of thawing and refreezing is what causes an ice dam.
Cleaning the gutters on your home can help prevent ice dams from occurring as quickly but they can still occur if the conditions are right. The gutters will be just as cold as it is outside and in some cases, full of frozen debris. So even if you don’t have a soffit for the water to refreeze in, the melted water will most likely refreeze when flowing into the gutters.
How can I remove an existing ice dam?
Properly removing an ice dam can be quite dangerous if you don’t know how. In the past some members of the media suggested hiring a contractor to pull the gutters off your home so the whole ice dam process would be solved. This suggestion was well intended but wrong. Contractors that started removing gutters caused significant damage to roofing and guttering systems, then when the snow melted it dropped next to the homes foundation and caused the basements to flood.
WARNING!
Performing ice dam removal is risking severe personal injury and damage to the roof if not done properly. Never walk on a snow covered roof and make sure if your using a ladder you follow the proper safety procedures. I highly suggest contacting professionals with the proper equipment and roofing experience to carry out this job.
Immediate action: Remove snow and ice dam from the roof this will eliminate the main ingredients necessary for the formation of another ice dam and will usually stop the water from coming in within an hour. Using a roof rake and push broom (not water) remove the snow by carefully pulling it down the slope of the roof line. Never pull snow across the roof or it may break off the shingles and other damages. Then carefully chip away a channel through the ice dam so the water will be able to flow through, just make sure you stop when you get close to the roofing. It’s not necessary to remove all of the ice in the gutters or the ice dam itself if you have removed the snow from the roof, it will melt when the temperatures rise.
How can I prevent ice dams in the future?
Properly ventilating and insulating the attic is usually the best way to prevent ice dams. The usual recommendation for proper ventilation is 1 square foot of vent for every 150 feet of attic floor area but each climate region may have it’s own recommendations so I would suggest contacting a licensed local insulation company near you. If you have small louvered vents at either end of the attic known as gable vents you can either replace them with larger vents, or install an electric vent fan over the inside of them. These special fans usually work on a thermostat and will pull outside air into the attic to keep the temperature inside consistent.
For more information on ice dams and other articles we have written, please see our website at http://www.henryshousework.com
Our main commercial and residential services include:
Gutter Cleaning, Gutter Repairs, Gutter Installation, and Gutter Guard Systems.
Deck Cleaning and Restoration, Deck Cleaning and Sealing.
Complete power washing services including roofs, siding And more!
Roof Repairs, Roof Inspections
Nuisance Wildlife Trapping
Ice Dam Removal
We also provide Referrals for other services.
About The Author
Henry’s Housework is known as one of the leaders in the home maintenance and power washing industries. Henry’s Housework has also helped train other companies across the country in starting a business and teaching various skills so they can provide quality workmanship.
This article may be distributed as long as a link to our website and the authors bio information is included.
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