What is the deal with constructions clean ups? I have a possible segway to a TON of construction clean ups, but I suppose there is just a ton to them that. I just don’t know. How can I learn CCUs? How did you learn it? I really want to undertake this, but I don’t want to jump into this not knowing what I’m doing because this area is a VERY rich market where I can be extra sure that I will get continued referrals and jobs if I do a good job.
The deal with CCUs is that everything is brand new but much dirtier, and we’re not talking just dirt.
Silicon, mortar, paint, some times there’s junk on windows and I can’t even figure out what it is. Just about every window could need double or triple the effort to clean.
Also, since they’re new, if they end up with scratches, people will be looking to you, so you have to cover yourself, and educate yourself. You’ve prob read others talking about fabrication debris, this is something you have to be aware of.
Let me admit to one of my mistakes here, one Commercial CCU I did, I tested a few windows inside out to be sure they could be scraped, and they could be, I scraped every window in that place with no issues until I came to one section of the building where for some reason, a different type of glass was used. When you go over fabrication debris with a blade, it feels a bit gritty, and you can hear your blade dragging. But when your working a CCU, just about everyone is gonna seem gritty, so you have to be extra careful! I quickly scraped a whole window and then asked myself, “why the heck does that still feel gritty?” I scratched that whole window upon just a matter of seconds. I switched to steel wool after that for the rest of the job because it works, and is a safer bet.
Fortunately, the one scratched window never ended up being an issue for me. I am insured but still, that had me sweating.
It was A learning experience that I wished I had learned another way.
CCUs can be great to get into but be careful Rowdy, they are not for beginners.
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Have a scratch waiver and educate your customer. GANA now recommends 1" razors so educate yourself. I just tell them I’m going to use a 6" blade and on quality glass it shouldn’t scratch. To use anything else will take 10x the amount of time.
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You WILL severely underbid the first one. 3-5x your normal price and you will still end up low. You’ll also underbid the second one. The third one not so bad. By the fourth… maybe you’ll bid it right.
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Plan on it taking 5x longer than you think.
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If you see the Old Castle stamp… just walk away.
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You’ll need 3x as much soap as you normally do to get the grease film off the new windows.
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You’ll be coming in after everyone throws their poo at the windows. Drywall goop. Stucco goop. Some guy grinding metal right next to the window. When you do your inspection: TAKE YOUR TIME. It might not look bad now… but it will suck.
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What’s the deal with the Old Castle?
They suuuuuck. If you breathe on them they will scratch.
Do you have a photo of one?
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