Water Damage! Pros and Cons

[Sky]

Hello all! I was reading a previous post with regards water damage. I recently got certified and have gone on a few jobs. I am currently doing Carpet cleaning but would like to move into water damage. The only issue I see is time.

My questions to you are... even with a small crew is it possible to maintain some sort of family life? Are you constantly on the run? If properly organized can one send a crew out to handle emergency’s and show up just for over-site?

 

[Hack Attack]

I'd say will depend on your service area

I service a small population base (47k) and only do 2-3 wdr jobs a month (some months none). When they come in it can be annoying during busy season for the initial callout. But monitoring equipment once extracted doesn't take much time to fit in, and the equipment makes $ while your elsewhere

Bigger service areas and operations beyond o/o may see it differently

 

[Mikey P]

Water, Fire, & Smoke Damage

mikeysboard.com

Happy reading!

 

[Sky]

I'd say will depend on your service area

I service a small population base (47k) and only do 2-3 wdr jobs a month (some months none). When they come in it can be annoying during busy season for the initial callout. But monitoring equipment once extracted doesn't take much time to fit in, and the equipment makes $ while your elsewhere

Bigger service areas and operations beyond o/o may see it differently

Located in LA CA

 

[Mikey P]

how big is your client base currently?

those people will be your WD customers until you grow large enough to compete with the massive competition you have in LA

 

[Sky]

more concerned with the lifestyle, details of building a crew so that I am not slaving away and missing quality with family. Obtaining the work is another topic

 

[Sky]

Current client base of existing clients is just over 10,000. Been in business for about 9yrs primarily as a residential/commercial cleaning company

 

[hogjowl]

Your life will suck and you’ll die early

 

[Sky]

Your life will suck and you’ll die early

Thank you for input. Would you like to articulate that in Amina more detailed manner?

 

[hogjowl]

African warrior queen

 

[Sky]

*a

 

[Kenny Hayes]

If you want a life, get a job. Concentrate on your cleaning biz, and other add on’s that don’t include third party such as ins. cos. and adjusters whose job is to keep claims to a minimum

 

[Cleanworks]

Water damage done right can be very profitable. You don't have to be available 24/7 if you don't want to. The problem is, it interferes with your daily schedule when a job comes in, you have to go or lose it. In LA you have tons of competition and won't likely get insurance work unless you want to focus on it full time and go big. There is profitable work that can come from your private customers and property managers who maybe don't want get their insurance companies involved. Always get a deposit upfront and a signed contract/scope sheet.

 

[Sky]

Water damage done right can be very profitable. You don't have to be available 24/7 if you don't want to. The problem is, it interferes with your daily schedule when a job comes in, you have to go or lose it. In LA you have tons of competition and won't likely get insurance work unless you want to focus on it full time and go big. There is profitable work that can come from your private customers and property managers who maybe don't want get their insurance companies involved. Always get a deposit upfront and a signed contract/scope sheet.

 

[sassyotto]

its easy to think that this is an easy added service. In one way it is - utilizing the same equipment. Other than that it is a completely different animal. However it can be done if you have the manpower.

Lets say you have three vans cleaning carpet running two person crews. If you have a full day of carpet cleaning booked for two vans, just send out two trucks with one person each and the third to the water damage job. If you dont have that luxury, then you have to make a decision. Do you clean carpet that day or do the water job? If you do the water job, you have a scheduling dilema with a customers which will impact you negatively.

Depends on what your goal is. If you want to be serious about it, then you have have someone available 24/7. If you just want to dabble in it, then just take the jobs you want.

Easy Peezy

 

[Sky]

its easy to think that this is an easy added service. In one way it is - utilizing the same equipment. Other than that it is a completely different animal. However it can be done if you have the manpower.

Lets say you have three vans cleaning carpet running two person crews. If you have a full day of carpet cleaning booked for two vans, just send out two trucks with one person each and the third to the water damage job. If you dont have that luxury, then you have to make a decision. Do you clean carpet that day or do the water job? If you do the water job, you have a scheduling dilema with a customers which will impact you negatively.

Depends on what your goal is. If you want to be serious about it, then you have have someone available 24/7. If you just want to dabble in it, then just take the jobs you want.

Easy Peezy

Thank you

 

[icleancarpetz]

Hello all! I was reading a previous post with regards water damage. I recently got certified and have gone on a few jobs. I am currently doing Carpet cleaning but would like to move into water damage. The only issue I see is time.

My questions to you are... even with a small crew is it possible to maintain some sort of family life? Are you constantly on the run? If properly organized can one send a crew out to handle emergency’s and show up just for over-site?

After a few short years, your chasing water work will effect your health. I heard from an ole timer in the business for many years how he knew quite a few guys chasing water work. None of those guys are alive today. Young at that. They all had health issues for one reason or another. The thought is, being exposed to a smorgasbord of wet materials off gasing and ingesting through the air, eventually effects your health down the road.

I don’t mind every so often small quick jobs that I can calm the situation and get out and get paid that same day. Home owner deals with insurance and restoration company.

Day in and day out for a few years, I don’t think so. I’d like to age as graceful as possible.

 

[Askal]

Hello all! I was reading a previous post with regards water damage. I recently got certified and have gone on a few jobs. I am currently doing Carpet cleaning but would like to move into water damage. The only issue I see is time.

My questions to you are... even with a small crew is it possible to maintain some sort of family life? Are you constantly on the run? If properly organized can one send a crew out to handle emergency’s and show up just for over-site?

Yes. If you have s plan systems, and oversight in place.

 

[Sky]

After a few short years, your chasing water work will effect your health. I heard from an ole timer in the business for many years how he knew quite a few guys chasing water work. None of those guys are alive today. Young at that. They all had health issues for one reason or another. The though is, being exposed to a smorgasbord of wet materials off gasing and ingesting through the air, eventually effects your health down the road.

I don’t mind every so often small quick jobs that I can calm the situation and get out and get paid that same day. Home owner deals with insurance and restoration company.

Day in and day out for a few years, I don’t think so. I’d like to age as graceful as possible.

Interesting. I have not heard that. Thanks

 

[icleancarpetz]

Your seldom will hear it....if none at all.

A great instructor will not emphasize enough the importance of protecting yourself at start of each job. Hint.

 

[Sky]

Yes, my instructor mentioned it many of times. However, did not say there were long term effects for those that were protecting themselves. So it seems this is not an industry you would pursue full time as lucrative as it may be.

 

[Hack Attack]

If you are wearing proper ppe you should be ok

most carpet cleaners have crap lungs from nuclear presprays, vacuuming without hepa filters, doing pee jobs etc

my lungs aren't great (from another industry) and just walking into a bad white trash rental can set me off coughing

 

[Mark Saiger]

Me and my family did it quite a few years...

We all dumped it... I think I finally called it quit in 2012.

Money could be good at times...

Have a really full cleaning schedule and need to get to a water loss yet... Ugh!

Insurance company squabbles suck.

Fighting with desk adjusters who haven't been on water losses but are experts... Suck..

Every Holiday people are at home and breaking their house....so you are out working in a lot of crappy situations (and then some insurance companies want to argue not paying after hour rates).... PS... Sucks!

Having homeowners get the insurance check even though you have direct pay authorization or your name is to be included on the check... And they take the family on exotic vacation on the money and not pay you... Sucks!

Some States won't let you put a lein on the building that will really stick (MN) and you could wait for years to get your money.... Sucks!

Finally focusing on dominating carpet cleaning.... It replaced the money for the most part... And life didn't SUCK as bad.

Telling people you don't do water restoration on a Sunday afternoon on the lake with the family.... Priceless! (especially to some client who made your life hell on their last water damage!)

(how was that Marty? @hogjowl)

 

[hogjowl]

Wordy
As usual

 

[Askal]

If you dont like after hours work then dont do it. Put 18% interest on past due if you have a slow payer. We currently have leins and judgements on 10 people. I will outlive them so it's a good retirement vehicle at 18%. Getting paid on one next week for 62k plus interest and they pay all collection costs. Only since last December but that's still a 6k bonus.

 

[Sky]

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Me and my family did it quite a few years...

We all dumped it... I think I finally called it quit in 2012.

Money could be good at times...

Have a really full cleaning schedule and need to get to a water loss yet... Ugh!

Insurance company squabbles suck.

Fighting with desk adjusters who haven't been on water losses but are experts... Suck..

Every Holiday people are at home and breaking their house....so you are out working in a lot of crappy situations (and then some insurance companies want to argue not paying after hour rates).... PS... Sucks!

Having homeowners get the insurance check even though you have direct pay authorization or your name is to be included on the check... And they take the family on exotic vacation on the money and not pay you... Sucks!

Some States won't let you put a lein on the building that will really stick (MN) and you could wait for years to get your money.... Sucks!

Finally focusing on dominating carpet cleaning.... It replaced the money for the most part... And life didn't SUCK as bad.

Telling people you don't do water restoration on a Sunday afternoon on the lake with the family.... Priceless! (especially to some client who made your life hell on their last water damage!)

(how was that Marty? @hogjowl)

Thanks Mark

 

[Kenny Hayes]

Well said Mark. In my short life in restoration not even trying to get in it, I had most of those occurrences. I do it now as an accommodation to my commercial accounts who don’t go through their carrier unless it’s large. But still, I always get paid through my account.

 

[Kenny Hayes]

If you dont like after hours work then dont do it. Put 18% interest on past due if you have a slow payer. We currently have leins and judgements on 10 people. I will outlive them so it's a good retirement vehicle at 18%. Getting paid on one next week for 62k plus interest and they pay all collection costs. Only since last December but that's still a 6k bonus.
[/QUOT
Would you do it over again if you could? Would you recommend it to a o/o knowing what you know today, being down your many roads

 

[dealtimeman]

Pros:

 

[Steve Lawrence]

Pros:

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You young bucks! Awesome!