Here’s how you can avoid “price acceleration” and pay a fair price for power washing
By Mimi Vanderhaven
Imagine standing in the checkout line at a grocery store and saying to the clerk, “This hamburger meat is priced at $3.99 a pound. Will you take $2.99?”
The reply will likely be a strange look followed by, “I’m sorry, the price is the price.”
That’s the way it is with most retail establishments. You expect to pay the marked price; no haggling allowed.
But in the home improvement realm, there typically is no marked price because each job is different and requires a custom quote. Most reputable companies have a standard formula they use to create a fair and honest quote. It could be materials plus a flat labor rate, the square footage of the job, or something else entirely, depending on the industry.
However, less reputable companies don’t have a standard formula. They just try to see how much they can get.
“We call this ‘price acceleration’ and, unfortunately, we see it all the time,” explains Ken Wilson, founder of Northeast Ohio’s Pristine Clean. “It’s an inflationary-deflationary tactic where the salesperson gives a sky-high quote and waits for the homeowner to haggle. If the homeowner accepts the high price, the contractor runs to the bank. If the homeowner declines, they are offered a discounted quote immediately or they get inundated later with telemarketers offering lower and lower quotes. It’s wrong and we don’t do it.”
Instead, Ken says, his technicians offer a flat-price quote based solely on a predetermined algorithm related to the size of the job. “Sometimes when we give a quote, the shocked homeowner replies, ‘Oh, my God, that’s half of the other quote I got!’”
High Tech—Low Price
When it comes to pressure washing, saving money isn’t everything. You also want high-quality equipment and workmanship. “Over the winter we invested in six new trucks—bringing our fleet to a total of 19 trucks—and retooled every vehicle with new, state-of-the-art equipment which relies on greater water volume and less pressure to get the job done better and more safely,” Ken assures.
Pristine’s soft-wash system prevents damage to your home that traditional, high-pressure systems can cause. “In the wrong hands, a power washer can ruin a house,” he adds. “Too hard or too close to the house and you can fray the siding, tear window screens or blast away mortar between bricks. But our techs have years of experience and training and we know how to clean a home safely and effectively.”
Why Pressure Wash?
Most homes require the cleaning of three different surfaces—your siding, your roof, and concrete surfaces like your driveway. Vinyl siding—surprisingly—is not completely maintenance-free. “Vinyl siding features a UV coating that prevents it from fading and cracking, but dirt, algae and bacteria break down this coating causing your siding to fade and look chalky,” Ken explains. “We perform a soft-pressure wash using a mild mildewcide, which helps kill the algae, bacteria and other contagions.”
When it comes to your roof, those black streaks up there are not dirt; they’re gloeocapsa magma, an algae that breaks down your roof by feeding off of the limestone granules embedded in the shingles. “We offer a 100% guarantee to remove all of the algae,” Kens says. “We use a soft wash here, too, to avoid damage to your roof. And when that algae comes off, you’ll think you have a new roof.”
Finally, here in Northeast Ohio, our harsh winters chip away at our concrete sidewalks and driveways. That’s because concrete is porous, so when water penetrates your driveway then freezes, it creates cracking and flaking. But Pristine’s Concrete Clean and Seal protects concrete, brick, and paver surfaces. It includes washing your concrete with a specially formulated detergent and a walk-behind surface cleaner, plus the application of a deep-penetrating, siloxane-based concrete sealant, not cheap silicone.
“This is why Pristine is experiencing explosive growth right now,” Ken says. “We do the job right and we do it for a fair price.”
Headquartered in Berea, Pristine Clean beautifies homes throughout Northeast Ohio. They are highly rated on Google, Facebook, and HomeAdvisor, and are rated A+ by the Better Business Bureau. Call 440-595-3958 to arrange for a free estimate, or visit PristineClean.com. All technicians are bonded, insured and certified by the Power Washers of North America.