How To Start A Gutter Cleaning Business

How To Start A Gutter Cleaning Business - Background Info:

For many homeowners, autumn means gutter cleaning time. For people who live close to any tall trees, this is one critical maintenance item that must be undertaken before winter.

By not cleaning the gutters in late fall, damage, such as water seeping in behind the fascia board, can result from ice damning in the winter months. Costly repairs can be avoided by having the gutters cleaned now.

Rain gutters are responsible for carrying the rain water from large surfaces such as a roof, to the area where water can be drained out. The main reason for installing rain gutters is to protect the windows, walls, basement, and flooring from getting damaged due to rain water.

However, over time they get clogged by the leaves, twigs and other debris. Accumulation of debris obstructs the flow of water in the gutter and may cause it to overflow or flow back, thus defeating the purpose of rain gutters itself. Hence, it is important that rain gutters be cleaned well before the rain. Following are some of the ways of rain gutter cleaning.

A gutter cleaning home business provides a needed service to homeowners who are too busy or simply don't want to be bothered with the messy and somewhat dangerous task of keeping gutters and downspouts clear.

While some gutter cleaning services may charge a flat per-house fee (say, $35 per house), others charge by the cumulative length of the gutters and downspouts (50 cents per linear foot, for example). For a challenging job, the per-house fee may be as high as $150, according to Servicemagic.com.

Offering gutter cleaning, at first can appear to be a daunting challenge, but don't let this stop you from making money on a service many others won't do. This is a great way to bring in extra income during the fall that can help your lawn care business when your mowing services slow down if you offer that service as well.

How To Start A Gutter Cleaning Business - Tasks And Skills Needed:

Business Specific Tasks:

If you are planning to do all the business tasks or hiring or subcontracting tasks, here's a list of tasks that need to be attended to when it comes to the business side of running a gutter cleaning business:

Bookkeeping

Advertising/Marketing

Scheduling

Computer literacy

Answering machine

Industry Specific Tasks:

Same as above if you plan to do everything yourself or get help, here are some of the tasks necessary to operate a gutter cleaning business:

Handle the necessary equipment adequately

Managing a high ladder

Clear leaves and debris from gutters

Clean out gutters with hose or pressure washer

Debris disposal

Hosing down any splatters on concrete or building

How To Start A Gutter Cleaning Business - Approximate Daily Hours Needed To This Business:

General Hours of Operation: - When your business is open - Gutter cleaning season may be short-lived, depending on where you are located. In November, it's not unusual for the sun to set at 4:30 p.m. in many areas of Canada and the northern US. For this reason, you need to make every hour count; even if that means operating seven days a week.

Hours Needed to Prepare - Before Opening and After Hours Activities - Plan to spend about an hour to load equipment and get to your destination. At the end of the day, plan on closer to two hours to clean and store equipment.

How To Start A Gutter Cleaning Business - Number of Employees Needed To Run This Business:

Minimum Number of Employees - During the Start Up Phase: You can start this business yourself on a full- or part-time basis.

Number of Employees - Once Your Business is Up and Running Successfully:

Website maintenance

Crew

Equipment repair

Debris disposal

Skill Requirements for This Business:

Handle power washers adequately.

Offer to install downspout filters. If you buy the mesh needed in bulk, it will cost you about 10 cents per filter. The going rate is $3 to $5 per filter, which will usually total between $30 and $60 per house.

Add tree trimming service. Cut back limbs that hang over the roof. This will make your job easier in the future and can potentially save the customer costly roof repairs in the future.

Offer a repair service. For an additional cost, you can repair and replace worn out gutters, which will help maintain the roof.

Install gutter guards and gutter helmets. These protect the gutters from large debris and can add between $300 and $500 per job.

Add a window and skylight cleaning service. Skylights generally run about $20 per skylight and window cleaning adds an additional $80 to $120.

Offer roof cleaning services. You can easily clean roofs with a pressure washer and a leaf blower. You can also offer to apply a preventative moss treatment once you have cleaned the roof.

Licenses:

You will need a business license and possibly bonding and insurance. Check with the Chamber of Commerce in your area for any additional license or permit requirements.

Canvassing door-to-door is one powerful method to get work, but you need to contact City Hall before you start - just to make sure that you are not breaking the law. A number of cities require a permit, and many won't tolerate any kind of door-to-door canvassing at all.

Approximate Minimum Start up Cost:

Bare essential: - The average startup cost may vary form a couple hundred bucks if you already have a lot of the equipment to thousands of dollars if you want top-of-the-line equipment. You can start off small and expand your crew and equipment as you grow.

Minimal exposure - Door hangers are especially effective as are small baggies filled with a rock and business card tossed onto home walkways or driveways, and a listing in the business section of your local newspaper. For these advertising methods, the approximate cost would be approximately $250.

Necessary Equipment to Run this Business:

Necessary Start-Up Equipment & Supplies:

Ladders

Heavy-Duty Gloves

Trash bags

Protective eyewear

Reliable transportation

Pressure washer with a telescopic wand and gutter cleaner attachment

Cell phone or two-way radios

Computer with Internet access

Hoses

Leaf blower

A 2-liter soda bottle (cut down) works well for cleaning the gutters. It's pliable enough to get down into the gutter. Take a bucket with you to but the debris in. If you just dump it on the ground, the mess is harder to cleanup than the gutters are.

First Aid Kit

Supplementary Equipment: - Equipment or helpful products that you can acquire to once your business is off and running:

Customer-based software

Trucks

Composting containers

Dispatch units and service

Monthly Expenses To Consider:

Answering and/or cell phone service
Wages
Equipment rental
Internet access
Certifications/licenses/permits
Advertising/Marketing
Electricity
Water

Special Requirements For This Business:

Communication skills
Ability to lift at least 100 lbs
No fear of heights
Detail oriented
Whenever you are working at heights, always make sure that you use fall arrest gear.
Estimates will widely vary: There is more than one way to take care of a dirty gutter. There are many factors taken into account, such as the type of home, the amount of crud in the gutter, and any unforeseen landscape challenges.
Remember the gutterings and supports are a relatively weak material and will not stand any direct weight so be sure to use secure ladders that will support your weight well.
You need care with pressure washers. On close work, sufficient pressure to be bearable to your hands is sufficient. This is quite low pressure, but using high water pressure will very easily damage a relatively fragile surface like glass or gel coat However, on a wide area and a harder surface material like steel or Ferro - concrete boat hulls for example.
Offer a guarantee. You can decide how long you want to guarantee your work, but a good starting place is three months. This is especially important when you are first starting out and any time you have a new client. Offering a guarantee will help build trust in your work and will likely leave a positive impression, leading at least to a repeat customer, and possibly to recommendations to other new clients.
If you do not wish to climb on the rooftop for cleaning rain gutters, you will need a sturdy ladder to climb on. Other materials that you will need are thick working gloves, goggles and a garbage bag or bucket. Put the ladder on a firm and even ground base and at an appropriate height from the rain gutter. Scoop a handful of debris from the rain gutter and throw it in the garbage bag. Beware of the metal parts and screws that are fitted inside the gutter.
You can cut the handle of the garbage bucket and bend it to hang along the rain gutter, so that you need not have to carry it all along. But the problem is, you will not get anything to grip while climbing down. Hence, you can simply put the debris in the garbage bag and carry it along. The simplest method is to dig out the debris from the gutter and throw it on the ground. Though, this will create quite a mess on the ground below, it will at least relieve you of carrying heavy garbage bag all along the gutter.
The problem with using a ladder is that you will have to get down every now and then to reposition it.
Get a long hose with an on-off nozzle and wash the rain gutter. Climb on a ladder or the rooftop, whichever suits your job site and blast the debris with the pressure of water. You can also use a scrub brush to get rid of stubborn grit. With this method, you'll have mud splattered all around your house, nonetheless, your rain gutter will be clean in no time and that too without much effort.

Pros And Cons:

The Pros of Running a Gutter Cleaning Business:

The ability to set your own schedule for the most part.

A great occupation for anyone who enjoys the outdoors.

You can offer additional related services such as snow removal, gardening or window washing to earn more money.

The Cons of Running a Gutter Cleaning Business:

Work is performed up high on roof tops or ladders

Physically demanding labor

Seasonal ups and downs depending on location

Type of Customers You Need to Attract:

The target market of the gutter cleaning are homeowners and business owners.

The typical target market also include middle class suburban families with homes and no teenage children. Middle-aged homemakers are also more likely to rely on a gutter cleaning service compared to younger homemakers.

Older individuals with higher incomes typically need their gutters cleaned and maintained.

An abundance of non-residential customers in this business include apartment buildings, restaurants, corporate buildings, schools, churches, etc.

Gutter Cleaning Business Statistics:

Rain gutter cleaning will cost around $200 on average, according to national figures, though the price has been shown to soar to about $900 in some metropolitan areas. Most companies list gutter cleaning prices for far less than $200; they can make a profit from volume, since the gutter cleaning business is always booming.

Revenue:

Even though a gutter cleaning service requires little startup capital, you can earn a significant amount of money in a matter of a few months. In terms of profit, it's very common for two people to earn $500-$1000 per day.

If you choose to use a gas powered leaf blower to clean gutters, you will be making at least $100 per hour while on the job

You should be able to generate a few thousand dollars a week in prime season. The problem is that gutter cleaning season is very short. Due to the seasonal nature of gutter cleaning, many companies offering this unique service can't do the business on a full-time basis unless they are based in a warmer climate. On the other hand, it's not out of the question to have an influx of phone calls from desperate homeowners in early spring with overflowing gutter troubles.

Resources:

Industry-Specific Websites:

Gutter-Cleaning How-To

WOW! Window and Gutter Cleaning

Marler's Pressure Washing

Clean Awn

Equipment and Supplies:

Ultimate Washer

Home Improvements Depot

Forums:

Cleaning Talk

HGTV Pro

Associations:

National Rain Gutter Contractor Association

American Association of Rain Carrying System Installation Specialists

E-Books:

High Profits in Gutter Cleaning

Gutter Installation Service Software

Software:

Gopher

Other:

Pressure Washer Tips and Pricing Help

Comparison Pricing for Gutter Cleaning

Cost-Helper

Guide to Gutter Cleaning

The Cleaning Service Directory

Related Businesses:

Lawn/landscaping
Chimney sweep
Window washing
Commercial and residential cleaning
Roof repair
Exterior house painting