I am a new user on this site; I found it after doing a google search for high rise window washing in Seattle. I am wondering if you are still in the industry, as I currently live in Bothell, and have been exploring new career fields of late.
I am not afraid of heights, though I do not have any experience in the field. I am currently 27, and work as a certified personal trainer (and I keep myself in good shape as well, not just my clients!).
Any help you can provide on required training (if the local companies provide and pay for it), employment opportunities, and salary advice would be extremely helpful. Also, in order to do it, is it usually a full-time job, or mostly part-time for folks? Does employment vary by season either?
Thank you in advance, and I apologize if any of my questions are fairly basic.
Thank you for replying to my post. Other than very minor amounts of summertime residential window washing, I do not yet have experience in the field. I am eager to learn, and am not bothered by heights. I have good spatial awareness and body control from prior athletic endeavors, in addition to currently working as a strength and conditioning coach.
I would very much appreciate any guidance that you may be able to provide. I’m very ignorant as of yet to the job market, training/certification requirements, average starting pay, and seasonal vs year-round employment working arrangements.
Okay Bill-Man…Howdy !
Seattle eh…workin for AB W/Cing eh… Cold ? Not really that cold, Not like in the upper and lower Mid west nor the Northwest, North Dakota Montana, Minnesota , even the East coast NY, NJ, Maine, Conn., they get waaaaay colder then Seattle., ! We’re no where as warm as Texas, or SoCal, Florida …But we up here in the Pacific Northwest have a pretty mild winter, we do get a bit of snow and a bit of mid 20’s and on a rare occasion in the upper teens, but mostly our winter go from the mid 40’s to the mid or low 30’s, lots of clouds and rain, lite to heavy rain ! Now eastern Washington does get really cold and plenty of snow, but every thing west of the cascade and Sierra’s are very mild !
Now if you’re talking about the first picture below then that’s only 50 stories, it is the Safeco Plaza and it is built as a box which is one of the first modern highrises there,and it’s original name is Seattle-First National Bank Building.It was nicked named The Box !
The second picture below is the tallest building in Seattle cleaned by ABM on a stage not on a chair, its name is the Columbia Center and it is 76 floors @ under a 1000’, 967’.
The third photo is the Two Union Square Building and it is only 56 floors 740’, and from what I’ve seen the cleaners time they do it in is close to 2 hour per stage drop…The One Union Square is only 36 floors @ 456’, they use to stage it but today AB W/Cing do it with a Boatswain Chair…
Now the bottom picture is the first high rise in Seattle The Smith Tower at 42 stories, around 1910, finished in 1914…
That sounds like someplace I’d never want to do it at! I love that city tho. Would love living there but the cold man.
When did chair use begin there and are there any height restrictions for chair use?
Thx
Mike
You don;t want to go Seattle and just jump on a stage or chair without some kind of high rise experience. The building are very tall there. I’ve worked there for awhile. I’ve done at least 6 buildings in the downtown area. The black box is a tall black building, don’t remember how tall. Union 1 & 2 I think that ‘s what it’s called is 82 stories, takes a full 8 hr shift to do one drop. One building uses a crane to get you out on the side of the building. Gary’ s is a very good place to work, pay is good and you will learn and work your butt off. You wouldn’t believe the lights there at night hanging from the side of a building. Another thing about Seattle, it is COLD in the winter working outside at night. Good luck
