I’ve been charging anywhere between $25-$100 for storefront work, depending on how much time it takes me to access all areas with excellent results.
I used an older rope I’d used for climbing with a gri-gri and ascender anchored to a pipe and fence post. It was bomber. I’ve been a climbing guide for 20 years and rigging for nearly as long. The tricky part was speaking with the building mgr.
This made me LOL I think you will find that industry standards require you to use low stretch(static) rope rather than the rock climbing dynamic rope.
Although anchoring off a “pipe” is always a no no, all anchor systems used in industry rope access needs to handle at least 25KN(over 5000 pounds) not many pipes in the world could withstand that type of shock loading. I used to work with blokes who would sling around a few AC units and defend there actions stating it was just their safety line and not their working line, i would LOL too.
However descending with a gri gri I believe would be safer than using a rack in all honesty.
Ok. So I’ve decided to work with the guy for $15 an hour a few times a week. This guy crushes storefront local businesses when it comes to windows. We did an insane amount of cleaning in 7 hours. It’s really cool that I’m learning so much from this guy, but bummed when he says “It looks like you’ve been fanning with that blade for 20 years”, then at the end of the day, says I’m slow. I mess up when I try to rush the job and end up being slower because of the touch-ups. So far, my work has been good enough for 5-star restaurants we work together. It’s been nice to eat great lunches on his trade cards, but I’m not sure where to go with this. I feel that I gain speed every day I work with this guy (30yr local veteran window dude). We’d do 10+ storefronts before we move our cars… Interestingly, I have to learn by watching him, as he’s a bit reticent to coach me. I’m slow because I’m experimenting with different techniques on varied window types and squeegee techniques (started 3 weeks ago). We did everything from high-end storefronts to garage door windows at a large garage chain. I did 128 panes inside and out on 8 huge garage doors coated in soot and mechanic grease in close to 2 hours. This includes waiting for cars to enter and exit. He said it needs to be done in half the time. Then we went to all of the sushi joints in town before they’d open their dinner hours and knocked 'em out. He treats me to amazing lunches on his trade at high-end restaurants, so I’m not starving. I asked him how I can increase my speed, and he’d say, “efficiency, not speed.”, but left the answer as to how I can do this on my own. I like the work and apprenticeship, but in dire need of steady flow. The whole reason as to how I got into this was to be my own boss and fan windows like one…
Invest in yourself…no one else will… IMHO!..best of luck to you!
The whole reason as to how I got into this was to be my own boss and fan windows like one…[/QUOTE]
Do this ^^^^^^^^!
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My advice is not to do any more rope work, I know being a mountaineering guy you are probably super comfortable at height and rigging off of things that are not rated to 5k lbs. Doing this type of work and rigging to stink pipes and really anything that is not an anchor increases risks significantly. The problem is you can probably get away with it 999 times out of a thousand. While those odds seem good when you hire and train others in this type of “rigging” Your odds of having an accident go way up when you have four guys doing the same thing.
The ripple effect has a huge impact on the rest of us in that property managers see accidents like this and then think the only answer is to have guys work off of a swing stage. Which Sucks! and is more dangerous in my opinion.
My advice if you want to be a do it all window cleaner go work for the biggest outfit in boulder that certifies their guys with the IWCA. Get certified (or learn from someone who is), learn how to do it properly, get paid then go start your biz and kick ass. High rise is like being on an assembly line of dirty windows nothing will make you a faster window cleaner than a year in a bosuns chair. Good luck.
Yea, that was a one time thing. I had just started and underestimated my start-up costs and was scrambling for rent money. I wasn’t “hanging” from the rope rig, but using it to back me up in the event of a slip.
I’m going to be working storefronts with a veteran of the trade 2 days a week, while working for a reputable local company doing residential to learn the residential side while building my own business up on the weekends. The combination should benefit me down the road.
