Sunday, June 14, 2009

Windows, windows and a lot more windows

We started this business aiming at getting local business windows. That dream quickly faded when we realized that one guy has this town wrapped up. He does so many, that the job that he provides is crap. But he is cheap and he gets it done.

Chuck and I do things a little differently. We don't rush through jobs. We take our time to make sure that the customer is satisfied.

Now we do things differently. We do it right, it may take us longer, but I can promise you, your job is done the way it should be.

We do have 3 businesses in town. But we are aiming more at homes, that is where the money is at.

A few weeks ago we had a job for about 22 windows in a friend's home. She worked with Chuck at the Chevy dealership in town, her dad owns it. She was our first big home window job. It wasn't too bad, we did it in the time that we told her and she was very happy with it. So happy that she referred us to her friend.

We get a phone call from Mr. G., his wife told him to call us right away and have us come out and look at the windows for an estimate. And we were on our way to another window job, so we stopped off on the way home.

This house is in a very nice subdivision in town and I told Chuck that I was hoping it was not the 3 story house off the side of a hill. It wasn't! It was across the street.

We get there and we see 8 windows in the front, 3 on the side and then we get to the back. There is a sunroom with 7 windows. Ok, I think we can handle it. We went inside. In the sunroom was a roof of glass, 14 more windows. Oh wow! But not only that, they added on to the house, there are windows on the inside around the sunroom. All total, 51 windows.

Now, Mr. G. did say that if we can't do the top, don't worry about it. Because if you put too much pressure on the glass, the gaskets break. Chuck thought that he could get to it, but wasn't sure. And he did try, but it streaked badly. So, off I go to get the Windex for outside. And that is what he did, only to find out another window was leaking.

Chuck did all the windows in the sunroom, in 90 degree weather with the sun beating down on him. I did all the outside and then started on the inside. I started in the garage and worked my way inside. When we were there to give the estimate, Mr. G. told us that the panes pop out. Ok, so, I had to deal with that. Trust me, I would rather have that than what Chuck was doing.

I figured out how to get the panes out and then back in. That wasn't easy. I broke the ends off of 2 of them. Nothing really, but when you have to do 30 windows, all with panes in them, your fingers hurt by the end of the day. I popped them out, scrubbed and cleaned the windows, and put the panes back in. One problem, when you have the panes going back in, your fingerprints are everywhere. Dry cloth, wipe down windows again. For everyone one of them!

We told him upfront that this was going to be an all day job. And it was. Like I said, it is one of those that you want to do your best on. But when it started to thunder and lightening, that is when he was trying to get us to hurry. We had one huge window in the front and the half circle that topped it. I couldn't get to it earlier because Chuck was in the back and I wasn't getting on the extension ladder without him.

So, Mr. G. goes and holds the ladder for Chuck while I am cleaning the inside. That was a trick. I am on the ladder inside cleaning one part, while Chuck is cleaning the other side. Don't ever do that!

Ok, so I cleaned 3 doors, inside and out, with the panes that are not removeable. All 30 windows with those stupid panes, and now the front door was last. More little windows with one big one on top. I have to admit, from being there at 7, taking a short lunch and then getting done by about 3, I was exhausted. I know Chuck was too. But this man retired from Olin, he has a lot of friends at the Country Club and of course the people he worked with at Olin. His wife still works, so there can be more contacts there. We know when to do a good job for someone. We do a good job for all of our customers. We do a job like we would want a job done for us.

The sunroom looked wonderful and the rest of the windows did too. Another job well done.... now back in the Fall for pressure washing.

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