In an earlier thread a few of you talked about having or have dropped add on services.

I want to hear more.

What add ons do you have? What have you dropped and why? What does this do to your profits every year.

Could be just about anything. More to this job than just catching animals.
I.e. remove the skunk from the house. Add ons might be deodorize the house, seal up the entry hole, repair the holes in the yard etc.

Add on Services is in my opinion where you actually make money.

Say I charge $150 to come out and do an inspection and set traps. I am on location for about 45 minutes to an hour (maybe more, maybe less) depending on the call. Well if that is all I do then I made $150 minus expenses.

BUT....

If while I am on the roof checking dormers I notice all the leaves in the gutters or while I am checking for access points I notice all the tree limbs hanging over the house, or I notice all the vents that have no vent guards. While checking the foundation I notice all the lint hanging out of dryer vent. That $150 could easily turn into $1500.00

I go to a job and I sell anything and everything I can. If I have to watch my step because of dog crap walking through the yard so do they and I offer clean up service.

If I notice a deck that is not screened, they get an estimate.

If they are due for a roof I ask them if they would like an estimate.

Over the years we have done all kinds of crazy things as add on services. We have installed storm doors, mowed grass, painted a living room, played taxi service, delivered water softner salt, picked up milk at the grocery store just to name a few.

A lot of what some call "Add on's" I consider part of the job. Example; No bat exclusion is complete until you screen off and or seal their access's.

I sell other stuff along with the job as well. A good example of that would be with snake jobs. Rarely do I actually get to remove the snake. Most times they are long gone before I get there. BUT, I do sell a lot of snake deterrent jobs.

I have not gotten more energetic as I've grown older. Our list of add-ons is extensive but don't expect me to do them. We have "people" for that.

A lot of what is being referred to as "add on (services)" are part and parcel of the job for WCO'S. For a WCO, trapping is only part of the solution, and anything else that furthers that mission is, necessarily and by definition, part of wildlife control. Examples: gutter cover installation, chimney capping, fascia board reattachment/covering.
Add-on services, in my mind, have no direct effect on WC: gutter installation, Christmas lite work, non-damaged roofing.

I know what my service/inspection charge will be and depending on time of year I know I am going to remove x numbers of wildlife. After that all exclusion (repairs) whether needed (entry point) or preventative (repairing areas offering entry potential but not yet entered) are written up on report with estimate. Any thing on that report customers approve for us to perform I consider an add on or up sale as it is above my base charges.

Chimney care work - Caps, crown coats, flash seal and water proofing is one we do a lot of. All available from WCS. And pretty good money in it

Charles you have mentioned the crown coats numerous times over the years and I am all on board with that, but too this point none of my customers are. lol

Have you tried photo of the cracked chimney crowns? Something's sell well in some areas and not in others. Your flashers will work and sell anywhere and another item that I would consider as an add on sale.

Nate, thanks for putting that to words. I've always felt the same.

With all the metal roofs we are on here in the Smoky's, we started noticing the screws were bcaking out over time and the roofs leak. A few pictures to the owner and there is a rescrew job. Pull the old screw out and replace with a #14. Average job is about $800 with screws. We done 2 so far this winter. Hope to do 25 this year. That will increase sales $20,000.

In my early years,every time I got laid off or we went on strike, I ended up roofing. I'm not an expert but I've worked with a few. Here is some very sound advice from those who know; nobody has improved on the good old asphalt shingle since its invention. ( Okay, before you start hollering, yes, that answer needs to be explained )

The composition has changed for the better and the appearance is greatly improved. If you build a house and use cedar shakes, metal roofing, or worse yet, tile, you deserve whatever bill comes your way. The basic premise of the asphalt shingle is the wisest choice.

Not at all surprising; there are many entire subdivisions in our immediate area that are forced to put cedar shakes on their roofs. So, since we don't have to spray our asphalt shingles for yellow jackets, we have time to spray our neighbors. ( That's a big add-on)

1. what keeps the #14 screw from backing out?
2. have you had any issues with tracks or "buffing" on oxidized roofs?
3. anyone that installs a roof with 70 plus potential leak areas per 100 sq ft of area should be charged double..

I have thought that metal roof oxidation removal would be a service (hi end homes with standing seam)

Vinke
The #14 is a bigger screw with a different thread design. These roofs we are rescrewing are about 15 to 20 years old. If they go another 15 to 20 the customers are happy. The owners would rather have a tight roof than worry about tracks. I never had a issue on the buffing.
I have seen some screws backed out 1/4 inch. Some were never snugged. Or there maybe 10 missing on ridge caps. When they built these cabin here it was a slap them up as quick as they can.

We get that all the time on metal roofs especially in the mountain parts of the state, don't think I've seen more than a handful of cabins and condos without this issue.

For us though unless I have a roofers license I can't replace those screws!

However, I've referred work to local roofers and siders who have sent me any bats they come across in trade....

Sounds like an excellent side offering if you are able Paul!

Justin

You're kidding! What the heck is a roofers license? I am perfectly capable of falling off of a roof without a license. I have a very good customer who owns a huge roofing company. I need to ask him about this license thing. After all, we are a blue state.

Paul, I've found that some states you can do just about anything and be in the clear. NM has a over $500.00 and you better have a license kind of mentality...

I'm quite sure by the vehicles and crews I see that there are many without a license doing work, however I'm the paranoid type who doesn't want to be running afoul of my states regs...

az is over 900.00 per job.....

WA is over 10,000.00 a year or if you use a business name......

Justin. You can legally do most phases of construction without a contractors license. You just can't do it as a traditional bid. It must be done by the hour.
I've built a couple of houses and done numerous remodels for people. Permit in their name, I work by the hour, call for inspections etc.

Mike,

We need to visit, you goin to be around next week for a phone call? I'm heading to Tucson on the 15th for a delivery, will have some windshield time. You having been a lifelong resident of this state and businessman have some better knowledge than I can get from the system websites and offerings from the gov....

Look forward to visiting!

Justin