# Tile clean up



## angus242 (Oct 20, 2007)

I won't say you can't make money in a high rise. However, here are the things that I have learned:
1) Make sure you know how the materials are getting in. The building I was in had a freight elevator but you had to take the regular one to the 8th floor and then transfer to the freight.
2) Make sure you have a 2-wheel cart or something to carry the materials with. I got lucky since the building was new construction and therefore, many residents moving so the building supplied flat carts that I was able to use.
3) PARKING! The building I was in had a public parking garage on the first 5 floors. Some buildings have resident-only and unless you make a deal with the HO, you might not be able to get close. In that case, unloading tools will suck. And don't forget the cost. For my duration, the parking cost was $175! You need to recoup that somehow.
4) Access to unit. I was lucky (again) and the HO gave me keys so I could come and go at will. Most newer buildings have electronic locks that you need a fob to even get to the elevators. If you forget something in your truck, it could be very time consuming to get back in the building.
5) As SelfContract stated, you need to be aware of noise. In this building, there was a no construction rule after 6:00pm. That sucked for me since I prefer to work late. 
6) Elevator access. I know I've touched on this already but it's pretty dang important to get stuff up and down. New construction building means a lot of people moving. In a high rise, you might have to reserve elevator time. I made sure I moved my tools and materials in late on Monday evening, assuming the elevator would be available then. When I was done, it happened to be late on Sunday. Good for me because it was NFL playoffs day. Most people were watching TV at that time. But this may be of importance if you have to hike mortar/grout buckets down to a dump location. 

If you decided to look into high rise customers, make sure you charge accordingly. Take into account the amount of time to get things in and out of the building. Time is pretty critical here. You'd rather be tiling than elevator riding! I'd suggest hiring maybe a high school kid or apprentice type kid to dump/fill buckets for you. That would have streamlined my process but I learned the hard way. And brings lots of buckets with lids! If you get signed in to a building, they may escort you to the unit and use a check list to make sure you don't damage hallways/elevators. Spilling a bucket of tile goo in a carpeted elevator would suck for you!

Personally, I won't do it again. I like tiling, not spending my time in parking garages, waiting for elevators or logistics of moving 2 tons of material up 21 floors. I'll stick to the suburbs, you can have the city!


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## Bill_Vincent (Apr 6, 2005)

Me, too.


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