When Brandon Boggess founded his house-washing business in 2017, he had elevated homes in mind.
At the time, he noticed a sizeable gap in the market. After Hurricane Katrina, almost all new homes had to adhere to an elevation requirement. However, few, if any, house-washing businesses could serve these properties without lift equipment.
“I knew there were better and safer alternatives available,” Boggess recalls. “If I could eliminate this extra expense, Coastal House Washing would be the first, and ultimately the only, option for the growing majority of homes on the Gulf Coast.”
Starting with communities like Timber Ridge, Pass Christian Isles and Henderson Point, Boggess wooed customers with promises of a better, faster service at an affordable price. He set out to show that an elevated home could be cleaned regularly, prolonging exterior materials’ life and saving clients’ money on long-term costs like repainting.
“By the end of the 2019 season, it was clear Coastal House Washing had the right product, pricing and practices,” he says, “It was time to focus on potential.”
His partner, Thomas Wilson, joined the company last spring — bringing experience in home service operations and small-business scaling. Both Boggess and Wilson started in retail, with 30 years of big-box-store customer service and sales background between them. They acknowledge customers’ frustration when a third party dictates their experience from a distant office, or their only recourse for bad business is leaving a negative review online.
“Coastal House Washing IS local,” Wilson says of the Long Beach-based operation. “Our customers are our neighbors, and we are their customers.”
Despite the challenges of 2020, Boggess says, Coastal house Washing has stayed focused and managed to divide and conquer their obstacles.
“Our equipment underwent an upgrade, reducing our job times by 30 percent,” he says. “We implemented a customer relationship management program, and now our client info, scheduling and job completion are all available on our smartphones.” The company also took a significant step forward in its marketing strategies, he adds.
Particularly during a pandemic, Wilson says the company is fortunate to provide services that contribute to their clients’ wellbeing.
“With so many of our coastal neighbors spending more time than ever at home, the psychological advantages they gain from aesthetically clean surroundings are also paralleled by the peace of mind they enjoy long after we have finished,” he explains. “Knowing we have removed the mold, mildew and other organic buildups that can exacerbate health issues in a time of medical uncertainty is perhaps the most outstanding service we offer.”
The company caters to customers who need soft-washing, power-washing, roof-cleaning, paver and stone restoration storm cleanup or rust-removal services. Soft washing is the most popular product and sets Coastal House Washing apart, as it involves using a low-pressure application of biodegradable chemicals to remove organic matter found on home exteriors.
As the company continues to grow and evolve, Boggess says the team is looking forward to helping more customers more often on the Coast.
“Our wish is for everyone, from residents to travelers, to share in the beauty that we see every day,” he says, “and we enjoy doing our part to preserve that beauty — one house at a time.”