Recent Renovation of a Self Service Location

[thoffmanjr]

After spending over $1m on a renovation on an old tired building it has really paid off. We replaced the roof, added a second floor, replaced the in-bay automatics and updated the self service bay booms and updated all the backroom equipment. It was one of the scariest decisions regard "cost risk vs reward" we've probably ever made. At one point just before the project started we even wondered if we should scrape it and build a small tunnel. Well we didn't and so far sales and profits are up substantially. If you'll notice the attached picture compared to the video you'll see we almost doubled the height of the building. There's something to be said about how a tall, big structure can really help curb appeal. I just posted this video to show the new place.

https://youtu.be/wdB5hlIJL1Q

View attachment 1073

 

[Car_Wash_Guy]

Beautiful man. Congrats on the results. What epoxy did you use on the floor?

 

[thoffmanjr]

Beautiful man. Congrats on the results. What epoxy did you use on the floor?

Thanks. Here's the information about the epoxy.

Arizona Polymer Flooring: http://www.apfepoxy.com

Vapor solve primer
Vapor solve 100
Epoxy 400
Poly 5001

We also sprinkle in aluminum flakes to help make it less slippery. We rent a “shot blaster” to rough up the concrete and the whole cost, including our labor, is about $4/sq ft.

 

[Eric H]

Looks great Tom!

Can you tell me which Mr Foamer you are using on the Razor? I have never been happy with the Foam-N-Flo on my machines, The only complaint I have with the Razors. I am in the process of building my own but I keep getting sidetracked. Your Mr Foamer has great coverage

 

[DiamondWash]

Here is the Mr Foamer on a Razor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSKuwR2Aabo

and here it is on their webpage: https://mrfoamer.com/product/foaminator-ii-rain/

 

[tdlconceptsllc]

Mr. Hoffman this site is unreal. I truthfully enjoy your innovation to the industry and you are always ahead of everyone there just trying to catch up. I have always watched your videos on youtube. Your work is awsome thank you for posting video.
(clean installs on the washworlds).
Thank you sir. Thomas Lunsford from NC

 

[Jeff_L]

Looks incredible. I’m jealous.

 

[Greg Pack]

Looks Great!

 

[washnvac]

Awesome, except for those ugly a$$ s/s bay walls. Why did you not cover the old brick?

 

[Car_Wash_Guy]

Awesome, except for those ugly a$$ s/s bay walls. Why did you not cover the old brick?

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder....but they must be a real PITA to clean! I would think the porousness of the bricks and mortar would make it a chore and a half. Unless it's sealed?

 

[GoBuckeyes]

Tom your self serve wash is nicer and CLEANER than 90% of the homes in America. You really do build some impressive washes. Keep up the beautiful work and please keep sharing.

Thank you!

 

[thoffmanjr]

Foaminator II Rain. We deliver with a 1/3hp booster pump feeding a Dosatron for that application. Here's a link to a movie that shows the delivery system for it on a presoak arch at one of our tunnels.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/bzvbu9u4we3p8us/Mr Foamer Red Presoak.MOV?dl=0

 

[thoffmanjr]

Awesome, except for those ugly a$$ s/s bay walls. Why did you not cover the old brick?

That's not ugly, that's "character". You're right though. We went back and forth on that one.

 

[washnvac]

I will clarify further, because as car wash guy said beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Your auto bays are super bright white and well lite. If I used the auto bay, and came later to those s/s bays, I would think it was a different wash altogether. Even with all your s/s bells & whistles, the bay just seems very dark and less inviting that the autos.

Just my 2 cents. To some, it probably does not amount to a hill of beans because you have all the great options in the s/s bay.

 

[thoffmanjr]

I will clarify further, because as car wash guy said beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Your auto bays are super bright white and well lite. If I used the auto bay, and came later to those s/s bays, I would think it was a different wash altogether. Even with all your s/s bells & whistles, the bay just seems very dark and less inviting that the autos.

Just my 2 cents. To some, it probably does not amount to a hill of beans because you have all the great options in the s/s bay.

hindsight..... I think you're right and I appreciate the comments.

 

[seattleguy]

That video is car wash porn!

 

[MonroeStreetPowerwash]

I am impressed and like your idea for the pressure boost button. Can you share any details on your setup on how it works?

 

[thoffmanjr]

Our PLC control system controls the entire location. We communicate to the variable frequency drives that control the pumps. The pressure relief valves are set to 1750psi. There is a pressure transducer for each pump and we simply change the target pressure from 1000 to 1400 psi when the customer presses the button. We choose not to charge extra. The pumps run slower for the lower pressure and a little faster for the higher pressure. This save a little energy too since we are running at 34hz at 1000 and about 44 at 1400.

 

[Mel(NC)]

Tom,
That is an amazing transformation. I have so many questions I would like to ask but I will hold it down to two,

What convinced you it was the right direction to take? Gut feeling or some type of growth forecast?

Did you go up on your self serve prices with the remodel and does your competition have similar pricing?

 

[thoffmanjr]

Tom,
That is an amazing transformation. I have so many questions I would like to ask but I will hold it down to two,

What convinced you it was the right direction to take? Gut feeling or some type of growth forecast?

Did you go up on your self serve prices with the remodel and does your competition have similar pricing?

I wish I had a smart answer. My dad just wore us out. It's his favorite wash. Bought the place for $75,000 (or close to it) in 1981. The place was a 4 bay and a wreck at that time. So mostly gut feeling. I think I mentioned in a previous post after an ICA show almost thought of scraping the place and putting a tunnel on it. We'll never know if that would have been a better idea or not but the renovation has turned out to be a good investment. We did not raise the prices since our other locations have the same pricing.