Glass Monkey Becomes Brass Monkey - Ice Dam!

Sam Waller of "Glass Monkey", he's a window washer who relies on his bike for work -- despite the weather being as cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey.

Window washer's business travels on two wheels (Roanoke, VA): Sam Waller started his own business cleaning windows more than a year ago in Roanoke - This month's winter weather kept a lot of business owners from opening up, but for some, there's no such thing as a snow day, especially if you work for yourself. Sam Waller is one of those people. "This is more than just my work,” he said. “It's my meditation."

What you see isn't necessarily what you get from this window washer. He says there's so much more.

"I believe anyone can just pick up a squeegee and do what I do, but I bring a sense of personality or relations to the customer or client." Waller is the owner and only employee of Glass Monkey Window Cleaning. "I'm all over town,” he said. “I'm on Williamson and Towers and all over downtown and I live near Grandin so I got a lot of business over there, so I bike it all and wash businesses all day."

Waller has about 100 customer in Roanoke, but he doesn’t drive a car or truck to get to them. He hauls his 5-gallon buckets, poles, blades and squeegees in a not-so-conventional way. "This is an 82 Schwinn World Taurus and it's actually a little bit of a rarity."

Not only does Waller use a bike as a means of transportation, but he also wears a bow-tie as a part of his uniform. "You just never know who you are going to meet or what you're going to do and I feel like if you're always a little overdressed you're never under dressed."

Waller says he got rid of his car nearly ten years ago because he loves cycling so much. "It was great,” he said when talking about his old car. “It was fun, but it was nothing compared to the fun of riding a bike." Not to mention it's easy on the environment.

Waller’s a one-man show, making a living with every window he cleans and proving that sometimes all it takes is some cleaner, a squeegee and a little elbow grease to make your dream a reality. "I think it's like a can of worms that you can’t put the lid back on even if you wanted to,” said Waller. “I can’t see myself working for someone else ever again."

Workers clear snow from a roof in Boston.

Minnesotans head east to fix Boston's extreme ice dams: The record snowfall that's buried parts of the East Coast has created a very Minnesota problem for homeowners: ice dams. But that misfortune has turned into a blessing for Minnesota companies that melt ice off of roofs, and have found scarce work at home during this mild winter.

Jesse Lofgren, with Monticello-based Absolutely Clean Window Washing, said he's spent the last two days working on a Boston nursing home that he estimates has thousands of square feet of ice dams built up on the roof. "In Minnesota we typically see fairly long icicles, but this is an extreme situation," Lofgren said. "The icicles on most houses up here go from the roof completely to the ground."

Boston officially hit 101 inches of snow this week — just six inches short of the all-time record set two decades ago. People in Boston are getting desperate, Lofgren said. "Everybody thinks it's acceptable to use blunt-force objects on the ice dams, such as hammers, screwdrivers, chisels," Lofgren said. "We've actually had a few beaten with sledgehammers and axes — it's what people do up here."

A cascade of ice adheres to the side of a brick building in downtown Boston on Feb. 20. Ice dams are a growing concern for homeowners in snowbound New England.

Gil Dos Santos owns a mid-century ranch house in Boston. He said icicles slowly crept from the eaves of his home's roof to the center of the house. Then the leaks started. "You see everybody with these massive icicles," Dos Santos said. "A lot of my neighbors have it; it's just a matter of if it's already started leaking or not."

The Minnesota company that cleared his roof charged $500 an hour, and it took five hours to clear the ice dams off his house. That's comparable to some premium Minnesota services, but there are reports of charges as much as $600 an hour. The Canadian native had never heard of ice dams before, and now everyone is talking about them. "We're looking up diagrams of how they form, and reading up on 'This Old House' about how to get rid of them," Dos Santos said. "You see a lot of people putting salt into nylons and throwing those up on the roof to try to create channels for the ice melt to run off."

The situation has created a lot of demand for the expertise Minnesota companies have developed over the years. Dozens of Minnesotans are clearing roofs in the city. One owner of a Minnesota-based company declined to comment publicly because he's already swamped with work in Boston. He said he's gotten more than 800 requests for work in Boston, although his crews can only clear about 25 roofs a day.

John Theis, owner of Grand Gutters Inc. in Plymouth, set out to Boston this week with eight employees. Theis' crews use steamers to clear two or three houses a day each. He's found that each roof is taking longer to clear than typical Minnesota roofs, partly because of the weather and partly because of a lack of knowledge about ice dams.

"I think Minnesotans are aware of ice dams, so we're kind of looking for them a little bit," Theis said. "Here it's just all of a sudden water is coming into everybody's houses and they don't know why."

It's been a slow winter for clearing ice dams in Minnesota, which has been good for homeowners but bad for business. Theis said his crews are hoping to get five or six days of work in Boston. He's keeping one eye on the weather report, with weather conditions in nearby states like New Hampshire looking good for ice dams.

"We've just been hanging around the last couple months, doing what we can to get by this winter, so everybody's pretty excited to be working," Theis said. "They're willing to do just about anything, as far as go anywhere. Make some money. Help people out." The influx of Minnesotans has maybe even replaced the East Coast's famous brusqueness with a sort of gratitude. "Every time a new company comes out here, it's like, 'Hey, more Minnesota guys turned up!'" Theis said. "The way the media is treating us out here, it's like we're almost Santa Claus."

Blizzard Means Business

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Blizzard means business: It has closed businesses, stranded commuters and shut or significantly slowed down transportation networks for commerce. But a few businesses are seeing a silver lining to the snow clouds. “From a business point of view, it’s a good thing,” said Michael Barbuzzi, of Barbuzzi Landscaping in Swampscott and Snow Removal Unlimited in Lynn. “It’s just that I would have rather had that 25-inch storm spread out over three storms, not all at once.” Two snowstorms in a week have dumped a record breaking 40.2-inches of snow on Boston between Jan. 27 and Feb. 2, the most snowfall to fall in a similar time period in the 100 years of records kept by the National Weather Service. The storms have also delivered more snow within a week than falls in Boston in a typical winter.

A 2014 study by research firm IHS Global Insight put a $265-million price tag on a one-day snowstorm in Massachusetts, calculating factors such as lost wages for workers, lost retail sales and lost taxes. Then there are snow-removal costs borne by local governments, residents and businesses.

These costs are highly variable. But Barbuzzi said they have provided another source of income for local landscapers. “When I was a young guy, most of us just enjoyed the winters off,” Barbuzzi said. “But most people make money on a weekly basis and to hire good people, you need to keep them employed. For landscapers, snow plowing and snow removal is how you do it in the winter.”

He said his company has about 30 4-wheel drive plow trucks, six shoveling crews of 2-3 people, and big equipment such as front-end loaders and hauling trucks to remove snow from primarily commercial businesses in Lynn and Swampscott. For the recent storm, the crews worked in three 8-10-hour shifts, Barbuzzi said. “It makes for a lot of long hours,” Barbuzzi said. And lots of expense.

Barbuzzi said his employees earn between $20 to $30 per hour for shoveling. Snow plow and equipment drivers earn between $20 and $35 an hour. “It’s expensive to get guys to come in these crazy hours,” Barbuzzi said. “In the snow business you usually have a 6- to 8-hour window to get things done; with these monster storms maybe 24 hours.” He said the snow currently on the ground, plus snow forecast for Thursday, will require the company work “round-the-clock” this week with 8-10 hour shifts.

Snow helps some businesses - Tim Tenney and his snow shovel display at True Value Hardware in Wyoma Square in Lynn.

But there are many residents who want to — or must — remove the snow themselves. “It’s a great January, last January was terrible,” said Wyoma Square True Value owner Tim Tenney. “Last January was so cold, so freezing and no snow. This one is warmer and there’s a lot of snow.”

Tenney said snow shovels, ice melters, roof rakes and parts for snow blowers (he sold out of snow blowers weeks ago as many callers to the store have been disappointed to learn) have been in high demand at his store. “I’ve been selling a lot of sleds, too,” Tenney said. “They’re all sledding up at Gannon. So I guess the kids are enjoying their time off.”

John Ciccone, owner of Beden Hardware on Munroe Street, said snow shovels, ice choppers and ice melt were recent top-sellers. But unlike in Wyoma Square, sales of these items did not make up for business lost for other projects, many of which required travel to-and-from the downtown location. “It kind of just turns business over to something else,” Ciccone said of the snowstorm. “It takes everybody’s eyes off of other things — other business you would be doing besides winter products.”

Leslie Gould, president and chief executive officer of the Lynn Area Chamber of Commerce, said that snow storms can be difficult for businesses that depend on foot traffic from other local businesses, such as retailers in a downtown or shopping plaza, restaurants and coffee shops and businesses dependent on weather-related tasks, such as construction. As for employees, part-time, hourly and those workers who cannot work remotely are also negatively impacted by snowstorms, Gould said.

But Gould said other businesses adjust to the winter — a cleaning company offers a special for carpet cleaning due to all the sand and salt tracked into a home, for instance; or a towing company is suddenly in high demand to remove cars from snowbanks. But whether busy because of 90-hour weeks or hoping for roads to be cleared to resume commerce, several business people echoed Ciccone as he recalled the storms. “We were closed with the first storm — that was last week, right?” Ciccone said. “It just seems like it hasn’t ended.”

Cold Weather Window Cleaning, Window Drawing & Ice Dams

Window washers still head to work, even in bitter cold: The bitter cold isn’t stopping area window washers from working. One of those die hard workers is Jeremy Anglin. He works for Reflections Window Cleaning. He was still out scaling walls and cleaning windows even as temperatures dipped down into the 20’s. Anglin says it’s a misconception window cleaners don’t work in the winter, but he says sunshine or snow he’s battling the cold temperatures from nine to five. This is Anglin’s fourth winter cleaning windows. He uses special chemicals similar to windshield wiper fluid to keep his water from freezing.  He also wears special gloves to keep his hands as dry as possible during dangerous temperatures. When the weather gets too bad, most of the workers will hold off on the bigger buildings for a few days or even the whole season if they have to. 

A regular Picassoap: Jose Urias first discovered he had a natural talent for art in elementary school. Combining his artistic ability with his career as a window washer occurred 20 years later. “When I was in second grade, I discovered I could draw,” Urias said. “The teacher asked us to draw a picture of a ship in this book. Mine ended up looking just like the one in the book.” Urias started drawing more but never made a career or serious hobby out of it. After jobs in construction, gardening and maintenance, Urias was offered a job at The Vintage Club in Indian Wells as a window washer. The Indio resident jumped at the opportunity.

“They taught me how to use a squeegee,” said Urias, who found that the squeegee could be used for more than cleaning off the soapy mixtures. It also could be his “brush” for soapy window art creations. “The Vintage has 83 windows around the pool,” Urias said. “I found that it entertained me and the people and kids watching me to make different pictures in every window.” Using a solution of dishwashing soap and alcohol and two different sized squeegees, Urias creates hummingbirds, dinosaurs, ships, sea horses, faces (Dick Tracy is a favorite), butterflies and more.

“I started doing this about four years ago to keep kids from putting their hands on the windows,” Urias said. “I soon discovered I could draw anything in the soap. ... I take requests, and people bring their grandkids to watch and take pictures.” There is a real technique to drawing in soap, Urias said. “You have to hurry before the water starts coming down. “I love it when they applaud. I tell them I will give them the sun and the moon, and I do.”

Why did you choose this business?

In 1985, I jumped from being a maintenance man to being a window washer, which paid more.

What makes your business special in the valley?

I have never seen a window washer draw.

What would you be doing if you had another career?

I never thought I'd be a window washer or an artist.

How do you enjoy your time away from work?

I work eight hours, plus side jobs, so I don't have much free time. But I do enjoy doing things with my family.

Homeowners Beware: After Snow, the Ice Dam Cometh: The latest winter storm, coupled with heavy snow accumulation and long cold snaps across the U.S., have left homeowners, pedestrians and buildings themselves unusually vulnerable to the dangers of ice and snow buildup. Well beyond slipping, there's a growing risk of injury from falling material. Recently, a chunk of ice plunged from a pine tree and landed on Mark D'Ambrosio as he cleared the driveway of his of Abington, Mass., home. His son called 911, and Mr. D'Ambrosio was hospitalized briefly with a head wound that required three staples. "I've been in this house 13 years and never seen anything like what's happening this winter," says the 39-year-old Mr. D'Ambrosio.

Other times, the danger comes from homeowners trying to clear roofs of winter's mess before it causes structural damage. While roof collapses get the most attention, a more common worry for the average homeowner is ice dams. These often form when an under-insulated home's heat escapes through the attic, warms the roof and melts snow. As water runs down the roof it can refreeze into an icy dam along the overhang, which is cooler—much like a bridge. If the dam gets big enough, it can then block water from running off the roof and force it to back up under shingles, triggering leaks and other damage. Icicles are one symptom of dams forming.

As snow and ice storms pummel the Northeast, Midwest and South this week, consumers are trying to remove snow however they can. Sales of roof rakes—long-handled tools used from the safety of ground level—are up 30% at Garelick Manufacturing Co., which went back into production this month to meet demand. Northern Tool + Equipment Co. cites unusually strong demand for its hockey puck-sized RoofMelt tablets made of calcium chloride, which can be tossed atop roofs to fuel melting.

Businesses specializing in ice-cutting with pressurized steam or hot water and other solutions report a surge of interest. Bylin Heating Systems Inc. has logged a 200% rise in inquiries this winter for its electrical ice-melting roof systems, which are best installed after existing dams are cleared. Similar demand is brewing for installers of attic insulation and other products that prevent heat loss and slow ice dam formation.

Tom Mahoney's 8,000 square foot house in Edina, Minn., was damaged after a thick ice dam formed along his roofline and triggered water leaks in his master bedroom. His solution: pay $1,000 to have chunks of the ice removed professionally. Mr. Mahoney's contractor, Philip Grave of Dale Services Inc., says he and his brother are on track to earn $100,000 this winter as roof ice-cutters. The duo, who operate a carpet and window-cleaning business in warmer weather, charge $250 to $300 an hour to climb on roofs and blast away at ice dams with 180-200 degree water using a pressure washer. Says Mr. Grave: "We cut ice every day in December and had a wait list."

But with so much snow, residents often are taking drastic short-term actions themselves. In Minnesota, where some areas have received more than 55 inches so far, a Shoreview man died Christmas Day after falling from his roof clearing snow. Meantime, Immanuel St. Joseph's hospital in Mankato has logged a surge of emergency room visits from people injured toppling off their rooftops while shoveling, says hospital spokesman Kevin Burns. "It's directly attributable to the increased snow," says Mr. Burns who reports everything from scrapes and bruises to broken bones and serious internal injuries. "People are very well-intentioned but aren't prepared for the slippery conditions and steep pitch of the surface."

Last week in New York City, which had its snowiest January in history, the Department of Buildings issued a warning reminding property owners they are legally obligated to remove ice and snow from roofs, overhangs and awnings—and singled out icicles as "a threat to public safety." A growing number of new homes are built with thicker insulation that can help prevent ice dams, including more than a million new homes that have earned the federal government's Energy Star label, and there are tax credits and subsidies available for retrofits.

"Most of the time, the ice is there and you are rolling the dice and may or may not have a big chunk hit someone's car or head, or a leak, but the risk is always there," says Mike Rogers, vice president of GreenHomes America Inc., a national home energy retrofit company.

When 51-year-old April Butler of Syracuse, N.Y., moved into her home in December, she wasn't aware that her house was at risk. But soon, dams and icicles hung like a cave around her front door, threatening to pull down her gutters and possibly harming a passer-by, including her 17-year-old daughter. Ms. Butler hired GreenHomes America last week to blow insulation into her attic crawl space, seal air-leaks with foam and replace recessed ceiling light fixtures where the home's heat was escaping.

All these measures are designed to prevent ice dams from forming in the first place; much of what she has now is beginning to thaw. The total cost: $7,062, for which she received a $2,500 subsidy based on her income as a teaching assistant from the Assisted Home Performance with Energy Star program. "As of yet, we've had no leak damage," Ms. Butler says. "Hopefully this will eliminate the fear."