The Window Cleaners Who Turn Their Hand

After four months of construction, Brush resident Virgil Roberts has completed an approximate 85-square foot 'miniature home.' The project also included an outhouse.

Brush resident builds 'miniature home' - After years in the janitorial business, washing windows for companies and building furniture, one Brush resident decided to take his knowledge of construction and build a ‘miniature home.’ Brush resident Virgil Roberts recently completed construction of an 8x10 home with approximately 85-square feet inside, a front porch and an outhouse. “Actually, I wanted to see if I could do it,” Roberts said of the part that he enjoyed the most about building the home. “It’s like a hunting cabin or you could use it for a mother-in-law cabin. It looks nice enough that if someone wants a little office in their backyard (it would work, too). Nobody has anything like this.”

The home includes electricity, a variety of small appliances, a bunk bed and a large window designed to allow sunlight into the home in-order to heat it through a ‘passive solar’ window. In addition, the entire building is wrapped in ‘reflective insulation.’ “It’s supposed to reflect the heat,” Roberts said of the insulation he used. “It’s about the same as regular insulation.” The outhouse was built to allow Roberts a break from constructing the building. “I got bored one day, so I made an outside john,” he said. Construction began in April and came to an end in late July.

According to Roberts, the  building  was built on railroad ties and only worked on it part-time in-between  other projects around his main house.  “I didn’t put in over two hours a day,” he said adding that his son-in-law helped with installing the rafters. A building permit was not required since the unit was smaller than 120-square feet. All of the material was bought locally. With the project complete, Roberts is now interested in selling it. “I’d like to make a few extra bucks,” he said.

Roberts is asking $7,000 for the building. Included in the price is all of the brand-new appliances with their original boxes, a bunk bed, porch, outhouse and a never been used generator. After he sells the home, Roberts plans to build a similar one. The second building will include a regular size front door; however, it will be located on the side of the house to allow for additional square-feet, detachable solar panels on the end of the unit and a larger front porch.

Aussie Window Cleaner turned inventor Ric Richardson.

The beautiful mind of the Aussie who beat Microsoft: Inventor Ric Richardson is a no-bull, unassuming Aussie, but when Microsoft pinched his big idea, he took on the software behemoth ... and won. Jane Cadzow meets an unlikely giant-slayer. The phone rang early, rousing Ric Richardson from a fitful sleep. As the sun rose over the northern NSW coast, he sat on his verandah and absorbed the news that a jury on the other side of the world had awarded him half a billion dollars. "I didn't really feel like celebrating," he remembers. "I just felt like breathing for a while."

Richardson is the Australian inventor who took on Microsoft and won. In April 2009, a United States court found the giant software corporation had used his technology without his knowledge or permission, and ordered Microsoft to pay compensation of $US388 million (then worth more than $530 million). The award was one of the highest in US patent history. As it turned out, Richardson was right to keep the cork in the champagne bottle - the verdict was overturned five months later. But early this year, an appeals court upheld the original jury's decision that Microsoft had infringed his patent. He was vindicated, though still didn't feel like throwing a party. "I was just very relieved," he says.

Richardson, 49, has a friendly, round face, dark-rimmed glasses and blue eyes. Friends and colleagues speak in awe of his prodigious intelligence but the sheer size of him is what you notice first - his nimble brain is trapped inside a lumbering body that tips the scales at close to 180 kilograms. When we meet at a smart Byron Bay resort, he is wearing a navy T-shirt so enormous it could probably accommodate Bill Gates and the entire Microsoft board. While he talks, he perches on the edge of his seat, as if afraid his full weight might be too much for it. Though gregarious and good-humoured, he has the slightly apologetic air of one who knows he takes up more space than he should.

The innovation that prompted the legal battle is an elegant method of deterring software piracy - essentially, a system of locking software titles to individual machines so they can't be illegally copied. But Richardson isn't just a computer geek: over the years, he has produced blueprints for everything from optical-fibre fingerprinting to a home-based hydro-electric scheme and a toothpaste tube that can be squeezed to the last drop. A problem-solver, he likes to call himself. "Because that's what invention is. Solving a problem before everybody else." The Microsoft saga isn't over yet. The appeals court ruled that the jury had erred in calculating the damages payment, so a new trial will decide the amount due to Richardson and Uniloc, the company he founded. But he says he isn't hanging on that result. "The fact that they have been found guilty is the most important thing from my perspective. A lot of people think this is all about some big settlement, but no, it isn't. This case was about a lot more than money."

For much of Richardson's youth, he basically wanted to be Jimi Hendrix. Years of obsessive practice turned him into a more than competent electric guitarist - but "I could never get his loosey-goosey feel", he says, still a bit crestfallen. "I was too uptight and Caucasian for that." Since he couldn't be a thin, black rock god and had no alternative career in mind, nor any interest in going to university, he spent a while drifting between casual jobs: window washing, garbage collecting, guitar teaching. Then in 1982, when he was 20, he got his hands on a Commodore 64, one of the newfangled home computers. And everything fell into place. He already had two inventions under his belt: the Shadesavers sunglasses cord, dreamed up and sold by him and his brother, and an extendable pole for washing apartment-block windows. Read more.

Cancer Research Collection Stolen By Window Washer

Money for cancer research stolen from Cape Coral tattoo shop: After five months of fund raising, nearly $500 was collected and then stolen in a flash. Now, a Cape Coral tattoo parlor is scrambling to replace that money for cancer research as police search for the suspect. Tyler Ferguson, of Forever Tattoo Parlour, said they were raising money in an empty water cooler jug for Cape Coral's Relay for Life. "At least $300, possibly up to $500," he explained. He said it took five months to accumulate that money and that it was taken just days after a big weekend fundraising blitz. "It really took a toll on me when I found out it was gone," Ferguson said. 

Workers say the theft went down just after noon Wednesday.  A nearby window washer came in offering his services for cash. Instead, he walked out with an entire bucket full of cash. And a worker at a nearby business says he saw it all go down. That worker nearby says he thought it was a routine pick-up. He says he didn't put two and two together until police came a few hours later.  He said the middle-aged man was driving a mid-90s, green Dodge Caravan. "It's possibly the most money he's seen on his person in quite some time," said Mark Stewart, owner of Forever Tattoo.

Stewart says Cape Coral Police told him they have an idea who did it and that finding him and the money is a priority. Now, Stewart and his customers are left to start fundraising all over again in time for May's Relay for Life. If you'd like to help out and make a donation, you can go into Forever Tattoo Parlour and drop one off. You can find a map with the business' location on the upper right-hand side of this page.

Stolen Guitars, Fires, Explosions + Window Cleaning Reports

Window cleaner injured as he gave chase to thieves, court told: A window cleaner ran almost naked along a country lane in the early hours chasing two thieves who stole his acoustic guitar, a jury was told. Robert Dobbins had returned home at midnight from his band's practice session, leaving two guitars in his car. He and his wife Victoria were asleep in bed when they were awoken by noises outside their cottage in Bog Lane, Upper Moor, near Pershore. Mr Dobbins described at Worcester Crown Court how, dressed only in his boxer shorts, he sprinted barefoot after two people he saw standing near the Vauxhall Corsa on his driveway. One was carrying his acoustic guitar and the other person had his briefcase. "The last thing I remember was jumping over my guitar left in the lane," said Mr Dobbins.
He and his wife - who had followed him in the pursuit - were both attacked before the thieves fled in their own car, said prosecutor Charles Hardy. But police later matched three fingerprints found on the Corsa's door to a Lithuanian man. Alvydas Pudymaitis, aged 22, of Beaconsfield Road, Mottingham, south-east London, denies theft and two charges of assault causing actual bodily harm. The offences occurred on August 12, 2006 (correct) around 1.30am, said Mr Hardy. The thieves broke into the car before Mr Dobbins ran downstairs and then chased them in the dark.
He was knocked to the ground in the attack and came round lying on a grass verge. His feet were cut and he suffered blows to his face, black eyes and a gash to the back of his head. Mr Dobbins recalled seeing his wife crying. She was punched in the face and knocked against a wall by one thief. She had a cut mouth and a head injury. Pudymaitis was stopped in a police check on October 2 last year. He could not remember being in Worcestershire, said Mr Hardy. But he added: "His fingerprints were on the car. He was one of the two men who broke in. We don't know who his accomplice was." The trial continues.

Potential explosion prevented after van fire: Firefighters prevented a potential explosion after a window cleaner's van caught fire in Forest Town. The van was dual-fuelled, and firefighters were concerned a gas cylinder in the back could explode as it heated up due to the fire. They also had to contend with burning fuel coming from the vehicle running down the road. Residents in Newlands Drive were told to stay inside their homes and keep their windows closed due to the fumes. The burning fuel was then extinguished using almost an entire tank of foam, and the cylinder was cooled using water. Watch manager Darren Warner, of Notts Fire and Rescue Service, said: "We had to treat it with upmost caution and cool it. There was the possibility of projectiles in all directions. "It's biodegradable eco-friendly foam. Up there right now it looks like Christmas." Firefighters were alerted at 10.35am, and the stop message was not given until 11.27am. The van was severely damaged by the fire.

Woman dies in Chatham Twp. house fire: Authorities are investigating a fatal garage fire that killed a Chatham Township woman Monday afternoon. Emergency officials on scene said flames were shooting out the garage when authorities arrived. The blaze spread quickly to the 87-year-old home it anchors, said Chatham Township Police Lt. William Behr. John Strelkoff, who owns Bottle Hill Window Cleaning in Madison, was cleaning windows at the house next door when he heard someone yelling for help outside. The voice, he said, was calling for blankets. "I got outside and saw smoke pouring outside the garage and saw what looked like a body on fire laying next to the car," Strelkoff said. "I tried to grab towels, blankets, but no one could get inside because the heat was so intense. "Things started popping ... glass started breaking, the flames got really big and the smoke started pouring out," he said.

Toronto window washer saved by fall arrest system (Report-Canadian Occupational Health & Safety News): A window cleaner was saved by his fall arrest system after an equipment malfunction caused him to fall 19 storeys from a Toronto building.

On April 2 at about 2:45 pm, the worker employed by Premium Window Cleaning Ltd was on the roof of a 33-storey building preparing to use a bosun's chair to descend the side of the building, confirms Bruce Skeaff, a spokesman from Ontario's Ministry of Labour (MoL). At that point, the bosun's chair - a seat connected to a suspended line - became unhooked from the rope and fell away.

"The worker was left hanging from the ledge and lost grip with his hands and went into a freefall to the 15th floor," says Skeaff. "That's when the fall arrest system kicked in and the rope-grab locked." The worker suffered rope burns to his hands and was taken to St Michael's Hospital in Toronto.

The ministry was unable to disclose how long the worker was suspended in his harness, but Skeaff reports that the company has been issued a stop work order for not having a written emergency rescue procedure in place related to the fall arrest system. Part of the MoL investigation will focus on how the bosun's chair malfunctioned, Skeaff adds.

While the worker was saved in this case, falls from elevations represent a significant hazard. Information from the MoL website reports that one-quarter of all workplace fatalities are the result of falls, and the danger was made more apparent by the events of Christmas Eve last year. Five construction workers were working on scaffolding on the 13th storey of a Toronto building when "the scaffolding, known as a swing stage, separated in the middle and the workers fell to the ground below" (COHSN, January 11, 2010). Four of the workers died at the scene and the fifth suffered critical injuries.

In response to that tragedy, the MoL issued a hazard alert detailing safety procedures for suspended platform work, including proper training; use of fall arrest systems; proper design, construction, use and maintenance of the equipment; and inspections by competent workers and supervisors.

Suspended platforms, such as bosun's chairs, should not be mistaken for fall protection, cautions Andrew Sulowski, president of Sulowski Fall Protection Inc, a Toronto-based consulting firm. "[These] are called work-positioning systems," he says, explaining that while they enable window washers to do their job, they do not provide adequate protection from potentially fatal falls.

"The law requires that in addition to the work-positioning system, the window washer is equipped with a fall arrest system, which in this simple case will consist of another rope attached to the roof to a different anchor point," he explains. "That rope will usually have the fall arrester, and between the fall arrester and the harness there will be a lanyard, which is either energy-absorbing or not."

Sulowski suggests that workers should conduct a before-use inspection on their fall arrest systems. The worker should check to see if straps are cut or if there are any "stains of unknown origins" which may cause the usually soft webbing in the fall protection system to become hard and brittle. The worker should also make sure the metal D-ring at the back of the harness is not damaged, he adds.

Window Cleaning News

Window washer rescued from outside skyscraper: DOWNTOWN SAN DIEGO — A window washer stuck in a basket between the ninth and 10th floors of the Omni Hotel in downtown San Diego was lowered to safety yesterday afternoon with the help of firefighters. Jimmy Zapien, 27, was washing windows outside the skyscraper about 1:50 p.m. when the basket's cable became jammed in the pulley system, preventing the basket from moving up or down, said Maurice Luque, a spokesman for the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department. A firefighter rappelled from the roof of the building to the basket and strapped the window washer into a harness. Zapien was then safely lowered. Zapien's co-workers from Southland Exterior Building Services, as well as hotel employees and passers-by, craned their necks to watch the rescue unfold. Applause broke out as soon as he touched ground. The ordeal lasted less than an hour.

Westlake Boys take top honours, NZ: An ingenious mathematics based computer game and a user-friendly magnetic window washer saw Westlake Boys High School take out the two top honours at the annual Smales Farm North Shore Regional Awards as part of the Lion Foundation Young Enterprise Scheme (YES). The student companies, made up of year 12 and 13 students, were presented with awards at a ceremony at North Harbour Stadium last night in front of an audience of dignitaries, sponsors, mentors, parents and fellow students who participated in this year’s Lion Foundation Young Enterprise Scheme. Fellow Westlake student company ProDG won the Smales Farm North Shore YES Company of the Year Runner Up with their pragmatic magnetic window washer.

Have you seen stolen window cleaner's van? A window cleaner’s van was stolen from a driveway in Crowthorne overnight between Monday and Tuesday. The white, LA53 plate Ford Transit van has the words ‘Town and Country window cleaning services’ written on the side and was taken from the owner’s drive in New Wokingham Road sometime between 9pm on Monday and 8am the following morning. Anyone with information can call police on 08458 505 505 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111

MANAMA: The Labour Ministry launched an investigation into two worksite accidents yesterday that killed one worker and left another seriously injured, reports ANIQA HAIDER. Indian Pokkillatha Ali Sulaiman, 51, fell to his death from the second floor of a building in Isa Town. The accident took place at 10am when he was cleaning a window at the Traffic Directorate. Mr Su-laiman worked for a cleaning company and leaves behind wife and two children.

Dust haze blankets coast: The Coffs Coast again held its breath again yesterday as another dust haze blanketed much of the east coast. While it wasn't of the same magnitude as the dust storm a couple of weeks ago, paramedics again treated people for breathing difficulties and local air traffic was again affected. By mid morning, the visibility was reduced to 5000 metres adding to the difficulty of pilots and the tower at Coffs Harbour Regional Airport. “The dust that's blowing over from South Australia and western NSW is being lifted by strong winds caused by the combination of a cold front and a low pressure system moving across Bass Strait,” said Mr Crow.
“Here in Coffs Harbour, there's been a layer of dust sitting at about 2300 feet. The bureau has forecast the likelihood of further hazes or storms in coming weeks, but it's hoped the inland dust will finally be settled by rains forecast around Christmas. The dust is proving a boon for some at least. Local house-washers and automatic carwashes are predictably flat out - and then there are the window washers! “I just can't keep up,” said Bayden Hogan of Coffs Window Cleaning. “While the dust isn't as noticeable on vertical surfaces like windows, there's a fine film on the windows so when it rains it turns to mud. We are very, very busy.”

Dougherty County School System; The board also approved the recommendation from its Buildings & Grounds Committee to award the Administration Building pressure washing/window cleaning project to Albany's Akridge Interiors, the lowest qualified bidder at $22,000. Minority businesses Robie Thompson and Tandem Contracting turned in bids of $7,990 and $8,400, respectively. Akridge is a women-owned business. The board voted 5-2 for the bid. Board members Velvet Riggins of District 3 and Anita Williams-Brown, at-large, voted against it. "I would like to talk to the (Building & Grounds) Committee about the process in which these people were selected," Riggins said. "There's still people being eliminated, but we're pleased with what the (Building & Grounds) committee has done with including more minority businesses. But, there's still more work to be done." Maschke said the pressure washing/window cleaning project received seven bids, which he said, "was good participation on a small project." He said the large participation follows the Building & Grounds Committee directing school system staff to solicit proposals from local, small and minority firms.

Cleaning up on windows is just the start for Everest chief: At 1,732ft above sea level, it is the UK’s highest pub. But the cosy hostelry is well-known for another reason. It was the setting of a memorable television ad in the 1980s for the Everest double glazing firm. In the ad Ted Moult, the farmer-cum-TV personality, dropped a feather in front of a window and watched the feather fall vertically onto the sill. “Fit the best. Everest,” said Moult. It was one of those ad slogans that stuck in the public’s consciousness. Although Moult shot himself in 1986 after a period of depression, the ad lives on. Everest recently remade the promo with TV presenter Craig Doyle in the Moult role. As well showing the double-glazing, the ad revealed that the pub’s roof was fitted with solar panels.
It is a neat snapshot of where Everest is today; solar panels are a growing part of Everest’s business as consumers look to “green up” their lifestyles. Simon Jarman, Everest’s managing director, believes that there is a “big opportunity” in energy efficiency as some 20pc of a house’s heat is lost through its windows. And he says that the TV ads still resonate. “There is not one person who doesn’t remember that ad campaign. Most companies would do anything to have that brand awareness,” he says. Business is going well, despite the downturn. The doors and windows market fell by 12pc last year and is down 14pc this year. Everest’s sales of doors and windows, however, have grown by 13pc this year. Overall it is seeing 2.5pc sales growth. This is due to what Mr Jarman describes as a “flight to brand”. Everest pitches itself at the top of the market, which has attracted customers. Everest’s average customer is 55 years old. Eighty per cent of its clientele do not have a mortgage. Most are in the A and B demographics. “We don’t compete on price and we haven’t reduced our prices at all. Our customers are savers rather than borrowers, which has made them more resilient in a downturn,” he says.

A company that has revolutionised the window business with it’s custom designed safety windows has just scooped an international award. Britplas, based on Winstanley Industrial Estate off Long Lane, Orford, clinched the top award for Product Design for Healthcare at the Design & Health International Academy Awards. The business won the accolade for it’s Safevent windows, which have taken to the medical industry by storm with safety features that has seen it fitted in secure units across the country. The judges praised the company’s design saying: “The Safevent window allows patients and staff to fully open a window in complete safety with no restrictions, permitting maximum natural ventilation. Due to its unique design, it has no locks or hinges and has self-cleaning glass. Its installation in over one hundred acute locations is testimony to its operational success.” The window has a fine mesh over the openable side that allows the window to be open and let in air, but nothing else can get through. It also offers extra safety as they are designed to be anti ligature fittings. Already it has become a massive success and the windows have been installed at hospitals across the country.

Class under glass help Blue Peter star: Sunderland students are on a high after using their singing skills to help Blue Peter presenter Joel Defries through a hard day's work. The popular BBC kids' show's latest presenter had his work cut out when he stopped off in the region to film part of the TV programme. And pupils from Highfield Community Primary School, Ford, Sunderland, were on hand to help him get through his gruelling day. A team of abseilers responsible for cleaning The Sage Gateshead, IS-IS Property Service, had set Joel the task of helping them get the iconic regional landmark spotless. Joel was given extensive training to learn how to abseil, and how to clean windows, before being put to test on the roof alongside the experienced team. And to help him with his work, a team of youngsters from the school sang George Formby's When I'm Cleaning Windows as they waved him on from the building's concourse. When he got back down to earth, Joel said: "I knew it sounded good but The Sage Gateshead has never looked so good." Anthony Wintle, an experienced abseiling window cleaner from IS-IS, added: "I think my job's safe – for now."

Providing insights into strengthening your business: In celebration of Small Business Week, Campbell River Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the Business and Professional Women’s Network, will present Together We Are Stronger – Insights and Ideas to Strengthen Your Business. The evening will kick-off with networking and an opportunity to learn more about the BPWN and the Chamber of Commerce. During dinner, Brent Hohlweg, co-founder and CEO of Men in Kilts, North America’s premier window and gutter cleaning company, will share his insights about the growth, success and unique marketing twist of his business. Over dessert and coffee, a panel of local entrepreneurs will discuss their business experiences and address questions from the floor.
Men in Kilts, with head offices based in Richmond, B. C. provides an industry first guaranteed five minute eco-friendly green estimate to more than 4,000 clients across the entire Lower Mainland. Hohlweg’s business partner and Men in Kilts president, Nic Brand, started Men in Kilts in 2002 with just $500 and a ladder strapped to the top of a rusty old Honda. Since then Hohlweg and Brand have taken the company from idea and sole proprietorship to an outstanding commercial success. Sales have doubled every year since incorporation and in 2009, Men in Kilts will surpass the one million mark. The corporation has been built with a long-term vision to franchising across North America. Hohlweg’s professional background includes many years in management with a Fortune 500 retail company and number of small start ups. Most recently Hohlweg was awarded the 2008 Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award from the Richmond Chamber of Commerce.

Police warn of window washer scammer making rounds: Don’t open your doors to strangers, warn Saanich police, as a man claiming to be a window washer has scammed a number of seniors out of money. Police know of at least five incidents around Greater Victoria – including Saanich, Central Saanich, and Oak Bay – since September, where a man calling himself John and claiming to be from a window washing company says he is in need of assistance. The man has told his victims that he’s at the building – most often apartment buildings for seniors – to wash windows and that his van broke down nearby. He asks residents for money to get his vehicle fixed. Most often he requests $20 or $40, but has also asked for $200.
The latest incident happened on Oct. 10 when the suspect entered a building in the 500 block of Marsett Place claiming to be in distress because his vehicle broke down. In this case, he showed his driver’s licence to the victim, presumably to prove his legitimacy. “I don’t know if it was fake or not,” said Sgt. Julie Fast. “My guess is that it was his actual driver’s licence, but (the victim) couldn’t recall the name on it.” The man also entered a business in the 4000 block of Quadra St. on Oct. 5 with the same story, asking for $80 to fix his vehicle. The man was very forceful and wouldn’t leave, so staff called police. He was gone before police arrived and some money was given to him before he left.
“This person is being allowed into (apartment) buildings, which means he’s being buzzed in ... Don’t let anybody into the building that you don’t know,” said Sgt. Julie Fast. “If you’ve got this individual asking for money, if your suspicions are raised, don’t hand over your money to anybody. Don’t give them money if you don’t know them. And if you do find yourself giving money to somebody and they leave, and you’re thinking, ‘Why did I do that?’ call police. Anything suspicious like that, report it to police right away.” The suspect involved is described as a caucasian man between 35 and 45 years of age. He is between 5’8” and 5’10” tall, 160 to 180 pounds. He has short dark brown hair. Police are asking anyone with information on this man to give call 250-475-4321 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

'Chilling' threats to get cash: A man who loaned his life savings to a friend who was later jailed for drug dealing made chilling threats to try to get the cash back. Antony Weegram gave £12,500 to friend Antony O'Connor to set up a window cleaning business. But he harassed O'Connor's mother Debra Dunn on several occasions after he was jailed for five years last year. Teesside Crown Court heard how Weegram, 25, inferred to her that O'Connor could be attacked in prison if they did not come up with the money. Weegram received a suspended prison sentence yesterday after admitting harassment. But he denied threatening violence. The court heard Weegram first approached Mrs Dunn in the street on January 4 and went with her to her daughter's house where they were expecting a call from O'Connor. But he left before the phone call after things got heated and Weegram said: "I'm not waiting five years to get the money back." On January 19, he contacted her again through a third party who warned the debt could rise to £16,000. Mrs Dunn then called Weegram to try and sort things out, but felt harassed again after another heated conversation. Sam Andrews, prosecuting, said: "The first time she met him he made her believe her son might come to harm in prison. "She was clearly harassed throughout this period and frightened by his behaviour." There was no suggestion the loan was used or intended for drugs. Paul Cleasby, mitigating for Weegram, who was of previous good character, said: "He is sorry for the upset that he has caused Mrs Dunn." Weegram, a welding inspector of Belmont Gardens, was sentenced to three months in prison suspended for two years. Judge Peter Fox said: "That to a mother obviously already in distress at her son's offending and sentence, it must have come as an additional burden to bear and it was a chilling thing for her to hear."

Finally: Tony Evans of "A New View window cleaning" gives us another episode in the weather or not summer edition..