We have listed some frequently asked questions in order to better assist you in understanding our snow removal service.
Your contract covers snow removal service from November 1st through April 30th. While snow may occur outside this time frame and we may be able to provide minimal services just prior to or after the contract dates, we cannot guarantee service before November 1st or after April 30th.
Olympic Heights Snow Removal will begin operations after snowfall reaches a depth of 4" or more in your driveway. The timing of snow removal may vary from day to day as many factors go into our start time including the; Snowfall Forecast, Safety and Street Clearing schedule. Your contract guarantees one driveway clearing per 24-hour period. If it snows 4” or more after your driveway has been cleared, we will clear your driveway again the following day. Due to the unpredictability and severity of winter storms in Tahoe, we cannot guarantee that we will arrive at your house at a set time each day. While we prefer to plow when it is dark because of safety concerns and reduced traffic, our start time depends on when the snow began accumulating, current conditions and the forecast for the day. We suggest that you consider purchasing a snow blower in addition to contracting with a snow removal service if you want the security of knowing that you can get into and out of your house at any given time. Total route clearing time depends on whether or not the streets have been cleared, the size of berms, the depth of snow, type of snow ( light and fluffy vs. heavy snow ), road traffic and equipment breakdowns. Typically a 4-6" storm will take 3 hours to clear all driveways and berms. Over 12" of snow will take 6++ hours to complete routes.
Most homeowners and visitors have 4 wheel drive or all terrain vehicles with snow tires. The vehicles are designed to drive through some snow. You do not need to wait for your driveway to be cleared if your vehicle can handle the conditions.
The Town Of Truckee is responsible for road plowing within Olympic Heights and they operate two separate shifts. We closely monitor their road plowing and will attempt to remove berms during our shift. Depending on the size and snow conditions, berms left after our normal routes MAY or may NOT be removed the following day. There will be times that you will need to shovel these berms.
The amount of snow remaining will vary by driveways based on sun exposure, slope of the driveway and wind conditions. More accumulation will occur with heavy wet snow. Our operators are familiar with these conditions and do their best to minimize the snow deposited in front of your garage door, however homeowners will need to shovel the excess.
Typically looking out your window or on your webcam will not give you a good sense of whether or not we have cleared your driveway. Since we begin our operations sometimes early in the morning and it may have continued to snow. If you don't want to go outside to check, you can always look to see if there is snow in front of your garage door. More snow in front of the garage than in the driveway itself, means that it has been cleared.
If snow slides off your roof or you have someone shovel your roof or decks/walkways onto the driveway we will clean up the snow during our regular clearing. Snow that unloads or is removed from roofs or decks/walkways after the driver has cleared for the day is the property owner’s or tenants responsibility.
Driveways that have more sun exposure or are south facing will clear more quickly after a storm. The sun on a driveway helps warm the asphalt resulting in less snow and ice build up. Ice melt and/or sand applied to a scraped driveway will help to melt off excess snow/ice and provide better traction.
We offer one-time service for homeowners that may not need full seasonal services. As with our seasonal snow removal, the rates are based on driveway size and slope. In addition, we consider the amount of snow in the driveway. The minimum cost of one time service is $150. Please setup 24hrs in advance as this service will only be provided during our normal route.
#1. It is not a guarantee that your driveway will always look black of pavement.
#2. It is not a guarantee your driveway will not get or be icy.
#3. We do not go out for every LITTLE STORM as our Min. is 4". And that 4" has to cover at least 50% of all clients in order to call a plow event.
#4. We can clear a big amount of snow but It does not mean that you will not have to touch a shovel or do a little of your own snow removal for light storms or around the places we can not reach like the front of garages.
#5. We do not and are not responsible for clearing snow off of your vehicle.
It is a guarantee that you will have access to your driveway after it snows 1, 2, 4, or 5, Feet of snow and everyone gets buried.