Effeciency is the name of the texture game, your helper can mix 50 gals of powder per hour for a few dollars cost. Having that done while the masking is going on is almost like getting it done for nothing, since the supply house will bring the material, you only bring an empty barrel... or two.
Hose busting pump power is nice... right up until you've got to pay $3,000 for a hose busting pump, and $1,000 when the hose buster busts. Especially when Graco proves that a cheap hose-beater pump will get the job done. Not real well.... but done. Besides, now that you have got the mixed material on the job in 50 gal containers for next to nothing, you need a very adequate pump that you can bring to the job easily and get from tank to tank easily. A pump set up that allows you to move 20 gals of material around in a 50 gal tank, is quite efficient, on the job.
Having 75 feet of hose on your pump set-up will allow you to do this with a very good gun range. The Graco 1040 dual diaphragm pump is perfect for this sort of activity. For $700 bucks, it will move material through 75' of hose as fast as you care to run, faster then anyone you could hire too. If you can figure out a way to break it, it generally costs $100 dollars and 30 minutes to fix. Hands down, the ultimate texture pump.
Mounted on a hand truck, it sits directly above a 55 gal tank, you will generally use that amount in a 75' radius, but get it half empty, and it moves quite easily. With an 18' vertical dry suction lift, you will be able to pull texture through a 40" pick-up tube easily, and it is much easier then pouring buckets into a hopper.
Then there is the all important air. Now that you haven't paid too much for a pump, mixer, and sprayer structure, you have plenty of money left for what is called "appropriate" air. That is, more then you will need at any given time. Just like the guy that services tires on the interstate. He is able to spend $2,000.00 for a 26 CFM @175 dual stage compressor, and bolt it down into his truck, just to blow up tires, and run his air tools.
Take a tip from him, because you can bolt that compressor into an S-10 or a Ranger for what you want to do. 200' of hose will bring the air to the 20th floor if need be.
Your rig fits in the back of a Nissan pickup, you are usually moving around 75 pds at a time, you mix under a roof, and you have the same 1000 bd. a day capacity of any $20,000+ texture rig, without burning anywhere near the gas.
jdl