Well, learn from this, and put it in your bid, that the walls should be dust free, or you'll charge extra. I cannot recommend more highly that you write a quote template (or several) , and add to it whenever you run across more things like this. Cover your bases. It might not even demand that the walls be dusted, but simply something like "Will the walls be dusted prior to my arrival, or will I be responsible for wall dusting?" Give them a long list of questions: "Will the floors be covered by the GC, or is that my responsibility?" "What stage of construction will the painting happen? Before tile? Floors? cabinets?" The more knowledge you have, the better you can prepare, and charge accordingly. If you dont want to dust walls, give them a HIGH price to do it yourself, and they'll be WAY more likely to make the drywallers do it.
I just do wallpaper these days, but I have a template I send everyone that wants a quote, and I have another little message before I start the job. Not to mention, the contract, which has all kinds of stipulations, but the more things you can put out there, the less surprises youll end up with. Plus, anything you get in writing you can throw right back at people, cuz its documented.
Heres my pre-job list I send out:
Just a few things before I start your project:
I will need close by parking. I try not to park in driveways, unless the street is a good distance away. Please keep that in mind, especially if its trash day, and there are bins on the curbs.
Client is responsible for making sure the correct amount of material has been delivered, and all rolls are from the same run/batch number.
Please have area cleared of all personal/small/fragile items before I arrive. I need at minimum, three feet of space in front of walls. I can move most furniture and stuff, but I am by myself, so if anything is too heavy for one person, I need to know in advance.
I may need a sizeable (6'x10') area to setup a paste table. Think about where a good placement would be.
If I am working in a bathroom, please remove all items, and make sure room is clean and sanitized, especially toilet areas, that I will need to get up close and personal with. I will remove and reinstall electrical, towel racks, removable mirrors, lights etc. If there are any very fragile/expensive lights, please make me aware beforehand. In rare cases, an electrician may need to be called to remove, and reinstall.
Please direct me to a restroom you'd prefer me to use while working.
I will usually prime the area before hanging. Be aware that the primer is rather pungent. If anyone in the household has health issues, is pregnant or there are infants, it may be advisable to vacate the house for the day, depending on house size, area to be wallpapered etc.
Payment can be cash, check, or paypal, venmo, or card if needed, but there may be a 3% fee charged for digital transactions.
If in doubt or have questions about anything, please text me at xxxxx
Make sure I have your address and phone number as well.
Thank you for choosing Woodco Paint and Wallcoverings.
Make your own to suit your needs, but its a digital world, and its stupid not to take advantage of it. I keep all my templates and stuff in my dropbox on my phone, so when people call or text about quotes, I email them the appropriate template. My phone messages also tell them to text me an email address if they want a quote. Then I cna take a quick break, and copy and paste my message, and shoot them an email, and deal with it when I get home.