[Salvie]

Hey guys. Thanks for your advice on the hat banding.

I have been painting for the last two years, doing some quality work compared to what I have seen. I have been following standards and not cutting corners. I have happy customers but because of the extra time I am taking my profit margins are not where I would like them to be. How can I improve this, any suggestions?

For some of you guys out there this is old hat but here are some of the frustrating issues I am experiencing: :wallbash:

-How do you price out a closet or house full of items? Do you let the customer know you will not move their items and risk them going with another company?

-What if you scratch the customers floor while moving a piece of furniture for example or damage the furniture, who is responsible?

-I had to remove window treatments, Hunter Douglas Luminents "very sensitive" for a re-paint and when I went back to insall them they would not function properly.

-When I did some drywall repair I had to remount a glass shelf, the bracket didn't hold and the shelf broke. It was pretty costly to replace

-I have a pretty decent handle on estimating my production rates but when it comes time to put-back and clean up, i.e. outlet covers, air vents, shelves etc. that's when it starts eating into my profits. Any advice?


Thanks.

 

[Tmrrptr]

Salvie, YOU are responsible to pay for all the incidental damage you mentioned, if asked.

Best to ask client to move stuff, and advise you will charge to do so.

I had a pair of carpet installers come into a house I was working in... there were two smaller couches in a room. they would NOT move because it was not on their work order to move furniture... $350 extra !

...It's the insurance liability...

Yah just gotta charge more!
r

 

[Painted Dreams]

Yup, our contract says HO moves everything out of the way or we charge for labor.
Also says that we are not responsible for anything broken. (we would pay to replace anything that we broke do to our error but this covers us if we move something that HO knows is broken and it falls apart when we try to move it)

Never had a problem yet...

PD

 

[slickshift]

A house full of crap can get pretty hairy
I will move large items, but it says in the contract they are responsible for the small stuff (which is the time consuming and usually fragile part)

Regardless, a house full of crap gets extra PITA charges added onto the bid
(one of the reasons I don't use sq. ft. to price repaints)
It doesn't matter if they SAY they will move everything, assume when you get there it will not be moved

I look at a room and figure an extra hour, half, two, whatever by looking at it, then double it to move it back

On a side note
Never, ever, move a grandfather clock
The older ones are very touchy, and a sneeze can cause the need for a tech to come out
There's not many left, and they ain't cheap
Just don't even touch it

 

[painttofish]

Just make sure you look over the job to include everything involved to put paint on walls, ceilings, whatever. that means set up, moving of furnituure, plate covers, dogs/cats, kids, talkative customer, clean up, you get the idea. This all takes time, and sometimes more time than the actual painting. Sounds like you are honest and do good work so remember to charge for that service, your competition is!

 

[welovepainting]

I agree with slick, move the big stuff not the samll stuff. Include the cost to put the items back if need be, but try to aviod that situation. We rarley ever put things back only the big stuff. We are paid to paint nothing less nothing more.

If an item seems questionable dont botther with it make that their responsibility.

A house full of crap can get pretty hairy
I will move large items, but it says in the contract they are responsible for the small stuff (which is the time consuming and usually fragile part)

Regardless, a house full of crap gets extra PITA charges added onto the bid
(one of the reasons I don't use sq. ft. to price repaints)
It doesn't matter if they SAY they will move everything, assume when you get there it will not be moved

I look at a room and figure an extra hour, half, two, whatever by looking at it, then double it to move it back

On a side note
Never, ever, move a grandfather clock
The older ones are very touchy, and a sneeze can cause the need for a tech to come out
There's not many left, and they ain't cheap
Just don't even touch it

 

[DeanV]

I hate it when stuff breaks on a jobsite. I have one customer, a very nice older lady, but she has a TON of small fragile decorations everywhere. She moves them, but they are still in the work area, like on a table, hutch, shelves, counter areas, etc. You still have to put a drop cloth over them and have to hope nothing tips over in the process.