Just figure out how long it'll take, multiply that by your hourly figure, and there's your price. Don't worry about sqft stuff on residential repaints charge for time.

 

I only do interiors and don't bid based on sq. ft. simply because of the variables involved with prep and to a certain degree, textures. Each job has different aspects which make it unique. Charge by the job based on your time, materials, and overhead expenses.

 

I bid all interiors by the sq foot of wall space, linear foot of baseboard & crown, and unit cost for doors/door trim, masking, cleaning, prep, moving furniture, etc. and if I think something's gonna be more of a pain than usual I'll add on a little extra.

 

Same basically, double check yourself by also using how much time it will take you to do the job and compare the #'s

 

Just figure out how long it will take you to paint, but i always figure set up & cleanup time, Repair work is tough if any, it always seems to take longer then expected, most times i give the customer estimated time for repair only.

 

Thank you all for the tips/suggestions ! I figured I definitely will be pricing my interior repaints by the hour. Would any of you recommend any good reading material (books, software . etc...) as a help tool for estimating? I was looking into the National Painting Cost Estimator, although I'm not sure If it would serve me well...

 

Some of the estimating books can give you a starting point, but you should keep track of time spent on the different phases of each job. That'll help you build a database of your actual numbers. It's a pain at the beginning, but it will pay off in the long run.

 

The national paint cost estimator is kinda weird to use. It breaks down every little thing, which I guess is good. But who has time to measure a residential repaint for a whole day?

 

I guess your right....I usually used it for bigger jobs....like on a split face th lit up repaint....it will give you a good number square footage wise for something of that nature....residential repaint not so much...I'd do residential hourly anyways....

When I first started....id just figure paint....and decide how much I want to make for labor...will I have help? Other expenses?

 

i think most estimating does come down to a blended approach really.. today i did a measure up of a exterior lowset. it took me 20 mins and i had a price which i knew i could make money off just simply by looking at how the items calculated based off sqm in relation to time.. i think it can be scary to price a big job, over $20,000 just by eye. you may go room by room but it isnt the same, you end up giving "discounts" because its a 5 bedroom house, paint four rooms get the fifth FREE.. yeh bs i say.

i mostly measure and run a unit based system.. sqm/sqf all walls and ceilings by using a laser range finder, count the doors/frames/windows. look for common bad stuff like mould or rott, if there is assign an hourly charge with an hour or so extra. just make sure to charge your business hourly rate not your personal hourly rate....

now if i come across a window or door or what ever surface which is different or more difficult, i just pit it against its nearest substrate/item within my pricing schedule. for example ..just say there is 100sqm/sqf of rough render/stucco, now if i charge $19 per sqm/sqf for smooth render/stucco and the surface is really really rough render/bagging/stucco ill work out an estimate of how much more paint ill use by the litre ,then BY the drum. Its no good saying i need 12 extra litres so you buy a 10L & two 1L :blink: Now just work out how many extra man hours it will take and add on a couple more.

so if it took 1 extra drum of paint @ $100 + 4 man hours @ $50 p/h = $300.00 extra cost. devide 300 by sqm/sqf of surface area = $3.00 dollars extra per sqm/sqf

keep in mind if the surface had to be pressure washed or special prep to it before painting then that would be priced as a separate amount all together.

its important to have a spreadsheet that will auto calculate your estimated amounts per item/room/hour. you can use your smart fone! this way when your on the job you will actively be searching for items to lodge into the spread sheet and see real $$$$ of what it will cost. by the end of the quote you look at the number and ask yourself is that enough for this room or that room and check again!!!! make sure you allocate the right dollar amounts to the different items or rooms other wise you will die when you realise how much you just cost yourself because you wanted to get home 10 mins quicker to sit down and do friggen nothing!

you yankies would be rolling in cash if you made $21 dollars a SQF for stucco LOL!

 

I guess your right....I usually used it for bigger jobs....like on a split face th lit up repaint....it will give you a good number square footage wise for something of that nature....residential repaint not so much...I'd do residential hourly anyways....

When I first started....id just figure paint....and decide how much I want to make for labor...will I have help? Other expenses?

The most important thing to remember about unit pricing is where did you get the number? It's a simple formula on a excel spreadsheet based on YOUR production rates to get a unit price. As Brian (Phillips) would often say just remember to have a separate line item for all the other tasks involved in the job or figure them in to your production rate. Or just do what 90% do and WAG.

 

Or just do what 90% do and WAG.

Or join the 10% and make it a SWAG!

 

I've found that over time I've been able to develop a profitable sq ft rate. Started by guessing and refining and now I can say that I'm around $1.50/sq ft of floor space depending on materials. This is for blow n go + backroll not custom work. That price includes an accent wall in one room however.

 

I've found that over time I've been able to develop a profitable sq ft rate. Started by guessing and refining and now I can say that I'm around $1.50/sq ft of floor space depending on materials. This is for blow n go + backroll not custom work. That price includes an accent wall in one room however.

Seriously? $1:50 ???

 

Seriously? $1:50 ???

What's floor space?

 

The national paint cost estimator is kinda weird to use. It breaks down every little thing, which I guess is good. But who has time to measure a residential repaint for a whole day?

I do and many others as well all estimators I know do. Doesn't take long depends on the job unless its the exact same layout every job . I don't price a job by the floor unless I'm painting the floor.

 

What's floor space?

What's floor space?

If he was to paint a a 10x 12 room ie 120 sq ft of floor he would charge $180 dollars to paint the room. So lets say you have a new home 3500 sq ft of floor space . The spec says paint ceilings , walls, doors, window trims, crown, baseboard 2 cts to cover. His price would be $5250 ie $1.50x 3500= $ 5250.

Now keep in mind in 1985 I knew a bunch of painters getting $1.85 per sq ft of floor and its 2014 and he's charging $1.50 and says he's making money so....what do I know.

 

This seems like the simplest way to do an estimate. Now, in this example, would you offer 2 cts on everything? (ceiling, walls, trim, etc.)
Also, this would just be for labor right? Paint and materials separate?