[NEPS.US]

How do you price a .................ha fooled ya...

I was talking to couple of PM's from two different national construction companies. One is a commercial PM specializing in store and office build outs and the other was a residential PM. Both said they are making a killing on paint. Killing their budgets from their paint prices. They are recieving more bids than last year and the prices are being driven down across the board by the competition. I asked if they had changed or lowered their standards on prequalifying sub's and they both claim that they had in fact tighted their procedures and had seen less activity from illegal subs. This isn't even a case of the GC's dropping their budgets and cutting prices. This is a case of competing painting companies killing themselves to get work. Terrible.

It's gonna be a crazy winter and those of you that dont have a plan and have booked it better start thinking of it now. If your cutting prices not only are you cheating yourself, but cheating every painting company trying to make a decent wage.

 

[Wing 54]

NEPS no truer words have been spoken openly for quite a long time.

thanks

Now we gotta figure out what to do.

 

[tsunamicontract]

I think part of it may be that since there are very few new homes being built right now that all the new const. painters are starving and need something to paint. So there are more painters and less market total.

 

[Wing 54]

What would be wrong with certification and proof of insurance?

 

[vermontpainter]

NEP

I am getting the same sense around here from builders and painters, that too many painters are allowing the pendulum to swing over to the side where the builders can write their own ticket in terms of paint costs, schedules and quality expectations.

I may go down with the ship that doesnt budge for them, but to me even in a "bad" economy we are still offering a high quality service and if anything our own costs are only going up. I would much sooner pursue other markets than submit to ultra competetive posturing for builders.

Like you have done, we identified during good times who the right contractors were to be doing business with, and have worked hard to partner with them and preserve the relationships. Thats not to say that other painters dont throw themselves at my clients...they do. Fortunately, we do a good enough job of continuing to educate the builders about the services we provide to them so that they can see the difference when they are offered something else.

 

[PressurePros]

Costs are getting ridiculous. Plastic is up, mineral spirits is up, stain, gas, cost of living in general. Then a builder wants the buck to stop at you/me/us? No way. These guys at the top of the chain hiring the subs have to start charging more to recoup their losses. I'm not in business to make someone else money.

End of rant.