[riohandyman]

Hi All,

I am a painter, but have never ventured out on my own before.
I have an opportunity to bid a 4000 sq ft new construction, 2 story house with basement and 3 car garage.

I went to see the place, and am baffled. It has NO TRIM yet, no flooring, so spraying the ceiling is obviously the way to go.

The bid will be for primer and 1st coat for now

The Entry has 20' ceiling that also runs into attached Great Room, about 20 x 30.

This house basically has 20,000 square feet of drywall to be primed and first coated. The drywall/tape/nud job looks very good.

Help! I don't have a clue how to bid this because of the high ceiling!

The walls will be different colors, ceilings all the same.

 

[Kennedy]

Honestly, this might not be a good 1st job to test your estimating skills on. Mabey you could find another painter to go in on the job with.

 

[Runamuk]

I'd have to agree, sorry, but it is not wise to gamble (with your limited experience).

99% of the job is just not screwing anything up which can be very tricky when it comes to large projects.

If I were to bid a new 4000 sq footer it would be nothing less than $6.50 per sq.
Cabinets and fine fineshes not included.

Rick

 

[Rich]

I am a painter, but have never ventured out on my own before

so you have started your own company with insurance and a license?​

or​

are you still someones employee?

or

neither and you want to take a risk that could end up with you being fined or going to court?​

 

[Rich]

If I were to bid a new 4000 sq footer it would be nothing less than $6.50 per sq. Cabinets and fine fineshes not included. Rick

definitely Ca rates!

 

[welovepainting]

no doubt $6.50 psf ... ranches go for 1.5 mil with no land there. :blink:

 

[Rich]

I typically don't touch new...but it's $3.50-4.00 psf around here...ranches are around 200k here-with land...away from the shore of course

 

[painttofish]

Consult with someone in your area who has EXPERIENCE or let this one pass. It sounds a bit big for your first time. my 2 cents

 

[Dave Mac]

How much expereince do you have, in new work?????

I mean as a painter if you have done a hundred new houses, with so many guys on the crew you can kind of figure how long its gonna take.

I would suggest as the others have said, it would probaly be a nightmare for you, unless you know new work inside and out, not to mention their are not that many if any builders i trust,

dave mac

 

[Workaholic]

Trim has a big factor on what i charge sqft. go with the 3.50-4.00 for this job. Also as others stated this might not be the best job for your first.

 

[NuView Painting]

I'll never see 6.50 sqft here...

 

[timhag]

If you are confident and have experience, take the risk. Going into business is all about risk. I took the risk, still going strong after 6 years.As for the bidding,figure out what you want to make per day,what you are going to pay your help,estimate how many days and add for material. Worry about the sqft. at a as you become a more experinced businessman.

 

[Tmrrptr]

It DOES sound like too big a job for first trip out of the barn...

Prove me wrong!

Walk the jobsite with a notebook and consider all aspects of your participation in the project, identify all your costs and overhead, include 10-30% profit, and give 'em a bid with all the performance details spelled out AND a draw schedule that will keep things on an even keel.

Good luck
r