[Sarah]

Hello everyone...we just started our company again after being away for a LONG time. Can anyone tell me what the going rate is per square foot to paint:

Residential interior and
Residential exterior
(assuming all walls, ceilings, trim, doors, shutters, etc need to be painted)
We are located in Georgia.

I know a lot of factors are involved......one coat/2 coats, color choice, condition of house, but just a general idea would be appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[Brian]

Sarah,

If you intend to be successful, that is make a decent salary and a net profit, don't worry about the "going rate". The "going rate" is the going broke rate.

Your rates will be unique to your company based on your overhead, your wage structure, and your profit goals. Basing your prices on anyone else's numbers is a sure fire way to go out of business.

I'm sure timhag will be directing you to appropriate threads soon, but in the meantime you might do a search.

Brian Phillips

 

[Rich]

I don't use (nor do I know any painter in my area who uses...) sq. foot rates for residential painting. I am only aware of new construction and commercial work being conducted with these rates.

It is important to be competitive while still making a profit. You definitely need to assess all business costs to determine what to charge.

 

[NEPS.US]

You might want to figure your daily production and attach a rate to that while you get back in the swing of things to figure out you own rates. The only timeI used sq/ft rates is for new construction and commercial. And usually those rates are just a starting point to work with.

 

[timhag]

Hello everyone...we just started our company again after being away for a LONG time. Can anyone tell me what the going rate is per square foot to paint:

Residential interior and
Residential exterior
(assuming all walls, ceilings, trim, doors, shutters, etc need to be painted)
We are located in Georgia.

I know a lot of factors are involved......one coat/2 coats, color choice, condition of house, but just a general idea would be appreciated.

Thanks!

You say you have been away for a long time.....where have you been? What makes you think pricing is the only thing thats gonna get you started. What you may want to do is read through this site. Use the search button to find topics, I'm sure you this will help you move along. http://www.painttalk.com/index.php

 

[JNLP]

Only you can know your sqft rate. I have a rate I use on residential houses, but that rate was made up of what I know I can do & what I need. That rate also only covers certain things, as some things are better off decided on an hourly basis.

 

[slickshift]

Hi Sarah, and welcome

I must also insist there is no such thing as the "going rate"
Call up three different companies for a bid on a project, and you'll get three different prices
There's a reason for that
Each company has different costs and overhead, and needs different profit margins to reach their (different) goals, and therefore has different prices

Your company shouldn't use others' numbers any more than my company should use yours
No offense, but obviously I have no idea what your costs, overhead, quality, and experience are/is
Why would I want to base my pricing on yours?

Do some searches, ask some more questions...this is a great place to learn
I learn something here nearly every day

 

[Paul_R]

Sarah, very important to know your costs of doing business, production rates, your salary, and hopefully, profit. Are you a one or two person operation, or are you a company owner with employees? Did you say that you had been in business before? Have you read The E Myth Contractor? Great book.
Use the search box here and you will find answers to most questions. A few of my threads are from fruitless searches. (maybe I didn't use the best search words) But, basics are covered well with a simple search.

Happy Painting, Paul.