Author Topic: How much to charge per foot in & out  (Read 30321 times)

Offline rmichael

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Re: How much to charge per foot in & out
« Reply #15 on: December 20, 2007, 07:33:31 PM »
The best painters are a selfish sort, they get a great deal of satisfaction from doing the job very well, this will eventually create value and a demand for their services.... but I will add that it is all relative.
Price is relative to experience & quality.
Price is relative to your market area.
Price is relative to the size of your business & overhead, sometimes it's not what you bring in it's what you get to keep...  ;)

rmichael

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Offline brushworks

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Re: How much to charge per foot in & out
« Reply #16 on: December 20, 2007, 09:38:37 PM »
When interior repaint is slow, look for a niche like cabinet refinishing. That's very popular around here.



Michael
When asked, "what do you do for a living?" I reply, "I market the world's best windows and doors."

Offline CarlThePainter

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Re: How much to charge per foot in & out
« Reply #17 on: December 21, 2007, 10:58:54 PM »
I have to say that though I don't agree with lowballing, if a guy has very little painting experience charging 20 bucks an hour, his pricing is probably going to be about the same as a guy with 15 years experience charging 40 bucks an hour.

If it takes me 4 hours to paint a bedroom and it takes him 8 hours....well we will be charging exactly the same.  So, is that really lowballing? I think that is a realistic scenerio too based on how long it took me to paint a bedroom when I was learning how to paint....heck I think it used to take me 4 hours to paint a coat closet!


Offline ProWallGuy

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Re: How much to charge per foot in & out
« Reply #18 on: December 22, 2007, 03:01:03 PM »
I have to say that though I don't agree with lowballing, if a guy has very little painting experience charging 20 bucks an hour, his pricing is probably going to be about the same as a guy with 15 years experience charging 40 bucks an hour.
Yes, I agree. But is the experienced guy, or the new guy explaining this to the customer? Probably neither.
So now the customer thinks that all painters should be worth $20 per hour. Same effect lowballing does to the industry as a whole.

Offline CarlThePainter

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Re: How much to charge per foot in & out
« Reply #19 on: December 22, 2007, 05:48:25 PM »
I have to say that though I don't agree with lowballing, if a guy has very little painting experience charging 20 bucks an hour, his pricing is probably going to be about the same as a guy with 15 years experience charging 40 bucks an hour.
Yes, I agree. But is the experienced guy, or the new guy explaining this to the customer? Probably neither.
So now the customer thinks that all painters should be worth $20 per hour. Same effect lowballing does to the industry as a whole.

Yeah, very true.  This is why we try not to work for customers by the hour or T&M.   There is no reason for them to know how much we make per hour.

Offline Lynjowoman

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Re: How much to charge per foot in & out
« Reply #20 on: December 22, 2007, 09:43:40 PM »
Quote

Yeah, very true.  This is why we try not to work for customers by the hour or T&M.   There is no reason for them to know how much we make per hour.

I agree 100% there. You are shooting yourself in the foot when they know how much we make per hr. But they don't bat an eye when they charge you $150/hr or more for their services.

Lynjo
« Last Edit: December 22, 2007, 09:53:28 PM by Lynjowoman »
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Offline rmichael

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Re: How much to charge per foot in & out
« Reply #21 on: December 22, 2007, 09:50:57 PM »
I have to say that though I don't agree with lowballing, if a guy has very little painting experience charging 20 bucks an hour, his pricing is probably going to be about the same as a guy with 15 years experience charging 40 bucks an hour.
Yes, I agree. But is the experienced guy, or the new guy explaining this to the customer? Probably neither.
So now the customer thinks that all painters should be worth $20 per hour. Same effect lowballing does to the industry as a whole.

Good point Tim. It's like paper hangers list pricing by the roll, it can put the whole industry in a box, at least in public perception .....
« Last Edit: December 22, 2007, 09:54:40 PM by rmichael »
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Offline LJ

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Re: How much to charge per foot in & out
« Reply #22 on: December 22, 2007, 10:33:41 PM »
Hi Bob,

I haven't owned my own business as a painting contractor for long so I can feel your pain regarding bidding.  When I was first getting started I purchased and devoured the two books that the Paintsmith mentioned at the beginning of this thread.  I found them to be very helpful and they were only about $10 each off of amazon.  You might also take a look at the Painting and Decorating Contractor's of America (PDCA) website at www.pdca.org. They have a store with some good selections, at least in my opinion.  I have purchased both their volumns on Cost and Estimating and am slowly incorperating their concepts into my practices.  As a result, I bid much more confidently and I think I've won more contracts (partly due to being confident.) 

Regarding the Time and Material discussion, I try to steer clear of giving hourly rate information in my bid letters.  Instead, I attempt to give the customer as much info as possible about the amount of area to be coated, the scope of work I'll perform and the characteristics of the materials I'll use.  When doing this, I've found that customers tend to be more willing to use my services without regard to an hourly rate.  On the flip side, I've found that bidding this way takes time, but I like the benefits more than I dislike the detriments.

There's my two cents for all its worth  ;D

Just a quick modification: one of the books I purchased was the Painter's Handbook, not the Painting Contractor's Handbook - only about a $120 difference.  However, I would recommend the Painter's Handbook also as a good resource.
« Last Edit: December 30, 2007, 01:33:05 AM by LJ »

Offline reveti

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Re: How much to charge per foot in & out
« Reply #23 on: January 24, 2008, 05:13:11 PM »
300 bucks a day minimum, or i am staying in bed
I\\\'m a firm believer that if the other side scores first you have to score twice to win.\\\"

Offline Marion

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Re: How much to charge per foot in & out
« Reply #24 on: February 06, 2008, 02:28:29 PM »
I never did like working by the hour.  I always felt I couldn't work hard enough to earn the money and would work myself to a frazzle.  When I decided to go into business, I made my self a couple promises:

1.  I'd always supply my own materials so I could control the quailty.

2.  I'd always make detailed proposals, so everyone would still be friends when the job was finished.

3.  I'd always work for a contract price and never by the hour.

4.  Always a detailed contract, even with friends.  It keeps you friends.

5.  Always preform work in a way that if anyone ever said anything bad about me, they would have to tell a d&*n lie.

Starting out, sure I missed it on some jobs and didn't make much money (Still do sometimes).  But, I never went hungry and the bills are paid.

As to price per sq. ft.  You may have to start out a bit less than the going rates, in order to get some steady clients.  But remember, you owe it to all painters to raise your prices as soon as you feel comfortable.  We all win in the long run. 
Best,<br />Marion

Offline Lynjowoman

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Re: How much to charge per foot in & out
« Reply #25 on: February 06, 2008, 04:04:43 PM »
Very good advice.
"Whatever women do they must do twice as well as men to be thought half as good. Luckily, this is not difficult."
Charlotte Whitton

Offline BrushJockey

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Re: How much to charge per foot in & out
« Reply #26 on: February 06, 2008, 05:49:28 PM »
Very nice list Marion!  To which I'd add show up when you say and leave the job clean . ( Which I can tell  you do, just adding to your list.)

Then if anyone follows that list, they can't miss!

"It would be ludicrous to think I'm new to this, I know this, this is what I do"  ( Prince and Geo Clinton..)

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Re: How much to charge per foot in & out
« Reply #27 on: February 06, 2008, 07:03:55 PM »
Marion -

I can already tell that I'd hire your operation without hesitation, were I a client instead of a contractor.  ;)

You are of a rare breed, and I believe you'll fit right in around here.

Thanks for the input!

Offline readboutjc

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Re: How much to charge per foot in & out
« Reply #28 on: February 07, 2008, 12:55:33 AM »
the going rate for painter's in my area is $25 per hour.  for those that charge by the hour.

30 minutes south and the rate runs $35 - $40 per hour.  for those that charge by the hour.

i always let my customer's know that i work a full time job and paint and do handyman
work on the side.  i work somewhere every day except 2 sundays in a 5 week cycle.

when looking at a job i always try to figure in my head how much the job should
cost if i was going to go by an estimate only.  i was only off by $60 on my last one and am
getting better at it with each job.  i just raised my rate to $23.50 plus materials, and for now,
i need a guaranteed pay check.
 

Offline Marion

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Re: How much to charge per foot in & out
« Reply #29 on: February 07, 2008, 10:34:04 AM »
Thanks for the kind words.  And Bushjockey your addition is another essential, in my opinion. 
Best,<br />Marion

 

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