Bid help - Contractor Talk - Professional Construction and Remodeling Forum

doitalldave · 03-27-2009, 03:26 PM

approximately how many hours should i bid out for something with these specs. This is for 3 apartment communities so should be a decent amount of work to come out of it. im thinking 8 hours for 700 sf, 12 hours 1000 sf, and 16 hours for 1200. Are these too hi, too lo? How much should my labor charge be? 30 bucks an hour? too hi, too low?

Average price for a 1Bdrm (700 sf), 2Bdrm (1000 sf), 3Bdrm apartment (1200
sf)? (no Townhouses)

Properties will supply paint, Covers will be
removed but not put back on, units will be either all one color/sheen or one
color and two sheens (including doors), ceilings painted only when requested
by property.

bobbyacro · 03-27-2009, 03:39 PM

You should PM WisePainter.... He loves helping on these kinds of questions.

boman47k · 03-27-2009, 03:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobbyacro

You should PM WisePainter.... He loves helping on these kinds of questions.

Gonna fit right in!

Al Truistic · 03-27-2009, 05:26 PM

It doesn't really matter what others prices are.

If your labor is as you say, I can cut your price in half and still make twice as much in a day as you do.

That is because you have no idea what you are getting into. Apartment work is not like any other painting, and if you approach it as such you won't make any money.

By the way, I can paint all 3 units in 8 hours by myself. Want to talk hourly rate now?

Al

doitalldave · 03-28-2009, 09:36 AM

You guys keep sitting in front of your PC's flaming people that have honest questions, I'll keep getting your work (experience or not)

strathd · 03-28-2009, 09:56 AM

Guess you told us....................

boman47k · 03-28-2009, 10:15 AM

No flaming here.

JJordan · 03-28-2009, 10:19 AM

Ok.Apartment painting isn't for everyone.I did it for 12 years.Basically,markets are a little different everywhere,but they all have one thing in common.Low prices per unit. The average prices per sq. ft. that apartment painters are charging. .22-.27 cents a square foot for spraying (labor only) And for brush and roller .29-.34 a square foot.This price is average if the ceilings and walls are the same color/finish.(typically flat and a stock color)Baseboards,doors,window sills,frames,kitchens/bathrooms should be the same color/finish.Typically white semi gloss(stock color) You have to be organized and know how far to go with basic prep work and know how to skip things without getting caught.I usually have my guys evaluate the unit before starting to get a game plan together.Good luck.Like I said it's not for everyone.Oh did I mention you don't get paid for 30 days and often times it's stretched to 45-60 days.I had one account that paid every 2-5 months.If you need money asap go into residential painting.Get ready to fight with these contractors,retirees wanna b painters.People nowadays are willing to work for little or nothing to stay busy.Wow I'm positive about the painting business!

**ProWallGuy** · 03-28-2009, 10:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by doitalldave

You guys keep sitting in front of your PC's flaming people that have honest questions, I'll keep getting your work (experience or not)

How do you think you will be getting our work if you don't even know how to price it?

Good luck with all that.

doitalldave · 03-28-2009, 10:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JJordan

Ok.Apartment painting isn't for everyone.I did it for 12 years.Basically,markets are a little different everywhere,but they all have one thing in common.Low prices per unit. The average prices per sq. ft. that apartment painters are charging. .22-.27 cents a square foot for spraying (labor only) And for brush and roller .29-.34 a square foot.This price is average if the ceilings and walls are the same color/finish.(typically flat and a stock color)Baseboards,doors,window sills,frames,kitchens/bathrooms should be the same color/finish.Typically white semi gloss(stock color) You have to be organized and know how far to go with basic prep work and know how to skip things without getting caught.I usually have my guys evaluate the unit before starting to get a game plan together.Good luck.Like I said it's not for everyone.Oh did I mention you don't get paid for 30 days and often times it's stretched to 45-60 days.I had one account that paid every 2-5 months.If you need money asap go into residential painting.Get ready to fight with these contractors,retirees wanna b painters.People nowadays are willing to work for little or nothing to stay busy.Wow I'm positive about the painting business!

thank you for taking the time to give me an honest answer sir, was all i was looking for.

boman47k · 03-28-2009, 10:45 AM

Keep in mind it still depends on your location and the company wanting the work done. I have seen it lower than what is posted here 2 or 3 years ago if going by sguare footage. On the ones I am familiar with, the ceilings were not included though. Speed is of the essence.

Btw, these were brushed and rolled.

doitalldave · 03-28-2009, 10:59 AM

Every forum needs moderators as helpful to new members as you Prowall

bobbyacro · 03-28-2009, 11:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by doitalldave

Every forum needs moderators as helpful to new members as you Prowall

You never took 5 minutes too understand what this forum is, or who its here to help. Would you walk into a painting contractors office and just start asking how you should price things out? Even if you did, what type of response would you expect to get?

strathd · 03-28-2009, 11:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobbyacro

You never took 5 minutes too understand what this forum is, or who its here to help. Would you walk into a painting contractors office and just start asking how you should price things out? Even if you did, what type of response would you expect to get?

YEAH,what he said.

doitalldave · 03-28-2009, 03:14 PM

my understanding is it is a place for contractors to have discussions. I am a contractor, my company does foreclosure clean outs. The guy liked the work we did and asked me if I would be interested in the painting as well. Not something I've done much bidding on so this seemed like a fairly logical place for me to ask. Was I mistaken?

bobbyacro · 03-28-2009, 04:16 PM

I was a member here for almost a year before I made my first post. When someones first post on a "Pro. to Pro." painting forum is asking how to charge a customer, well, it shows they are not a painter. Most of the people on here are more than happy to help (im not even a painter, just asked for suggestions on how to get hired and what to expect) if you approach it the right way.

To me, you seem nice and didnt have bad intentions, posts like yours take a big ole crap on the trade. I heard so many people say, "Ill have carpenters/drywallers etc. do the work and save some money painting it myself". The question in your post, in my opinion, is insulting to painters because it makes it seem like a monkey, that can add, could do their job. There are many variables to take into account when deciding what to charge. Some of the painters here, and I cant argue with this way of thinking, look at you as someone taking money from them and giving the trade a bad name.

By reading the posts on here its pretty obvious that these people are experts in their fields, many working the trade for decades. What they would charge for their services and what you should charge are two different ends of the painting spectrum. Take some time, read a lot of posts here and you will understand. Or you could just be like me and accidently post pictures of your wife acting like a whore at her bachelorette party, to gain acceptance from some.

**ProWallGuy** · 03-28-2009, 04:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobbyacro

Or you could just be like me and accidently post pictures of your wife acting like a whore at her bachelorette party, to gain acceptance from some.

HOW DID I MISS THIS???

Link please.

Wolfgang · 03-28-2009, 04:47 PM

I laughed my butt off this entire thread! Now thats entertainment! Wise and Bobby could be the proverbial two peas in a pod....who would have thought.

Dave, I think you got all the answers you could need. Welcome to the forum, you just have been initiated.

Pro, he deleted those pics but she was pretty hot.

bobbyacro · 03-28-2009, 04:50 PM

Sorry, pics were taken down. My wife uploaded pics of a room I painted, so I could get some feed back from the experts on here, onto her photobucket account. I didnt realize til after I posted the links that some other pics got in the album also. They seemed to be a hit but she saw it and started bitching me out.

rbsremodeling · 03-28-2009, 04:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ProWallGuy

HOW DID I MISS THIS???

Link please.

The stingy bastard took them down.

His wife is smoking. In a respectful contractor giving another contractor a compliment about his wife kinda way of course.