how to make money painting apartments - Contractor Talk - Professional Construction and Remodeling Forum

sparehair · 04-10-2009, 11:49 PM

Hey,

I've been painting for 4.5 years now. I'm not new to the game but I never trained with another painter; I picked up on my own. I recently picked up an apartment complex and painting is one of the gigs they would like to use me for. My ? is how do I get the job done fast enough to make money.

They have been getting two bedroom loft (with 17 foot ceilings) painted throughout for $350.00 Two colors Two coats not including materials. I did one in 14 hours. six doors, two closets, 20 step bannister with wrought iron rails, accent color in living room walls, no ceilings, bathroom and as I said before two bedrooms. Ideally I would like to get it down to four hours. If I could do two per day it would be worth it.

Doesn't seem like spraying would save any time. I could hire minimum wage labor and get minimum wage results. I've seen some of the previous crew's work and it was pretty good. Any idea's?

4thGeneration · 04-10-2009, 11:58 PM

[quote=sparehair;655511]Hey,

I've been painting for 4.5 years now. I'm not new to the game but I never trained with another painter; I picked up on my own. I recently picked up an apartment complex and painting is one of the gigs they would like to use me for. My ? is how do I get the job done fast enough to make money.

They have been getting two bedroom loft (with 17 foot ceilings) painted throughout for $350.00 Two colors Two coats not including materials. I did one in 14 hours. six doors, two closets, 20 step bannister with wrought iron rails, accent color in living room walls, no ceilings, bathroom and as I said before two bedrooms. Ideally I would like to get it down to four hours. If I could do two per day it would be worth it.

Doesn't seem like spraying would save any time. I could hire minimum wage labor and get minimum wage results. I've seen some of the previous crew's work and it was pretty good. Any idea's?

[/QUOTE

Yeah, tell them to keep on getting that cheap price somewhere else. Unless you need the practice and headaches tell them to first call their boss and say they are calling because they would like their pay dropped to $50 per day for 12 hours per day. Tell them if they can live on that then they can paint the apartments and make a apartment.

Sorry for the harshness. It is not meant for you, but those cheap PM that want caddie work for pinto prices.

BiggSlick · 04-11-2009, 01:00 AM

i dont do apartments because i doesnt seem profitable. however, if u wanted to do things on a small scale u could "sub" the job to some lower level guys and pay them $10/hour each or $100 each per apartment. even if it took them 10 hrs each u could walk away with $150 per day. this isn't much money but u could try to arrainge to get 4 or 6 guys, split them into two man crews and knock out 2 or 3 apartments per day and make $300 to $450 a day in profit. apartments are low end work usually and it doesn't pay well, but if u can find mediocre painters who will work cheap u can pull it off. i don't know any magic solution to paint them much faster than u are currently doing them.

nEighter · 04-11-2009, 02:12 AM

fokking walk awAY. SERIOUSLY DUDE. They can fokk themselves for that price.

chris n · 04-11-2009, 03:22 AM

crews and knock out 2 or 3 apartments per day and make $300 to $450 a day in profit.

That is if you are not licensed, insured, have NO overhead,and are making the workers supply their own tools,etc,etc.

$450 a day profit, running 2 crews and getting paid$350???

What dreamland are you in and if it is a natural weed product that puts you in this state,please send me some!

WisePainter · 04-11-2009, 05:52 AM

I was able to spray out 3 apartments a day ranging from 1~3 bedrooms. I hated it.

Dave Mac · 04-11-2009, 06:50 AM

what a lot of the companys that paint apartments do is actually skip a lot of the painting, your going back the same color, so any thing that looks good gets skiped or just touched up. I have never done it but this was told to me.

Frankawitz · 04-11-2009, 07:09 AM

Spare,
Apartments are Bread and butter jobs, it's all about production work, if your slow when it comes to painting this is how you learn to pick up the pace, I use to roll and brush 2 and 3 bedroom units in 4 to 6 hours and I would make $56.00 for a 1 bedroom to $87.00 for a 3 bedroom, the people I worked for supplied the paint and supply's (tape,caulk,spackle) now where I made my money was doing extras like caulking, patching things like stripping wallpaper, kliz stain, having to two coat, Oh and you should only be painting one coat, apartments only get one coat, if you have to second coat there should be a extra charge for that, the reason for one coat is cause of the turn over rates in apartments, now if your working a high end apartment complex then you should charge more, See if you can find out what the Deposit is for an apartment. also buy apartment grade paints or contractor grade, The thing with apartments is when things slow down in the winter these jobs can help pay the bills, Back in the day I use to work 5 days a week and I made $800 to $1,000 a week doing apartments, but you get burned out, so just pace yourself, but I would cut back to one coat, and as long as your going over the same color you will be good, if the apartment complex gives the Residents a choice of colors to pick then you need to up the price to $550 per unit plus paint and supply's. Good luck

www.frankawitz.net

Mr. Mike · 04-11-2009, 09:22 AM

This is a niche, to paint apartments you must only paint apartments. I got a few buddies in this area that paint apartments. They charge between $250.00 and $350.00 to do the whole unit. They pay cash to their employees and only pay them about $9.00 per hour. If there are any apartment painters in the Louisville Ky. or Houston Tx. area hit me up I have many apartment leads for you.

BattleRidge · 04-11-2009, 11:11 AM

Wow we dont have apartments here really, they are all condos, but I pay my guys about $1600, for labor only. They are College Pro Painters but they do a good job. I would feel bad paying them much less.

Mr. Mike · 04-11-2009, 12:15 PM

Condo Painters and Apartment Painters Are Two Way different types of painters and Paint Jobs. Here is a 8400 Sq. Ft. Condo I painted and stained early this year. I don't think anyone could paint this place for the $350.00 I charged.

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ModernStyle · 04-11-2009, 02:31 PM

I did apartments for awhile, I hated it. Low pay, very very slow pay, long hours, and the smell.............

Plus as soon as some fool comes along and will do it for $5 less then you ... you are history, no loyalty, it is all about the dollar.

BiggSlick · 04-11-2009, 06:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chris n

crews and knock out 2 or 3 apartments per day and make $300 to $450 a day in profit.

That is if you are not licensed, insured, have NO overhead,and are making the workers supply their own tools,etc,etc.

$450 a day profit, running 2 crews and getting paid$350???

What dreamland are you in and if it is a natural weed product that puts you in this state,please send me some!

do the math. if he gets three apartments done in a day he takes in $1050 (3 apts. @$350 per apt.) and he pays out $600 (6 guys @$100/guy), he walks away with $450. this money can be used to pay his insurances and put in his pocket. he should 1099 the painters though and not use payroll guys otherwise he will get eaten up by taxes.

RCPainting · 04-11-2009, 06:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BiggSlick

do the math. if he gets three apartments done in a day he takes in $1050 (3 apts. @$350 per apt.) and he pays out $600 (6 guys @$100/guy), he walks away with $450. this money can be used to pay his insurances and put in his pocket. he should 1099 the painters though and not use payroll guys otherwise he will get eaten up by taxes.

ModernStyle · 04-11-2009, 07:02 PM

Those painters sound like employees to me.

sparehair · 04-12-2009, 12:09 AM

Thanks for the feedback. Sounds like the consensus is the only way to make money is to go for the cheap labor. Minimum wage here is 8.40. I would have trouble looking an employee in the eye if I didn't pay them ten. I'm just concerned about the quality and productivity I could get out of labor at that price. I guess with the unemployment rate being 9% it shouldn't be too hard but you never know. I just don't want to lose this client over ****ty painting by an employee on a loss leader job.

Mr. Mike · 04-12-2009, 12:45 PM

I forgot to mention, I do actually make money off painting apartments. I have painted 2 apartments in 12 years for 2 tenants that paid to have them painted. The average $300.00 guy eat your heart out, I got over $3000.00 on both of those and that is not an extra 0. That is the only moral way you can really make any money off painting the interior of one, and since I only painted 2 like this in over a decade I don't think they are standing in line.

So, if you want to make money off apartments either paint them when they are new construction or paint the exteriors or wait for a renter to upgrade to a paint job like I did.

If one is a drug dealer and needs to show some income, he may pay guys to go out and paint these, lose a dollar or two on each unit but in the long run he makes money because he is showing income and paying the guys cash.

I hear of guys that paint apartments for that reason.

And that is one more reason that there are people painting apartments for $300.00

.

Frankawitz · 04-13-2009, 05:44 AM

With apartments it's all about speed, the faster you can knock them out the more money you make, Mike not everyone gets the high end condo's, Most of the apartment complex managers don't have a large budget for repaints of units, here two bedroom units repaint for around $350.00 to $550.00 and the sizes are from 500 sqft to 1,200 sqft. also most are all one color flat ceilings and walls, semi gloss in the bath and kitchen and doors and casings, But like I said these are bread and butter jobs. It's nice to have a few apartment complexs that have a few units to fill in your free space between jobs.

www.frankawitz.net

WisePainter · 04-13-2009, 09:31 AM

Apparently the owners do alright if they group together a good spray crew.

Mr. Mike · 04-13-2009, 09:53 AM

A good spray crew and plenty of units, I'd say if you had an unlimited amount of units to do every day it could be an O'k gig. I don't think you can profit as much per dollar as in resi repaints though.