Looking for a professional estimate format - Contractor Talk - Professional Construction and Remodeling Forum

Shawn S · 01-11-2006, 11:40 PM

Hi everyone,

I have been painting for about 10 years and went out on my own 3 years ago. I am looking now to do some bids for big builders and would like to hear from any painters with experience with them. What I want to know is? Exactly how detailed the bid is for interior and exterior, what is included and how to bid them. Like if I am enameling trim, windows, doors do I bid by the foot man-hour? What a standard industry bid for repaints and small builders might not be comparable. I want to be as professional as possible. I have a great company with excellent reputation, now I want to grow.

Let me give a example: INTERIOR - Let's say a 2300 sq. ft. rambler new construction (no cabinets) say 10 solid core doors, 20 caesment windows, 3 bedrooms 10 x 12, 2 bath (average).

Exterior - 2300 sq. ft. average hieght 2 sides 35' deep, front 50' average hieght 9 feet, rear of house 50 feet long 16 high. New hardi siding and pre-primed 4" window trim - white.

Maybe I left some things out but I'm trying to be basic.

Thanks for the help.

**ProWallGuy** · 01-12-2006, 07:16 AM

Let me get this out of the way first.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shawn S

I am looking now to do some bids for big builders and would like to hear from any painters with experience with them.

You better be prepared to do medium quality work, at very fast production times. Builders don't care about quality, just their bottom line. If you are not geared towards fast production and ho-hum looks good gotta go, then don't bother. Plus be prepared to wait for your money. 30-60-90 at best. Stick with Res. repaints; this is where the money is at.

I didn't post this to be negative, or shoot down what you want. Just pointing out the facts in the industry. Most large home builders here in StL go through upwards of 10 different paint companys per subdivision. Some don't jive with the aggravations that come with new const., some lose their ass and run. I tried the route you are looking at awhile back, and it just didn't work for me.

copusbuilder · 01-12-2006, 07:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ProWallGuy

Let me get this out of the way first.

You better be prepared to do medium quality work, at very fast production times. Builders don't care about quality, just their bottom line. If you are not geared towards fast production and ho-hum looks good gotta go, then don't bother. Plus be prepared to wait for your money. 30-60-90 at best. Stick with Res. repaints; this is where the money is at.

I didn't post this to be negative, or shoot down what you want. Just pointing out the facts in the industry. Most large home builders here in StL go through upwards of 10 different paint companys per subdivision. Some don't jive with the aggravations that come with new const., some lose their ass and run. I tried the route you are looking at awhile back, and it just didn't work for me.

Tell it like it is big guy

**ProWallGuy** · 01-12-2006, 10:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by copusbuilder

Tell it like it is big guy

The truth hurts, but it will set you free.

747 · 01-12-2006, 01:33 PM

Is that the reason most painters spray in new construction because its fast?

**ProWallGuy** · 01-12-2006, 01:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 747

Is that the reason most painters spray in new construction because its fast?

Yep.

donb1959 · 01-13-2006, 04:55 PM

Around here builders are paying between $2.00-$2.50 per sq. ft. And this is calculated on floor space, not wall space. So lets say the home is 3000 sq ft of floor space, at $2.00 per that comes to 6K for the interior...AND exterior of the home. You have to be EXTREMLY fast, and flush quality down the toilet to make any money, and even then you may make 2% profit, if you get lucky.

I've crunched the numbers 10 ways from Sunday, and know I can't touch it with a 10 foot pole. As Pro said repaints are where the money is at, and even with repaints I try my best to cater to the higher end folks.

AAPaint · 01-13-2006, 07:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by donb1959

Around here builders are paying between $2.00-$2.50 per sq. ft. And this is calculated on floor space, not wall space. So lets say the home is 3000 sq ft of floor space, at $2.00 per that comes to 6K for the interior...AND exterior of the home. You have to be EXTREMLY fast, and flush quality down the toilet to make any money, and even then you may make 2% profit, if you get lucky.

I've crunched the numbers 10 ways from Sunday, and know I can't touch it with a 10 foot pole. As Pro said repaints are where the money is at, and even with repaints I try my best to cater to the higher end folks.

That's my problem with new construction. I can get that amount ($7000) on an interior by itself depending on the size of the home doing repaints, and my avg. exterior is half that by itself. I keep looking at new construction projects, but I seriously doubt any GC is going to pay my prices. I run a retail business and there's no way I'm going to HO-sale myself to some GC when I can keep myself busy year round just on word of mouth.

Wallcoat Joe · 01-13-2006, 07:52 PM

Repaints are 100% where the "Proffit" is, but its only after the breakeven has been met. 1 crew doing 3 "blow and go" new constructs a week and 2 crews doing a nice repaint or so each makes a nice mix. Try to see the forrest behind the trees. A steady income from a reliable contractor pays those bills that keep coming in every week even when M. & Mrs. HO decide to wait until aunt Mary goes home from visiting for 2 weeks before allowing you to start.

morgan · 01-13-2006, 07:53 PM

i am getting 2.35 sqft living area in lower alabama. new construction does suck at times but sometimes to get repaints, you have to pay your dues. repaints come quicker with word of mouth and customers that have seen you paint a whole house, have more faith in your abilities to tackle their repaints. AND THEY TELL THEIR FRIENDS! do a few new construction jobs in a high end area with your signs out front and on your trucks and you'll be surprised by the number of calls you get from people just driving by.

it's kinda like a englishman said, "don't wait for your boat to come in, swim out there and meet the F#@!ER!"

donb1959 · 01-13-2006, 11:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wallcoat Joe

Repaints are 100% where the "Proffit" is, but its only after the breakeven has been met. 1 crew doing 3 "blow and go" new constructs a week and 2 crews doing a nice repaint or so each makes a nice mix. Try to see the forrest behind the trees. A steady income from a reliable contractor pays those bills that keep coming in every week even when M. & Mrs. HO decide to wait until aunt Mary goes home from visiting for 2 weeks before allowing you to start.

1 crew doing 3 new homes a week, must be a huge crew.

New home equals:

Interior- Prime all bare sheetrock, prime all bare wood, prep all bare sheetrock, prep all trim ( sand, caulk, putty), apply finish coat to all primed sheetrock, apply finish coat to all primed trim. Then 2 days of punchlist after the GC flunky comes in with a spotlight.

Exterior: Prime all trim ( and with a custom built we're talking alot of weird angles, and 40' heights), prep all trim ( sand windows...or at the very least the sills), caulk all trim, putty all trim, apply finish to all trim.

So, inside we're talking about putting 2 coats on every thing AFTER we have done all the massive prep work.

Outside we're talking 3 trips around the home...1 to prime it all, 1 to prep it all, and 1 to finish coat it.

All this for an average of 1-2% profit, no thanks, I'm in this business to make money, not to slave myself out to GC's

When I was a leadman for a former employer, me and 6 others were turning a house an average of 10 days, we had it down to a science, but it was balls to the wall ALL the time.....to each their own, but it's not my cup o' tea