Rough Estimate 9,500sq.new Home

birdog

Hey guys Im trying to bid a new house and I just want different thoughts about what you would charge just a rough estimate.
2story with a finished basement.
Plans call for 1 coat of primer and 1 top coat [I would add another coat}
9ft ceilings,sixpanel doors w/4inch casing,6 1/2 inch tall base,painted windows,crown throught main floor,stained staircase,stained treads,painted risers,transom windows above doors on main floor,box beam ceiling w/wainscoting stained 20x20 room.Additional wainscot in 3 rooms 15x15 each
Exterior siding fascia soffits hardy board to be painted, I bid using 2 coats of Duration satin finish.
I know this is asking alot, this is the largest I've ever tried to bid.
Hope this enough detail to ask for a rough estimate.
My bid: $54,000
Thanks for the help.

Workaholic

This is new construction? Are the window moveables wood that needs to be painted?
Do you have a door count ? a window count? How many rooms of crown, is there, how many layers of crown is there?
What about the exterior, is it brick, stucco, wood siding? How many gables?
To me it seem high, not seeing and not knowing all the variables. For me i do a lot of new construction and that scope of work i would be about 3.50-3.75 a sqft. Of course all the exteriors here are brick with soffit facial and a few gables, and a half dozen exterior doors.
If the whole exterior is siding, then it would be about 4 or so.

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Sean

DeanV

Are you kidding, workaholic? You would never get crown and stain&paint combinations, and the extras for that. The base price around here (crappy economy MI) is between 3.00 to 3.35 without wood windows or anything other than standard trim. Of course, this is a full prime and two coats on the walls. I cannot imagine adding on an exterior that size for what you are talking, shoot the caulking alone on an exterior like that would take a week.

HUDSONVALLEYEXT

$54,000 seems to be 3 times what you should bid.

Workaholic

Maybe i should move lol. It is a ballpark, actually i did'nt think about the stairs. Also that was not a stain paint bid that was all trim being painted and sprayed. Also that was without wood windows as well. The only time i run into real wood windows are on subdivisions that are restricted.

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Sean

welovepainting

If its all custom and multiple colors I think around 5.00 per square foot is fine. Then charge whatever for the outside 5-15k. We dont do to much new construction (only referrals) the profit just isnt there for our operation. When I read your post I thought anywhere from 50-70k IMO. If your hurting for work or really want the job try and do whatever it takes to get it. Remember there is always someone going to do it cheaper so go sell yourself and land the job tell them why your the best. The numbers dont seem to bad to me but im up north here in a tough market and economy and lack of workers. For high quality new construction houses we charge anywhere from 4-6 psf interior only.

premierpainter

We just completed a new int/ext on a house that sounds about the same. Exterior-prep, paint all trim with two coats Super Paint Gloss, siding was prefinished Hardi so we applied one coat of Super Paint Flat. No shutters, two coats of poly to two front doors, paint 2 regular doors and two gargage doors- $16,500
Interior- sounds like much of the same except, we don't stain stairs only handrails- Crown in every room...High Build Primer and two coats of Duration Home Matte to all walls, Super Paint Flat on all ceilings and closet, Super Paint Semi on all trim- $32,400
Your price is fine

DeanV

Workaholic, that sounds more like what I am used then, especially w/o windows, etc.

birdog

Just wanted to say thanks for the input so far, I'm really trying to sell my self to the GC on this job, I've done alot of work for him,he knows how I operate, attention to detail,do it right the first time, I've done numerous homes for him without any call backs. There's value to this and he agrees, but the other bid for this job which he showed me is $10,000 less and has about 4-5 sentences stating what he proposes, far less detailed then mine which is a full legal page.

Thanks again, it's always nice to get different opinions.

Joewho

Is he in the habit of showing you competitive bids? Do you recognize the painting contractor who made the bid? In other words, is it a real bid?

premierpainter

We are starting a 16k sq ft house in two weeks- 140 windows and lots of oil trim- $176k
I love big builders with deep pockets. Anyone in North Jersey looking for work inside...e-mail me

Workaholic

premierpainter, that sounds like a sweet gig. Whats your estimated time on that job? whats the exterior like?

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Sean

THINKPAINTING

My first look is $50,000. Your price is fine stick to your estimate.

birdog

Well I want to thank everybody for their input on this topic, GC called me and said that he can't use me for this job the other contractor's bid was 15,000 less then mine,that was a hard hit for me really thought I would get this job because of my craftmanship and attention to detail, I think this GC just gives a price to a client to build a house and then tries to find subs to do it for his price, this has happened twice before on nice size projects, and he even told me "I quess I estimated the painting to low" the other project the guy was 11,000 less than me. I wish he would ask me to review the plans, get a real world price then present the projected price to the client, I know he would still get the project, he has a good reputation. Just venting It seems the good guys finish last.

THINKPAINTING

15,000 less then mine, WOW!!!

Love the painting trade , 90% have no idea how to estimate a job and know nothing about overhead.

I could keep on venting myself, but who's gonna listen..

Steve Richards

That's a tough break. I think all of us that have been in the business for any length of time can certainly feel your pain.

When I lose a bid I really wanted/needed/figured I'd get, I try to concentrate on the good things..Like more time to go fishing.

I also like thinking that whomever stole my work by bidding it too low, will have to start cutting corners when he realizes he bid it too low... then the GC will start riding his ass about his shoddy work, and then he starts losing sleep, and he ends up doing a crappy job, and then he gets sued.

oh yeah...and then he dies

JK

PlainPainter

Look on the bright side, your competition is locked up on a job making no profits and low wages. And will be crying at the end of the job, as his workers will be making all the money. IF he does that few times - he will be out of business, leaving the field wide open. In my area, it's the year of the ultra cheap painter. And all these homeowners are getting their exteriors done in about a week, 100 year old colonials that really need 350-400 man hours. This phase will pass, and there will be all these homes ready for me to paint in 2 years.

premierpainter

10 men- 3 1/2 months

mikenewman@fron

The good news for you is the other guy will be so tied up with this job he won't be able to even bid on anything. A job this size will consume every waking hour. This will open the door for you on the more proffitable repaints, working directly with homeowners where you don't have to chase money every Fri. You do the job get paid and move on. Big jobs can really tie you down. Good luck, Mike in Moab p.s. I have a situation like this going on right now that's why I know.

ruskent

Any chance that house is in Watchung? Rock road east?