You win some/you lose some - Contractor Talk - Professional Construction and Remodeling Forum

ron schenker · 10-03-2006, 05:33 PM

Lost a $4000.00 interior paint job today. I quoted the same as the other guy who said he'd be done in 3 days. I needed 10-12 days because I work alone (sometimes 1 helper) but the HO wanted it done asap. This other guy is a pro and will bring in 5 other workers plus himself. I wasn't prepared to do that, so the moral of this story_ _ _ _ _ _
Can you guys fill in the blanks?

Richard · 10-03-2006, 05:53 PM

Dont sweat it...keep pressin' on. I'm a one man show as well~I dont like pressure from the HO to get it done asap anyway

AFI · 10-03-2006, 05:58 PM

Don't feel bad this job wasn't for you. I'm pretty sure you'll have a more lucrative job because you leave this one.

NEXT......

Art

**Teetorbilt** · 10-03-2006, 06:03 PM

I drop jobs all of the time due to unrealistic time constraints. No biggie, more always pop up.

ron schenker · 10-03-2006, 06:08 PM

Thanks guys, the tears are drying up

smellslike$tome · 10-03-2006, 06:27 PM

I know nothing about painting and maybe I should'nt even be here. I hope you get plenty more work and I'm sure you will. I'm very curious though. I did the math and it looks like a 4k job taking 10-12 days leaves you somewhere between $333.33 and $400.00 dollars per day. Is this typical for painters? You did not say whether this was just labor or does you're overhead and material cost come out of this number? If it makes you feel better it sounds like you're competitor will soon be out of business. For the same job at the same price, with 6 painters for 3 days (18 man days) he will gross $222.22 per day! I don't see how any business, anywhere, survives on this! What am I missing here?

ForVictory · 10-03-2006, 06:57 PM

Cheap labor....

Quote:

Originally Posted by smellslike$tome

For the same job at the same price, with 6 painters for 3 days (18 man days) he will gross $222.22 per day! I don't see how any business, anywhere, survives on this! What am I missing here?

DelW · 10-03-2006, 07:49 PM

I'm also a one man show and I always tell the customer up front I may not be the fastest but I make sure its right the 1st time. And it's me they see every day on the job not some flunkie that smells like Tequilla.
(Not that tequilla is bad mind you

) It happens to all of us but ya just gotta roll with it and remember at least you wont have the HO over your shoulder saying "are you done yet?

hjm · 10-03-2006, 08:39 PM

I'm fairly new to being a GC, been doing the work for along time now, I am lucky enough most of my customer will and have waited 6 months for me to get there, the right customer will wait, those in a hurry will cost you in the long run.

ron schenker · 10-03-2006, 08:46 PM

Quote:

Cheap labor....

You got that right

BTW the quote included the cost of the paint (Ben.Moore)which is about $800

George Z · 10-03-2006, 08:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ron schenker

Lost a $4000.00 interior paint job today. I quoted the same as the other guy who said he'd be done in 3 days. I needed 10-12 days because I work alone (sometimes 1 helper) but the HO wanted it done asap. This other guy is a pro and will bring in 5 other workers plus himself. I wasn't prepared to do that, so the moral of this story_ _ _ _ _ _
Can you guys fill in the blanks?

He is not much of a Pro at $222 per day.
The Home owner is screwed!

DeanV · 10-03-2006, 08:51 PM

My day went about the same, except I was bidding against another painter, we both figured the job at 16 hours, but he used $20/hr as his rate. There goes another one to a painter who has not a single clue about what his cost of doing business is.

Richard · 10-03-2006, 08:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeanV

My day went about the same, except I was bidding against another painter, we both figured the job at 16 hours, but he used $20/hr as his rate. There goes another one to a painter who has not a single clue about what is cost of doing business is.

Dang!

$20/hr. is even low for my BEST cash price!!!

ron schenker · 10-03-2006, 09:09 PM

Quote:

He is not much of a Pro at $222 per day.
The Home owner is screwed!

Maybe the HO will call me back after the "pro" and his little helpers screw up the job. Then I'll tell him there's a 25% surcharge to fix shoddy workmanship

Naa, I'll just tell him sorry, I'm booked solid till 2007

MAC2PAINTING · 10-04-2006, 01:57 PM

how about this... some days you get the behr... and some days the behr gets you ?

AAPaint · 10-04-2006, 02:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MAC2PAINTING

how about this... some days you get the behr... and some days the behr gets you ?

DelW · 10-04-2006, 04:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MAC2PAINTING

how about this... some days you get the behr... and some days the behr gets you ?

Good one, I'll have to remember it.

smellslike$tome · 10-06-2006, 08:17 AM

Again, I know nothing about painting but I've noticed considerable animosity towards Behr paint.

Here is an outsiders suggestion. Whenever you run across Behr finished product (assuming either you can tell what it is when you see it on walls or the HO confesses to having used it in the past), photograph the problem areas (a photo is worth a thousand words and digital will work best), and make a small book with the photos and quote the HO complaints about the product. Also check on the internet to see if there are any websites that list consumer complaints about the product. I'm a plumber and have found such a list at Consumeraffairs.com regarding whirlpool water heaters. The HO can listen to me tell them all day long as to why they don't want a Whirlpool water heater and maybe it has an affect but I think mostly they think I'm just trying to sell them my WH for twice the cost. Then I hand them 5 pages of customer complaints about these water heaters downloaded from this website and explain that the 5 pages are just the tip of the iceberg and they can see the full list at the website and they begin to see it differently. If it is an infereior product it is your job to educate your customer. You have to stop letting the customer see your painting service as a commodity. Seperate yourself from the rest. As long as your services are viewed as a commodity then all you have to compete on is price and I guarantee it doesn't matter what business you are involved in there will always be someone who will do it for less.

Unless the customer can see the difference in quality, all they can see is the difference in price.

DPainting · 10-06-2006, 10:59 PM

Don't feel bad for not getting it. But if that other painter and his crew equaling 6, aren't done in 1.5 days then he must like eating ramen noodles as a 3 meal sub. Cheap labor indeed....I wonder what his employee turn around time is.

Terrence · 10-09-2006, 01:12 PM

Yep.
I just lost a $9K to a painter who will do it for $3250.
Wow. I'm actually going to stop by in a few days to see him,
and ask how he likes removing the 4500k sq ft house worth of wallpaper!

I was charging almost that much just to remove the paper!