[TPPainters]

Hi, I have been painting for over 10 years and have owned my own business for 6 months. I have no issues with bidding residentials; however, I was just asked to bid a 50 unit 3 building apartment complex.

 

[griz]

Read the specs & plans, if there are any, VERY carefully.

After that it's all about who is the low bidder.

Can you carry a job for 45-90 days?

 

[TPPainters]

There isn't any plans, and the owners are tired of painting the compound every ten years, so they aren't looking for the cheapest, I use only high quality paints and as a vet I am trying to hire as many other vets as I can. The owners like that. So I don't need to be the lowest, just reasonable.

 

[griz]

They need to provide you with what they expect.

If they don't/can't you need to be VERY SPECIFIC in your contract what you are going to provide in prep and how you will paint the place.

How many coats of what.

THEY PICK COLORS.

Although I have a great deal of respect for Vets, don't let that line fool you. Odds are they are looking at the bottom line.

Tired of painting every 10 years? Just how long you going to guarantee a paint job for and to what kind of specs?

 

[DBBII]

Get your local paint rep (not the guy from the store!) to come out and look at the job. Have him write a basic spec (products mostly). See what kind of a warranty they will give.

Yes, a paint warranty is generally a waste of paper. It's ALWAYS the installation (mostly prep). But, it's something to talk to the Owner about.

If the Owner is getting 10 years out of a paint job, they're doing pretty good. I don't think anyone is crazy enough to go longer than that.

 

[D.E.P.S.]

Hi, I have been painting for over 10 years and have owned my own business for 6 months. I have no issues with bidding residentials; however, I was just asked to bid a 50 unit 3 building apartment complex.

Internal? External? Both?

 

[Metro M & L]

Lead paint lasts a long time...

 

[PennCoat]

You'll need to know what needs to be painted, and what does not need to be painted. Your point of contact will need to be VERY SPECIFIC when you ask him these questions. Go around the entire property, with him, and make sure everything is clear (what is and isn't getting painted). The last thing you want is to go on the job, and paint something that wasn't supposed to be painted, or not paint something that was supposed to be painted, that you didn't budget in your proposed price (waste of time and material).

Then, after that's all cleared up, get the total surface area of everything being painted. This could take an hour or 2, but is the best way to get an accurate estimate, and create a trust-worthy proposal. After you find the surface area of all the surfaces being painted, apply a production rate to each surface (hopefully, you have a solid idea of what your production rates are based off your experience), and also material cost, based off the material's coverage rate.

After you figure that out, put together a scope of work in the proposal that clarifies EVERYTHING (what is and is not getting painted, what's to get covered and protected, when will the work be completed, who's providing the lift, dumpster, etc.).

Specifics are key. Don't be vague with your proposal, or else you may end up having to do work that you didn't budget for, and end up doing everything for free.