I need to get into the painting business!

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Swani
We bought a new home and move in on the 17th. The home is roughly 3000 sq ft. There's a few updates and changes that we would like to have done, so we've been getting some quotes. The quotes to paint the interior of the house blew me away. One was $12k and the other was $14k. Approximately 3 days of work. I believe people should absolutely charge what they are worth. It just caught me a little off guard that I was so far out of touch on what it would cost.

I do find it kind of fascinating that a typical single truck carpet cleaner probably has around $100k into equipment, tools, ect. To hopefully pull in at least an average of $1k a day and a painter probably has a fraction of that cost in their setup and equipment and is pulling in $4k-$5k.


I didn't write this to rag on painters or bitch about their prices. Good for them on making a good living. I wrote this because it was an eye opener, and that we as carpet cleaners should probably be charging more.
 
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Hack Attack

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The flipside, I recently had a chat with a plumber with 4 guys on the road.
3-4 yrs to qualify (I'm not sure actual length of apprenticeship?) $80 an hr charge out plus materials is what they run on..
Admittedly I'd squeal like Marty at $80 an hr as o/op
 

Dolly Llama

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here's a little tidbit most aren't aware of.

on prevailing wage jobs, the painter is one of the highest paid of all the trades...by a LOT
real numbers* from Summit and Portage County Ohio PW rates
Carpenter $25 an hour.
Electrician $24 an hour.
Roofer $20 an hour
Plumber $24 an hour
Painter $36 an hour

The only ones that made more were the masons and heavy equipment operators.

In Stark County, the painter PW $39
(I believe Cuyahoga county is same rate)


*those numbers were as of 2018 (the last time we were involved in any PW jobs).
I don't know what they currently are.


.L.T.A.
 

Dolly Llama

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a painter probably has a fraction of that cost in their setup and equipment


minus the van, that's true.
$2-$3000 will get you in the game for basic brush 'n roller residential stuff.
but $15-$20k+ in gear is pretty common for a full-time outfit though.

material costs are way different too.
3000sf of carpet 'n tile, you might have fiddy bukz in juice and gas?
3000sf home, could be several thousand in just paint


..L.T.A.
 

steve_64

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minus the van, that's true.
$2-$3000 will get you in the game for basic brush 'n roller residential stuff.
but $15-$20k+ in gear is pretty common for a full-time outfit though.

material costs are way different too.
3000sf of carpet 'n tile, you might have fiddy bukz in juice and gas?
3000sf home, could be several thousand in just paint


..L.T.A.
And they have to deal with employees to make decent money.
Not many painters making $200 an hour by themselves. Then they are stuck on the job for days or weeks. More time lost estimating.
 

steve_64

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Not many CC'ers either
most aren't grossing $200 an hour with travel time, Steveo

net can be same or more though.


Not speculating on this.
I've got decades experience on both sides of these tracks

..L.T.A.
I had a couple $300 an hour that took 5 hours and I think I still have one that takes 3 hours.
$200 an hour is maybe 20 percent and now and then I screw myself and only get $50.
New manager's and covid have cost me. But it comes back after a few years of the new guy doing hack work. I've already seen the work being done.
Quite a few new start ups here under bidding me.
The painters I know working alone are all retirement age still working cheap.

When Genny and I do janitorial we each make $100 an hour or close.
We are often told our bids are the highest but our quality and dependability is worth it to quality customers.
 

steve_64

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Not many CC'ers either
most aren't grossing $200 an hour with travel time, Steveo

net can be same or more though.


Not speculating on this.
I've got decades experience on both sides of these tracks

..L.T.A.
Most travel times are 10 minutes. Some are 30. Painters I know travel way more than I do.
All I'm saying is in the end there's not much difference. I only work 4 to 6 hours a day not 9or 10 like most painters I know. That's the difference.
But how many big painting franchises do you know of?
There's a reason for that I suppose.
 

Dolly Llama

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We are often told our bids are the highest but our quality and dependability is worth it to quality customers.


no different in any service biz .

If you're consistently making "close to" $100 a man hour for janitorial (and not talking about the one or two "home run" small office jobs a week that take a an hour to blow in and out)
I'd say "you're Da Man"!!
(or Genny is)

..L.T.A.
 
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steve_64

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no different in any service biz .

If you're consistently making "close to" $100 a man hour for janitorial (and not talking about the one or two "home run" small office jobs a week that take a an hour to blow in and out)
I'd say "you're Da Man"!!
(or Genny is)

..L.T.A.
It usually takes a month or so to fine tune janitorial. Some are weekly some are monthly and so on. But I'm good at putting routines or systems in place to make things as efficient as possible.
I've been pushing gennys rates up since we met. She has quite a few hourly accounts but the ones we get a set amount on I'd where I get us $100 an hour.
We have a nice gig going on. We work hard and are very dependable.
 

SamIam

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Wife called several painters for trim of the house.

One a well reviewed old guy spent an hour telling her he was the only one with proper insurance and his employees wouldn't come back and sue us.

That his process was superior.

The next came in looked explained what they did, when they could start, and great Yelp reviews.

15 minute pitch half the price of the hour pitch.

The guy did a great job.
 

SamIam

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This guy throws in some stucco areas he painted no charge, I chipped a wall at customer with my crb, he fixed it too
You left corn rows in their carpet too.
That's what the swivel wand is for side pulls lift it right out....

Follow me for more pro tips hahaha
 

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