How much are you being quoted to paint your house? (house paint, color)

[Speach]

I am interested to know how much people have payed recently and have been quoted to have their house painted. I am a professional house painter who has worked for a local painting contractor for numerous years. A couple of months ago I got married and decided to step out on my own as far as painting goes. I have done a decent amount of jobs on my own, but I have quickly realized that many people are being charged too much by some companies and are being given sub standard quality. I would love to hear your thoughts.

[K'ledgeBldr]

Which is it?
Charged too much?
Or, sub-standard quality?

As the old adage goes- "You get what you pay for"
So, are they truely being over-charged? Let's see...
There's the marketing expense, payroll (sales, labor, office, etc.), insurance (w/c and general liability), supplies (painting and office), materials (ladders, brushes, sprayers, handtools, pressure washers, etc.), and taxes. Then, if anything is left over- you can pay yourself.

I don't think there is a thing as "sub-standard"- the quality of finish is determined by the level at which you hold the contractor responsible.

[bellalunatic]

Originally Posted by K'ledgeBldr

I don't think there is a thing as "sub-standard"- the quality of finish is determined by the level at which you hold the contractor responsible.

I'll have to disagree with that.
If the painter does sub standard prep work, the finish will be sub standard.
If you are not watching the daily progress of critical prep work, then you will not be happy with the finished job and at that point it is sub-standard and too late...

[Threerun]

At my last house (cedar sided) I was quoted a little more than $4,000 to restain the house (2 story). That was one coat too.

It required no real prep other than a good wash down prior to recoat. It was the same oil based stain that the house was originally done in..

After that quote, I decided to do it myself and put 3 coats on the south- south-west side and two on the others.

[Speach]

I think that there should be some level of standard that denotes it to be done right. I don't think that just because the home owner isn't watching every process or lacks understanding about what they should expect is any reason that they should be taken advantage of. Now if they are looking for a freebee and are trying to take advantage of the contractor that is a little different. In that sense either the contractor should reject the opportunity keeping his reputation as a quality painter or give the customer what they are paying for. For contractors in this economy who just need to stay busy the latter seems to be the obvious choice. The sad thing is that many people think that a paint job is a paint job and that is just not true. I have seen people paint there own homes and it looks horrible, but they don't seem to care much. I have also had many people try to do it on their own and later come to me to have it corrected and done right.

William

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