I have found much info here related to the painting business. Clough, you have been most helpful already. However, my question is a bit more specific.

I am attempting to accurately bid an exterior job, mostly pickets, hand rails, and posts - a portion of which is screened in. Any suggestions?

I can figure linear footage of each surface/material type or perhaps just figure it as a solid surface and adjust cost/sq' accordingly.

Most will be brushed with the exception of some larger posts which can be rolled.

Thanks in advance for your time...

Hello, Nickan! And, thank you for your compliment! It is much appreciated! :)

You're going to be mostly brushing on small widths of boards, so I would suggest not figuring it by the square foot. It is harder work to brush the paint on. I'm sure that either of us could come up with a price per square foot for brushing based upon the cost to charge per linear foot. However, the figures might scare away the customers! A good part about being in your own business is about marketing, salesmanship and presenting numeral figures that are appealing to the potential customers. An example: Pricing of something at $3.99 looks a lot better to the customer than pricing it at $4.00. Just under a dollar amount by a one-cent difference happens all of the time - and it works!

As you know, the costs for this will vary depending on where you are located. So, it would help to know at least the locale as to where you will be doing the work. For instance, the cost for just labor around where I am located, might be double that, in say, someplace like southern Texas. My answer here is based upon where I live.

For your job, if it was around here, then I would be charging a fee of $1.25 a linear foot for two coats, to brush paint on a surface that is around three inches wide. And, that would not include the cost of the product, or any of the other variables that could be involved. I would charge a dime more for each additional inch of width beyond three inches. You could get really picky and say the you are also figuring in the area of the perhaps 1/2" to say 1" of the thickness of the boards that are the pickets. But, I would tell the customer that "I'm throwing that in" so as to be more likely to get the job.

I'm not sure what you mean by "screened in."

Other variables to figure into the pricing:

Stripping, sanding, filling holes, making and installing new boards, etc. - I figure out what I want to make per hour and estimate on the number of hours that it might take me to do those things.

Priming with a Brush - I would charge $1.00 a linear foot for one coat on a 3" wide board. I would add a nickel for each additional inch of width.

I'm glad that you will be brushing the paint on! I think that if the paint is brushed on, that the finished product lasts a lot longer than those that are rolled or sprayed - especially on exterior surfaces. I would suggest brushing everything on this fence job so that it all looks the same and is consistent. I generally can tell immediately, if a paint job has been done by brush, roller or spray.

There is an art to painting!

Like in the old days (or, maybe still some places, even now!) when farmers used a horse and a plow, the farmers were oftentimes judged on how good they were by how straight there rows were. With a painter who has used a brush, it's very much the same kind of thing. When looking at a paint job that has been applied with a brush, it makes a great deal of difference in the finished appearance of the job, if those small, tiny lines are absolutely straight, with no gobs of paint running into the ends of the lines.

It is important to be consistent and fair in your bidding as well as the prices that you use, if there might be inquiries of that customer as to what you charged to do the job.

One thing that is easy to overlook when pricing on a fence-like area, is to be sure to do the pricing for both sides of the fence!

Would you also like some information concerning the formatting of a bidding proposal and contract? I sense that you are someone who is astute, well-meaning and also well-organized who wants to price a job fairly, do it correctly and be able to have pride in the work that you do so that you can get even more work because of the excellent references that you will have!

Thank you for your advice and the depth to which it reached.

FYI: I am located in Orange Beach, Al which is a coastal resort area that borders the FL panhandle.

I have three years experience painting new construction in the Asheville, NC area working behind some of the finest craftsmen around, and I agree that there is an art to painting and take great pride in my finished product. In my opinion, 3 years in painting was just long enough to learn that I didn't know all there was to know about the industry.

Ironically, my degree is in fine art with a concentration in painting. However, after college I found myself painting walls rather than canvas! My boss/friend at the time delighted in telling the client, "If you want to discuss color theory or selection, my helper's got a degree in painting - He's your man!"

After my wife became pregnant, I felt pressured into a more 'professional' realm and we moved back to the coast, where we are from. Consequently, I have spent the last 4 years with my soul on short term lease to RE/MAX. However, construction is in my blood - I long for tangible results (evidence that I've actually done something).

As you may know our area was ravaged by Hurricane Ivan and then again, one year later, we experienced further damage by the eastern reaches of Katrina. These storms have had extreme, yet contrasting effects on both the real estate and construction markets. I have a lot of connections in the area and since I let the word out that I was willing to paint again, I have been covered up. Anyway, enough of my life's story...

The majority of my work lately has been in a high-end residential area (Ono Island) which could typically garner a higher price/sq'. However, this particular job is a bank owned property, recently foreclosed upon. So I need to have a competitive bid. The bank wants a quick shine put on the exterior trim work for a quick sell, but I don't want to put my name to it unless it is done right.

This job includes the 8x8 rough cut pilings and 18" band that supports the back, screened in porch, along with all the handrails and pickets around it, as well as the front entryway stairs kickplates, etc... [Fortunately for me, the screens have now been removed in order to be replaced and I will not have to meticulously cut around them which would have significantly impacted my labor costs]

I measured all the members by the linear foot (2332.17'). Interestingly enough, when I converted it all to square footage, the figure came out to be 2332.45! (I couldn't believe it and could not make it happen again if I tried.)

example: an 8"x8" piling 10 feet long that is to be painted on all sides is 26.67sq'.
and 1 foot of 2x4 to be painted on all sides equals 1 sq foot.

I am quite sure I am over analyzing this job, but in my previous experience it was not my duty to estimate. I assigned each material or surface a price/sq' varying from the easy to reach, upper handrail at $.69/sq', to the kickplates on the front stairs which need some additional sanding and prep work at $1.19/sq'. All in all, I am averaging just under $1.00/sq' to spot prime some rusty nailheads and paint. My final price, without materials, is $2,164.31 and I am allotting $240 for materials for a final Quote of $2,404.31

I am hesitant to submit this bid which I feel is low, but the job is convenient to my location and I hope to get work in the future from the same client. My worry is setting a low precedent.

Regarding your last paragraph; I would appreciate any further information that could help me maintain a profitable business. I'm currently using Microsoft templates for Quotes and Invoices.

Many thanks