Landing your next profitable painting job is in large part driven by the bid you submit to the homeowner. Bid too high and they won't hire you. Bid too low and you will be doing all of that work for nothing. An interior and exterior painting project is no different than any other job. Time and materials will determine the bid you submit to the customer. Present your potential client with a fair and professional bid and you will create your best chance for getting hired.
Instructions
1. Measure the entire space that will be painted. Add all of the measurements to arrive at a number for the total square footage of space. Take one measurement for the interior space and one for the exterior.
2. Determine the coverage rate of the paint you will be using. The rate will be listed on the side of the stain can or ask for a spec sheet from the paint store. Divide the total interior square footage by the coverage rate of the interior paint to determine the number of gallons needed. Do the same for the exterior.
3. Multiply the total gallons of paint by the per-gallon price to get a total price for paint. Add brushes, tarps and other materials that you will purchase for the job.
4. Estimate the number of man-hours that will be required to complete the job. Include time for prep and set up. Add time for clean up and set up for each day of the project.
5. Set an hourly rate. Multiply the hourly rate by the project's total man-hours. Add in the cost of paint and supplies. This is the amount of your final bid.
6. Create a bid sheet on the computer. A typed and well-organized bid sheet will add professionalism to the bid. Put your company's name and phone number on the top of the bid sheet so the customer can easily locate your number when she calls to hire you.
