Painting My House (inside) how much?

Gem_

I have been in my house for three years with the paint looking manky and wallpaper falling off. Have finally managed to save up the money to get a decorator in (I have a problem with my nerve in my arm so can't do it myself).

Is there a price per wall / per meter type of thing that decorators use I have someone comming around tomorrow to give me a quote and want to have some idea whether to faint in shock. :eek:

Have a four bed terrace with all room and the stairwells needing painting - in most cases just one coat as I will be keeping the same colours (ish). I am in Bradford. Does anyone know a reliable decorator who covers this area????

Thank so much for any help

Gem

PoorDave

I'd suggest the standard trick of getting more than one quote, and see if they're similar.

If they are, use the one who you'd most like to let in your house! Some people are cheap, but you wonder if they're going to nick stuff, even if you're in the house the whole time!

Gem_

very true. thanks dave

rjm2k1

I got a quote recently, all I wanted the guy to do was take the border off the wallpaper in my dining room (small) and landing/hall, then paint over the paper. His quote was over £450 ! I think I can do it myself for around £40 .

Debt_Free_Chick

I've just paid £135 a day. Mind you, the guy was both quick, thorough & efficient.

I supplied all the materials (paint etc) which might give you a chance to shop around. Also, it means that you get exactly the colour/design you want.

If you can do some preparation, that would help with the cost. If a good painter costs £135, then paying that person the same price to do preparation is "expensive" by comparison.

HTH

Lord_Gardener

Debt_Free_Chick wrote:

I've just paid £135 a day. Mind you, the guy was both quick, thorough & efficient.

I supplied all the materials (paint etc) which might give you a chance to shop around. Also, it means that you get exactly the colour/design you want.

If you can do some preparation, that would help with the cost. If a good painter costs £135, then paying that person the same price to do preparation is "expensive" by comparison.

HTH

How many hours?

misgrace

Debt_Free_Chick wrote:

I've just paid £135 a day. Mind you, the guy was both quick, thorough & efficient.

I supplied all the materials (paint etc) which might give you a chance to shop around. Also, it means that you get exactly the colour/design you want.

If you can do some preparation, that would help with the cost. If a good painter costs £135, then paying that person the same price to do preparation is "expensive" by comparison.

HTH

My goodness chick!! where do you live?, thats a lot of money per day, I only charge per job, and I am very fast and thorough, I get so much done in a day, sometimes its swings and roundabouts with me, sometimes it has taken longer than I thought, but cause I gave a price I dont go and ask them for any more, but other times I might finish earlier than I had anticipated.

I understand what you are saying about doing your own prep, but from a decorators side of it, they would rather do it.
The times I have gone in and the client has stripped thier walls, I have had to go over them to get off the bits of paper they have missed, or they havent filled properely, or put far too much filler on and then its taken me ages to rub it down, so I always do my own prep, cause sometimes it can add on time to go over the clients prep.

Debt_Free_Chick

misgrace wrote:

My goodness chick!! where do you live?, thats a lot of money per day

East Sussex - but I don't think it's a bad rate for a skilled job. It's less than £20 an hour and my cleaner costs me £10 ph!

In this case, my decorater started at 7.30 am and worked through until 4.30 pm so his rate was only £15 ph. I have to admit, I wouldn't paint someone's house for only £15 ph :rolleyes:

His annual rate of pay works out at only £32,000 .... so it's not extortionate by any means.

I only charge per job

But surely your price is based on an estimate of the time it will take and your hourly/day rate?

and I am very fast and thorough, I get so much done in a day, sometimes its swings and roundabouts with me, sometimes it has taken longer than I thought, but cause I gave a price I dont go and ask them for any more

Yes, I'd be happy with that

but other times I might finish earlier than I had anticipated.

But then I would have been better on a day rate, as I've paid over the odds :mad:

I understand what you are saying about doing your own prep, but from a decorators side of it, they would rather do it.
The times I have gone in and the client has stripped thier walls, I have had to go over them to get off the bits of paper they have missed, or they havent filled properely, or put far too much filler on and then its taken me ages to rub it down, so I always do my own prep, cause sometimes it can add on time to go over the clients prep.

Far enough, tidying up the prep, but I don't need to pay a skilled rate for an unskilled job Even if I only do 75% of the prep, it's money saved

Debt_Free_Chick

Lord_Gardener wrote:

How many hours?

For my job, about three weeks! 7 internal doors, 2 external doors, bedroom (5m x 4m), dressing room, kitchen, hall, downstairs cloaks and utility room. He also fitted the kitchen units & worktop in the utility room so 2 or 3 days for that.

The doors were new and for the internal doors I asked for primer, 2 x u/c and 3 x eggshell. For the walls, mist-coat, 2 x white with the roller and 2 x colour with the brush.

Anyway, we digress .... a day rate is the only way you can compare different quotes. There shouldn't be a huge variation in the amount of time it takes - if there is, then maybe they're quoting for different things or maybe one decorator is taking the !!!!!!

PoorDave

Debt_Free_Chick wrote:

The doors were new and for the internal doors I asked for primer, 2 x u/c and 3 x eggshell. For the walls, mist-coat, 2 x white with the roller and 2 x colour with the brush.

And did you check you'd got than many coats?!

misgrace

Quote:by debt_free_chick

'But surely your price is based on an estimate of the time it will take and your hourly/day rate?'




It is based on a day rate as such, but the difference with pricing per job is the clients knows exactly how much they are paying at the end of it.
If for example I quoted them £300 for the job, and whether the job takes 3 days or 30 days to complete, the clients knows that they are paying £300.

I know for a fact through some of my new clients that some decorators they have in have charged per day, and a 3 day job has taken 5 days.

I had an appt with my physiotherapist who while working on me was telling me about the man she had in at that time, and was moaning how long it was taken for him to do a bedroom, when she told me what was needed doing and asked me how long it should have taken, I told her 2-3 days, and that was including some paperhanging, and painting some walls as well as the usual ceiling woodwork and prep,
She said he had been there 5 days already, I asked her if she was paying him per day, she said yes, I said it was taken too long.

I saw her a few months later, and she told me that after speaking to me, she went home at lunchtime, and caught him watching the TV :eek: .
I am not saying that they are like this, I do it for a living, and I work for myself, but before I worked for myself, I used to work for other firms, and its a well known pratice by some of them.

Even if it a day price you pay, but even myself would like a proper figure, at least you know where you stand.