Things to consider when giving someone a quote

[u/DeepRedViolets]

I just got a job painting someone’s entire house I have to go over later today to do the quote. This is my second job and I’m fine tuning my methods. I’d like to know a way to stream line the quoting process like how much I charge or not charge for each of the things considered. so I’m not fumbling too much and I’m taking the right notes and pictures. so far I consider the following.

If anyone has anything else to add or tips it would be greatly appreciated.

Is it dry wall or plaster

How much damage I have to prep before the paint goes on

What color the previous walls were and how many coats of primer

Square footage obviously

Are the baseboards, trim, doors, ceilings included in paint job and are they a different color than the walls

Furnished or not furnished? (This job they are just moving in so the furniture will be present)

Time constraints. (She wants this done fairly fast so they can start unpacking more things)

[u/fungusjewmungus]

I like to have my base price and go up or down based on room size. I walk in and immediately think 16k but I still price out every room and item to see if I am close to my original thought. Base it on how long it takes you to do a room

[u/foundtheseeker]

Doors and millwork should (almost) never be the same paint as the walls. They can be the same color. Wall paint can be a vinyl-acrylic whereas trim needs to be, at minimum, 100% acrylic. And really it should be designed for doors and millwork.
You can quickly estimate wall sq ft by multiplying the floor sq ft by 2.5-2.9 depending on ceiling height. Is it better to measure wall by wall and subtract windows and doors etc etc? Yeah, it probably is.
I can't imagine you'd be doing more than one coat of primer. Most wall paints these are done in two coats total, with exceptions for glossy walls, certain colors, certain substrate issues. Maybe primer is more common in your market but it's rare to prime walls in ours. If you are doing any windows or doors, prime those bees every time. Trim can benefit from it too and is needed if going over oil with latex.
Document the f out of any paint that isn't where it should be before you start painting. If there's a lot of cut lines that bleed over onto the ceiling, ask the customer what they want you to do. Paint over what the painter before you screwed up or cut properly and leave the previous mistakes visible. As a beginner I highly, highly discourage you from telling them you'll match anything for touch up. That's a skill you learn with time and there's always going to be some amount of luck and intuition involved. Wait until you've banked up some luck and gained some intuition.
Cover the floor, and you'll probably need to tape base. Paint splatters off the roller, even if you don't think it does. It's faster to protect than it is to clean 95% of the time.
Never paint hourly. And good luck!

[u/IngenuityNatural9261]

Welcome to the School of Hard Knocks. This school is harder than a regular college as we take the test first and then learn the lesson. Mistakes are the cost of your ongoing education. Maya Angelou said. "Do the bast you can until you know better. When you know better, do better."

[u/Amazing_Emu_5890]

If baseboards/windows/doorframes are not being painted I tape the tops so paint doesn’t drip/splatter onto them. Making sure to leave a tiny gap for my brush to move easily without painting the tape to the woodwork. This takes time and I add it to my estimate.

Do I need to pick up drops, uncover furniture, move my materials at the end of each day? Then reverse for setup the next day or on Monday.

When was the last time surfaces were painted? Ten years ago I might want to prime depending on the condition of things.

I give a separate $$ figure for restoration and repair work. Depending on the client I might give more details of my plan. Often for major repairs/restoration I do a not to exceed or an explanation of why an exact figure can’t be given. If it’s a deep/large area of plaster restoration I do a by the hour and drop my hourly a bit. We don’t often know how far/deep/wide the demo is going to be.

Where is my clean up area and what season is it? Plastering/mudding in the winter sux if I’m having to keep a clean bucket going and there’s no slop sink.

How prepped are rooms going to be? Is there a lot of furniture, toys, appliances to move or work around?

Do cabinets/built ins go to the ceiling or will I be prepping/painting the areas above the cabinets/below the ceiling? Will I need to set up a walk board? Climb over stoves/hoods.

Take lots of photos when you are walking through the project. Look behind furniture and curtains for cracks.

Is there Crown? Does it need caulking/repairing.

In my estimate I say … this bid/estimate reflects one coat of primer and two coats of paint. If additional coats are required to achieve good coverage and color value I will bring this to your attention for you to consider. Additional coats will be reflected in the final invoice with the estimate/agreement sent to you in an email. (Something like that)

Who’s purchasing and paying for supplies/materials?

A few things I consider as I’m working on a bid.