The costs of an external painting job consist of materials, labor, equipment rental (if you don't own ladders or a power-washer, for example), and overhead. The raw calculation is simple, but labor and overhead costs will vary by geographic location and what your desired profit margin is. This article will cover the basic components of the calculation; you may need to adjust the numbers to suit your situation. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Take a complete measurement in square feet of the exterior surface to be painted. Make sure to include soffits, gutters, and like features if they are to be painted as well.
2. Calculate the amount of paint you will need by dividing the total square footage of the exterior surface to be painted by 400 for a smooth surface, or 300 for a rough or textured surface. Multiply that by the cost per gallon of paint. Good quality exterior paint runs between $25-$40 per gallon.
3. Calculate labor costs by determining the estimated total hours of prep (power-washing, scraping, caulking). This will depend on the condition of the surfaces. Calculate painting time by dividing your work rate by the square footage. For instance, if you can cover 100 square feet per hour, on average, divide the square footage of the house by 100 to arrive at a total number of hours for the painting. Add the prep and painting time together and multiply by your hourly rate. Be sure to increase this number if there are many detailed windows, for instance, or if the surfaces are in poor condition.
4. Add in any incidental costs, such as fuel, power-washer rental, drop cloths, or any other materials you don't already have on hand.
5. If desired, add in overhead for the job such as insurance, telephone, vehicle costs, advertising, etc. Your overhead could easily add 20% to the total cost of a commercial painting job.
6. Add together paint, labor, and overhead costs to come up with a final estimate for the job.
Tags: square footage, exterior surface, exterior surface painted, labor overhead, labor overhead costs, overhead costs
