If
you would like a service business that will keep you busy,
house
painting is the one! A truck or van, ladders, brushes and
some
drop cloths are the main mechanical needs; you are the other
ingredient
needed for a thriving business. This is a business
where
you can get by with the bare minimum investment at first,
then
build slowly as your business increases -- adding sir
compressors,
electrical paint rollers, and other fancy equipment
as
you need and can afford it.
The
easiest way to keep busy (probably snowed under would be a
better
term) is to do work for real estate and rental agencies.
They
have lots of work but do not necessarily pay the best -- buy
they
do usually pay on time.
Most
commercial interests are looking for economy: they want the
inside
walls painted "any color, so long as it is off-white" and
don't
care so much about long lasting jobs because tenants damage
the
best quality paints almost as fast as the lower priced
products.
Besides,
the places look and smell fresh and clean after they are
painted.
These jobs you can do fast and not worry so much about
matching
colors to rapidly changing minds.. In fact, if you want
to
learn the house painting business and need income right away,
this
is the way to start.
To
start your painting career with commercial work, contact
several
real estate companies and rental agents. tell them what
you
do, about how much you charge, and ask them to try your
services.
Always
leave your card with them a telephone number that someone
will
answer. You have a wide choice of arrangements - who
supplies
the paint, whether you charge by the hour, square
footage,
room or job.
You
can undoubtedly find a paint supplier who will sell you paint
on
credit,,, however these sources may only handle higher priced
paints
that your customer will not pay for. You can do the same
with
ladders and brushes -- and, you can rent equipment that you
will
not ordinarily need (or can't afford).
Commercial
accounts require careful management of your time. When
they
call you for a job, they are usually in a hurry. A tenant is
complaining
or they need the place painted in order to rent it..
You
should always be in a position to tell them when you can get
started
-- and you MUST SHOW UP when you promise! Not showing up
will
lose you more accounts than sloppy work!
If
there is a problem and you cannot get there when promised,
call
the customer and inform them a problem has arisen. They may
gripe
over the phone, but they will appreciate the fact that you
didn't
"stiff" them (they know things like this happen). If you
run
into problems in this area and have any helpers, at least
send
a helper over to start the job.
When
doing commercial work, you will be tempted to accept smaller
jobs
by individuals -- that pay better. Doing small jobs between
big
ones is one thing; doing them INSTEAD is another. Decide what
kind
of work you want to specialize in and make that your first
priority.
Commercial
accounts have one additional advantage over private
jobs
-- they are continuing. That is, they keep sending you on
job
after job as long as they are satisfied with your price and
work.
Normally,
each private job is one-time thing. Although references
to
friends and relatives and word-of-mouth advertising can be a
tremendous
help to a successful painting business, each rental
agent
or real estate account represents a continuing series of
jobs
itself.
Contracting
to paint for private individuals generally (but not
always)
is much more profitable than commercial work. But, it
usually
requires more time and effort because there are more
individuals
to please.
You
will have to estimate the job, submit a bid, wait for a
response,
then start the job and undoubtedly modify details as
you
go -- private home owners frequently change their mind about
colors
or just what does and does not get painted.
One
contractor sizes up his prospective clients and adds 10% to
his
bid for those he suspects will want a lot of modifications.
When
the job is completed, you will hopefully be paid in full.
Here
is where you can get into trouble! You have already paid for
the
materials and your helpers (or owe them), and the owner wants
to
pay you "next week."
One or two cases like this
will teach you to
get a clear understanding
of payment BEFORE
you start the job!
As
long as you can take care of the paperwork, you can hire
helpers
to do much (if not most) of the actual painting. Consider
hiring
high school and college kids during the summer, and don't
overlook
retirees.
One
entrepreneur went to a senior citizen's club and found a
group
of retired men who would go out and paint his houses
without
supervision. They did excellent work, kept their own time
records,
and did the jobs for less than half what a painting
contractor
would have charged!
Take
a good look around your area and determine what kinds of
painting
jobs are needed (wood, stucco, one or two story,
weatherability,
styles, etc.), and adjust your efforts
accordingly.
When you see a need, make sure the affected people
know
you can provide the solution.
After
a while, you will be able to "eyeball" a house and know
just
what it will take for the job. Until then, it is best to
know
what you are getting into before committing to a price.
Measure
the square footage of the surfaces to be painted. For
example,
a wall 8' high, 50' long is 400 square feet. Subtract
for
large doors and windows for the exact amount of surface for
that
wall.
Do
the same for all other walls, ceilings and offsets and
subtract
for the openings for the overall surface to be painted.
Look
on the paint can to see how many square feet a gallon will
cover
to estimate the amount of paint.
Nest,
figure the smaller surfaces (woodworks, window sills, trim)
that
will be painted with gloss latex or enamel. Some guessing
may
be necessary for this type work, but the amounts involved are
relatively
small.
Some
painters base their estimates on the square footage alone --
they
just consider the "savings" of doors and windows against the
paint
and extra time needed for small surfaces.
If
the job is about average, they balance out. If the job has
more
or less openings, a percentage is estimated. This technique
is
much faster than measuring all the surfaces, but is not
difficult
for an experienced paint estimator.
Next,
consider any expendables that might be involved, such as
tubes
of color, paint mixers, plastic drop cloths, and any
special
tools. Finally, it is time to estimate the labor.
If
you have ever painted the inside of a 10 x 12 foot room you
know
about how long it took perhaps 2-3 hours with a roller, plus
another
hour for set-up, trim, and clean-up. Then, do the same
with
the trim and "close work" and add the two.
Although
you will soon develop your own gauge, you can use a
temporary
formula for now, based on rooms, square footage and the
amount
of trim.
For
outside painting, the surface to be painted will have a lot
to
do with what it takes to paint ir properly -- some surfaces
are
more porous and require much more paint, some will need
scraping
and/or sanding, and still others require primer, sealer,
and/or
extra coats to cover dark colors.
Unless
you already have some experienced in this area, it would
be
a good idea to bid those first few jobs by the hour until you
can
more accurately estimate them,
Although
rates vary drastically in different parts of the country
and
even neighborhoods, an arbitrary rate for normal size inside
rooms
(including materials) would be about $100 each; outsiders
of
single, smooth surfaced dwellings, about $500.
Don't
forget to consider how many coats of paint the job will
take,
whether primers or "color killers" are needed -- and a
biggie:
surface preparation.
Many
frame houses have peeling or blistered paint that must be
sanded
or removed; some have mildew that should be sprayed with a
chlorine
solution (Clorox - or any brand, washed and let dry.
Inside
walls may have cracks or holes that need to be repaired,
and
there may be places where part of the surface is missing or
rotted.
Every painter has a supply of putty and normal cleaning
materials,
but some jobs obviously need more than a normal paint
job.
When
bidding on or accepting a job, look it over thoroughly and
agree
on what is to be done about any special problems like
these.
Tip:
An easy (and cheap) way to spray for mildew is house a
garden
sprayer. Pour household bleach into the plastic sprayer
jar,
turn on the hose and spray the water and chlorine mixture on
mildewed
walls and eaves.
After
an hour or so, rinse. Check for any stubborn spots and redo
them.
When rinsed and dry, paint right over. Note that you should
not
wear your best suit while spraying chlorine, and avoid
breathing
the fumes.
When
submitting your bid, always figure it with good quality
materials
and let the customer know that you did.. If he wants to
scrimp
for a better price, let it be his decision to use cheaper
materials.
This
is not to say that should you choose the most expensive
paints
-- only good quality. Since you are now a business
person,,
you can probably get a discount on all your painting
supplies.
If one store won't give you a discount, go to another!
This
is extra profit -- you need not share this savings or
information
with your customers, even if you cut the contract
price.
To
help sell your services, compile a photo album of before and
after
pictures. Take the before and after pictures from the same
angles,
and it won't hurt if the afters are in a little better
light.
addresses
(not owner names) on each, so they are real to your
prospective
customers.
The
main pitfalls in this business are over extending -- taking
on
more work than you can handle, or jobs that are too
complicated
for your talents and/or equipment at the time. These
are
clearly important because in order to be successful you must
earn
a reputation for keeping your word.
You
can avoid over extension by looking over each job carefully
before
accepting it -- and keep your reputation by making good on
all
promises, whether to big or small customers (either can hurt
you
if you "do them wrong"). Pay your bills, keep your word and
do
good work, and you will do fine.
No comments:
Post a Comment