# Proper Terminology For New Construction Painting Estimate



## Pray4surf (Oct 18, 2013)

My business primarily specializes in residential repaints with the occasional office/restaurant repaints mixed in. 
Recently I was asked to bid on a new development that is set to break ground in a few months. 

Is there a term for when you have to come back to point up the walls after you've finished? Their previous painter included one trip back for point up/touch ups but would bill for anything after. 

Also, is it standard to include one point up visit as part of the original estimate?

This is m first time bidding on a large development. My numbers look good but the margins are low so I'm hoping to avoid shrinking them even more. 

Any and all advice is greatly appreciated.

Thanks


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## dwallon60 (Apr 22, 2018)

Pray4surf said:


> My business primarily specializes in residential repaints with the occasional office/restaurant repaints mixed in.
> Recently I was asked to bid on a new development that is set to break ground in a few months.
> 
> Is there a term for when you have to come back to point up the walls after you've finished? Their previous painter included one trip back for point up/touch ups but would bill for anything after.
> ...


If this is a multi-family, it is a whole different ballgame. Quality is not job one. Speed, efficiency and dirt cheap. Remember that for the bid. Also, make sure that your paint supplier sets up a job preferably with a joint check so that if they are slow pay or no pay, they can assist you in collections.
No that I don't trust people, but...lain:


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## CApainter (Jun 29, 2007)

Pray4surf said:


> My business primarily specializes in residential repaints with the occasional office/restaurant repaints mixed in.
> Recently I was asked to bid on a new development that is set to break ground in a few months.
> 
> Is there a term for when you have to come back to point up the walls after you've finished? Their previous painter included one trip back for point up/touch ups but would bill for anything after.
> ...


Are you referring to a punch list?


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## AngieM (Apr 13, 2016)

The PDCA defines "touch up" and "latent damage" Aka damage caused by others. This is extremely important for builders to understand and could cost you the job because builders are notorious for calling in their painters to "touch up". But what they really want is for you to fix the paint all along the baseboards where the carpet layer knee kicked it every 24 inches. Or where the plumber drug their whatever down the hall. The list goes on and on.

Then they like to withhold your payment until you remedy all the damage done by others. The PDCA defines touch up as a correction in workmanship to achieve a properly painted surface (which they also define). Latent damage is out of the painter's control and therefore billed accordingly.


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## Robert616 (Mar 14, 2018)

Missed spelled paint in sentence


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## Mr Smith (Mar 11, 2016)

I'm glad that I read about this. Everyone uses the term 'touch-ups" but they have different meanings. If we do the work and it doesn't pass inspection, that is a "touchup"

I'll start using the term "latent damage" for when other trades damage our work.

I have a designer who wants me to include "touchups" in the price but I keep telling her that this is impossible without knowing the extent of the damage.

So one time I included the guesstimate of touch-ups in the price and she complains about my quotes being too expensive. How do I know if it will take one or two days? I guessed two days. There is no such thing as a touch-up. You paint entire walls.


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