# Commercial estimating (exterior)



## boosti

Hello all, 
I am trying to come up with a price on an exterior of a hotel. I am just starting out on my own and have been primarily a residential painter most of my career. I have no problem looking at a residential job and quoting a price. I have done quite a few commercial jobs when working for previous companies...but mainly interior. I have painted dryvitt before but not on this scale. I am trying to bid it so I can land the job, make a good wage and not screw up the eco-system of local bidding with my price. I have very little overhead and I have a collection of good painter friends that work as subs when I need them. The job is about 18,000 square feet. I am painting the dryvitt only, 2 main colors and a couple pieces that are accented with another color that I will paint by hand. I plan to spay it from a lift. I can tweak the numbers and the variables but basically I am looking for a labor only price per square foot as my starting point. I can add the rest of the costs and variables to that. I live in PA. Thank you in advance!


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## premierpainter

18k sq ft of what? exterior wall space or is that the interior floor space? Bid it like you do any other exterior project. I also don't know that spraying an exterior of a hotel with cars in the lot is a great idea unless your ins. doesn't mind overspray. If it is a new building- go for it. Sounds like a pretty easy job for you.


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## boosti

premierpainter said:


> 18k sq ft of what?


 Good point...18k sq of total exterior wall space. I was going to run my numbers off the exterior wall space measurement to get my base and then adjust from there. I talked to a friend/former employer today who owns a well known and profitable painting business in this area and he told me the going rate for this type of job was .60-.80 cents a sq. including sundries. This is my first commercial exterior of this size and part of the problem of me bidding it like any other job is that I will be relying a lot more on my team than myself...I know how long it takes me to do something but it's harder for me to estimate how long it will take my subs to do something that I have not seen them do. I have never used these guys on a job like this before and I can't be there to help all the time. So I figured if I used the going rate per sq as a base unit of measure then I would come up with a competitive bid. 

I am new to Paint Talk but I am so happy that it is available. I have learned so much from all the oldtimers here in a short time. It's a privilege to be able to draw off so many successful peoples' experience as a virtual fly on the wall. The more I learn the more I realize how little I know!


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## daniel

I think you could spray 2 coats for .35 cents labor, plus covering cars, plus lift, plus trim, masking, cutting in colors, ect 
With a lift rental, materials and all, your heading towards a buck a foot for low cost work, like motels


This kind of work is for the young and strong. But remember, selling your self over a long period of time in the same location will result in much easier work at more than twice the $ and 1/3 of the work. A higher end residential at 5-6 a floor foot and repaints will always pay more. You can also keep a personal life with the easier work.
But if your ready for the big stuff just remember you will need pump repair or replacement and lots and lots of other "things not seen at the begining"
daniel


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## qdslse

Sounds like a great job. Post some before and after pics. Hope you get it.


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## midlo777

If your area is anything like most you will find quotes all over the place. You will have high and low prices. Sometimes getting the job is how you sell yourself. Presentation is so important. Your image speeks for you. Also quote only what the customer asked you to quote. If you try to upsell at the start your competition may get the job simply because he quoted on just the basics. Your system will most likley require you to back roll what you spray so figure that in too. You get a better more uniform job. What works for me in estimates is to figure out how many sq ft an average guy can do in a day and get the days involved in the job. This gives you a time to plug in numbers. If you have studied your painters and you know it takes an hour to put on a gallon of paint on this type of system without a gun less with one then you know how many hrs and days it will take. Add it all up and you get a sure estimate of time. Then plug the numbers in based on your needs in the market. Go up in the busy season and down in the dead season. Hope that helps..


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## premierpainter

Watch your material cost. Dryvit will suck in most finishes and give you about 150 sq. ft. a gallon.


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## ituen

*Exterior hotel painting*

Hi guys,
We are a painting company from Boston Ma. We are negotiating an exterior painting contract with Marriott hotels. There will be several ones to paint around the new England area. First one is a Cortyard Marriott, 60' high, dryvit walls. It is a repainting and virtually no prep needed but power washing the building. It will take two finish coats. I have figure out materials and lifts, and it comes about 30-35K. It will take 450-500gls and three colors. I am attaching a picture of the entrance with is one third of the entire length of the facade. 
I don't think would feel comfortable going under 80k. Any suggestion appraising this?


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## tsunamicontract

boosti said:


> Hello all,
> I am trying to come up with a price on an exterior of a hotel. I am just starting out on my own and have been primarily a residential painter most of my career. I have no problem looking at a residential job and quoting a price. I have done quite a few commercial jobs when working for previous companies...but mainly interior. I have painted dryvitt before but not on this scale. I am trying to bid it so I can land the job, make a good wage and not screw up the eco-system of local bidding with my price. I have very little overhead and I have a collection of good painter friends that work as subs when I need them. The job is about 18,000 square feet. I am painting the dryvitt only, 2 main colors and a couple pieces that are accented with another color that I will paint by hand. I plan to spay it from a lift. I can tweak the numbers and the variables but basically I am looking for a labor only price per square foot as my starting point. I can add the rest of the costs and variables to that. I live in PA. Thank you in advance!


So you don't really know what you are doing but are going to learn on a project this big? Seems like you might want to ease your way into larger commercial projects. My first residential painting job was not a full exterior. Nor was my second. Or third.


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## ewingpainting.net

Have you even had a 1st tsun, JK big boy.


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## tsunamicontract

ewingpainting.net said:


> Have you even had a 1st tsun, JK big boy.


im a 3rd year virgin . . .
haha JK, ive done a few new, enough that I don't bat an eye when someone says they want their whole exterior painted.


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## boblenzen

*Wal Mart repaint in the SWest*

I have been a commericial paint contrator for the last 6 years and have watched the sqft prices go way down due to the economy.My question is we have been bidding these walmart remodels where wal mart supplies about a third of the paint, we have lost the last two due to cost. The ceiling deck does not get painted but all doors and frames and walls and the exterior do.This one that I will be bidding is about 225,000sqft floor area.What is a ball bark number that these are going for???? My last bid was $118,544 for one that was 17000sqft smaller and did not get it Its nightime work, open remodel, lift rental,intense paperwork and all that.
Anyone done these that can help with some kinda number.
It would be great help
Bob


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## NEPS.US

boblenzen said:


> I have been a commericial paint contrator for the last 6 years and have watched the sqft prices go way down due to the economy.My question is we have been bidding these walmart remodels where wal mart supplies about a third of the paint, we have lost the last two due to cost. The ceiling deck does not get painted but all doors and frames and walls and the exterior do.This one that I will be bidding is about 225,000sqft floor area.What is a ball bark number that these are going for???? My last bid was $118,544 for one that was 17000sqft smaller and did not get it Its nightime work, open remodel, lift rental,intense paperwork and all that.
> Anyone done these that can help with some kinda number.
> It would be great help
> Bob


Your in Vegas Bob. You would have better luck betting black 100% of the time.


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## DPaint

Bob, 

Don't get too upset about not getting any particular job, even if you're pricing very aggressively. A lot of jobs in my area are going below cost for a variety of reasons.


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## Patrick K

boblenzen said:


> I have been a commericial paint contrator for the last 6 years and have watched the sqft prices go way down due to the economy.My question is we have been bidding these walmart remodels where wal mart supplies about a third of the paint, we have lost the last two due to cost. The ceiling deck does not get painted but all doors and frames and walls and the exterior do.This one that I will be bidding is about 225,000sqft floor area.What is a ball bark number that these are going for???? My last bid was $118,544 for one that was 17000sqft smaller and did not get it Its nightime work, open remodel, lift rental,intense paperwork and all that.
> Anyone done these that can help with some kinda number.
> It would be great help
> Bob


 Bob, we do these all the time. That sounds more like a $70,000 - $80,000 (ballpark) project to me,


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## boblenzen

I have backed out of all these wal marts. With all the extras they want to through at ya and not pay its not worth it.

Thanks so much for all!


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## macdaddy

*hi*



ituen said:


> Hi guys,
> We are a painting company from Boston Ma. We are negotiating an exterior painting contract with Marriott hotels. There will be several ones to paint around the new England area. First one is a Cortyard Marriott, 60' high, dryvit walls. It is a repainting and virtually no prep needed but power washing the building. It will take two finish coats. I have figure out materials and lifts, and it comes about 30-35K. It will take 450-500gls and three colors. I am attaching a picture of the entrance with is one third of the entire length of the facade.
> I don't think would feel comfortable going under 80k. Any suggestion appraising this?


I agree with you on the price. We are in the middle of some commercial buildings right around your paint figures. I usually figure out the price and then drop a little discount in, if the company has a bunch more work, Good luck. I hope you get them all.


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## Paradigmzz

boblenzen said:


> I have backed out of all these wal marts. With all the extras they want to through at ya and not pay its not worth it.
> 
> Thanks so much for all!



Their legaleze is a PITA and payment holdouts are not for the weak at heart. :no:


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