# Pricing new construction



## St Anger (Mar 26, 2008)

Hello
Ive been painting off and on for a decade but nobody has ever been willing to teach me to bid new homes.My own contracts have always been residential or commercial repaints so I just do cost plus time, but i've been contacted by a builder looking for a bid on a 2600sf new home.This will entail 1 primer coat,2 top coats.Stain and laquer handrails,posts and spindles.I can do the stain/laquer in 1 day.Doors,trim,baseboard all get painted.I can put a spray coat on the trim and doors before installation.Anyway,I dont want to confuse things.Basically its a new house with all the fixins.I hear the going rate around here is $1.50sf but surely that doesnt include the trim and baseboards,does it?If it does,I might just stay out of new construction.If it doesnt,how do I price for the trim?
The ceiling is textured and im cutting in all 3 coats.Any help would be appreciated,time is a factor,I have a 5 day deadline to finish.


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## Jonesey (Jul 7, 2006)

Can't tell you how much you can do it for. My advice would be to cold call a couple of people in your local phone book and sweet talk their rates out of them, but that is still no guarantee you won't lose your assets. 

My advice would be to stay as far away from new construction as you can get. Plenty of work in remodels and repaints to be even tempted to go new construction.


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## ModernStyle (May 7, 2007)

$1.50 is probably for standard trim, you would possibly get extra for crown or a chair rail. $1.50 a ft around here is what they want to pay, but thats floor space, and if you are lucky they dont ask you to throw the garage in for free.


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## St Anger (Mar 26, 2008)

I'm inclined to agree.I've found out $1.50 DOES include the trim and doors.The fella I talked to also includes the stain/laquer in this price,but I think that is the exception because i know alot of times the stain/laquer is contracted out separately so it must be an extra.
I guess new construction is ok if you just want to make wages,but why worry about builders and deadlines and deficiency dummies when you can just get your $25 per hour from an employer and leave your worries at work instead of bringing them home with ya.


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## DeanV (Feb 20, 2006)

I had a builder think I could do a 1,000 sq. ft. home for around 1.80 per square using top of the line materials, I laughed. There is no way to make any money and have any quality at a price of 1.50/ sq ft.


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## odellconstruct (Mar 27, 2008)

most of the interior molding if painted should be pre-primed , so you shouldnt need a primer coat on them, is everything installed molding ect , or drwall just finished, molding installed if so then have to consider alot of cutting in. i would recomend painting molding on a set of horses, makes a cleaner job , have your contractor install molding when dry , and touch up when there done


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## St Anger (Mar 26, 2008)

DeanV said:


> I had a builder think I could do a 1,000 sq. ft. home for around 1.80 per square using top of the line materials, I laughed. There is no way to make any money and have any quality at a price of 1.50/ sq ft.


I know,it's pathetic.But thats the going rate.With a lot of houses and a good crew I guess you might make a little .I was wrong about 3 coats,it was actually 2. The system most commonly used is;

Spray/backroll 1st coat PAINT,not sealer.
(some guys are going the extra mile and spot priming drywall seams where the mud is thickest)

Light sand,2nd coat paint.

Spray 1 coat trim/crown/base uninstalled. Spray 2 coats doors (finished)

Brush top coat trim/base/crown after installation and prep(nobody seems to be spraying top coat anymore) 

Caulk last,colors permitting

Spend 2 weeks coming back to repair flashing(dont thin paint on top coat),screw pops,drywall deficiencies and holes gouged in the walls.

And this is one thing I could never understand.BY WHAT STRETCH OF THE IMAGINATION IS SOME MORONS GREASY HAND PRINT A DEFICIENCY?
A deficiency is if I leave an orange peel or tag the ceiling.Even when a fly gets stuck on wet paint.NOT when joe-blow smears grout half way up the wall on my top coat.Sorry for the rant,but,DAMN.


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## THINKPAINTING (Feb 24, 2007)

A $1.50 a sq ft..... What year are we in 1978? 

If you want to learn there is a ton of info out there now....What the hell is a going rate? What good is the going rate if ya not making money.

I understand we all want to work but not for fast food wages.:sad:


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## MakDeco (Jan 17, 2007)

THINKPAINTING said:


> A $1.50 a sq ft..... What year are we in 1978?
> 
> If you want to learn there is a ton of info out there now....What the hell is a going rate? What good is the going rate if ya not making money.
> 
> I understand we all want to work but not for fast food wages.:sad:


Think is right... not sure where you are at but I wouldn't touch new construction for under 4$ sq ft.. and thats stretching it..


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## DeanV (Feb 20, 2006)

The cheapest new construction homes I do are for 2.25/sq. ft. This is with materials like BM Super Spec on walls. The procedure is pre-primed trim, 2 coats on trim after it is installed (Mid-high grade trim paint made by Graham's for my paint store), brush and roll two coats on the drywall. The lids are textured sprayed with primed and left as is. The walls are a color, usually shaker beige, and since I do not get in these until the trim is installed (by choice). I do not spray the walls at all since to do it before the trim is in would be an extra partial days work and everything would still need a full 2 cuts since lids are white, trim white and walls beige. The windows have a sill only, the rest is drywall return. There are usually a front door and 1 or 2 service doors to paint. There is one return trip after everything else is done for shoe and touch-ups behind all the trades. 1,000 sq. ft. finished homes (basement unfinished). Takes about $400 in materials and 45 hours of my time depending on home touch ups go. It is not my best quality, it cannot be for that. I can only imagine what you have to let fly at 1.50/sq. ft. or what you have to accept making.


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## kenscar (Mar 7, 2008)

*What do you guys mean by square foot?*

When you guys talk about $1.50 sq./foot is that _surface area_ or just the footprint of the room? When I bid I find out the height of the ceilings, then I figure square footage of all the surface area, including the ceilings, and ask for $1.75 - $2.00 per square foot of _surface area_. That includes all the doors, windows and trim on your average room. Crown molding, picture rail etc. makes the price go up. That's for a three-color scheme (walls,trim,ceilings) one coat of primer and two coats of quality paint on everything. For exteriors, the price goes up if there are heights over 16' involved. It averages out to pretty good $$, and my bids are usually close to mypaintbid.com I work in Colorado and many GC's **** a brick when I tell them $2.00/sq. foot - they want illegal workers to do it for .50 cents per - but I've been able to find quality contractors who want quality work and are willing to pay for it.

What say you all to that? I have a feeling you're all going to tell me I'm bidding too low too.


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## Workaholic (Feb 3, 2007)

I would say 2.25 a sqft if there is not hardly any trim like wainscott, crown, chair rail, extensive mantel.


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## ModernStyle (May 7, 2007)

Some illegals around here are doing new homes for $1 a foot, and that is floor not walls. Only the high end custom home builders in this area pay enough to make it worthwhile, and they aint building much these days.


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## kenscar (Mar 7, 2008)

$1 a square floor foot!?! Geeze. I could never make it charging that much. How does that even cover material costs?


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## St Anger (Mar 26, 2008)

kenscar said:


> When you guys talk about $1.50 sq./foot is that _surface area_ or just the footprint of the room? When I bid I find out the height of the ceilings, then I figure square footage of all the surface area, including the ceilings, and ask for $1.75 - $2.00 per square foot of _surface area_. That includes all the doors, windows and trim on your average room. Crown molding, picture rail etc. makes the price go up. That's for a three-color scheme (walls,trim,ceilings) one coat of primer and two coats of quality paint on everything. For exteriors, the price goes up if there are heights over 16' involved. It averages out to pretty good $$, and my bids are usually close to mypaintbid.com I work in Colorado and many GC's **** a brick when I tell them $2.00/sq. foot - they want illegal workers to do it for .50 cents per - but I've been able to find quality contractors who want quality work and are willing to pay for it.
> 
> What say you all to that? I have a feeling you're all going to tell me I'm bidding too low too.


Someone asked where i'm from,i'm Canadian.British Columbia,to be more precise.Thats right above Washington for those of you who have had the benefit of American geography class lol.(just kidding).

Anyway,this sounds about right.So far as i've gathered,they are going by floor footage,$1.50 a square,maybe an extra dime for crown.Add another .75 cents for ceilings.If you guys are counting ceilings then thats the 2.25 you're all talking about.

It's common knowledge there is no money in new construction but if you're getting $2.25 for new construction down there (without ceilings),then you're doing a helluva lot better than we are.A builder up here will tell you to get the %$#* off his site if you asked for 2.25.Thats just for new homes,mind you,the bottom of the pool.


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## DeanV (Feb 20, 2006)

My 2.25 iincludes shooting one coat of primer on the textured ceilings.


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## kenscar (Mar 7, 2008)

I can't believe everyone bids by floor square footage. What if there are 12' ceilings? What if there are french doors in every room? Take an average wall in an average room with a door, window, trim and consider the time it takes to prep, prime and paint - that's easily worth $2.00 per square foot. If you're bidding using floor square footage, you're probably not even making half that. Think about it: the footprint of the floor only equals the ceilings you have to paint - you're not even accounting for the walls when you bid like that! I don't know about you guys, but when I do a job _every_ square foot of surface area that I finish is worth at least two bucks, is it not?


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## Double-A (Jul 3, 2006)

St Anger said:


> Someone asked where i'm from,i'm Canadian.British Columbia,to be more precise.T


You can add your location to your profile. It would be helpful in regional discussions, etc.

Just select User CP from the blue menu bar at the top of all forum windows and then Edit Profile. Once there, scroll down to the Additional Information section, you'll see where.


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## kenscar (Mar 7, 2008)

Yeah, I just put my location on my profile. It's actually very helpful - I've noticed painters in the same area hooking up for work a couple of times on this site.


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## NEPS.US (Feb 6, 2008)

St Anger said:


> I know,it's pathetic.But thats the going rate.With a lot of houses and a good crew I guess you might make a little .I was wrong about 3 coats,it was actually 2. The system most commonly used is;
> 
> Spray/backroll 1st coat PAINT,not sealer.
> (some guys are going the extra mile and spot priming drywall seams where the mud is thickest)
> ...


I'm not trying to insult you but you might want to work for someone that does new construction for a living and learn the correct procedure to maximize profitability. This isnt something that can be outlined on a forum nor is it something a carpenter can tell you how to do. The builder might see your inexperience and be trying to take advantage of you. Be careful!


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