$30 to $40 per hour is too much for a painter. I don't care how good they are or the room to be painted. It ain't rocket science.
But when wifey makes the decision, the best thing to say is, "Nice choice, honey."
Steve
No problem,Bill. I didn't find your reply insulting. And we won't mention the person who I addressed my comments to.
And Steve (your post isn't visible here yet in Google, but I can see it in my newsreader, even though I can't reply with it), thank you for making me laugh!
You understood better than most. Sometimes....USUALLY in fact, its better to let the "wifey" use the person she wants, even at a higher price, than to hear for years to come what a lousy job they did. Unfortunately, I learned this time that if it sounds way to high, its time to jump in and say whoah.... why is it THAT much.
I suppose I am sorry that I gave "wifey" too much say ---and still, I did not have the time to do research.
Next time...we'll wait until we do and she can stay on my back as much as she wants....I won't budge.
Words to live by: Always listen to your gut.
9 times out of ten it will be right. I think it is just animal survival instincts residing within us that we choose to ignore or override. Overriding instincts and gut feelings give rise to those famous words, "Wouda, shoulda, and coulda."Steve
Can you now see why your first question was pretty much lame?! lol
IMHO...ya done good! You got a VERY good price...especially if yer happy with the result.
You didn't have a room painted...as you said in your original post. You had a room painted THREE TIMES!!! QUITE a difference! And he even supplied some of the paint...and the other supplies, of course...brushes, cleaning material, trimout supplies, etc.
And closets can be a bitch! The smaller they are...the TOUGHER they are!
I think ya done good. It sounds like yer kinda picky...and even YER happy with the job. So I'd say he's an excellent contractor.
Good luck with the new room!
Have a nice Labor Day weekend...
Trent
Proud member of the Roy Rogers fan club!
NOW I think you OWE him!! lol
Have a nice Labor Day weekend...
Trent
Cat...the OTHER white meat!
TWO DAYS FOR THAT IS ABOUT RIGHT. AND YOU SAID A HER IS A CONTRACTOR. SO YOU PAID CONTRACTOR, PRICE NOT A PAINTER PRICE. SO THE PRICE IS ABOUT RIGHT STEVEN VAN BE NICE TO YOU TOOLS !
No different here.... SWMBO (she who must be obeyed) has the last word.
Happy modeming, Bill
Painting rates usually run in the 35 to 75 cents per square foot range. More for new construction where priming and smoothing of dyrwall is needed. More for certain colors, like certain reds or yellows that might take 3 coats. More for certain special paints, or sometimes glossier finishes. If it's a rectangular room with normal doors and windows, say about 12 x 12, with 8 or 9 foot ceilings, and a color that is not real far off from the original color, I'd charge you roughly $200. Maybe a bit more if that's the only thing you wanted painted in the whole house.
The man said a "small children's room". There is only so much he could have meant by that. I think we can safely assume he didn't mean a 20x35 dining with vaulted ceiling by that.
What on earth would cost $100 to paint a small bedroom?
If it was actually 3 coats and he also painted the ceiling, that doesn't sound too unreasonable. My question is what color did he paint and what color did he paint over? I would never use the homeowner's paint unless absolutely necessary. Maybe it was cheap paint and actually required 3 coats. Personally, I use expensive paint that in most cases goes on nicely in one coat, becaues it's less expensive that way.
I see no reason to be off on an estimate for a single room like that, but again he used your paint, which he shouldn't have. If it took 3 coats, I can see how it could have taken more than 8 hours if he did a good job. $200 could be for one room with one coat and no ceiling.
Frankly, I think he goofed on something, or is just slow and lazy. There's no way in hell that should take 2.5 days.
You're right, it AIN'T rocket science, but still somehow you don't get it. $30 an hour for a self employed contractor is COMPLETELY DIFFERENT than $30 an hour for someone working for a wage for someone else. It's apples and oranges. $30 an hour for a good painter is CHEAP.
A small room for children? or A room for small children?
We can't see it from here!
I read the thread. All things considered, for what you recieved in service plus the mileage you're getting out of it here - you got a fair deal. ;o)
Bottom line...I've shown here I can be a diplomat, so why am I afraid to ask the painter/contractor why it was so high? I can do it without being mean or insulting, and I won't ask him for a rebate. But I WOULD like to know why it was Soooo much more than I would have thought...even factoring in inflation and his skill level.
If I'm satisfied with his answer, I'll use him again. If not, I won't.
Either way, I learned a lot from this (even if some of it was too late to do much good.
And in hindsight, I think I really wanted to call him (the contractor) but didn't want to be too mean or too nice. Didn't want to be rushed off the phone with no information, nor did I want to insult him based on my lack of knowledge of his trade. I honestly didn't know that's what I was doing, but maybe I came here first so I would neither call prematurely and offend him nor drop the whole thing and be kicking myself forever over how I was taken.
Pro or con, I'll call and ask the painter nicely and in a business like way if he could please explain to me why the bill was on the high side. I will of course compliment him on his work, but let him know I am a little surprised at the fee just the same. But nicely. I'm not rejecting his work, just trying to determine if he's not affordable for me (he isn't unless I find out something special he did that accounts for the high fee (and long time spent). Oh....I forgot top mention the old color was yellow and the new color light to medium blue. In case that matters. Also...don't know if the paint was high quality or not. We didn't conciously choose an expensive or a cheap brand, and it was a few months ago that the paint was purchased
---when I intended to do the work myself.
Thanks again to everyone (well.... ALMOST everyone) that replied. I understand a lot more about what's involved than before.
He moved furniture...plus drying time between coats...plus the closet
3 times.To the OP...
There's only one thing worse than an expensive, professional paint job...and that's an inexpensive, amateur one! lol
Try THAT next time.
Your wife is a wise woman. There's more important things in life to worry about than trying to cut a few slivers off a $600 bill!
Hope you had a nice Labor Day weekend...
Trent
Proud member of the Roy Rogers fan club!
Good point. Cheap paint is always very expensive in labor.
Maybe the homeowner insisted on the painter using their paint, and that drove the cost of the labor involved in using cheap paint through the ceiling? LOL!
Now it's 2 1/2 rather than 1 1/2 days :0[
That seems a bit extreme if nothing special was happening. Frankly, it sounds like the guy was an employee killing time and doing as little work as possible. If so, that would also explain the price, with all the overhead involved in hiring/insuring/etc.
If I did a job like that I'd likely charge half as much, use my own paint, and be done in less than a day. But, many, if not most, employees don't care about productivity, only work avoidance.
Next time, hire a race horse. Get someone who works for themself and who is ambitious. If I could make $250. (after paying $75. for materials) for part of a day's work, especially in cash, I'd jump on it. But if I had to hire workers, the $650. is where I'd have to come in because of all the lame nonsense involved in being an employer.
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