Painting rough estimate

[trs80]

What is a rough estimate based on square footage to have a proffessional inside house painting done?

How about the outside?

[Colbyt]

10 cents per here and $10 there.

No one can even come close to helping you if they don't know where you live.

[bambam]

Square footage of what? Of the house? Of the walls and ceilings? Including trim? Not including trim? How much cutting? How many colours? Who moves furniture? Who repairs walls? How many repairs?

Maybe ask someone who can see the house?

Ken

[jeffc]

Maybe 50 cents per square foot of wall, not counting trim or repair, etc.

[RicodJour]

Fine. Sold. Can you start tomorrow? I have people gladly paying three times that around here, so lunch is on me.

Do you think you're doing the OP a favor by tossing out a number without _any_ information other than it's a _house_? The only thing I can tell you is that you're number is wrong. You might be high or low, but since I also don't have any information, I can't tell for sure.

R

[trader4]

Interesting logic. Since you don't know where the house is either, how can you be sure his number has to be high or low? It is also possible that the number just happens to be correct.

[RicodJour]

Define correct. If his number is the "correct" one, does that mean that all of the painters in that area, regardless of backlog and quality use the same exact number for estimating? Of course not.

Giving someone an essentially random number is at best misleading and at worst harmful. Suppose the OP doesn't know any better and relies on that random number? Say a highely recommended contractor with a reputation for quality and good prices gives him a number of 75 cents a foot. The OP may pass on that contractor thinking that the price is high. What if it's not? What if 75 cents is the going rate in his area for an average painter, and in fact the higher quality contractor is a bargain at 75 cents?

Flip it around. Say a low quality contractor gives him a price of 50 cents, and the going rate _is_ 50 cents. The OP accepts it because it is the "correct" number. Unfortunately it's not the correct number for that contractor - his price should be 25 cents because he doesn't believe in painting prep and cleaning.

The only way to get a reliable number is to pick up the phone, have someone eyeball the property, make sure their work is to your satisfaction and not some fly-by-night operation, and that their schedule works with yours.

R

[trader4]

Good grief, take a breath and calm down. I hardly think that someone is going to be seriously harmed by someone giving a wild guess on the cost of painting a square foot of wall. And I don't disagree that there isn't enough info about the scope of the work, location, etc. My only point was you stated:

" The only thing I can tell you is that you're number is wrong. You might be high or low, but since I also don't have any information, I can't tell for sure. "

Unless the laws of logic have been repealed, there is also the third possibility that he isn't high or low, but that the number he gave just happens to be one that the guy could get the job done for.

[trs80]