Welcome to TheOhioOutdoors
Wanting to join the rest of our members? Login or sign up today!
Login / Join

Contractors.

Jamie

Senior Member
5,711
177
Ohio
Appreciate the offer and numbers. It's very easy money, especially since the only brush work is at the ceiling and a little around some kitchen cabinets, the rest is all roller work. You helped make up my mind to do it myself lol. I can't mentally justify a $75 an hour rate for paint labor. I'm in the wrong line of work lol.
I guess I should have clarified that I wasn't actually offering to come do the work for that price. I was just ballparking it, erring on the high side so you would have a reference. I'd have to see the work to give an accurate price. would probably be even a little less, really. still, running a legitimate business, even a painting business, costs real money, and you will definitely get what you pay for hiring the work done. for the task you have, I would urge you to do it yourself, anyway, if you are able bodied and have manual skills. this is a very busy time of year for residential painting contractors and most of us are up to our eyeballs in good paying jobs. believe me, you are not in the wrong line of work. ;)
 
  • Like
Reactions: Mike

Jackalope

Dignitary Member
Staff member
38,859
260
I guess I should have clarified that I wasn't actually offering to come do the work for that price. I was just ballparking it, erring on the high side so you would have a reference. I'd have to see the work to give an accurate price. would probably be even a little less, really. still, running a legitimate business, even a painting business, costs real money, and you will definitely get what you pay for hiring the work done. for the task you have, I would urge you to do it yourself, anyway, if you are able bodied and have manual skills. this is a very busy time of year for residential painting contractors and most of us are up to our eyeballs in good paying jobs. believe me, you are not in the wrong line of work. ;)

Oh no I totally get it and appreciate it buddy. The rate is what the market will bear and obviously there's no shortage of people willing to pay it. I'm just saying it's too rich for my blood at a $75 an hour rate which is generous as there's not 16 hours of labor in the job. This is a flip that will hit the market in the spring and not my forever home.

In contrast I hired two laborers subcontracted through U-Haul to load and unload the moving truck. 2 guys, 4 hours, $210. I pack it up, they load and follow to destination and unload. That's a $26 an hour labor rate for heavy lifting that includes the fee he pays u-haul, wages, and business profit. Now we're in to a margin where doing it myself doesn't make sense.
 
Last edited:

Jamie

Senior Member
5,711
177
Ohio
capitalism at its finest. the laws of supply and demand on display in all their grandeur.

the painting trade is a bit peculiar in that there is such a huge disparity in the types of work, the level of experience and understanding required to do various types of paint work, and what qualifies as quality workmanship. No regulation in the painting trades to speak of. you don't need a license or any formal training to be a "professional painter". I've always had a great deal of ambivalence about this. on the one hand, I don't want the gubment telling me how to do my job and forcing me to pay fees for license and such, on the other hand, any hillbilly with a ladder and a brush tell people he's a professional.

I don't get painting jobs because I'm the low bidder. well, not very often. I get painting jobs because of my reputation in the local niche that I occupy in the trade. Well-to-do homeowners value having trustworthy, responsible professionals in their homes doing work, even menial paint work, and are willing to pay for that piece of mind. contractors flipping houses don't give a fuck about anything but the price, which is totally understandable. I don't work for general contractors much. :D
 

Jackalope

Dignitary Member
Staff member
38,859
260
capitalism at its finest. the laws of supply and demand on display in all their grandeur.

the painting trade is a bit peculiar in that there is such a huge disparity in the types of work, the level of experience and understanding required to do various types of paint work, and what qualifies as quality workmanship. No regulation in the painting trades to speak of. you don't need a license or any formal training to be a "professional painter". I've always had a great deal of ambivalence about this. on the one hand, I don't want the gubment telling me how to do my job and forcing me to pay fees for license and such, on the other hand, any hillbilly with a ladder and a brush tell people he's a professional.

I don't get painting jobs because I'm the low bidder. well, not very often. I get painting jobs because of my reputation in the local niche that I occupy in the trade. Well-to-do homeowners value having trustworthy, responsible professionals in their homes doing work, even menial paint work, and are willing to pay for that piece of mind. contractors flipping houses don't give a fuck about anything but the price, which is totally understandable. I don't work for general contractors much. :D

Absolutely. It all depends on the space you want to occupy in the market and the reputation you've built. If this was my forever home i'd go a professional painter route. This is in essence a flip that I plan to be out of by May/June. In this case there's only two things that matter, neutral color, and the home inspector sees that its not chipping or peeling. Anything beyond that is simply reducing equity via cost.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Isaacorps

jwiley77

Junior Member
45
19
I've gone through the same thing myself, roof is leaking, I'm a HVAC tech and I just don't have the time to do it myself. The way I see it if you're in business for yourself and you can't return a call or show up when you say you're going to then pack your bags and hang it up cause ain't no one that busy. A phone call is minutes of your life and possibly thousands of dollars so why be in business if you can't do what it takes to run it.
I'm a tech because I figured out 10 years ago in my early 30s that running my own thing meant I had no time for me, and that is a fact, at least until you've grown said business enough where you have people you employ to fulfill that role and allow you that time. This is part of the decay of America, no one wants to accept the responsibility of commitment and accountability