Cost or Price?

Cost or Price?

What is your decision going to be based on the cost of the project or the price? You may say what's the difference but there sure is one and it will cost you in the end.

What if I said that lower price that looks all shiny and bright could cost you double the more expensive project by the time the years play out?

Imagine this, you're getting a price on the exterior of your home and you do the get three estimates thing and all your bids come back and you have a price of $10,000, $15,000 and $20,000

Naturally, you look at that high one and think wow, they are overcharging me and you decide to take that low price, they said they are using the same materials and everything is "apples to apples".

So your project cost you $10,000 to start but guess what they didn't prime that bare wood correctly and it peeled off after the year warranty they gave you. (If they even stand behind their warranty)

So you had to hire another company to come out and touch up a few things and that took two days and cost you $1250.00 so now your project cost you 11,250.00

A year later you learn they used a cheaper exterior paint and your paint is fading and chalking so now you must get it power washed and one side that hits the sun repainted. Cost $3750. Your project now cost you $15,000.

A few months later the caulk they used is failing badly, you call the manufacturer but it wasn't applied correctly so there is no warranty and you need to pay someone else to come out again and redo the work. Cost 1 day $600 Now you're at 15,600

Now the big one, you learn on the high areas they only applied one coat of paint and never primed the bare wood and you have rot underneath the gutters. 

Now you must bring in a carpenter, possibly a gutter person and have all of this replaced and painted. Your cost of this work had now crept over that initial bid you thought was overcharging you. It turns out the cost of the project was correct and they had included all of the top of the line products and the prep that was really needed.

So the moral of the story is to not just throw away that initial price, it's cost may be the lowest one after all

You don't always need three estimates

You don’t always need three estimates:

It seems somewhere everyone came up with the great idea of getting three estimates for every project around their home from painting to electrical to plumbing.

Yes in some instances this can be a good idea especially if you don’t know any of the contractors who are coming, hopefully, you did your homework before you go that point and checked references, past work through pictures their social media pages or word of mouth.

But if you're like me I feel I am a great judge of character and if the first estimate turns out to be a great one and we connect that is good enough for me, I would prefer to not waste my time waiting around for a contractor who may not show up, is late or shows up and never sends me the estimate.

In my case  I checked out all the reviews and maybe emailed a few references but why continue the song and dance act of each estimate when I feel totally comfortable with the first?

If the issue is price alone you can get 10 estimates someone will always be cheaper but if yours looking for quality work and quality people doing it and they show up in your first or second estimate stop the show now and get them signed up to do your work because I can guarantee if they are great at what they do their schedule is most likely booked.

There will be exceptions to each rule and some people feel more comfortable gathering all of the estimates, it is tough when your doing this to make sure everyone is bidding the same way on residential work (apples to apples)

You will have to make sure they are all using the same materials, they are fully insured with liability insurance AND workman's compensation and are licensed in your area.

So if you have time to do three four five estimates, by all means, go for it, I personally do not and do not want to waste my time or the contractors and more importantly want my work started as soon as possible. 

What to expect on the first day of your painting job

The first day of your painting project is coming up and by now hopefully, you have expressed all of your expectations and have turned in your color selections. So now what?

A good company will call and confirm the start of the job a few days beforehand and introduce either your foreman or project manager at this time, he would be your point of contact throughout the process, one thing this person hates is clients calling the office when he or she can easily solve almost any problem on site and much  faster.

On the day of the job you should have your breakables moved out of the rooms being painted, furniture put into the middle of the room and a nice breakfast ready for the painters (ok just kidding on the breakfast)

Your crew or painter will arrive and the person in charge (your foreman) will walk through the entire project with you and go over each color and all of your expectations based off of the scope of work. If there are any issues this is a great time to bring them up and resolve any unmet expectations after the job is complete.

They will go over job sequencing and scheduling to let you know how they will manage your job when certain rooms will be done and if they see any issues

As this is going on the rest of the crew is setting up a shop area somewhere you said would be a good spot such as the basement or garage, you should also let them know where they can clean their tools and what bathroom facilities to use.

Once your walk-through is complete your general spackling will begin and masking off of baseboards, plastic covering the furniture and drop clothes placed on the floor.

Now the expert work will begin, our painters are highly skilled and trained and do not need other supervision on the site, remember you hired professional, you must let them work. They may do things you're not accustomed to, remember just because you read it online doesn't make it true or the professional way to do things. Nothing is worse the client disrupting the painters, it distracts them, cause ill will and may make them rush your project.

A few days before the project is over the foreman will walk it with you, address any concerns at this time, hand you, our invoice and let you know payment is due on the completion day.

Once payment is made we will ask for any referrals, reviews and take some pictures of our work. No is a great time for a video review of our work and helps tremendously with our future work

What makes for a great painting estimate

I go on about 10 estimates a week in person and not counting the others we do from blueprints in the office so I have seen it all from potential clients who could care less what I have to say other than the price to ones who I can talk to forever.

Somedays the bad ones make it a very long day but the others who turn out to be great make up for the bad generally

So what makes a great estimate on my end?
Communication is the big one here for me, if a potential client does not open up about their project or we do not connect in some way while I am there it makes for a very difficult estimate, I never find out their key needs nor did they share them with me which makes it a complete guess once we start the job and is ripe for problems and expectations not met.

Be on site, I know that sounds simple but the person making the decision should be on site, you have to connect or feel comfortable with who you hire and not make your decisions solely off of the price. We ask a lot of questions before we show up on an estimate and if the decision is based solely on price for a residential project we will refer these jobs out.

We are entering into a relationship once an estimate is given and you select us to do your work, we will be interacting over the course of your project and we like to work for great people and are selective in who we work for just as much as you are when selecting your contractor.

Know what you want and express it at the estimate, not after the job starts. At that point you should let the painters do what they are trained and experienced to do, paint. Nothing is worse than a homeowner looking over their shoulders or pulling gout a light to shine on the wall which is a big no-no. Know what you want, express it to the estimator and let them deliver it.

Tips for your painting estimate

Tips to make your painting estimate successful

Getting an estimate for any kind of work can sometimes be frustrating and stressful but for our painting estimates we make the process as easy as possible on our end. However the customer still has a few things they need to do.

The most important thing for the homeowner or owner of the property to do is BE HOME.
Meeting the person who will be doing your estimate and possibly the work is so important for many reasons yet every now and then someone else is waiting to meet me who knows very little about the project and most certainly cannot express the expectations of the customer to me.
Without knowing the expectations of the customer the job is ripe for failure.

The second reason to be home is simply you should meet the person doing the work otherwise it is strictly a price issue and we would not be the best fit for that type of work. Anyone can come in with the lowest price on a project, trying to make that a successful one is the challenge when you start to discount and undervalue your work.

We make a policy to not do estimates unless the decision maker is on site and can fully express the final expectations of the work to us. With our company it is more then painting, most companies and estimates you will get will say the same things, how they will apply the paint , number of coats, insured workers but with us you get an experience from start to finish. Someone who will listen to your concerns, answer emails and a very attentive staff.

What it costs to paint a bedroom in Easton,Pa

What it costs to paint a bedroom in Easton,PA

One question we get asked every day is what does it cost to paint a bedroom

Some people are shocked at the price and some understand the costs that a small company incurs on a daily basis to stay in business

Using a professional painting company comes along with many great things, a trained staff, professional painters, liability  insurance  and workman’s compensation paid on workers, crews, vehicles so if something would happen you and your family (and home) are covered. The same can not be said hiring a company who uses uninsured sub-contractors. You’re on your own there and hopefully if something would happen the insurance is in place on the company and their subcontractors

Here are some fees that are in the cost to paint a room from a professional company:

•                   Workman Compensation and liability insurance
•                                      Taxes, payroll taxes, social security unemployment  etc
•                    Costs such as vehicles and marketing
•                    Training for painters
•                      Health Insurance and benefit packages if applicable

So what does it cost to paint a bedroom let’s get to the answer?

To paint a typical 10x12 bedroom pictured above  with two coats of quality paint from Sherwin Williams or Benjamin Moore you will have these typical costs

 The average cost would be about $350

Add the ceilings and add $150-$200

Add the baseboard for about $125

So a typical room this size is around $350-$600 Depending on what is getting done, height of walls, any patching other than small dings, dents and nail holes. The timeframe is also important; if you need it done right away a good company is ging to be booked out 4-6 weeks, so to move you up in the schedule will come with a premium.

Do you need the absolute best materials and quality? Well then that is a premium

If price is the absolute most important thing and you need the cheapest price possible, than timing and quality will certainly be where the savings will come from, it would be scheduled when crews are free , a rainy day where scheduled exterior work cannot be done.  You may get trainees on site learning the trade or the average painter while the top craftsman are on the other jobs where the top quality was requested and paid for.

Most jobs can be done under any budget “if” that is known and spoken about at the estimate.

What we find sometimes is that is not shared, someone looking for the bottom dollar price never shares that, gets a bunch of estimates and solely picks the lowest price regardless of who they preferred while if they would of shared this with the painting company they likes most likely the project could have been adjusted to make that happen

Acoustic Ceiling Painting

Can Acoustical Ceilings be Restored?

With proper preparation and a highly skilled and trained team of professionals, your faded, discolored and water-stained acoustical ceiling tiles can be bought back to life leaving your facility with beautiful, brand new looking tiles in half the time and half the cost of completely replacing the tiles themselves. 

With the preparation and application of a specialty coating, your existing acoustical ceiling can be completely resurfaced and coated to not only improve appearance, but also enhance acoustic function, create better light reflectance and provide greater tile life expectancy. Acoustic Ceiling restoration services also contribute to earning LEED Green Building Credits as these specialty coatings are Low Voc and avoid waste disposal by utilizing existing materials.

The entire ceiling system in place including grids, air diffusers, vents, speaker plates, etc. can be entirely resurfaced and finished in a variety of colors to match your current color scheme perfectly. The tiles themselves are restored and left in a bright, clean white finish that is sure to add the wow factor to your facility. The tile coating system is resist to dirt, dust and the yellowing that is often caused by UV light exposure which not only helps to keep your ceiling looking clean and new, but also improves the acoustical function and performance overall.

As the premier Commercial and Residential painting company in the Lehigh Valley, we are thrilled to provide Acoustical Ceiling Restoration services to our clients. Not only does this service provide our clients with the high quality craftsmanship their facility deserves, but as an eco-friendly service, acoustical ceiling restoration contributes to our commitment of going green and practicing sustainability in the Lehigh Valley. 

What to expect on your painting estimate

Getting a painting estimate can be challenging in many ways from who do you call to how much it will cost. There are many unknowns which can make for a stressful time and one that sometimes makes you make unwise choices from choosing the wrong contractor to more importantly not selecting the right one.

When you call to get an estimate first did someone answer the phone who was polite and could answer most of your questions? Did they ask what your time frame was? Nothing is more frustrating then having contractors come out who can never meet your deadlines which simply wastes your time and the contractors. A simple question on their end can eliminate this.

After an appointment was set that is good for both parties did the contractor show up on time or at all?  This is my first red flag when looking for a contractor, if they are late to the consultation what makes you think they will be on time when your project is going on. If were late and I can count on one hand he amount of times I have been late we always call.

Did they arrive wearing a company shirt and dressed well? This again is important, if they show up in a dirty vehicle and dressed horribly it is a reflection on how they treat their own property. How do you think they will treat yours?

Were they writing things down or simply looking around and going to guess at your price? No matter how many years someone has in the trade writing things down is a necessity if only to be able to have notes for the painters who arrive on your project.

Once they arrive you should tell them immediately what your project consists of and walk through each area and be very detailed . This is your one shot at explaining clearly and being able to get a clear and accurate price. I will say it again failure to know expectations is the number one way a project will go wrong. We make sure this doesn't happen often by writing everything down, repeating what is told to us and giving the painters a clear scope and copy of what we wrote. This eliminates 95% of issues on job sites.

Once you get your estimate whether that is on the spot or emailed you should look it over and make sure the scope of work matches what you explained at the estimate and follow this with a phone call with the estimator. Following these simple rules can save a ton of wasted time and effort and make a decision an easier one.

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO PAINT MY HOME?

People often call and simply ask what does it cost to paint my house?

This generally is very hard to clearly answer as there are many variables such as their expectations, the current condition, access, timing of the project and so much more. However nothing is more frustrating then showing up at an estimate when they are simply trying to establish a budget or looking for the lowest possible price for it. To alleviate this we have begun to gather as much info BEFORE we even show up on the estimate the dreaded pre qualyfying phone call.

By asking many questions and determining budget we can many times save wasted time or trips. Think about it, wouldn’t it be great for me to show up already knowing what you hope or expect to spend on a project knowing there is a good chance we can offer that? Or would you rather have someone show up, spend 30-45 minutes showing them around and probably 2-3 times over with other contractors also only to have sticker shock when they send that proposal over and then have no options.

By knowing your estimated budget does not mean you will pay more with reputable companies, for us knowing your price points will help us tailor a prescribed solution to your project rather then waste time knowing your looking for a Ford and were offering a Ferrari. So here are a few sample prices to show you what you may expect to pay. Of course every job and company is different but it is a starting point. With our company I know our numbers very well, our employees are just that and are insured and we carry workman’s compensation. Training is available and scheduled for all painters which means you get skilled craftsmen along with an apprentice or two learning the trade. Prices below are examples of residential painting, commercial prices are generally lower because of the known conditions and scope of work is generally within blueprints = no guessing
If you woudl like a consultation on your project please visit www.ryanamatopainting.com or call 484-821-7112