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One of the renovation costs that frequently comes up when moving is painting. Often our clients will plan to paint part or all of their new house before they move in. By the same token, sometimes sellers will want to paint a room or two before selling to help their home show at its best. Since painting comes up at some point in most real estate transactions, we thought it might be helpful to have Dave Beaupre, from “FinDécor Painting” give a little insight on how to estimate painting costs. Here is some expert advice from Dave the painter:
So you have bought a new house, and plan to do some painting... Perhaps you are looking to add your personal touch through changing colors and décor, or it could be that the house is looking a little dingy and needs some TLC. Whatever the reason, a great time to paint all or some of your new house is right when you get it. By painting before the move in, you avoid moving furniture around, make cleaning up easy, and help to keep the cost low.
Painting before you move is a great idea, and there are two main reasons why you may wish to hire a professional painter to do the work for you. The first is simple - you may not have the time or the know-how to paint on your own. The second is that the “window of opportunity” between houses is often short, and a professional painting crew can get the job done quickly and cleanly to suit your needs.
Naturally you are wondering... how much will painting add to the cost of the move? Well, here is a quick and easy way to approximate the cost:
Typically this sort of costing is done using a cost per square foot of surface area. The idea is to find your painting surface in square feet and multiply by the cost. Here are a couple of examples:
Example A:
You have just bought a 1600 square foot “cottage” and would like to paint the whole interior (a 2-storey house with 800 square feet per floor). The calculation would be:
2 (floors) x 800 (square feet/floor) x 3.5 (to obtain the wall & ceiling square footage) x $0.60 (the average cost per square foot) = $3,360 to paint the house.
Example B:
You would like to paint a single bedroom in your new house. (10’ X 15’) The cost would be:
10’ x 15’ gives and area of 150 square feet. 150sf x 3.5(to obtain the wall & ceiling square footage) x $0.60 (the average cost per square foot) = $315 to paint the room.
Tip:
The 3.5x factor is the key to estimating the cost. However, if the ceiling paint is in good condition and does not need to be painted, the 3.5x factor can be replaced with 2.5x and you’ll end up with the cost for all the walls but not the ceilings.
Of course, these are guidelines, but the numbers are accurate enough that you can rely on them. These valuations provide a rough guide and typically include good quality (Benjamin Moore) paints. If you are planning to use eco-friendly or specialized high-end paints, this can add as much as 15 to 20 percent. Similarly, this is for the average paint job. If the job includes some more complex tasks (like wainscoting throughout) or is not standard (like cathedral ceilings), you might need to add some safety cushion or call an expert to get a more concrete figure.
Finally, remember to book your painter in advance. Normally 2 to 4 weeks is fine but 4 to 8 weeks is recommended in the busier summer season. Once the keys are yours, the right way to start is to do a walk through with your painter to confirm the price and set expectations. This is an important step in succeeding with your paint project and the right time to communicate what is type of detail and quality are expected.
I hope the above “primer” will get your paint project started on the right foot.
Yours truly,
Dave-The-Painter
FinDécor Painting Inc.
514-966-0966
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