Exterior painting estimate: the preparation, the access and the weather window
- Work order total
- $863.16
- Labour
- $510
- Parts, marked up
- $288
Every figure on this page is computed from the inputs entered, by the method stated below it. Jobcardo publishes no tax rate, no wage figure and no trade standard: the rate, the markup and the tax on the parts line are yours, and the defaults are a worked example to replace with your own figures.
An exterior painting estimate differs from an interior one in three expensive ways. The preparation is worse and far less predictable, because what is under the old coating is discovered rather than inspected. The access is a real cost, since anything above one storey needs ladders, a tower or a scaffold. And the weather decides when the work can happen at all, which means a crew booked for a week may deliver four days of painting.
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Price the preparation as an allowance with a rate
Scraping, sanding, filling, priming bare substrate, replacing rotten timber and treating mould are hours nobody can count from the ground. State an allowance and the rate beyond it, and photograph the condition at the estimate so the conversation later is about the evidence.
Access is a line, not an afterthought
Ladders, a tower, a scaffold or a lift, plus the time to move them. Two storeys with awkward ground can cost more in access than in paint. Naming it separately also explains to the customer why two quotes differ.
Book the weather, not just the days
Temperature and humidity limits are on the product data sheet and they are real. Build the programme with contingency days and say so in the estimate, so a rained-off week is an expected event rather than a complaint.
Exterior painting estimate: common questions
How many coats does an exterior job need? Usually two over a sound existing coating, plus spot priming of bare substrate, and more for a colour change or a failed coating. State it explicitly: exterior disputes are almost always about coats and preparation rather than price.
Should rotten timber be included? No, and say so. Carry an allowance for replacement with a rate per metre or per item beyond it. Rot is discovered on the ladder, and absorbing it silently is how an exterior job loses its margin in a morning.
How long should an exterior quote stay open? Shorter than an interior one where the season matters. A quote given in autumn for work in spring should be repriced, and a validity period is the polite way to say so.
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