I'm a bit torn on this thread. To me, this job sounds like it is someone taking advantage of a client, even though that client has been naive in not getting an estimate to start with.
While I agree that a decorator has to earn a living, and therefore charges for time taken (and some wasted by travelling back and forth), any pro being asked to just paint a new door will automatically know that it's an hour here, hour there, kind of job. Therefore, you can't really justify a £75 fee, just for priming, with the costs of time for viewing, writing estimates, petrol, etc. A decorator should be able to give a estimate for that over the phone and send it in the post, explaining to the potential client that any unexpected preparation work would have an extra charge - at least, that is the way I always did those kind of jobs. I know that's easy to say, but for a brand new door, there shouldn't be too much to sort out before painting, and you also state that it's a job that you will fit in during your spare time. That would mean calling in to prime for the hour or so on your way home from a job one day, then do the same for the undercoat, and finally for the topcoat (doing those on your way to another job in the morning if oil based paints are involved, to allow drying time). If the client isn't happy this method, then they can look for someone else, which may have been the case in this instance.
I agree with what has been said about this kind of job sometimes being more trouble than they're worth, but at the end of the day, sometimes us decorators are glad to get these types of jobs to keep business ticking over. It's swings and roundabouts - the customer wants a fair price, while the decorator wants a decent payment, for a fiddly job - and it seems nobody comes out overly happy.
That said, if you are charging half a day's rate for each coat, and taking into account any extra initial prep work, you will be charging somebody £225-£300 (for effectively 4-5 hrs total labour, excluding materials) to paint a door, and there is no way that would be an acceptable quote for me to give as a decorator, or for me to receive as a client.
EDIT
The OP states it's a glazed door, so that would take a little longer than a flat/panelled door, but still only an hour per side, unless the decorator slapped it everywhere and then spent the rest of the day cleaning the glass.
While I agree that a decorator has to earn a living, and therefore charges for time taken (and some wasted by travelling back and forth), any pro being asked to just paint a new door will automatically know that it's an hour here, hour there, kind of job. Therefore, you can't really justify a £75 fee, just for priming, with the costs of time for viewing, writing estimates, petrol, etc. A decorator should be able to give a estimate for that over the phone and send it in the post, explaining to the potential client that any unexpected preparation work would have an extra charge - at least, that is the way I always did those kind of jobs. I know that's easy to say, but for a brand new door, there shouldn't be too much to sort out before painting, and you also state that it's a job that you will fit in during your spare time. That would mean calling in to prime for the hour or so on your way home from a job one day, then do the same for the undercoat, and finally for the topcoat (doing those on your way to another job in the morning if oil based paints are involved, to allow drying time). If the client isn't happy this method, then they can look for someone else, which may have been the case in this instance.
I agree with what has been said about this kind of job sometimes being more trouble than they're worth, but at the end of the day, sometimes us decorators are glad to get these types of jobs to keep business ticking over. It's swings and roundabouts - the customer wants a fair price, while the decorator wants a decent payment, for a fiddly job - and it seems nobody comes out overly happy.
That said, if you are charging half a day's rate for each coat, and taking into account any extra initial prep work, you will be charging somebody £225-£300 (for effectively 4-5 hrs total labour, excluding materials) to paint a door, and there is no way that would be an acceptable quote for me to give as a decorator, or for me to receive as a client.
EDIT
The OP states it's a glazed door, so that would take a little longer than a flat/panelled door, but still only an hour per side, unless the decorator slapped it everywhere and then spent the rest of the day cleaning the glass.
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