Writing out a quote for painting work

I quoted £1100. She wants to lower the scaffold for painting for a cost of £250 and wants me to pay half. SO I would working for £975. I asked if it was necessary and that she should ask the scaffolders if they thought it necessary and she replied- their opinion is irrelevant. She wants me to sign a H and E form after inspecting the scaffold. She is becoming a pain. I have dealt with enough idiots in my short limited experience to start to feel put off. But the painting must be done in early July so think she'll have a hard time getting anyone else. I will say thanks for concern in lowering scaffold but my quote of £1100 still stands as I think it's a reasonable price unless I finish the job in five days or less then it will be reduced. I think it will take two weeks. And will also state that due to other work commitments can only do four days a week from Monday to Saturday. If she's still happy for me to do the job on those terms then I am happy to sign her forms.

Also, when I first planned to go round for a quote they said not tonight I am watching the football and their fascia boards being taken down are asbestolux. I pointed this out not her. She just kept saying they were not a dangerous type of asbestos. She obviously wouldnt have mentioned it if I hadn't.

Not good, a customer dictating terms.

I suppose it depends on whether you could work off ladders if the scaffold wasnt there, but as it is maybe it would save a bit of time. However thats irrelevant, your quote is the price for the job, its not as though she has said, I dont want that wall done now -your work content is the same.

I would be wary, you have now said the price coudl be lower, so youve given her a reason to automatically ask for a discount.
 
Sponsored Links
A quote is a quote, if I finish the work early then it is my benefit not the customer. At the end of the day we are a business.

Andy
 
I quoted £1100. She wants to lower the scaffold for painting for a cost of £250 and wants me to pay half. SO I would working for £975. I asked if it was necessary and that she should ask the scaffolders if they thought it necessary and she replied- their opinion is irrelevant. She wants me to sign a H and E form after inspecting the scaffold. She is becoming a pain. I have dealt with enough idiots in my short limited experience to start to feel put off. But the painting must be done in early July so think she'll have a hard time getting anyone else. I will say thanks for concern in lowering scaffold but my quote of £1100 still stands as I think it's a reasonable price unless I finish the job in five days or less then it will be reduced. I think it will take two weeks. And will also state that due to other work commitments can only do four days a week from Monday to Saturday. If she's still happy for me to do the job on those terms then I am happy to sign her forms.

Also, when I first planned to go round for a quote they said not tonight I am watching the football and their fascia boards being taken down are asbestolux. I pointed this out not her. She just kept saying they were not a dangerous type of asbestos. She obviously wouldnt have mentioned it if I hadn't.

Alarm bells.

When I get customers like that, they realise they need to ask someone else because I just ignore them.

People focus on hourly rate, which is wrong. You quote on what you are worth; the price reflects your skill, your knowledge, you're attention to detail etc..
 
Sponsored Links
She won't accept the day rate. Which shows she has no idea how cheap £130 is. £975 isn't a bad price for a house (two coats and sills is it?). I will ask for £500 after the first week (4 days work) whether the job's finished or not. Regret that negotiating lower price if finished sooner than expected and maybe should rewrite quote I said it when I thought she was a normal/reasonable customer. and of course get paint money before I start as she wants me to buy the paint. If she doesn't pay for it I won't start working. If she refuses these two I won't continue working until it's paid. I'll write this in the quote. Does that sound reasonable?

How do I politely write that into quote?

She's obviously a bossy secondary school teacher who's used to telling people what to do. Still not sure whether to continue but I do feel that having this scaffold is a masive bonus. My concern is she be picky about some things.

Shall I walk after a few days if she is too picky or doesn't pay after first week?

Think signing the H and S form is just her being a paranoid cover everything teacher, which is fine. And lowering the scaffold could be great for speed.
 
Last edited:
Are you qualfied to say that the Scaffolding is erected in accordance with H & S Requirements .

Cutting corners with the Scaffolding could be dangerous . why should you pay half of the Scaffolding its her property you are working on and the Scaffolding Contractors have named their price.

Maybe time to walk away from the job before you lose any money on it .
 
Walk away, this will be nothing but trouble.

Who's fault is it if the paint is cheap **** and flakes after a year? She will blame you.

Sounds like you have a decent customer base, so I'd let this one go....
 
WALK AWAY! It will end in tears.

I have never lost a penny to a bad job that I have turned down.

Andy
 
Are you comfortable you know how to manage the asbestos?

When striking a deal there are 3 components - price, terms, timescales.. She seems to want to dictate all 3. I think you might be better off agreeing a day rate for time and materials.


Asbestos cement. Not the bad stuff apparently. I guess they would have to sweep the scaffold boards then I would wash them down with a hose.
 
Well I will do the job. When talking face to face she seems more a of a paranoid primary school teacher than anything else. However there's a lot of time and money involved. She has sent me a list of things I need to do such as clean the walls and job tasks. I asked her if I could get paid £250 every two days orally is this reasonable? This wasn't written in on the list of things which must be done. Shall I walk unless she pays me every two days?

Send back an email and say I agree to terms if I am paid every two days in whichever method is convenient to the customer.
 
Suggest - you confirm you'll add it to the quote/description (not I agree to your terms*) and ask her what she proposing in terms of payment on account as you have a lot of initial outlay and can't engage on a negative cash flow basis. Then say is 25% up front ok - 250 every 2 days is a bit inconvenient.

*Its always better to have one place that describes the agreed terms and not side agreements.
 
I normally only do smallish jobs and until now people have always been happy with a text/phone (oral quote) call for the job. But this lady wants a quote on an email. I have my hotmail address which is my name @hotmail but should I get a more professional sounding domain like TJG Construction or something? I do handyman work so cover three areas- painting, landscaping and carpentry so construction could cover all three I guess.

How do you write out the quote? I guess i need her address and last name, i guess in the top left side

I was going to write-

Dear Ms Smith,

This is the quote for painting the outside of your house. I will be giving the masonry two coats and paint all the sills with two coats. Any screws or nails will be removed and the holes filled prior to painting. My price for this work is £1,100 for labour. If the work takes considerably less time than expected then I might be able to reduce the cost. And can negotiate this at a later date. The job may take longer than on a flat surface because the render has a jaggid surface which may need going over with a brush.

Please don't hesitate to contact me.

Burt Smith

Tel 0000000000

NH, TBH, I am surprised that you have agreed to do the work. Is work hard to come by - I would have thought that at £130 per day you would be rushed off your feet (no disrespect intended). I was abut to suggest a few things, but Notchs advice and example was spot on.
Remember that you are writing a business quotation - not a love letter :)
I sincerely hope that you have not agreed to halve the scaffold charge - that would be ridiculous. Try not to take punters comments too personally, but lay out your stall and stick to it. I have always considered it as the punters job to minimise expenditure of family funds, and my job to maximise my income!

NEVER suggest that your charge will be open to negotiation - once the work is done, they have the whip hand (and your cash), you will end up losing. Always provide details of your get out clauses, say if your punter supplies the paint and there isn't enough or it does not cover as well as you expect - you will need more chargeable time.
Will you offer any guarantee, and under what circumstance?

It has never been easier to provide professional looking quotations. I had a few different ones saved for different jobs, and would edit the saved copies to suit the particular job. As time progressed, issues would arise, and sometimes it would cost me. That would trigger a review of my contracts, and I would ensure that THEIR problems did not become MY problems.

I do not get the scaffold business? Did you say you need it, or has she insisted that you use it? Either way, it is her expense. You are not qualified to comment on, and certainly not to sign anything, the safety aspects, and the scaffolders are responsible for that.

I am no longer SE, but when outside contractors were required, I generally introduced them to the client, and they ordered and paid. That way you do not become responsible for any shortcomings, and you will not get stuffed wit the bill. If, for any reason, I had to engage others services, I always charged a percentage over their quote. It is called business.

Unfortunately, you got off on the wrong foot with this woman, but she is not a rare example, so you have to earn to manage them.

FWIW, I would normally say to get a non Hotmail address, but your rates dictate that you have to minimise expenditure.
 
Nah no agreement on scaffold charge. But said her list was appropriate for my job and that I wanted one third upfront if that was more convenient than payment every two or three days. If she was happy with these terms then I was happy to paint her house.
 
I asked for one third up front or every two or three days a payment. I don't have costs before the job it's just I want to get something in the bank in case I dont get paid. She told me we wont be doing this (asked husband I guess) because she said "no other decorators do this". She said she wants me to sign the list of job requirements when I go over on Friday and will discuss part payments when I go over. She is abrupt and rude, clearly a school teacher, no social skills! That doesnt mean I won't get paid she is just a teacher! If I dont get anything after first three days I walk that's it end of story!

Signing a scaffold safety form and a list of job requirements. It means nothing. This is the sort of nonsense they do in schools but on a job like this. She's trying to cover her arse. I sense not the payment though. I think she'll pay
 
Last edited:
Sponsored Links
Back
Top