Painting
House Painting Cost Calculator
Prices painting a house, where the condition of the existing paint decides the job.
Result
A planning estimate, not a quote. Access, the age of the equipment, what is found once it is opened up and local labour rates all move the real figure, sometimes a long way.
Get a Free Business AuditHow the calculation works
Hours times crew times rate, plus materials and the call-out, over the building's wall area. The variables are height, substrate and condition. A sound previously painted surface needs washing and spot preparation. One with failing paint needs scraping back, feathering, priming bare areas and sometimes stripping sections, and that can double the hours on the same square footage. Trim, soffits, fascia and windows take disproportionate time for their area.
What moves the number
- Condition of the existing paint, which is the largest labour variable.
- Number of storeys, which brings staging or ladder work.
- Trim, window and detail quantity, which is slow per square foot.
- Substrate, since timber, stucco, brick and fibre cement differ.
Where this one goes wrong
Peeling paint is a symptom and painting over it repeats the failure. Moisture is the usual cause, from failed caulking, missing flashing, a leaking gutter or inadequate ventilation behind the cladding, and unless that is found the new coating lifts in the same place. Identifying it is part of a competent job. Weather is the other constraint on exterior work: most coatings have a minimum application temperature measured at the surface rather than the air, and the surface needs to be several degrees above the dew point, which rules out early mornings and late afternoons in some conditions.
Before you quote
- Find the moisture source before repainting peeling areas.
- Check surface temperature and dew point, not just air temperature.
- Price trim and detail separately from wall area.
Where the rules come from
Questions
About this calculator
Why is my exterior paint peeling?
Usually moisture rather than the paint. Failed caulking, missing flashing, a leaking gutter or poor ventilation behind cladding pushes moisture out through the coating and lifts it. Painting over it repeats the failure in the same place, so finding the source is part of the job.
When is it too cold to paint outside?
Most coatings state a minimum application temperature, and it applies to the surface rather than the air, which can differ substantially. The surface also needs to be several degrees above the dew point or condensation forms under the film. That rules out some mornings and late afternoons entirely.
Why does trim cost so much when it is a small area?
Because it is all edges. Cutting in, working around windows and doors, and the care needed on narrow surfaces makes trim slow per square foot compared with open wall. A house with extensive trim and many windows can cost more than one with twice the wall area.
The formula
total = hours x people x rate + parts + call-out, then sales tax
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How to use this calculator
- Hours on site (h). Enter your own figure; the page starts at 32 h.
- People needed. Enter your own figure; the page starts at 1.
- Labour rate charged ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $68.
- Parts and materials ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $520.
- Call-out or diagnostic fee ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $95.
- Sales tax (%). Leave at zero if you are quoting before tax.
The result updates as you type, so you can try a figure, see what it does to estimated total, and change it back. Nothing you enter is sent anywhere or saved.
A worked example
These are the figures the calculator opens with. Every number in the results column below is produced by the same calculation the page runs, so you can follow it through before putting your own figures in.
What goes in
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Hours on site | 32 h |
| People needed | 1 |
| Labour rate charged | $68 |
| Parts and materials | $520 |
| Call-out or diagnostic fee | $95 |
| Sales tax | 0% |
What comes out
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Estimated total main result | $2,791 |
| Labour | $2,176 |
| Before tax | $2,791 |
| Sales tax | $0 |
About $2,791: $2,176 of labour, $520 of parts and a $95 call-out.
How sensitive the answer is
Holding everything else steady and changing only labour rate charged, this is what happens to estimated total. It is worth knowing which of your inputs the answer actually hinges on, and which barely move it.
| Labour rate charged ($) | Estimated total |
|---|---|
| $34 | $1,703 |
| $51 | $2,247 |
| $68 example above | $2,791 |
| $102 | $3,879 |
| $136 | $4,967 |
Every other input is held at the example value while this one changes, which is not how a real job behaves. Treat it as a guide to which number matters most, not as five separate quotes.
What each figure means
- Hours on site (h)
- Measured in h, between 0 and 400, starting at 32 h.
- People needed
- A number, between 0 and 40, starting at 1.
- Labour rate charged ($)
- A money amount, starting at $68.
- Parts and materials ($)
- A money amount, starting at $520.
- Call-out or diagnostic fee ($)
- A money amount, starting at $95.
- Sales tax (%)
- Leave at zero if you are quoting before tax.
What the results tell you
| Result | What it is |
|---|---|
| Estimated total | The headline result. A money figure. |
| Labour | A money figure. |
| Before tax | A money figure. |
| Sales tax | A money figure. |
Estimating is the easy part
The jobs you never hear about cost more than the ones you mis-measure. BDEVY builds the marketing, systems and automation that bring them in.