What do you do when....

[plainpainter 217]

...you start getting all these calls for exterior house painting, and you just don't want to do it anymore? I've gotten about 5 calls in the last week looking for exterior house painting quotes - and all my marketing is not focused at all on exterior house painting. On one hand - I am like damn, haven't painted a house since the spring of '07 and here is an oppurtunity to get back in - yet on the other hand, my company man-hour after materials was never more than $25/man-hour. I have no idea how to get guys anymore to help me out - and I have no ambition to attack these 150, 200, 250+ man-hour projects that people are looking to get done ultra cheap.

I pressure washed an outside wall for my buddy yesterday - just 8 feet tall with 4 foot extending exposed eave construction - and I was chock full of bits of crusty white paint everywhere on my body - a good reminder of how much a pita house painting is in New England. All the years I painted - I never was able to come up with a 'system' that balanced good prep along with time management. I realized that if you spent double the time on prep - did not yield projects lasting twice as long. At some point there is a 'breakway' moment where your labor is only increasing your operation costs and not producing better results.

Well back to grindstone to figure out how to get pressure washing jobs - it seems the economy and/or stock market is really beginning to come out of it's cave - yet I had much better sales earlier in the year. Hopefully after labor day will see much better results.

[Adrian 155]

Why don't you land the work and sub it out if you don't want to do it? Make money for governing the project.

[plainpainter 217]

Why don't you land the work and sub it out if you don't want to do it? Make money for governing the project.

That's a good idea, Adrian. But my insurance company doesn't like the idea, I have no idea why? I need to reach a critical mass in my washing and deck operations first, and if at some point in the future I will revisit the idea. As it is - I can't keep a crew busy with these projects - thus I can't keep a crew. I use to attack these homes by myself - and then look for help - but it usally ended in disaster and at best a bunch of really underperforming guys.

Just moaning and groaning - I am working on enclosing my trailer today - so it will be a billboard of advertizing - hopefully it will get me jobs. It's just alot of forms of advertizing are really off/down from last year. And all my friends in unrelated industries, sign making, boat canvas, marinas, etc are all way way way down this year - which makes boosting morale really tough.

Anyways - I am helping my buddy with his website's SEO - and in turn he's helping me with my trailer and advertizing. We can only forge ahead and keep trying new things.

[TNRoofCleaner 16]

Bring in a sub and let them do the contract with the home owner for a % of the job. This will keep you out of the loop kind of like a finders/referal fee.

[Adrian 155]

yep, let their ins. cover it.

[Camelot 68]

We do this on gutter cleanouts. I don't like gutter work, so we sub it out to a reputable contractor that has their own insurance, employees, etc. We just collect a finders fee. Win-win for everyone...

[Scott Stone 604]

I do not understand this. You whine constantly about not having enough work, extol the virtues of being a painter, and even have it in you company name, and your screen name here. Obviously, and rightfully, you are proud of your profession, and you get calls for work that you turn down? That does not make sense to me. Bid it, give them a price at what you consider a fair wage, and let them make the decision. If they say no, you are out nothing. If they say yes, well, you could possibly have a good money making job. Sounds like a win-win situation to me.

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

I agree with Scott.

Rod!~

[plainpainter 217]

I do not understand this. You whine constantly about not having enough work, extol the virtues of being a painter, and even have it in you company name, and your screen name here. Obviously, and rightfully, you are proud of your profession, and you get calls for work that you turn down? That does not make sense to me. Bid it, give them a price at what you consider a fair wage, and let them make the decision. If they say no, you are out nothing. If they say yes, well, you could possibly have a good money making job. Sounds like a win-win situation to me.

I've run out of the proverbial 'steam' when it comes to exterior painting - can't do it anymore. I continue to offer interior painting services. I never liked exterior painting - but that's where the money was when I started my business.

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

That's a good idea, Adrian. But my insurance company doesn't like the idea, I have no idea why? I need to reach a critical mass in my washing and deck operations first, and if at some point in the future I will revisit the idea. As it is - I can't keep a crew busy with these projects - thus I can't keep a crew. I use to attack these homes by myself - and then look for help - but it usally ended in disaster and at best a bunch of really underperforming guys.

Just moaning and groaning - I am working on enclosing my trailer today - so it will be a billboard of advertizing - hopefully it will get me jobs. It's just alot of forms of advertizing are really off/down from last year. And all my friends in unrelated industries, sign making, boat canvas, marinas, etc are all way way way down this year - which makes boosting morale really tough.

Anyways - I am helping my buddy with his website's SEO - and in turn he's helping me with my trailer and advertizing. We can only forge ahead and keep trying new things.

Subs are required to have their own insurance, and if there is an issue it would be their insurance that takes the hit, not yours....most likely.....call your state licensing office and ask them.

Beth

[Paul Kassander 26]

I've run out of the proverbial 'steam' when it comes to exterior painting - can't do it anymore. I continue to offer interior painting services. I never liked exterior painting - but that's where the money was when I started my business.

Sounds a little like fleet washing...

Like Scott said bid it for what your time is worth and you may get lucky and make some money.

[plainpainter 217]

Can't even bid the stuff anymore - don't know how. Exterior painting I realize is a service that you offer with large crews, fast turnover, and very low pricing. It's turned into a volume business model in recent years - and nothing against that, but I am all tuckered out.

[Richard 17]

Daniel, this is NOT an attack.

"Just Plain Interior Painting", & "pressure washing".

I'm swicthing mine over. Soon to be "Revive" building maintanance. This year so far we've decommisioned a warehouse (last year 2), re and re an office for carpet install, painted,done plumbing,electrical, and (as someone on here said) still had time to spray like a male cat.

Good or bad, nothing lasts forever. I snoop on this site every, OK, almost every day. I'm looking for new ways to market Revive. I like helping. It's a great bunch of people. BUT, I'm here to further my education. This site has helped me ten fold. And I'm here looking for the next thing that you guys are doing, that my competitors are not.

I learned how to restore annodized aluminium on this site.