One of the most extensive home improvement projects is painting a house’s exterior. It can also help keep a house looking appealing while protecting it from the elements. Calculating the cost for such a project, however, can be one of the hardest estimations because it involves several variables. Here is a step-by-step guide to help you.
1. Measure the Exterior Surface Area
Find the total space that needs to be painted. Measure each wall’s height and width. Multiplying the dimensions measured on each wall provides the area of that wall. Windows and door sizing should be deducted. For example, if you have a 20-foot by 10-foot wall, the surface area equals 200 square feet. If you have 4 windows equal in size to 15 square feet each, you would subtract 60 square feet from this amount.
2. Calculating the Amount of Paint
Once you have your total square footage, you will need to decide how much paint to buy. In general, one gallon of exterior paint will spread to a quantity of 250-400 square feet, depending on the texture of the surface and the kind of paint. At one gallon covering 350 square feet, if you assume two coats for thorough coverage and your total square footage is 1800 square feet, then you would need about ten gallons to put on two coats.
3. Add Primer
If your house has raw wood, iron, or surfaces with significant old paint failure, you will need primer. Primer functions just like paint regarding coverage -typically roughly 250-400 sq feet per gallon. Figure your primer needs as if it is paint.
4. Estimate the Cost of Paint and Primer
Paint and primer can vary greatly in cost based on quality and brand. Generally speaking, a gallon of quality exterior paint will cost between $30 and $70, while cheaper brands may typically vary between $20 and $50 per gallon for primer. A simple calculation of the total cost would be the total number of gallons required multiplied by the cost per gallon. For example, if you need 10 gallons of paint at $50 per gallon, the cost of paint is $500.
5. Think About Additional Supplies
In addition to paint and primer, you’ll need other painting supplies, such as brushes, rollers, painter’s tape, drop cloths, and ladders. These can increase the overall cost by $50 to $200. If you are hiring professional painters, they are included in their estimate.
6. Labor
Most of the money goes to labor if professional painters are hired. The average rate of painters runs from $2 to $6 per square foot and includes the preparation, priming, and painting. For a surface area of 1,800 square feet, labor could cost anywhere from $3,600 to $10,800. Some painters charge by the hour, and their hourly rates are usually in the range of $25 to $75 per hour.
7. Estimate Total Cost
You add up the cost for everything—the paint, primer, supplies, and labor—and arrive at the total. If, for example, you needed 10 gallons of paint at $50 per gallon, then that is $500; 5 gallons of primer at $30 per gallon is $150; and if you figure $100 in supplies and that the labor costs $7,200, or $4 per square foot on 1,800 square feet, then the total would be $7,950.
8. Contingency
We should allow for a 10-15% contingency here to help us with unexpected issues, additional repair problems, or even more paint. A 10% contingency here would be $795, so the total estimated cost would be $8,745.
9. Consider Seasonal and Regional Variations
It will all depend on your region and the season. There is a peak season for painting which usually means higher prices. Additionally, the labor cost and cost of the materials may be quite different between regions.
The steps outlined here will help in giving a more realistic estimate of the cost of painting the exterior of your house. This preparation will allow for effective budgeting that makes sure an expenditure shock does not rock the smooth and successful running of a painting job.
This post was written by a professional at Fresh Painting FL. Whether it’s a residential internal or an external painting, Their team of expert painters and professionals at Fresh Painting FL in Jacksonville offers incredible service and an excellent finish at affordable prices. They specialize in residential painting and internal and exterior painting, and we pride ourselves in being reliable, honest, and hard-working.
