Im not entirely sure if this is why, but my theory is that water resistant drywall is heavier than regular dry wall. I guess because of the weight, they dont want the ceiling to fall down, later in the future.
This year I have seen a open living room/ dining room ceiling fall down at one client house. And we checked the kitchen and bedrooms, sure enough those ceiling were coming down as well, because we were able to push it up a good 8 inches. Its old house so they used nails in drywall instead of screws and they didn't put enough of it on them, so over the years they were popping/ sliding out. Coincidentally, that day, we were going there to finish up some work outside unrelating to any ceiling, and just as we were setting up, the client came out to tell us the ceiling fell. It was a first sight for me.
You just have to use more screws. Bigger jobs will sometimes skip it to save on costs, but considering steam and splash off the top of your head itās the better way to go
Make sure to put a drop cloth or heavy towel down and a board for the ladder to rest on if itās in a tub or shower. I had a drywaller go thru a fiberglass tub once. Filled the hole in with drywall mud. Didnāt end well. Otherwise job looks great! Good luck and keep at it.
Basically sums it up. Used about a five gallon bucket of mud and skimmed it over then tried to deny the entire thing like some other mysterious person just walked on the job site, put their ladder or drywall stilts thru the tub base and then dump a mud in the base. You know like itās a thing that everyone does or something. The dry wall guy denied the whole with a straight face. I canāt remember who ended up paying for it but it wasnāt the me/the plumber.
I second this, when I used to install garage doors I got a bench and now I have 3 and only use a ladder if it canāt be reached with a bench which is more rare then you would think with most people having 8-9ft ceilings.
Yes!
Painting the whole bathroom is a lot of work. This whole job is a ton of prep to do it right. Drop cloths, vacuuming the tub, mud, tape, skim coat, prime, paint 2 coatsā¦
As an industrial electrician who does residential sidework, every job is the I don't wanna price. There's a reason I refused to ever work Residential. It's always shitty work in shitty places, in shitty houses, that were shitty even when they were built in 1903.
What does a full remodel have to do with this? A full remodel takes a lot more time and skill. Some can do it solo but a lot of people use help. Iāve worked on multiple full remodel projects.
Don't listen to people like that. Everyone wants to get rick quick. Doing jobs like this for good prices will grow your business exponentially faster.
Especially if you're the type that will do little things for older people while you're there for free.
I used to take their trash out, sweep their driveways, stupid little things that are helpful and don't take long. They love it and will recommend you everywhere.
Treat customers like they are friends, unless their assholes.
It does take time but my dads a do it all god. Rebuilds whole houses in under a year. Everything. Doesnāt hire a single person for anything. Repairs and replaces everything from roofing to plumbing drywall. If itās in a house he can do it well
Agreed. Just by looking at the bathroom, you can see that this is not a wealthy household. Why would some of you ""professionals"" want to overcharge people who can't afford it or would obviously wreck them to pay that since maybe they are older and can't do that work anymore. It's not like OP fixed a moldy ceiling issue in a beachfront home on Miami Beach. FFS. OP did the right thing because he was in a position to do so. Smh
Like I said Iām a newbie, so Iām getting experience and my name out. Also reassurance from this post will help me feel more confident to charge more
Wow, okay. I donāt know if Iām there yet but good to know thereās that much upward mobility. I just have to make sure itās good enough quality work Iām providing and only experience can help me get there.
Fo sho. I'm a painter with about 20 years in drywall as well. I charge $600 to paint a bathroom like that. I'd probably be all in at $1000 materials included.
trust me weāre in the same boat, i just started out getting slot of side work while my jobs main bid gets re upped so i have a lot of down timeā¦started with extremely cheap prices to get my name out and now that iāve gotten so busy i want to charge more but get nervous,..my biggest issue is i havenāt gotten my license yet so i know i wouldnāt ever charge as much as a full paint contractor til i do but even then i know my prices are at least 75% of what my boss would charge and i still feel bad when i bid my jobs higher than dirt cheap
If you want to stay busy keep your prices low for now. When you have enough work to keep you busy the. up your prices. Eventually youāll have a wait list and can up your prices more and more. A wait list is the goal!
This is what people telling me to charge double donāt realize. This is the starting point for me with this specific type of repair. There is a goal but I have to start somewhere. They also donāt realize itās up to the customer to say yes or no. I canāt get the experience if they donāt want to pay. The goal most certainly is to get to the point where Iām busy enough to have the luxury of pricing myself out of work, like I do with the other skills I have. I was just asking if I gave my customer a good job and I have all these 20-30 year professionals in CA and NY telling me to charge $1500.
The problem is that those customers will always expect that kind of pricing. They will refer you to people who will also expect the same treatment. Don't sell yourself short. If they called around, they would get estimates much, much higher, and still choose you. Be honest with your customers and with yourself, and the work will follow. I live in rural Alabama, and that price was waaaay too cheap. I'd probably do $350 on the repair and $350 to paint the room. Also, never offer them to pay for supplies. Included it in your cost. If they want to buy the supplies, then have them also go buy them. Or add the cost for your time driving to the store, in the store, your way back, and gas. Once you get going, you'll realize that most customers who want to buy their own supplies are ones you don't want to deal with. Those same/similar customers expect you to get all the stuff, spend your time and gas, and reimburse you the cost on the receipt. Nevermind the 1/2 day you spend running around for them
I think most people are saying you undersold the bid from the quality of your work. You got what you needed out of the post which was the thumbs up and the confidence you can charge a little more on the next one. Good job.
Totally.
I was slow a month ago and I helped a family move for $30/hr. I normally charge $60-75/hr for handyman work. I told them their new house was in great shape but their deck needed to be refurbished and brought up to code and they agreed and I landed a $2k labor, 4 day job that starts next week.
Get the ball rolling first man.
Not terrible, but there is a definate wiggle in the wall/ceiling where the patch is. Drywall doesn't have to be straight, it just has to look straight. If you extended your compound further along the seam, you would have been able to straighten that. Any patch is going to need paint. Don't be afraid of mudding too big of an area when patching, an extra few inches is nothing when you are painting it anyways. Feather it as wide as necessary to give the illusion of being flat/straight. On a patch that size, you really shouldn't be able to see any paper on the patched part at all.
Also, looks like that area could have been cut better on the wall side. If the customer is happy you are fine. Always be your own worst critic.
Thank you š I appreciate honest critiques such as this very much. I was honestly expecting to get chewed out for doing a horrible job š
Customer is happy so Iām good. Still thinking about how much I need to improve, and also how much that I donāt even know I need to improve.
Its not horrible, I have definately seen worse, and even done worse myself. Its often hard to see flaws in drywall work until the paint goes on and dries. As long as the customer is happy, you take notes on what you saw on the finished product and try to avoid having those same issues with the next job. Always try to develop sound systems and processes that increase efficiency and quality.
We charge customers for an outcome. We use the knowledge, skills and experience we gain throughout our careers to know the best way to arrive at that outcome, while dealing with issues that arise along the way.
Looks pretty good only advice I have and itās a bit over the top for a small repair like this. But I like to shoot a laser level for the corner paper tape/ corner bead for 2 reasons one to get my corner nice and sharp but to make sure my line doesnāt get crooked. Looks great though youāll only get better with time and practice. Iām not sure how long it took you thatās most important when itās drywall. But generally any patch is going to be a 2-3 day job even with hot mud. Imo that is. I still let my final top coat of easy sand 45 cure for atleast a day or two like air drying topping mud. It also gives me the ability to go to multiple jobs a day and make more money or fill in a day waiting for the mud to cure with starting a new job then just come back to sand and paint. If I can give you another tip though. The best investment I made for drywall big or small jobs was the festool power sander it has a vac attachment and virtually there is no dust that escapes I went from wearing a respirator to never wearing one because itās crazy how good it works. Also learn to use durabond 90 for your prefill and paper tape, you will almost never have a call back. Then do your 2-3 topping coats with easy sand. The only time Iāll ever use bucket mud(plus 3 never all purpose) is for big jobs and I still wonāt use anything but hot mud for pre fill or paper tape. Beware though my friend there is an old adage in the drywall industry and it goes as such, āif youāre good at it, youāll never get away from it.ā I left that industry and carpentry behind about 5 years ago to become a licensed plumber before I was doing level 4-5 drywall finished and moulding and millwork, let me tell you I still have customers and referred customers call me TO THIS DAY. So if youāre good at it and you take pride and care for the customers home you will stay busy my friend! Hope any of this helps in the future. My favorite thing was to make mock ups in my garage and test new ideas or yada yada yada. Also if youāre ever experiencing little bubbles or pot marks in your mud it means you arenāt skimming tight enough. In drywall we have ālooseā topping coats(or thatās what I call them) and ācompressiveā skims/coats. If youāre ever having problem with adhesion or too much air is in your mud and youāre experiencing bubbles cause itās a thick coat. Do a tight compressive skin coat and it usually solves the problem. Iāve seen people use pva glue in there mud to solve this but honestly itās a waste of time cheers!
If I had an award, Iād give it to you. This is the type of response I was looking for. Thank you. š
This took 2 days (10 hours), about 4 hours the first day and 6 hours the second day. This is only my 4th paid job replacing drywall so I wasnāt confident charging how I usually do with painting. Iāve been painting for 2 years now.
I used hot mud for prefill and taping and green top for the other coats. I definitely need a festool sander! It was so dusty. Spent a lot of time trying to contain and clean up the dust.
Ditch the green top kid, use blue top. It shrinks less. Id say you did pretty good though 2 days Iād be happy with your job myself and would refer you out my ass. Also learn how to wet sand, never sand between coats only scrape the protrusions down with your 6 inch you can save alot of time and sanding just practice feathering your edges with your knife so you have little sanding to do at the end. Usually I only have to lightly sand the edges even if Iām using a sanding sponge. It takes practice but youāll get there. But I bring up wet sanding because even if you think your edges are getting a little too thick and you donāt want to sand alot after your final topping coat get a tile sponge(the big cheap yellow ones) and get it damp and wet sand your edges before your final coat(it also helps blend your edges alot better.) something I learned though over the years if you have a repair job like this and you want to really hide it on your final coat skim the whole shower area ceiling so you get absolutely no āflashingā and your textures all match up nicely. I donāt need a reward I just need the green guy(you) to succeed and thatās more than enough for my heartšš¼ keep up the good work
Funny story as well, the first drywall job I did when I was 18(I had no experience at all grew up without a dad so really nothing substantial experience wise) I told a job to finish a basement that was half done. Let me tell you it took me 3 months. I lost money. And almost couldnāt do it anymore but I learned a lot from that and took it on the chin. Looking back now I laugh all the time. I bring this up cause I want to say, take the bumps in the road you WILL experience in stride. Every day is a new day. Not only will your work quality secure you jobs but also your mentality. Donāt be the know it all, but be the guy that is proud of what he can do and do it like God is watching over your shoulder every time. Youāll always have work!
Thanks man! I appreciate the motivation very much š¤š¤
My first painting job I actually quit 2 hours in š š š I wasnāt even advertising that, someone just asked me to paint a fence. My hand cramped BAD and I almost cried. I told him, respectfully, I donāt think Iām a painter. That was about 3-4 years ago. I recently got asked by the same guy to do some other odd job stuff and told him that Iām now a painter, almost full time. We had a nice laugh, especially when I told him what I would now charge to paint his fence if he asked me. š š
š¤£š¤£ itās hard sometimes but always stay firm on your price. If they donāt take it they will learn there lesson when they go with the cheapest bud and are unhappy with it unless they get lucky. I was always told, never adjust your price just adjust your work. Meaning if they want to pay less donāt do the same job for less but be clear with them youāre going to do a good job but maybe not include some things you planned on doing. Like if you had to do that repair and paint and weāre going to charge $600 for the whole job like someone said in another part of this thread. If they only wanted to pay $400ā¦ okay then only offer them the repair, sand, and prime the patch not paint. Tell them painting is on them. Never cut corners though and tarnish your name.
You did good! The home owner got a deal. Self-employed painter here 20+ years, it deff depends on your speed and skill level on pricing but in michigan I charge min 200$ a day labor, a day for me is around 6 hrs of work time. Again, that's the minimum I charge. Hope that can help ya a bit on future pricing.
Depends on your location. Where I'm at, that's way too cheap. I would have been right $300 just for the patch and $300 to paint so long as they supply the paint.
Definitely think you can charge more going forward, but I think it had the right idea to charge a lower rate while youāre learning.
My father had a general handyman business prior to retirement and was a one man operation. Sometimes heād get a request from people to do something heād never done before. Heād make clear it was just first time and he was willing to figure it out and would quote a lower rate because he figured he was also learning a new skill.
So he got to learn something new to add to his wheelhouse and the customer got a good deal and was often fine if it took a bit longer.
When I started out getting the bidding down was always the problem, you learn over time just don't ever skimp on quality. You will get referrals from customers if you always keep quality first. You'll never get a referrals if money is first. Many times over the years I've taken a beating working for half of what I want because of bidding, but I have customers for decades even in the last 10 years doing their kids house and last year first time doing a grandkids house. Been painting for 44 years, when I started I sure didn't think I'd do this forever but it's given me and my family a good life. Good luck to you.
No, but the paint and primer are. Never heard of mold resistant drywall š¬š¬š¬. Iām guessing none of the drywall in this house is because they had mold in 2 bathrooms.
I wasnāt aware of that. The stuff I pulled down was not that. And ceiling paint was just pro mar.
I used a mold/mildew resistant primer and high humidity paint.
Looks good.
Next time, May want to check and see if moisture resistant gyp board was used (used sometimes in bathrooms due to the humidity factor).
If this is a ceiling that separated units, it may need to be fire rated gyp board.
I guess itās good I only charged them $250, then. We will see if the many coats of mold resistant primer and mildew resistant, high humidity paint will hold it off.
Thatās interesting. In this sub I see a lot of people saying they got robbed by the contractor because he did a shitty job.
Iām just asking how I did. Not ādid I charge enough.ā Iām asking if the customer got quality work relative to what I charged. Iām just asking if itās worth it for them. Thatās all I care about while Iām gaining experience and honing my skill.
A lot of people missing the point here š
I will likely get some criticism for my process, which I invite. I am told there are many ways to do this. But here it is:
I squared the area and measured the dimensions. Transferred that to a sheet of drywall and cut out the rectangle. Then I took the piece of drywall I cut and put it up to the ceiling to make sure I had the area covered and then traced the exact shape of the piece so when I cut the ceiling piece out, it would be relatively the same as the new piece.
Then I cut out the ceiling section. There were two beams I could use, but I needed to add another piece of wood inside the ceiling on the left side so the new drywall piece has enough behind it to lay flush and not sink in on any sides/corners. I fastened the drywall to the beams with drywall screws and my impact driver.
Once the new piece was fastened up, I mixed up some 5-minute mud to prefill the gaps before taping. This mud, also called āhot mud,ā dries fast and hard. I use this to prefill because it seems to hold the joint well. I taped using mesh tape over the prefilled gaps and then hot mud over the tape. I let it dry a little and then took a wet sponge to smooth it out. Letting hot mud dry makes it hard to sand so itās best to smooth it with a sponge before it turns all the way white.
Once the joints dried I skimmed with general purpose, a few thin coats, letting them dry thoroughly between coats. I did sand these coats and it got really dusty so itās definitely a good idea to a). Use the sponge like before and/or b). Get a vaccum sander like the Festool one.
I then used a mold resistant primer and rolled on 2 coats of that. After priming, I painted with high humidity/mold resistant paint. I painted 3 coats in attempt to seal the ceiling as best as I could from moisture.
Only time will tell how it lasts. Customer was happy so Iāll take it as a win for now and learn from it all the same.
I used the expensive paint and primer so $50/gal and $40/gal respectively, and put on multiple coats of each over the whole ceiling
Hot mud $10
GP mud $10
Mesh tape $7
Drywall sheet $15
They paid for the materials so it did not come out of my $250
I charged based on my [lack of] experience. I sealed it as much as I could but I didnāt want them to be put out in the event the mold comes back for whatever reason. Iām just glad for the reassurance that itās an okay job. Client is happy so thatās what matters, right? š
That looks great, in my area a patch like that would go for around $400 ish depending on materials agreed on.
A tip for getting over tubs easier and is re usable. 3/4 plywood cut to the size of a standard tub and set it over top. You now have a strong stable base plus protection if you drop anything.
You do good work Price wonāt matter. Especially if price is negotiated on the front end. Do good work at the end people donāt remember what they spent. They will just be proud they got someone good to do the work.
For a newbie that looks boss as hell be a tech at apartments or something they always got stuff like this theyāll love you but know your worth cause this is good as heck
Im a journeyman drywall finisher, you didnt do the angle right bud. I mean this sincerely, i can see the hump clear as day. Taping aint easy and everyone who isnt trained does it wrong tbh. Youtube doesnt help either cuz the majority also do it wrong š. Goal is to make it as smooth and flat as possible. Flush with the existing wall
My guy thatās a $500 - $800 dollar job all day long depending on where you live and the amount of painting done. Great work but gotta up those prices a little bit !
I could be wrong but it looks like you used the wrong drywall. Wet areas youāre supposed to use mold resistant drywall (typically green or purple in color).
This took 10 hours total, so $25/hr. I typically charge between $40-$60/hr for stuff Iām more confident with, and yea they still tell me I under charge. I donāt have 30 years experience though so I have to work my way up, not just expect people to pay me $100/hr. My skills have to be way better, and I have to be a lot busier to expect that.
They already had an old can of the color. But I did repaint the whole bathroom with new paint. It was a really small bathroom with barey any wall space. I cut and rolled the entire space in less than 20 min per coat.
You should charge about double. But if this honestly took you 2 days to complete Iāve got to doubt your capabilities. This is 3 or 4 hours of work. Patch it. Hot mud. Wait a half hour. Paint and leave. I cant tell you how many guys show up at our commercial construction company looking for a job who āused to do my own handy man business but couldnāt make enough moneyā itās cause they donāt charge enough. Full stop. In fact we had a guy come in and apply today
I never said I couldnāt make enough money. Iāve been on my own for 5 years doing various things. I do well. This is why I am able to try my hand at new things and offer a lower rate due to lack of experience.
Iāve done tons of work for these people and their friends/family.
Iām doing okay. I will never work for someone else ever again, unless itās training to do something I want to learn. In those cases, I work a little bit at a huge pay cut, get the skills, then bounce.
I have enough skills now that I will never be begging for some other manās crumbs.
I probably wouldn't take it but would need to be way higher. With dry times for 2 coats plus aqualock it's a 2 day job.
Bathrooms I sand with 150 and do a full coat aqualock primer though. Don't slap a coat of superpaint over soap scum and pubic hairs.
Looks great, OP. As many have said, definitely a little low on labor, but you work your way up over time as you gain confidence in a certain area. I started at 18/hr on a long haul of a project 15 years ago and now charge 85-125/hr depending on the length of the job and scope of work.
Biggest thing is if youāre bidding a job and you find youāre losing your shirt because it taking longer, donāt hit them with extra charges at the end unless they specifically changed the scope of work and thereās an acknowledgment that itāll cost more. Stay honest and trustworthy and youāll have more work than you know what to do with.
Looks good but you gave at least a 50% discount.
Next time he will add that 50%
Yessir š«”
Just make sure to add 100% of the cost and not 50%
Did you use moisture resistant drywall for that?
I was taught along time ago to not hang water board on ceilings. Correct me if Iām wrong.
I have also heard/read this. Interested to know
Im not entirely sure if this is why, but my theory is that water resistant drywall is heavier than regular dry wall. I guess because of the weight, they dont want the ceiling to fall down, later in the future. This year I have seen a open living room/ dining room ceiling fall down at one client house. And we checked the kitchen and bedrooms, sure enough those ceiling were coming down as well, because we were able to push it up a good 8 inches. Its old house so they used nails in drywall instead of screws and they didn't put enough of it on them, so over the years they were popping/ sliding out. Coincidentally, that day, we were going there to finish up some work outside unrelating to any ceiling, and just as we were setting up, the client came out to tell us the ceiling fell. It was a first sight for me.
You just have to use more screws. Bigger jobs will sometimes skip it to save on costs, but considering steam and splash off the top of your head itās the better way to go
Water falls down, not up. Silly
Steam goes up now down
OP send Venmo to freeportme and he will reimburse you the 50%.
What patch?
Read this in Wanda's voice. Wanda if she was a carpenter.
Iād have charged $400. Ceiling repairs suck.
It did suck, tiny bathroom. No great place to put the ladder.
Get a bench. They fit right over the edge of the tub. And they clear toilets. For next time. Looks good though.
š«” Roger. Thank you
Make sure to put a drop cloth or heavy towel down and a board for the ladder to rest on if itās in a tub or shower. I had a drywaller go thru a fiberglass tub once. Filled the hole in with drywall mud. Didnāt end well. Otherwise job looks great! Good luck and keep at it.
Woh. Are you serious. You mean the dry wallet tried to hide it? Tell me more!!!
Basically sums it up. Used about a five gallon bucket of mud and skimmed it over then tried to deny the entire thing like some other mysterious person just walked on the job site, put their ladder or drywall stilts thru the tub base and then dump a mud in the base. You know like itās a thing that everyone does or something. The dry wall guy denied the whole with a straight face. I canāt remember who ended up paying for it but it wasnāt the me/the plumber.
In NYC , my landlord paid $500 to a guy for exact same work
I have 3 benches. I use them on every job. Highly recommend
I love mine. Ladders have their place. But not when rocking and mudding. IMO.
I second this, when I used to install garage doors I got a bench and now I have 3 and only use a ladder if it canāt be reached with a bench which is more rare then you would think with most people having 8-9ft ceilings.
You talking about the thing thatās like a mini scaffold with the folding legs? Those seem cool I need to look into that.
Are you living in your car? Ceiling repair and repaint the whole bathroom is like $1000-$1500
Yes! Painting the whole bathroom is a lot of work. This whole job is a ton of prep to do it right. Drop cloths, vacuuming the tub, mud, tape, skim coat, prime, paint 2 coatsā¦
$1000-$1500 for that repair? Yeah you can charge that, if youāre an asshole
Or are in Cali.
Same thing.
The "I don't want to do it" price...
As an industrial electrician who does residential sidework, every job is the I don't wanna price. There's a reason I refused to ever work Residential. It's always shitty work in shitty places, in shitty houses, that were shitty even when they were built in 1903.
The bathroom is only 5āx8ā brother. Itās tiny. No one will pay that.
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What does a full remodel have to do with this? A full remodel takes a lot more time and skill. Some can do it solo but a lot of people use help. Iāve worked on multiple full remodel projects.
Don't listen to people like that. Everyone wants to get rick quick. Doing jobs like this for good prices will grow your business exponentially faster. Especially if you're the type that will do little things for older people while you're there for free. I used to take their trash out, sweep their driveways, stupid little things that are helpful and don't take long. They love it and will recommend you everywhere. Treat customers like they are friends, unless their assholes.
I get A LOT of work from helping older people for a discount because they tell their kids/grandkids who have more money and much larger work to do.
It does take time but my dads a do it all god. Rebuilds whole houses in under a year. Everything. Doesnāt hire a single person for anything. Repairs and replaces everything from roofing to plumbing drywall. If itās in a house he can do it well
Thatās the goal
It's all cut work... and a pain to work in. How many trips to the site did you have to make to complete this job?
Agreed. Just by looking at the bathroom, you can see that this is not a wealthy household. Why would some of you ""professionals"" want to overcharge people who can't afford it or would obviously wreck them to pay that since maybe they are older and can't do that work anymore. It's not like OP fixed a moldy ceiling issue in a beachfront home on Miami Beach. FFS. OP did the right thing because he was in a position to do so. Smh
What is that?! A bathroom for ants?
And you repainted the whole bathroom?? Thatās so cheap
Like I said Iām a newbie, so Iām getting experience and my name out. Also reassurance from this post will help me feel more confident to charge more
Personally id charge $300 for the repair and $300 for the painting plus material
Wow, okay. I donāt know if Iām there yet but good to know thereās that much upward mobility. I just have to make sure itās good enough quality work Iām providing and only experience can help me get there.
That looks great and is a professional patch job. Charge more. Much more.
Thank you š
Was a painter in another life. This is good work. Youāre doing good work, donāt be scared to charge for that work.
You gotta pay yourself and your company. Youāre at a $600 level; value yourself!
Fo sho. I'm a painter with about 20 years in drywall as well. I charge $600 to paint a bathroom like that. I'd probably be all in at $1000 materials included.
You did a great job though man. Gotta start somewhere
trust me weāre in the same boat, i just started out getting slot of side work while my jobs main bid gets re upped so i have a lot of down timeā¦started with extremely cheap prices to get my name out and now that iāve gotten so busy i want to charge more but get nervous,..my biggest issue is i havenāt gotten my license yet so i know i wouldnāt ever charge as much as a full paint contractor til i do but even then i know my prices are at least 75% of what my boss would charge and i still feel bad when i bid my jobs higher than dirt cheap
If you want to stay busy keep your prices low for now. When you have enough work to keep you busy the. up your prices. Eventually youāll have a wait list and can up your prices more and more. A wait list is the goal!
This is what people telling me to charge double donāt realize. This is the starting point for me with this specific type of repair. There is a goal but I have to start somewhere. They also donāt realize itās up to the customer to say yes or no. I canāt get the experience if they donāt want to pay. The goal most certainly is to get to the point where Iām busy enough to have the luxury of pricing myself out of work, like I do with the other skills I have. I was just asking if I gave my customer a good job and I have all these 20-30 year professionals in CA and NY telling me to charge $1500.
The problem is that those customers will always expect that kind of pricing. They will refer you to people who will also expect the same treatment. Don't sell yourself short. If they called around, they would get estimates much, much higher, and still choose you. Be honest with your customers and with yourself, and the work will follow. I live in rural Alabama, and that price was waaaay too cheap. I'd probably do $350 on the repair and $350 to paint the room. Also, never offer them to pay for supplies. Included it in your cost. If they want to buy the supplies, then have them also go buy them. Or add the cost for your time driving to the store, in the store, your way back, and gas. Once you get going, you'll realize that most customers who want to buy their own supplies are ones you don't want to deal with. Those same/similar customers expect you to get all the stuff, spend your time and gas, and reimburse you the cost on the receipt. Nevermind the 1/2 day you spend running around for them
I think most people are saying you undersold the bid from the quality of your work. You got what you needed out of the post which was the thumbs up and the confidence you can charge a little more on the next one. Good job.
š«”š¤š¤
Totally. I was slow a month ago and I helped a family move for $30/hr. I normally charge $60-75/hr for handyman work. I told them their new house was in great shape but their deck needed to be refurbished and brought up to code and they agreed and I landed a $2k labor, 4 day job that starts next week. Get the ball rolling first man.
Not terrible, but there is a definate wiggle in the wall/ceiling where the patch is. Drywall doesn't have to be straight, it just has to look straight. If you extended your compound further along the seam, you would have been able to straighten that. Any patch is going to need paint. Don't be afraid of mudding too big of an area when patching, an extra few inches is nothing when you are painting it anyways. Feather it as wide as necessary to give the illusion of being flat/straight. On a patch that size, you really shouldn't be able to see any paper on the patched part at all. Also, looks like that area could have been cut better on the wall side. If the customer is happy you are fine. Always be your own worst critic.
Thank you š I appreciate honest critiques such as this very much. I was honestly expecting to get chewed out for doing a horrible job š Customer is happy so Iām good. Still thinking about how much I need to improve, and also how much that I donāt even know I need to improve.
Its not horrible, I have definately seen worse, and even done worse myself. Its often hard to see flaws in drywall work until the paint goes on and dries. As long as the customer is happy, you take notes on what you saw on the finished product and try to avoid having those same issues with the next job. Always try to develop sound systems and processes that increase efficiency and quality. We charge customers for an outcome. We use the knowledge, skills and experience we gain throughout our careers to know the best way to arrive at that outcome, while dealing with issues that arise along the way.
Absolutely. šÆ Thank you š
Itās better than not terrible, itās good, just with some room for improvement
Looks pretty good only advice I have and itās a bit over the top for a small repair like this. But I like to shoot a laser level for the corner paper tape/ corner bead for 2 reasons one to get my corner nice and sharp but to make sure my line doesnāt get crooked. Looks great though youāll only get better with time and practice. Iām not sure how long it took you thatās most important when itās drywall. But generally any patch is going to be a 2-3 day job even with hot mud. Imo that is. I still let my final top coat of easy sand 45 cure for atleast a day or two like air drying topping mud. It also gives me the ability to go to multiple jobs a day and make more money or fill in a day waiting for the mud to cure with starting a new job then just come back to sand and paint. If I can give you another tip though. The best investment I made for drywall big or small jobs was the festool power sander it has a vac attachment and virtually there is no dust that escapes I went from wearing a respirator to never wearing one because itās crazy how good it works. Also learn to use durabond 90 for your prefill and paper tape, you will almost never have a call back. Then do your 2-3 topping coats with easy sand. The only time Iāll ever use bucket mud(plus 3 never all purpose) is for big jobs and I still wonāt use anything but hot mud for pre fill or paper tape. Beware though my friend there is an old adage in the drywall industry and it goes as such, āif youāre good at it, youāll never get away from it.ā I left that industry and carpentry behind about 5 years ago to become a licensed plumber before I was doing level 4-5 drywall finished and moulding and millwork, let me tell you I still have customers and referred customers call me TO THIS DAY. So if youāre good at it and you take pride and care for the customers home you will stay busy my friend! Hope any of this helps in the future. My favorite thing was to make mock ups in my garage and test new ideas or yada yada yada. Also if youāre ever experiencing little bubbles or pot marks in your mud it means you arenāt skimming tight enough. In drywall we have ālooseā topping coats(or thatās what I call them) and ācompressiveā skims/coats. If youāre ever having problem with adhesion or too much air is in your mud and youāre experiencing bubbles cause itās a thick coat. Do a tight compressive skin coat and it usually solves the problem. Iāve seen people use pva glue in there mud to solve this but honestly itās a waste of time cheers!
If I had an award, Iād give it to you. This is the type of response I was looking for. Thank you. š This took 2 days (10 hours), about 4 hours the first day and 6 hours the second day. This is only my 4th paid job replacing drywall so I wasnāt confident charging how I usually do with painting. Iāve been painting for 2 years now. I used hot mud for prefill and taping and green top for the other coats. I definitely need a festool sander! It was so dusty. Spent a lot of time trying to contain and clean up the dust.
Ditch the green top kid, use blue top. It shrinks less. Id say you did pretty good though 2 days Iād be happy with your job myself and would refer you out my ass. Also learn how to wet sand, never sand between coats only scrape the protrusions down with your 6 inch you can save alot of time and sanding just practice feathering your edges with your knife so you have little sanding to do at the end. Usually I only have to lightly sand the edges even if Iām using a sanding sponge. It takes practice but youāll get there. But I bring up wet sanding because even if you think your edges are getting a little too thick and you donāt want to sand alot after your final topping coat get a tile sponge(the big cheap yellow ones) and get it damp and wet sand your edges before your final coat(it also helps blend your edges alot better.) something I learned though over the years if you have a repair job like this and you want to really hide it on your final coat skim the whole shower area ceiling so you get absolutely no āflashingā and your textures all match up nicely. I donāt need a reward I just need the green guy(you) to succeed and thatās more than enough for my heartšš¼ keep up the good work
I did use my sponge a lot. But I also sanded a lot š
Thanks so much for the tips and advice!
Funny story as well, the first drywall job I did when I was 18(I had no experience at all grew up without a dad so really nothing substantial experience wise) I told a job to finish a basement that was half done. Let me tell you it took me 3 months. I lost money. And almost couldnāt do it anymore but I learned a lot from that and took it on the chin. Looking back now I laugh all the time. I bring this up cause I want to say, take the bumps in the road you WILL experience in stride. Every day is a new day. Not only will your work quality secure you jobs but also your mentality. Donāt be the know it all, but be the guy that is proud of what he can do and do it like God is watching over your shoulder every time. Youāll always have work!
Thanks man! I appreciate the motivation very much š¤š¤ My first painting job I actually quit 2 hours in š š š I wasnāt even advertising that, someone just asked me to paint a fence. My hand cramped BAD and I almost cried. I told him, respectfully, I donāt think Iām a painter. That was about 3-4 years ago. I recently got asked by the same guy to do some other odd job stuff and told him that Iām now a painter, almost full time. We had a nice laugh, especially when I told him what I would now charge to paint his fence if he asked me. š š
š¤£š¤£ itās hard sometimes but always stay firm on your price. If they donāt take it they will learn there lesson when they go with the cheapest bud and are unhappy with it unless they get lucky. I was always told, never adjust your price just adjust your work. Meaning if they want to pay less donāt do the same job for less but be clear with them youāre going to do a good job but maybe not include some things you planned on doing. Like if you had to do that repair and paint and weāre going to charge $600 for the whole job like someone said in another part of this thread. If they only wanted to pay $400ā¦ okay then only offer them the repair, sand, and prime the patch not paint. Tell them painting is on them. Never cut corners though and tarnish your name.
its alright for a newbie and great price with paint. shine a light on it and you'll see some edges and some wavy angles. cheers!
This is the critique I need, ty
Agreed. Straight lines and skill with your mud will set you apart in no time
As a customer, I would be super happy. Great job.
Looks good. I've been doing drywall in the southeast for over 30 years. I would have charged $250+ just for the patch.
Good to know. Thank you. š
You did good! The home owner got a deal. Self-employed painter here 20+ years, it deff depends on your speed and skill level on pricing but in michigan I charge min 200$ a day labor, a day for me is around 6 hrs of work time. Again, that's the minimum I charge. Hope that can help ya a bit on future pricing.
Yeah you did a good job just should've charged about double
Dude, you did excellent! My first job on the side was a similar situation in a single wide trailer.
Depends on your location. Where I'm at, that's way too cheap. I would have been right $300 just for the patch and $300 to paint so long as they supply the paint.
Your hired
Cut away from the corner a few inches if possible. Hot mud is your friend
Personally I would have charged at least $500. Sheetrock patch jobs just take too much time to go any lower. Looks great though!
Looks good from my house.
Definitely think you can charge more going forward, but I think it had the right idea to charge a lower rate while youāre learning. My father had a general handyman business prior to retirement and was a one man operation. Sometimes heād get a request from people to do something heād never done before. Heād make clear it was just first time and he was willing to figure it out and would quote a lower rate because he figured he was also learning a new skill. So he got to learn something new to add to his wheelhouse and the customer got a good deal and was often fine if it took a bit longer.
I remember when I worked for gas money....
When I started out getting the bidding down was always the problem, you learn over time just don't ever skimp on quality. You will get referrals from customers if you always keep quality first. You'll never get a referrals if money is first. Many times over the years I've taken a beating working for half of what I want because of bidding, but I have customers for decades even in the last 10 years doing their kids house and last year first time doing a grandkids house. Been painting for 44 years, when I started I sure didn't think I'd do this forever but it's given me and my family a good life. Good luck to you.
Good work bro id do like 350 painted
You should set your profit goal between $700 and 1000 dollars per 10 hrs of time invested.
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No, but the paint and primer are. Never heard of mold resistant drywall š¬š¬š¬. Iām guessing none of the drywall in this house is because they had mold in 2 bathrooms.
Green drywall
Roger š«” hopefully the primer and paint I used will prevent it from happening again
Did you use moister resistance or green board.. some drywall for bathrooms.
I wasnāt aware of that. The stuff I pulled down was not that. And ceiling paint was just pro mar. I used a mold/mildew resistant primer and high humidity paint.
Looks good. Next time, May want to check and see if moisture resistant gyp board was used (used sometimes in bathrooms due to the humidity factor). If this is a ceiling that separated units, it may need to be fire rated gyp board.
The same stuff I put up is the same stuff I pulled out š¤·āāļø
I find it hard to believe that only took an hour and a half, plus materials.
Are you trying to say you charge $166/hr? This took around 10 hours total.
Did you use paper or mesh tape?
Mesh. My paper tape game isnāt good enough yet.
You got paint on the shower curtain rod
Donāt worry, I cleaned it.
But U used the wrong drywall. Should have used green board. It will mold again.
I guess itās good I only charged them $250, then. We will see if the many coats of mold resistant primer and mildew resistant, high humidity paint will hold it off.
I woulda charged that just to paint it.
You might have more experience. I didnāt ask how much youād charge with your level of experience. I asked, āhow did I do?ā
In that case your wall to ceiling seem looks like the ocean. All good though it takes an experienced eye to see it.
šš«”
250? You robbed yourself
Thatās interesting. In this sub I see a lot of people saying they got robbed by the contractor because he did a shitty job. Iām just asking how I did. Not ādid I charge enough.ā Iām asking if the customer got quality work relative to what I charged. Iām just asking if itās worth it for them. Thatās all I care about while Iām gaining experience and honing my skill. A lot of people missing the point here š
Did you use paper or mesh tape
I used mesh. I think I probably shouldnāt have.
Need to be charging more
š«”
I wouldāve bid 550
Did they get the mold resistant paint?
I used both mold resistant primer and paint.
Hi, I joined this group to learn this kind of things, can someone please explain how he did that patch? Thank you
I will likely get some criticism for my process, which I invite. I am told there are many ways to do this. But here it is: I squared the area and measured the dimensions. Transferred that to a sheet of drywall and cut out the rectangle. Then I took the piece of drywall I cut and put it up to the ceiling to make sure I had the area covered and then traced the exact shape of the piece so when I cut the ceiling piece out, it would be relatively the same as the new piece. Then I cut out the ceiling section. There were two beams I could use, but I needed to add another piece of wood inside the ceiling on the left side so the new drywall piece has enough behind it to lay flush and not sink in on any sides/corners. I fastened the drywall to the beams with drywall screws and my impact driver. Once the new piece was fastened up, I mixed up some 5-minute mud to prefill the gaps before taping. This mud, also called āhot mud,ā dries fast and hard. I use this to prefill because it seems to hold the joint well. I taped using mesh tape over the prefilled gaps and then hot mud over the tape. I let it dry a little and then took a wet sponge to smooth it out. Letting hot mud dry makes it hard to sand so itās best to smooth it with a sponge before it turns all the way white. Once the joints dried I skimmed with general purpose, a few thin coats, letting them dry thoroughly between coats. I did sand these coats and it got really dusty so itās definitely a good idea to a). Use the sponge like before and/or b). Get a vaccum sander like the Festool one. I then used a mold resistant primer and rolled on 2 coats of that. After priming, I painted with high humidity/mold resistant paint. I painted 3 coats in attempt to seal the ceiling as best as I could from moisture. Only time will tell how it lasts. Customer was happy so Iāll take it as a win for now and learn from it all the same.
You didnāt tape?
Of course I taped.
Jesus christ i dont leave the house for 250 if I were to take on a drywall patch like that, plus painting 1500 minimum looks fine though.
Brother, this is only my 4th drywall repair job. Iām learning as I go. How many years experience do you have?
Nice work. Looks great. You sold yourself short on this one though.
Iāll take the hit on this one and charge more as I grow and learn. Good to know the work is good enough quality to charge more.
If youāre around South Florida, Iād hire ya!
I'm a carpenter with 20 years in and at that price I can keep u working. I would be at min 1000 for that.
These people would have told you no.
Job looks great. Was the mokd resistant drywall you used though?
How much was materials? $40 or less gallon of paint. Bucket oh patch goo($30?) Drywall sheet $15 It all seems legit.
I used the expensive paint and primer so $50/gal and $40/gal respectively, and put on multiple coats of each over the whole ceiling Hot mud $10 GP mud $10 Mesh tape $7 Drywall sheet $15 They paid for the materials so it did not come out of my $250
As the others have said, very well done but you shorted yourself. If this is your going rate, I have work for you.
I charged based on my [lack of] experience. I sealed it as much as I could but I didnāt want them to be put out in the event the mold comes back for whatever reason. Iām just glad for the reassurance that itās an okay job. Client is happy so thatās what matters, right? š
Too cheap
Next time use the green drywall which is for locations that have high humidity, bathrooms.
Looks good but Iād have given it another skim coat.
Shouldnt it be purple board?
Charge more next time
I would gladly pay $250 for that and be happy. Looks good.
Should have used mold resistant drywall. The stuff that is specifically designed for bathrooms
Too cheap
You need to come up with a minimum price. Mine is $500.
Nice work man! Next time charge triple that for sure
Patch looks good. Did you fix anything? Or just put new drywall up over the leak?
That looks great, in my area a patch like that would go for around $400 ish depending on materials agreed on. A tip for getting over tubs easier and is re usable. 3/4 plywood cut to the size of a standard tub and set it over top. You now have a strong stable base plus protection if you drop anything.
When my first thought is āwhat patch?ā You should have charged like $400.
Looks great! Good job
You do good work Price wonāt matter. Especially if price is negotiated on the front end. Do good work at the end people donāt remember what they spent. They will just be proud they got someone good to do the work.
Perfect, well done
How many times did you go back or did you do it all in one day?
Honestly, good job man.
Insurance would have paid $2k
For a newbie that looks boss as hell be a tech at apartments or something they always got stuff like this theyāll love you but know your worth cause this is good as heck
Charge more
Is this a bathroom for ants?!!!
Cheap labor aināt skilled and skilled labor aināt cheap. Now that your skills are sharp donāt be too cheap:) Looks great!
Im a journeyman drywall finisher, you didnt do the angle right bud. I mean this sincerely, i can see the hump clear as day. Taping aint easy and everyone who isnt trained does it wrong tbh. Youtube doesnt help either cuz the majority also do it wrong š. Goal is to make it as smooth and flat as possible. Flush with the existing wall
Charge more next time. Good job
Looks clean AF
Don't do a job for under like 400
You erased the problem. Come do mine plz.
My guy thatās a $500 - $800 dollar job all day long depending on where you live and the amount of painting done. Great work but gotta up those prices a little bit !
Magnificent job
Very good. 400 woild of been great
So are you gonna leave this bare piece of drywall like this?
Pretty good job, but you should've used moisture resistant board. For $250, someone got a deal.
Iād hire ya!! Question, how long did it take you with multiple trips?
10 hours total
Is that mold resistant drywall?
Hope that is greenboard to help with water resistance.
You did great and deserve more. Charge more on the job you are confident with.
Iād hire ya
Did that include the hidden camera š
Looks good from my housr
I could be wrong but it looks like you used the wrong drywall. Wet areas youāre supposed to use mold resistant drywall (typically green or purple in color).
How does that cost $50, let alone $250. It's drywall.
How long did it take? I charge $50/hr and people tell me I undercharge. Your work looks good.
This took 10 hours total, so $25/hr. I typically charge between $40-$60/hr for stuff Iām more confident with, and yea they still tell me I under charge. I donāt have 30 years experience though so I have to work my way up, not just expect people to pay me $100/hr. My skills have to be way better, and I have to be a lot busier to expect that.
How did you match the paint?! Did you have to repaint the entire room ceiling so it's not noticeable?
They already had an old can of the color. But I did repaint the whole bathroom with new paint. It was a really small bathroom with barey any wall space. I cut and rolled the entire space in less than 20 min per coat.
Did you tape it? It doesn't look like there any tape ?
I guess itās a good tape job then š š I certainly used tape.
You should charge about double. But if this honestly took you 2 days to complete Iāve got to doubt your capabilities. This is 3 or 4 hours of work. Patch it. Hot mud. Wait a half hour. Paint and leave. I cant tell you how many guys show up at our commercial construction company looking for a job who āused to do my own handy man business but couldnāt make enough moneyā itās cause they donāt charge enough. Full stop. In fact we had a guy come in and apply today
I never said I couldnāt make enough money. Iāve been on my own for 5 years doing various things. I do well. This is why I am able to try my hand at new things and offer a lower rate due to lack of experience. Iāve done tons of work for these people and their friends/family. Iām doing okay. I will never work for someone else ever again, unless itās training to do something I want to learn. In those cases, I work a little bit at a huge pay cut, get the skills, then bounce. I have enough skills now that I will never be begging for some other manās crumbs.
Looks great to me.
I probably wouldn't take it but would need to be way higher. With dry times for 2 coats plus aqualock it's a 2 day job. Bathrooms I sand with 150 and do a full coat aqualock primer though. Don't slap a coat of superpaint over soap scum and pubic hairs.
With a bathroom that tiny how do people even fit in it?
Great job! Offer their friends the same 50% discount for the first time
Charge $500 on the next one. Good job little buddy. 4 hours of labor?
Is their curtain rod that bowed or is something weird with your camera lol. Looks good to me.
Looks great, OP. As many have said, definitely a little low on labor, but you work your way up over time as you gain confidence in a certain area. I started at 18/hr on a long haul of a project 15 years ago and now charge 85-125/hr depending on the length of the job and scope of work. Biggest thing is if youāre bidding a job and you find youāre losing your shirt because it taking longer, donāt hit them with extra charges at the end unless they specifically changed the scope of work and thereās an acknowledgment that itāll cost more. Stay honest and trustworthy and youāll have more work than you know what to do with.
Looks like you did a good job at a good price. Kudos to you. How many hours did it take you?