Estimates, Costs & Profits HOUSE PAINTING & INTERIOR DECORATING By F. N. VANDERWALKER Jllilll Glass_/ /p^d" Book_" f/ O . GopyiightN" COPYRIGHT DEPOSm ESTIMATES, COSTS & PROFITS Exterior Painting and Interior Decorating -♦ u By F.N.Vanderwalker, Of The Paint Information Bureau, Carter White Lead Co., Chicago,Ill. AUTHOR OF TIFFANY WALL GLAZING, MOTTLING & BLENDING INTERIOR DECORATING THE STENCIL & STENCILING STAINING & INTERIOR WOOD FINISHING BOOK KEEPING,ACCOUNTS & RECORDS Publishers The TEXT BOOK CO. West Pulhnan P. O. CHICAGO. I LI*. .V3 Copyright 1916 By F.N.Vanderwalker Ail rights reserved MAY -6 1916 / ©CI.A427976 -^ "-^J PREFACE Efficiency is the goal of the Business World today and it means just as much to the Contrac ting- Painter as to any other business man, efficiency in business methods, in handling men, equipment and materials. The Efficient Painter makes money on a contract that his inefficient competitor would fill at a loss. To know your business, to figure where the other fellow guesses at it is the most worthj?-, the most effective of all efforts to make a profit. The figures given in this book were carefully worked out and verified. Some are given chiefly to explain the method, but all are as nearly accurate as it is possible to make them under average working conditions. Any tests you may make probably will not come out in exactly the same figures but they will show that the figures given are accurate enough for all practical purposes and to furnish a basis upon which to build an estimate and calculate costs. THE AUTHOR. CONTExNTS. CHAPTER I. COUNT THE COST. CHAPTER n. FIGURING THE COST OF A JOB. Material Cost — Section No. 1 Labor Cost ..._ " " 2 Overhead Expenses — — *' " o Profit - " " 4 Another Method of Figuring " " 5 CHAPTER III. MAKING AN ES- TIMATE — EXTERIOR PAINTING. Measuring the Building " "6 Measuring the Surface from Plans - " "7 Reading Plans " " 8 Taking Off Quantities " " 9 To Figure the Amount of Mate- rial for a Job " *' 10 How Many Gallons from a Mix.... " "11 How Much Surface Will One Gal- lon Cover? - " " 12 To Figure the Amount of Labor for a Job.... " " 13 What is a Day's Work " " 14 Painting Difficult Surfaces — Extra Labor " " 15 Time Required Setting Stages, Ladders and Scaffolds " " 16 Time Required for Mixing Colors '' '* 17 Burning and Scraping Scaled Paint -- - " '' 18 Extras " " 19 Making Up the Estimate — Ex- terior—Figure ''X" " " 20 Listing the Material. Listing the Labor. The Elstimate Complete— Exte- rior—Figure "X" " Making- Up the Estimate — Ex- terior—Figure "A" - " Listing the Material. Listing the Labor. The Estimate Complete— Exte- rior — Figure "A" - CHAPTER IV. ESTIMATING— INTERIOR. Unit System of Estimating - " To Calculate the Amount of Material ]* Measuring the Rooms Measuring the Surface from Plans — — -- Measuring the Walls and Ceilings " Measuring the Floor Area -- Measuring the Wood Trim Summarj^ — Area to be Decorated — Interior— Figure "A'' " To Figure Amount of Material — Interior — - How Much Surface Will One Gallon Cover? - " One Gallon of Flat Paint Covers - " *' *' Varnish " " - " Hard Oil " -- " " " Shellac " " " " Wax " " u Varnish Size '' " *' *' Glue Size " - - " " '' Oil Stain " " " " " Spirit or Acid Stain Covers - " Pound " Paste Filler Covers .-- " 21 " 22 " 23 " 24 u 25 n 26 it 27 n 28 ti 29 4t 30 tt 31 ti 32 ii 33 it 34 ti 35 ti 36 it 37 it OQ Oti it 39 it 40 it 41 it 42 ti 43 One Gallon " Liauid Filler '' ...... <( ii 44 " " White Enamel Covers.. a ii 45 " Enamel Unclercoating Covers {( ii 46 " Paint and Varnish Re- mover Covers (( ii 47 " ** Calcimine Covers << ii 48 '' Bronze '' (( ii 49 Pound of Tiffany Glazing- Color Covers (( ii 50 " " Starch a ii 51 To Figure the Amount of Labor for a Job n ii 52 What is a Day's Work? Painting Wood Trim it ii 53 Sm.ooth Plaster Walls ti ii 54 Sand Finished Walls a ii 55 Rough Stucco Walls it ii 56 " Canvas or Muslin.. (( ii 57 " ■ Wall Board (( ti 58 Sizing n ii 59 Enameling << ii 60 Varnishing and Shellacing.... i( ii 61 Staining ii ii 62 Calcimining a ii 63 Bronzing a ti 64 Starching << ii 65 Stippling <( ti QQ Filling Floors n ii 67 Waxing and Polishing ti ii 68 Preparing Surfaces ti ii 69 Washing n a 70 Tiffany Wall Glazing <( it 71 Stenciling ii ii 72 Time Required for Mixing.. ti ti 73 Making Up the Estoate--Inte- ^^ ^, rior-^Figure A „ ^^ ^^ ^^ Listing the Material ^^ ,, -rg Walls and Ceilings - ^^ ,, rjr^ Floors - — a a rjrg Wood Trim ^^ ,, ^^ Listing the Labor - - ,, ,, gQ Walls and Ceilings ^^ ,, g^ Floors - - « a go The Wood Tnm - ,, ,, g^ Mixing "--— The Estimate Complete --^Inte- ^^ ^^ rior--Figure "A .. ^^ CHAPTER V. PROFITABLE PRICES CHAFIJ^K _pj,i(.5, LISTS. ^, ,, g^ What is a Job Worth? -- ,, ,, g^ What Price Shall I Charge? ^^ ,, ^^ The Price Per Square Yard ^^ ^, The Prices Others Charge - ^^ ,, Time and Material Basis ^^ ,, Exterior Painting Prices ^^ ,, Interior Decorating Prices CHAPTER VI. THE MODERN PAINT SHOP. CHAPTER I. COUNT THE COST. Hordes of painters, like business men in other lines, seem to think they must be prospering if they are only doing a large business. If they can under- bid another man and succeed in getting a large con- tract from him they chuckle with glee, even though they have figured the price down so close that there is absolutely nothing left for profit, with the chance of coming out on the wrong side of the ledger. It seems a curious phase of the American character that this mania for doing a large business should so often be allowed to run away with good judg- ment, and the question of whether the business is a profitable one should be so frequently entirely overlooked. Many men, especially in the painting trade, have no idea whatever what it costs them to run their business. In some communities the estimates sub- mitted by the painters look like answers in a guess- ing contest rather than carefully calculated figures. The contractor who guesses too high loses the job while the one who guesses too low gets it without a profit. They figure that if they employ a man for $3 a day and can charge $3.50 for his time that they are making a profit of a half dollar on the work of that particular man, but they fail to take into account all the numerous items of shop expense which must be added to the wages paid to that man to get his actual cost to the employer. There is in- ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS surance, rent, interest on the cost of stock, wear and tear on scaffolds, tools, brushes, cartage, telephone, shopman^s wages, clerk hire and numerous other incidentals that must be paid for somehow before any profit can be realized from the wages of the workmen. In a shop employing an average of from ten to twelve men these shop expenses, leaving out all question of profit to the employer, will often amount to $7 or $8 a day, or some 75c per man. Yet the employing painter goes blindly on, figuring that he is making a profit when he charges his customers 50c a day profit on the wages of each man. Perhaps he thinks he is covering the shop charges by the profit on material, but let hini figure it up carefully and he will find that this is seldom done. Yet he goes right along in the same old rut, taking a job for a low figure, because some other painter has offered to do it for that price, without even stopping to figure whether he will make a profit or not. He argues that if the other man can do it for that much money, certainly he can. Like as not the other man's low figure exists only in the mind of the cus- tomer, who is trying to beat down the price. This is too often the reason why painters are slow and uncertain pay, and why the manufacturers do not co-operate with them more readily to grant special trade discounts or similar favors that thoughtful men believe should be legitimately granted. Do some mental calculating as well as manual work ; sharpen up your pencil and figure everything, profits have gone. mates and he will also have to guess where his let the other fellow guess on his measuring and esti- 9 ESTIMATES, ( OSTS AND PROFITS Painting is a business and painters to be success- ful must adopt successful business methods, partic- ularly is this true of the contractor who employs a number of men. He is not a mechanic any more; he is a business man and needs a business organiza- tion just as much as a railroad or other big cor- poration. It may be argued and with more or less truth in a degree that if a contractor in some localities were to make up his estimates to include all costs and a fair profit after the method given in this text book he would get but few jobs. In such localities there are usually twice as many half trained journey- men who take contracts as can possibly exist oif the amount of business to be had in the locality. They are reduced by competition of their kind to taking contracts for a price that barely enables them to pay for materials and have journeyman's wages left. The paint business on such a low level of price cutting is a detriment to the community, to the individual property owner, to the journeymen and the competent contractors. If the property owners are very wise they may get the best of it by see- ing that pure materials and sufficient labor are con- sumed, they may superintend closely, but in most cases the house owner gets a low price, poor material and unskilled labox' — the job is skinned. Then the property all over the locality "runs down at the heel.*' The community appears to have chosen Peter Tumbledown as its ideal. The journeymen taking contracts make but a meager living. Transient painters drop off of pass- 10 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS ing freight trains each Spring, take a few jobs away from the resident journeymen and add more poor work to the community to the disgust of the good citizens and the competent contractor works along on about half time because he thinks he must meet the prices of the journeymen taking contracts. He does not inspire the confidence of the house owner who figures that he must be the same kind of a painter as all the rest, — his prices are the same and he doesn't say anything about or prove that he can do better work. In a community like this a competent contractor with a desire to do good work at a fair profit has but to choose between two courses. Either he must get out of the town and go to a community that offers a better opportunity or he must stay where he is and resolve to fight it out at home. To choose the latter course means to precipitate a business war — a war of brains and wits, not of words and strife between contractors. You must break away from the crowd, — from the business practices of other contractors. Lay your plans carefully to win over the property owners of the locality and especially to get the newspaper edi- tor on your side. Be a good citizen. Join the busi- ness organizations and the commercial club. Do the very best work you know how — show an interest in your customers' work by trying conscientiously to give each customer all he is entitled to and a little more and when he asks for material that will not be satisfactory, for colors that will fade too soon or for a one-coat job where you know it will not serve 11 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS well be frank and tell him that such a job could not stand well. When he wants you to paint over old paint that has cracked and scaled have the courage of the surgeon and attack the problem. Explain why new paint will not stand v/ithout scaling over such a foundation. People are v/illing to pay for quality work if you convince them you knovv^ your business and want to play fair. Study your business constantly. Even if you served your apprentice time and learned the trade from an expert master you v/iil learn much of modern problems and methods from the trade journals. If you didn't have the opportunity to learn from a good master painter get the best books and study, exi^eriment and practice. You must advertise constantly and in a thinking manner. Tell the community that it needs pure paint and an honest painter, state your desire to do only first class work, that you are capable of doing it and that naturally the price of a good job is a little higher than the cheap one. Make it clear that you could paint a house as cheaply as anyone by skinning on material and labor, but that you don't want that kind of contract because you expect to remain in the community, hold the respect and con- fidence of the people and have your home there. A year or two of good work, constant, intelligent advertising and an effort to get living prices for your work and you will be surprised to see the trans- formation. The journeymen who used to take con- tracts will be glad to get on your pay roll for steady work ; the bank will welcome you as any other pros- 12 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS perous business man in town and you will have decided that the paint contractor has a business worthy of his metal and one that will insure a good income. 13 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS CHAPTER II. FIGURING THE COST OF A JOB. Every job is worth all it costs — and a Profit. In making up an Estimate to submit for any kind of exterior or interior painting and decorating it should be divided into four sections — Material Cost, Labor Cost, Overhead Expense and Profit. Material Cost. Section No. 1. Each pound and gallon of material and every new tool completely used on a job should be charged against that job. The charge should be made on your record as the material leaves the shop. Material not used and returned may then be credited back. New tools not completely used on any one job ought not to be charged against the job at all, but rather included in Overhead Expense. Even such small items as sandpaper, steel wool, soap, starch, flour, glue, putty, etc., are important and should be charged for along with your lead, oil, varnish, stain, wallpaper, shellac, colors, bronzes and such of the larger material costs. See Sections Nos. 18 and 19. Labor Cost. Section No. 2. A job should be charged only with the direct labor — that is the labor directly consumed on that job alone and not with any part of the wages of shop man, teamster or truck driver, clerk or others 14 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS indirectly employed, because their efforts apply on and assist the execution of other jobs going on at the same time. Indirect labor of this kind ought to be charged against Overhead Expenses and thus passed on to be distributed among many jobs. These many jobs will be future rather than present contracts to be sure, but present contracts are charged with the Overhead Expenses of past jobs completed if your Estimates and Prices were equitably and correctly figured. The time or labor of the contractor or employer is not charged against any one job unless he works on the job as a journeyman. The contractor's time for superintending the job is paid for in Profit. — See Section No. 4. Con- tractor's time when he works on the job as a jour- neyman should be charged against that particular job at the same rate he v/ould have to pay any other journeyman equally competent to do the work. In this instance he would get the Profit included in his Estimate for Superintending the job, for Interest on his money tied up in equipment and for the Risk assumed. Employers' Liability. He would also get wages as a journeyman. See Chapter III, Section Nos. 18 and 19, for details. Overhead Expenses. Section No. 3. Every expense of conducting your business that cannot be directly charged to one job or another is an Overhead Expense. For instance, when you buy five bales of hay for the horse or gasoline for the 15 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS truck you cannot charge the outlay of money against Bill Jones' house which you happen to be painting, because the horse and wagon or the auto truck was used to haul the material. The transportation equip- ment was used on dozens of jobs during the season. The expense of maintaining your cartage facilities must be divided among all the jobs done. If, how- ever, you hire an expressman who charges $2.00 to haul your material to and from the Jones' job, that $2.00 is not an Overhead Expense but a direct charge to be made against the Jones' job. If you are among those contractors who to get the cost of a job merely add together the material and labor costs and then count everything else as profit, you ought to climb out of that rut at once. It keeps a man poor. When you charge against each job only the labor and material costs who is to pay such as the follow- ing expenses? 16 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS INCLUDE THESE ITEMS IN YOUR Overhead Expense. RENT— Office, Shop, Garage, Barn. If you own the buildings charge rent for them in your Overhead Expense account, anyway at the rates they would bring if rented to someone else. LIGHT. HEAT. INSURANCE— Fire, Accident and Employers' Lia- bility. OFFICE EXPENSES— Clerk Salary, Postage, Print- ing, Typewriting, Telephone, Etc. ADVERTISING — Newspaper, Programs, Signs, Association dues and payments to local business organizations. Donations. CARTAGE — Amounts paid expressmen, except separate cartage that can be charged to any one job. Railroad Charges, Horse Feed, Livery or Garage Expenses, Gasoline used in auto trucks and all expenses incurred for transportation equipment. LOST ACCOUNTS— Bad Debts that probably will never be collected. Cost of collections. REPLACEMEN T — Maintenance, depreciation, breakage, wear and tear on tools, machinery and equipment, brushes, ropes, ladders, paint pots, drop cloths, sponges, etc. GENERAL EXPENSE— Include here any expense of conducting business that cannot be charged against any one job. INTEREST ON YOUR CAPITAL— The money in- vested in tools, material and equipment is a proper charge to include in the Overhead Expense. If you were to borrow the money to buy these things you would have to pay the banker at least 5% for it and you would take this b% out of the business. When the capital is your own money there is just as good reason 17 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS to collect interest on it and pass the charge on to your customers through the Overhead Expense added to each Estimate. The same money invested elsewhere would bring you b% or 6% ; at least 3'/ from a bank. Overhead Expenses are legitimate and just as necessary as material and labor charges. Either you must pay them out of your profits or charge them to your customers by adding a certain amount or percentage to each Estimate. As long as you are conducting business for profit the second method of paying these expenses is correct. When your wagon, tools or equipment wear out you will then have saved enough money to replace them, if you have conscientiously added to the Esti- mate for each job a small amount in anticipation of this time. If you have not made this charge on each job you must buy the new equipment out of savings you thought were clear profit laid up for a rainy day. How to Figure the Overhead Charge. What amount then should be added to each Esti- mate for Overhead Expenses? Suppose, for example, you completed 40 con- tracts last year. Each one brought you $75.00. The total amount of money you received then was $3,000.00. Out of this $3,000.00 you paid : 750.00 for Material. 1,500.00 for Labor. 200.00 for Overhead Expenses. 550.00 was Profit. $3,000.00 18 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS Now to find out how much, or what percentage to add to each Estimate during the coming yeer divide the total amount of money received for ^\ work by the amount paid for Overhead Expenses- - the expense of conducting your business. In t) c example it w^ould figure this way : 200)3,000(15% 200 1,000 1,000 To each and every Estimate you submit in tlie future then add 15% of the cost of labor and mate- rial. For instance : If the Material Cost is S30.00 and if the Labor Cost is 60.00 you add them together $90.00 Then S90.00 Find 15% 45000 9000 $13.5000 Then you have $90.00 for labor and material cost plus $13.50 Overhead, making $103.50. To this figure of $103.50 you must add a certain amount also for Profit before your estimate is complete. See Section No. 4. A Contractor who has no record of the previous year's business from w^hich to figure what amount to add to his Estimates for Overhead Expense must estimate as nearly as possible the number of jobs done, the amount of money received and the other 19 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS odd expenses to figure on, or else take the figure of 15 '/r as the correct one for the first year. • The Association of Master Painters, the Con- tractors, of the city of Washington, D. C, made a study not long ago of the business of twelve different i)aint contractors in that city for the purpose of establishing a standard or uniform method for mak- ing up estimates and, more particularly, to determine what amount should be added to each Estimate for Overhead Expense. The volume of business done by these contractors ranged from $6,000 to $60,000 gross per year in round numbers. The average amount of business for the twelve contractors was $16,244.00. The conclusion reached by the Associ- ation was that in their city it costs 15% to do busi- ness or to be exact 14-3/10%. In other v>^ords to get the real cost of a job they must add to the labor and material costs 15% of those amounts for Overhead Expense. Then the Profit is to be added. This 15% is given as an average amount for the city. In some cases it may be too small. On small repair w^ork 20% and even 30% is sometimes charged while on a large contract, of $25,000 for instance, 15% is to much. As stated 15% to 20% will be found a pretty good average. Profit. Section No. 4. After the Material Cost, Labor Cost and Over- head Expense have been figured it is necessary to add to the sum of these figures an amount for Profit before submitting an Estimate or Price. Do not add anything for your salary as contractor, the Profit 20 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS takes care of that. Just how much to add for Profit must be decided by you. In the building trades the general con- tractor (carpenter) ..in Chicago suburbs is satisfied to figure actual cost as above and then add 10% of this cost for Profit. With paint contractors in various sections of the country, however, the profit added to actual cost ranges from 10% to 30 S^ and 50%, according to the kind of work. Small odd jobs, repairs and such should carry a higher Profit than a large contract which might be best figured at 10-/( or less. Probably the addition of 20% to 2b% for Profit is a good average for Vv^ork in general. Another Method of Figuring. Section No. 5. Overhead^ Profits, Labor and Material charges are sometimes figured on the basis of the selling price or the final figure on the Estimate rather than on the basis of actual Material and Labor cost as shown before. While this method is sometimes used the first one given is simple and just as effective. Taking the same figures used in the other example the calculation would work out this way : 40 contracts at $75.00 each would bring a gTOSs volume of business amounting to $3,000. For Material you paid out of this $ 750.00 For Labor " " " " " 1,500.00 For Overhead " '' " " '' 200.00 Net Profit was 550.00 $3,000.00 21 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS The difference in the two methods begins here. Add together the Material Cost and the Labor Cost: $ 750.00 1,500.00 $2,250.00 Next divide this $2,250.00 by the Gross Volume of business— $3,000.00. ^000)2250.00(75% 21000 15000 15000 By this we find that the Labor and Material Costs for the previous year were 757c of the total amount of business done, — the total amount of money taken in on contracts as shown by the Cash Book. Next find v/hat part or percentage of the total volume of business the Overhead Expense represents by dividing $200 by $3,000.00. 3000) 200.00 (.0666 18000 2000 18000 2000 Overhead Expense figures a Uttle over .0666+ but for the sake of dealing with round numbers cut off the fraction and call it even 7^ . Now figure what percentage of the Gross receipts the Profit was by dividing the Profit, — 3)550, by $3,000. 3000) 550.00 (.1833 22 ESTIMATES, COSTS AN^D PROFITS The Profit was a little over .1833+ call it 18% even. The year's operations would then divide up as follows : Material and Labor Costs 75% $2,250. Overhead Expense 07% 210. Profit 18% 540. 100% $3,000. Taking it for granted that you will be satisfied with the same profit this year as was realized last year — 18%, and that the Overhead Expense will remain the same it is quite simple to figure the Price to charge for each job this year. To find this Price to quote (the price that will include your 18% Profit and 6% Overhead) divide the Material and Labor Cost for any job (which represents 75% of the selling Price according to our figures for last year's business), by 75% and the result will be the price to charge. To illustrate let us say that the costs on a certain job are $200 for Labor and $100 for Material, mak- ing $300 for both. Then to find the Price to quote on the job divide the Labor and Material Cost by .75 thus : .75)300.00(400 300 $400 is the Price. It can be poved that $400.00 is the coiTect price to include the Costs and a Profit in this way. Out of this Price of $400.00 must come: 7% for Overhead Expense which is-.$ 28.00 18% for Profit which is .-... 72.00 $100.00 23 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS From the Price of $400.00 then subtract the sum of the Profit wanted and the Overhead Expense, which equals $100.00, and the balance of $300.00 is the necessary amount to cover the Material and Labor Costs. The division of the Price would then be: Material and Labor Costs 75%=$300.00 Overhead Expense 07%= 28.00 Profit - - 18%= 72.00 Total ..$400.00 24 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS CHAPTER III. MAKING AN ESTIMATE- EXTERIOR PAINTING. There are almost as many methods for esti- mating as there are contractors who estimate. The method used in the example to follow is probably the most simple one that is accurate. Contractors who have been making Estimates for years have usually reduced their systems to a few simple rules which they carry in mind. They can look a building over, measure it roughly and tell you it will take a man six days to first coat it and four days to finish it. They figure that a job containing 4,125 sq. ft., for instance, is 40 squares of 100 feet each. They have learned by long experi- ence in the locality that the Labor and Material Costs, the Overhead Expense and Profit on past jobs amounted to a certain figure per square; — let us say $1.50 per square for two coats and $2.00 per square for three coats. To give an Estimate these contractors simply multiply the 40 squares by $1.50, if the house is to have two coats, and give the owner an Estimate or Bid right on the spot amounting to $60.00. Such a practice is not the best even if it were possible for the contractor v/ithout much experience to follow it. The contractors who by their long experience are able to estimate as described are invariably men who are hard pressed for time, 26 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS men who visit and inspect dozens of jobs per day. However, justified they may be in adopt- ing the short method to save themselves and handle a large volume of work the fact remains that the method does not provide accurate fig- ures for the file, checking invoices, sending bills and for future reference as to the amount of mate- rials and labor needed for each job. The note book carried by the contractor is saved usualy but until full it is always in his pocket and inaccessible to clerks or those running his office. And again, each job is, in a sense, figured twice, once when the Esti- mate is given and again when the bill is made out, or at least the surface must be figured over again to know how much materials to send out to the job. Both times require the personal attention of the contractor himself whereas if he had filled out a printed Estimate Blank when he first looked at the job and then turned it over to his clerk a permanent record would be on file from which instructions to the foreman, the bill of materials and the bill to the customer could be made out. The time sheets of the men and invoices for materials could also be checked here and any discrepancy noted either in cost or amount of material and labor. The contractor him- self would not be required to give so much of his own time to details which a clerk could do just as well under a proper system. More time is required to make out the Estimate Blank than to figure in a note book, but the advantage of having an accurate record of the cost, or the estimated cost, of each job is considerable and you also know the amount of profit on each job. 27 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS Figure No. **X" is an average house both in size and shape. It is thought that the best way to make an estimating method clear in words is to actually submit an estimate for painting the house shown. The estimate will be based on labor and material market conditions at this writing. The method would be substantially the same for any building anywhere, but material and labor prices would necessarily be changed to accord with local conditions. Measuring the Building. Section No. 6. THE BODY. Starting at the nearest comer measure completely around the main body of the house with a tape hne, excluding porches, but include the rear addition. Write down on your estimate blank or note book the length of the first side — 24 feet, the length of the addition — 8 ft., the width of the rear end of the house — 22 ft., the length of the opposite side — 24 ft., length of the addition — 8 ft., and the width of the front— 22 ft. Then add together, 24+ 8+22+24+8+22=108 ft. around the house. Now measure the height of the cor- ners to the eaves, using a long pole — a fish pole with a hook on the end is good, to fasten your tape line to and reach the top. This height will be 20 feet for the house shown. To calculate the number of square feet in this main portion of the house multiply the circumference — 108 ft. by the height— 20 ft: 108x20= 2,160 sq. ft. 28 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS It will be seen that no reduction has been made for window and door open- ings. Wall spaces are usually measured solid, it being estimated that the time consumed in cutting around sash, frames, etc., is as great as would be required in painting a smooth surface the size of the opening. If the open- ings are small and numerous, or if there are a gi'eat many small lights to be cut around, an additional charge of one or two cents per square yard is made. THE GABLES. Next measure the main roof gable. Crawl out on the porch roof and use the fish pole and t< Ifjot. FRONT E'wCVAnON F{t»r«'C' FIGURE DE^<. Sk DooK CA3t5 5cAi.«.'/i'-l-o" FIGURE 6 cnzni^z] n |B, FIGURED CUPBOARDS ♦•I-3 .1 of 4- figuree; : H ^ StCTlON I-U.3 Fl^UREJ FftJURC I MKASIRF, HKKK FIGLRR -I. VKOtM) HOTM CASIN(;S MF.ASIRING CABLES MULTlfl.Y THK. WIDTH BV ONK HALF THE HEIGHT 2» j;4FT.= MSO. FT. ESTLMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS inches. Then according to the scale (which says 1 inch equals 4 feet) you would multiply 2^4x4, which amounts to 9. The side wall or corner then is 9 feet high up to the point where the roof joins the corner. The method used on plans to indicate feet and inches must be watched carefully as an expensive error may easily be made by mistaking feet for inches. Ten feet would be indicated thus 10' . Ten inches " " " " 10 ". A measurement reading 16' 0" x 1''4" means 16 feet and no inches by 1 foot and four inches. Painters often designate the measure of a surface as so many "Squares." A Square equals a space 10x10 feet or 100 square feet. A square yard equals a space 3x3 or 9 square feet. A square foot, 12x12 inches, equals 144 square inches. The area of any flat surface to be painted is found by multiplying the heighth in feet by the width in feet. The result is square feet. Taking Off the Quantities. Section No. 9. Plans shown in Figures ''A/' ''B," "C." THE BODY. Looking at floor plan Figure "A" it will be seen that the building is 38 ft., 6 in. long and 38 ft., 6 in. wide. The circumference around the house would then measure: One Side 38J/> ft. " " 38«/> ft. Front 38«/> ft. Back 38V-i ft. 154 ft. around the house. 34 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS Now measure the right hand corner on the Side Elevation, Figure "B," and it will show 2^/4 in, high to where the roof joins. The Scale shown on the Plan says 1 in. equals 4 ft., so 2^4 x 4= 9 ft. high. The side walls, the rear and front measure 154 ft. around and 9 ft. high. The square measure then is 9 x 154=1,386 sq. ft. THE GABLES on the Side Eleva- tions. "To figure the area of any gable multiply the width by one-half the height." For the plan we are figuring the length of the house from corner to corner will be the base or width of the gables — the floor plan. Figure "A," shows this measure to be 881/2 ft. To get the height of the gable place your rule across the plan parallel to the floor line on the Side Elevation, Figure *'B," but at the top of the corners where they join the roof. Draw a light pencil line there. Now lift the rule and measure from the ridge pole down to the pencil line just made. You will find that it is just 2 inches. According to the Scale on the plan then (1 in. equals 4 ft.) the height of gable is 2 x 4=8 ft. Now the formula given to get the area of a gable says multiply the width, 38 1/2 ft., by one-half the height, 8 ft. The calculation then is 38V2 x 4=154 sq. ft. There are two gables, one on each side, so we must multiply 154 x 2= 308 sq. ft. 35 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS THE PwOOF CORNICE FACING. The Side Elevation, Figure "B," shows the cornice to be 2 in. thick and 10 in. wide. Add these figures, 10-{-2=12 in. Nov/ measure the length of this cornice from one end up to the ridge and down to the other end and you will find that it is 121/4 in. long. Using the scale again — (1 in. equals 4 ft.) to find the length of the cornice in feet multiply 12i/|x4=49 ft. The plan shows that the width and thickness of the cornice are 10 in. and 2 in., which makes the equivalent of a board 12 inches or one foot wide to paint. The square measure on the cornice then is 1 ft. wide x 49 ft. long-= 49 sq. ft. There is another cornice on the other side of the house so w^e must multiply 49 sq. ft. by 2= 98 sq. ft. THE EAVES or underside of the Roof Cornice, according to Figure "B," overhangs % of an inch. The Scale on the Plan says 1 in. equals 4 ft., so 34 in. must equal 1 ft. The Eaves then overhang 3 ft. — they are 3 ft. wide. Measuring the Roof on Figure "B" from the front to the rear over the ridge our rule reads 11% in., which figures — (1 in. equal 4 ft., 14. in. equals 1 ft.) Il%x4=47 ft. long. The underside of the Eaves is 2 ft. less than the cornice facing. We figured above that the Eaves are 3 ft. wide so to get the number of square feet in one side we now multiply 47 ft. long X 3 ft. wide=141 sq. ft. There are two sides the same size so we multiply 141 sq. ft. X 2= 282 sq. ft. 36 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS Figure *'C" measures across the Roof 10% in. 10'% in. equals 43 ft. on the Scale. The Eaves in the front and rear overhang the same measure as the sides — 3 ft. The square measure then is 43 ft. X 3 ft.=129 sq. ft. Multiply this by 2 for front and rear and we have 2x129=...... 258 sq. ft. THE RIDGE BOARDS on the peak of the roof measured with the rule show 10% in. long on the plan which figures according to scale 43 ft. The width of the boards does not show sufficiently to measure on the plan but they are probably 6 in. wide on each side of the ridge which makes a surface to be painted of 1 ft. x 43 ft.=. 43 sq. ft. THE FRONT PORCH. Figure ''A" shows the floor to be 8 ft. v/ide and 38 '/i ft. long. The square measure then is 381/2x8=.-. - 308 sq. ft. THE PORCH CEILING is the same size as the floor 308 sq. ft. THE PORCH COLUMNS. Figures "B" and "C" show that there are 6 columns 8x8 in. square. Measuring on the plan with the rule the columns are % of an in. high, which (on the Scale which says 1 in. equals 4 ft., and 14 i^^- equals 1 ft.) means that the columns are 3 ft. high. The columns being 8 in. on each side will measure 32 in. around all four sides ; 32 in. is very near 3 ft., so call each column 3 ft. around and 3 ft. high. The square measure then is 3x3=9 sq. ft. for each column. There are 6 columns so multiply 9x6= 54 sq. ft. 37 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS THE FRONT PORCH COLUMN SUP- PORTS or pedestals measure on Figures "B" and ''& about % in. wide and 1 in. high. Transposing this by the Scale given it figures about 2^/2 ft. wide by 4 ft. high. 21/2x4=10 sq? ft. per side. There are three sides (1 side was in- cluded when measuring the side of body) =30 sq. ft. for each support. There are two supports so we multiply 30x2= [. 60 sq. ft. THE FRIEZE BOARD above run- ning across the top of the front porch above the columns measures 1 ft. v/ide X 381/2 ft. long. The number of square feet then is lx38V2 so we will call it 39 sq. ft. THE WEATHER BOARDING enclosing the space belov/ the front porch fioor mxeasures in front 1 ft. x 33= 33 sq. ft. The side or end boarding was in- cluded when measuring the sides of the body. THE STEP ON FRONT PORCH measures 1x1x8 ft. and the square measure is= 18 sq. ft. THE REAR PORCH. Figure "A" shows it to be 31/2x4 ft.=-... 14 sq. ft. THE STEP TREAD AND RISERS are 31/2x1 ft.=3i/2 sq. ft. each for 1 tread and two risers. 3x31/^=101/2 sq. ft., so call it. ...! 11 sq. ft. THE TWO SILLS on the porch sides measure 1x4=4 sq. ft. each. There are two — so multiply 4x2= 8 sq. ft. THE REAR PORCH RAIL. Two pieces 4x4 in. x 214 ft. high are equal to 1 piece 5 ft. long or 60 in. long by 38 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS 16 in. wide. Then 16x60=960 sq. in. 144 sq. in. equal 1 sq. ft., so divide 960 by 144 and you get 6 2/3 sq. ft., so call it 7 sq. ft. Then the plan shows 4 pieces of 2x4 in. X 31/2 ft. long, which are equiva- lent to one piece 14 ft. long. A 2x4 in. piece measures 12 in. or 1 ft around all four side — 2+4+2+4=12 in., so you have the equal of a surface 1 ft. x 14 ft. to paint. 1x14= 14 sq. ft. TOTAL 3,249 sq. ft. Add 10% of the flat surface to allow for the edges of the sid- ing or weather boarding 324 sq. ft. TOTAL SURFACE TO PAINT 3,573 sq. ft. To Figure the Amount of Material for a Job. Section No. 10. How Many Gallons from a Mix? Section No. 11. A 100 lb. keg of white lead bulks about 2% gal- lons. Then if you are mixing a batch of paint for old outside work it would figure about like this: White Lead, 100 lbs.=2'% gals. Cost $8.00 Linseed Oil =41/2 " '' at 70c 3.15 Turpentine, 1 pt. = % '' " at 60c .07 Japan Drier, 1 pt. = % " " .40 Total 71/2 gals. Cost $11.62 $11.62 divided by 7y2=$1.54 cost per gallon for white paint. If tinting colors are used add their bulk and cost to above figures. l^ ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS How Much Surface Will One Gallon Cover? Section No. 12. The number of square feet covered by a gallon differs according to the kind and color of paint, the kind of surface, whether the thinner is oil, turpen- tine or varnish and to what extent it is brushed out. A fine pigment will cover more surface than a coarse one. An opaque pigment will hide or cover better than a semi-transparent pigment. A dark colored paint will cover more surface than white and light tints. Thin paint covers a greater surface than thick but does not hide the surface as well. A gallon of any paint will cover less on a soft, porous, dry surface than on a hard, well-filled surface. By brushing the paint out to the limit any paint will cover more surface than when it is simply flowed on or when brushed out ordinarily well. Careful records made of painting done under ordinary working conditions with pure white lead and hnseed oil paint show that the below figures are conservative and form a good basis upon which to figure Estimates. These figures do not repre- sent the amount of surface covered per gallon for the priming coat alone, nor for the second coat alone, but rather each figure is an average between the two coats and includes both working from the ground and from a ladder. The proportion of the surface painted from the ground and from the ladder being the same as would occur when painting the average house. They include also the painting of window 41) ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS and door casings, corner boards and such trim as ordinarily occurs on the side of a house. Weatherboarding. White Paint and Light Tints cover about 300 to 425 sq. ft. per gal., 1 coat. Gray, Tan, Buff, Drab, Etc., cover about 300 to 500 sq. ft. per gal., 1 coat. Smooth Matched Boards. White Paint and Light Tints cover about 500 sq. ft. per gal., 1 coat. Gray, Tan, Buff, Drab, Etc., cover about 660 sq. ft. per gal., 1 coat. Brick. White Paint and Light Tints cover about 225 sq. ft. per gal., 1 coat. Gray, Tan, Buff, Etc., cover about 300 to 700 sq. ft. per gal., 1 coat. Concrete. Concrete surfaces as the forms come off and which have not been resurfaced with cement figure same as Brick. Rough Cast and Stucco surfaces require consid- erably more paint: Gray, Tan, Buff, Drab, Etc., covers about 225 sq. ft. per gal., 1 coat. To Figure the Amount of Labor for a Job. Section No. 13. What is a Day's Work? Section No. 14. How much surface will an average journeyman coat per hour and in a day of 9 hours? A distinc- tion should be made between the amount of work a man can do in a contest or if he knows he is being recorded and the amount he will do day in and day out under average conditions. 41 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS Considerable difference exists in the number of square yards that will be coated by different journeymen in an hour or day. If you will figure the number of square yards coated in a day of nine hours by a gang of six men, for instance, and divide this number by six you are bound to get a fair average amount of work one man will do in nine hours. And then the number of square yards coated in 9 hours by one man divided by 9 will give the number of square yards an average journey- man will coat in one hour. Or keep a record of liie number of square feet one man paints on several different jobs, different colors, kinds of lumber, weather and such conditions. Then add together the total number of square feet on all the jobs, also add together the total number of hours put in by the one man. Now divide the number of square feet by the number of hours and the result is the average number of square feet a painter will cover per hour. If you have a 9 hour day multiply that per-hour figure by 9 and you have the number of square feet a man will paint per day on an average. Unquestionably it is better for each contractor to keep a record accurately of his jobs for a while and thus be able to establish his own standards, his own figures as to what is a day's work under con- ditions in his market than to use figures worked out in any other locality. In order to give the new contractor some figures to start on and at least a fairly accurate basis upon which to figure his estimates the below figures are 4 2 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS given. They are not estimates or guesses but were arrived at in this way. The figures used by nine different contractors were added together. Some of these contractors do business in towns of about 500 population, some 10,000 and others in large cities : — per hv.. 1 coat <»ue Conti-JK 'tor ligun's liis jnfii ] paint lOS .v.j. ft. p i.w 744 .. i.sn " " ' 140 '^ «< « 108 " " ' 9)1326(147 sq. ft. Dividing 1,326 sq. ft. by 9 (there were 9 con- tractors) we find that the average man employed by all probably paints about 147 square feet per hour. It should be stated here: — that no two journeymen will paint the same amount of surface per hour or per day, that surfaces differ according to the kind and con- dition of the lumber or old paint, that a man will cover more surface per hour with dark colored paint than with Vviiite and light tints, that the size and quality of the brush has an influ- ence, that the paint itself has an important bearing — as some pigments are coarse, they drag on the brush and don't hide the surface or spread easily, that paint spreads out more freely and easily in warm than in cold weather, that a dry, weather-beaten surface is slow to paint, that a man will cover more surface working from the ground that from a ladder or scaffold. But, — in spite of all of these differences it is possible and necessary to find an average amount of 43 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS surface, as it ordinarily runs, which an average journeyman will paint per hour and per day. The tabulation of figures to follow may be taken as reliable and conservative. The work was accom- plished under ordinary average conditions by a journeyman who is if anything a triflle slow but thorough. He was not trying to make a record. A 4 in. wall brush was used for all work. Weatherboarding. 150 sq. ft. per hour, 1 coat Cray, Tan, Cream, Etc. 1,350 " *' '' day of 9 hours. Smooth Matched Pine Boards. 200 sq. ft. per hour, 1 coat Gray, Tan or Cream. 1,800 " " '' day of 9 hours. Brick, 132 sq. ft. per hour, 1 coat Kght tints. 1,188 " " '' day of 9 hours. Cement Surfaces. Ordinary concrete as it comes from the forms without having been resurfaced, figure the sam.e as for Brick. Rough Cast or Cement Stucco. 110 sq. ft. per hour, 1 coat, light tints. 990 *' *' '' day of 9 hours. Painting Difficult Surfaces— Extra Labor. Section No. 15. Consider the difficulty of getting at the work and then make an estimate. A third-story cornice is, of course, more difficult to paint, it will take more time than a first-story. Men will always brush on more 44 ESTIRIATES, COSTS AND PROFITS paint while working on the ground than from stag- ing, ladders and scaffolds. Fear of falling and the difficulty of reaching part of the surface cut down the number of square feet painted per day per man materially. Having these facts in mind while estimating the time reciuired to paint a cornice, for instance, allow time and a half for a first-story cornice, double time for second story, triple time for third story and so on. Consider also that a cornice having many brack- ets and mouldings or considerable carving consumes more time in the painting than a plain cornice. The following surfaces require extra time if not much extra material and more time should be figured for such details than for painting flat surfaces of equal area. Estimate or measure the time needed to paint the same number of square feet of fiat surface as is contained in a window blind, for instance. Then when figuring time for blinds double or triple the amount needed for a flat plain surface according to how the blind is paneled or slatted, which makes painting slow. You will always find many kinds of odd jobs for which there is no set or worked-out plan in esti- mating. Even the below list of common details and suggestions for the time to allow for each permit of your exercising good judgment according to the exact nature of the work. First figure the following as plain, flat surfaces and then add to the time for painting each as sug- gested : 45 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS — Allow — Blinds Double Time. Shutters Time and One-Half. 1 Double, Triple or Quad- Fancy Cornices [ ruple if second or third J story — hard to reach. Moulding-s -—Time and One-Half. Grills Double or Triple Tim.e. Lattice Work Triple Time. Brackets (Time and One-Half or } Double. Doors Double Time. Door and Window Casings.Time and One-Half. W^indow Sash, Plain. Time and One-Half. Window Sash, Fancy Double to Triple Time. Porch or Stair Balus- 1 trades, including [Quadruple Time. Top and Bottom Rail J Columns, Flutv^d Time and One-Half. Columns, Paneled Double Time. Tin Roofs, if seams ] are to be scraped I Double Time. and washed ....] Shingle Roof ....Time and One-Half. Ceilings, Wood Wains- (Time and One Half, cotmg ) Ceiling, Steel, Simple | Double Time. Design ( Ceilings, Steel, Fancy (Triple Time. Design ...( Ceilings, Steel, if walls 1 not painted at the [Quadruple Time. same time j Stairs Double Time. Hand Rails Double Time. Steps— Treads and double Tim.e. Risers \ 46 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS Double to Quadruple Time. Double to Six Times. Rain Gutters and Spouts, according to difficulty of reaching Steeples, Domes, Cupo- las and Towers, ac- cording to diffi- c u 1 1 y of reach- ing Trellis Double or Triple Time. Fences, Picket Quadruple Time. Fences, Plain Board Double Time. Time Required Setting Stages, Ladders and Scaffolds. Section No. 16. More or less time is consumed getting things ready to paint. Ladders, scaffolds and stages must be set and moved around, so an allowance of time must be added also to the Estimate for this work. You are the best judge as to how much time to add. Figure in the time for both erecting and taking dov n staging, scaffolds, etc., according to the diffi- culty of the work. Time Required for Mixing Colors. Section No. 17. Where a man is not employed to remain at the shop and mix the paint for all jobs the time of the man on the job required to do the mixing should be added to the actual time figured to coat the surface. The amount of time consumed to do the mixing differs, of course, according to the number of colors to be mixed and the time taken by the lady of the house to decide. The task will seldom require less 47 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS than half an hour and will range from that to two or three hours. Use your judgment as to how much time will be consumed in this w^ay on each job. Burning and Scraping Scaled Paint. Section No. 18. All preparatory w^ork of this nature should be day work on the time and material basis. The labor or time required to remove old paint and prepare a surface for repainting where the old paint is crack- ing and scaling cannot be even fairly well estimated before the work is performed. Certain kinds of paint can be stripped off continuously like a banana peel while the paint on other jobs where there have been many coats of hard pigment put on from time to time the scraping is slow work, as the old coats must be dug off a foot or two at a time. On windy days it is difficult to keep the surface hot with a torch and the v/ork goes slowly. The skill of the mechanic doing the work is also a factor to be figured on. There is quite a little knack to handling the torch and scraper rapidly. Extras. Section No. 19. Make it a point always to ask if the Roof, Blinds, Storm Sash and Doors, Screens, Fence, Barn, Foun- dation or other work of this nature is to be painted and include in your Estimate. Burning and scraping off scaled paint, prep^T- ing such a surface, ought to be considered an extra and figured on the tim.e and material basis. Your letterhead and other stationery should have 48 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS printed on them at the top or bottom that the above items are properly extras and will be charged for as such unless mentioned and included in the original estimate. Making Up the Estimate — Exterior. For House in Figure No. *'X." Section No. 20. LISTING THE MATERIAL. By referring back to Section No. 6 it will be seen that the surface to be painted on this house amounts to 4,577 square feet. It is not a new house so probably two coats of paint would be put on. The first step is to figure the amount of material needed. In Section No. 12 it will be seen that when painting weather-boarding a gallon of paint usually covers about 500 sq. ft., one coat if the color selected is about as dark as Gray, Tan, etc. We will then find out how many gallons of paint are needed by divid- ing the number of square feet to be painted (4,577) by the amount of surface one gallon of paint may be expected to cover (500). 500)4577(9.15+ We find that a trifle over 9 gallons are needed for one coat, or 18 gallons for two coats. It should be kept in mind that 100 lbs. of white lead will make from 7 to 10 gallons of paint, accord- ing to how mixed. See Section No. 11. We know then that this job will need at least 200 lbs. of lead. 4<) ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS Suppose it is mixed as follows to make a gray paint ; 200 lbs. white lead 51/2 gals. 4 " raw umber 14 ** A little lampblack. 9 gals, linseed oil 9 ** 1 " turpentine 1 16 gals. The formula to make the shade of gray selected gives us but 16 gallons of paint and we need 18 gal- lons. We will add to the formula then about 25 lbs. of lead, 1/2 lb. raw umber and 2 gallons of oil, which will produce roughly about 214 gallons of paint and make the total the 181/^ gallons needed. Other materials needed in addition to that included in the formula given are: 2 lbs. putty, 1 pt. shellac, 6 sheets sandpaper. LISTING THE LABOR. The slow or difficult work on this house (Figure X) consists of the details below. It will require a longer time to paint these surfaces than an equal area of weather- boarding because they are hard to get at. Figure extra time for such work as per Section No. 15. 5» n it n it ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS Eaves, Front Porch= 127 sq. ft, This is a plain cornice. Figure- time and one-half, 127x11/2= -- 190 Cornice Face, Front Porch= 51 Figure time and one-half, 51x11/2= - 76 Spindles, top and bottom rail on Front Porch= 174 " " Figure quadruple time, 174x4= 696 " ** Lattice— Front Porch= 260 '' " Figure triple time, 260x3=.... 780 '' " Eaves, Main Roof=. 295 '' " Figure time and one-half, 295x11/2= 442 " '* Cornice Face, Main Roof= 118 " " Figure time and one-half, 118x11/2= 177 '' '* 2,361 sq. ft. 1,025 sq. ft. It should be noted now that the figure 1,025 sq. ft. is the correct area of surface for all of these details while 2,361 sq. ft. is the area which represents the extra time needed to paint these details. In other words the 1,025 sq. ft. of surface are so hard or slow to get at that it takes as much time, but not as much material, to paint 1,025 sq. ft. so located as it does to paint 2,361 sq. ft. of surface easy to get at. 51 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS In Section No. 14 you will find that an average journeyman will paint about 150 sq. ft. per hour, one coat, with a gray paint on weather-boarding. To calculate the total number of hours labor required to paint all of these slow or difficult details we divide the area 2,961 sq. ft. by the number of sq. ft. per hour that one man may be expected to paint, — 150. Divide 2,361 sq. ft. by 150 and you have 15.74. A little less than 15% hours are needed to paint the difficult work on the house. Call it 16 hours. The total area of the whole house including the difficult details just figured is given in Section No. 6 as 4,577 sq. ft. Before we attempt to figure the labor time for painting the house, except the above difficult details which we just figured would require 16 hrs. to paint, we must deduct the correct area of such details (1,025 sq ft.) from the total, — that is 4,577 minus 1,025=3,552 sq. ft. We expect a journeyman to paint 150 sq. ft. of this surface per hour, one coat. Dividing 3,552 by 150 we find that 23.68 hours, call it 24 hours, are needed to paint the surface, not including the diffi- cult portions of the work figured above as requiring 16 hrs. The time one man would take to paint this house one coat then is 16 hours for the slow difficult work such as the cornice, lattice, etc., and 24 hours for the body and details not difficult to get at, 16 hours plus 24 hours=40 hours in all. The house is to have two coats, so 80 hours are needed by one man, or 40 hours by two men. ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS The time to allow for everything about the job then is: Painting 80 hrs. Mixing Paint 2 " Handling Ladders, Etc 2 ** Putty and Clean-up 2 " Total 86 hrs. When it is necessary to burn and scrape off all or part of old paint this work should be designated in writing as an "extra" at the time your price is given to the house owner. To be charged for on the time and material basis. You cannot guess or esti- mate the time needed to prepare a surface of this kind. 53 The Estimate Complete. Exterior House, Figure "X" Section No. 21. The Material Prices and Wage Scale of 50c per hour used will, of course, change according to con- ditions in different localities but the method of figuring should remain the same anywhere. Material Cost. White Lead, 225 lbs., at 8c a lb $18.00 Linseed Oil, 11 gals., at 70c gal 7.70 Turpentine, 1 gal., at 60c gal 60 Colors, 41/2 lbs., Raw Sienna, at 22c lb 99 Putty, 2 lbs., at 31/2C lb 07 Shellac, 1 pt .25 Sandpaper, 6 sheets 06 $27.67 Labor Cost. 86 hours at 50c per hour , $43.00 Overhead Expense. Add 15% of Material Cost $27.67 Labor Cost 43.00 $70.67 .15% 35335 7067 $10.6005 $10.60 Profit. Add whatever per cent, or amount you think you ought to have. For an il- lustration we will add as profit 20% of:— Material Cost $27.67 Labor Cost 43.00 $70.67 .20% $14.1340 For Profit.,- $14.13 Price to give House Owner $95.40 54 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS Making up the Estimate — Exterior. For Bungalow in Figure "A," "B," "C." Section No. 22. LISTING THE MATERIAL. Section No. 9 shows that the surface area to be painted is 3,573 sq. ft. Section No. 12 shows that on w^eather-boarding a gallon of paint of Light Gray, Tan, Buff or Drab color may be expected to cover about 500 sq. ft. one coat. To calculate the number of gallons of paint needed then divide 3,573 sq. ft. by 500 and the result — 7.12+ is the number of gallons, — call it 7 gallons even, or 14 gallons for two coats. One hundred pounds of v/hite lead makes from 7 to 10 gallons of paint, according to colors and thin- ners used. Assuming that the color w^anted is a Drab the formula would be about like this : White Lead, 100 lbs.=23/^ gals. French Ochre, 2 lbs. Raw Umber, 2 lbs. Linseed Oil 4^/2 gals. Turpentine y^ gals. Produces 7% gals, paint for 1 coat Two coats, double above material and you w'ill get 151/2 gallons of paint. Other materials needed are: Putty, 2 lbs. Shellac, 1 pint. Sandpaper, 6 sheets. LISTING THE LABOR. The slow or difficult work on this house (Figure "A," *'B," *V) consists of the following details. It wall require a longer time to paint these surfaces than an equal area of weather-boarding because they are hard to get at. 55 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS Figure extra time for such work as per Section 15. COPwNICE FACING== 98 sq. ft. Figure Time and One- Half, 98x11/2= 14'^ sq. ft. EAVES, SIDES= 282 " " Figure Time and One- Half, 282x11/2- 42 EAVES, Front and Rear=-.258 " " Figure Time and One- Half, 258x13/2= 387 RIDGE BOARDS= 43 Figure Time and One- Half , 43x1 1/2- 64 " " (( It 1,021 sq. ft. 681 sq. ft. The figure, 681 sq. ft., is the actual measure of the surface to paint, while 1,021 sq. ft. represents the basis upon which to figure the time. In other words the 681 sq. ft. are so hard or slow to get at that it takes as much time to paint 681 sq. ft. so located as it does to paint 1,021 sq. ft. of surface easy to get at. In Section No. 14 you will find that an average journeyman will paint about 150 sq. feet per hour, one coat, witli Gray paint on weather-boarding. To calculate the time required to paint the above listed slow details divide the area of all — 1,021 sq. ft. by 150. This figures 6.80+ hours or nearly 7 hours ; call it 7 hours. The total area of surface to paint on the entire house is 3,573 sq. ft. We have already figured the time required to paint part of this, — the slow work amounting to 681 sq. ft., so we shall deduct 681 from 3,573 leaving 2,892 sq. ft. 56 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS To find the number of hours time required to paint this last figure v^^e divide 2,892 by 150 sq. ft. and the result is 19.28 hours; call it 20 hours for one man to apply one coat. We have then 7 hours for painting the slow details and 20 hours for coating the balance. A total of 27 hours for the whole house for one coat by one man. Two coats would then require 54 hours for one man to accomplish the work. Two men would do it in 27 hours. The time to allow for everything about the job then is : Painting 54 hrs. Mixing 2 " Handling Ladders, etc 1 " Putty and Clean Up 2 " Total 59 hrs. 57 The Estimate Complete. Exterior Bungalow, Figure "A," "B," "C." Section No. 23. The material prices and the wage scale of 50c per hour used will, of course, change according to conditions in different localities, but the method of figuring should remain the same anywhere. Material Cost. White Lead, 200 lbs., at 8c lb $16.00 French Ochre, 4 lbs., at 9c. lb 36 Raw Umber, 4 lbs., at 14c lb .56 Linseed Oil, 9 gals., at 70c gal.... 6.30 Turpentine, 1 gal., at 60c gal 60 Putty, 2 lbs., at Sy^c lb .07 Shellac, 1 pint .25 Sandpaper, 6 sheets.. .06 $24.20 Labor Cost. 59 hours at 50c per hour $29.50 Overhead Expense. Add 15v; of: Material Cost $24.20 Labor Cost 29.50 $53.70 .15% 26850 5370 $8.0550 $ 8.05 Profit. Add whatever percent or amount you think you ought to have. For an example we will add 20% of: Material Cost $24.20 Labor Cost 29.50 $53.70 .20% $10.7400 For Pi ofit .$10.74 Price to give House Owner ...$72.49 38 ESTIMATE BLANK No. _ Name Address Description of Property. Work to be done Date 191 No. sq. feet outside Color Scheme — Body._ Conditon of Surface_ MATERIAL .No. sq.feet inside. Trim COST:- Ibs. white lead at gals. Hnseed oil " " turpentine " pts drier " lbs. color " gals, varnish ** Total $. LABOR COST, . . . hours at . .cents-$. OVERHEAD EXPENSE, add percent--15?-$„ PROFIT, add _ percent--25.?--$. Price to Customer $ Tear off here Date 191 Mr. , I will do the painting —or decorating— using pure w^hite lead and pure linseed oil on your property No. Street as follows: for the sum of $ The materials to be used will be of the highest quality the workmanship will be of the best with special care taken to insure neatness and order throughout the job. SIGNED ADDRESS. 3k 59 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS CHAPTER IV. ESTIMATING— INTERIOR. Greater care is necessary when figuring interior decorating than need be given outside painting be- cause with the great number of different finishes, the many kinds of wood now being used for trim and the various degrees of workmanship expected it is difficult to know just what to figure on. The slap- dash hurry-up jobs of real estate and professional builders is wanted in some instances, or at least nothing better will be paid for, while on other speci- fications moderately good to the best of workman- ship is required. Architects and general con- tractors are not different than other mortals and when they are lax, vague or indefinite in their written or verbal specifications, make them explain clearly v;hat they expect and get it in writing; if they will not write it, you do so. Find out before you submit your Estimate : Who is to bronze the radiators, what materials are to be used and how many coats ? If enamel is specified, is it to be white, ivory or some other tint? How many coats, how much and what kind of rubbing? Satin or Gloss Finish? What kind of wood trim to be used ? Who is to do the glazing and who furnishes the glass ? Is the interior trim to be primed or stained before putting up? 60 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS If the cove moulds, chair rail or picture moulds are to be painted, when, before or after the paper- hanger finishes ? Any painting in the basement ? If walls are to be painted is canvas or muslin to be put on first ? Any stencils ? What, if any, preparatory work, cleaning, surfacing, etc.? There are so many ways to finish interior trim that it is really important to learn from the archi- tect, general contractor or owner the exact finished effect expected if the specifications don't show unmistakably what is wanted. Remember that words describe color effects only fairly well at best so it is always safest to get their 0. K. from samples of the tinted paint or stain spread on pieces of the trim left over by the carpenters. Furthermore, if when estimating you figure on rubbing with pumice and oil or water whereas a light rub with steel wool is all that is expected your Esti- mate may be high enough to lose the job. And on the other hand if you figure on a steel wool rub and are required to rub with pumice your profit will be cut down considerable when you get the job. Unit System of Estimating. Section No. 24. The first jobs of a contractor had better be figured only on the basis of the actual number of square feet in each door, window, blind, column, etc., to be painted. After a while, however, the estimator learns that all doors, windows and such details are of approximately the same size within a few inches. ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS He remembers from previous measurements that the door before him contains about so many square feet and it will cost about so much to paint it one, two and three coats. When one's memory develops to this point it is a time saver, and, of course, there is no further advantage in measuring each and every door, window and blind to be painted. But do not carry the LHiit system beyond a reasonable limit; it has its limitations like all good things and can be overdone. Out-of-the-ordinary doors, windows, etc., on old or exceptional buildings should always be measured accurately to have your estimate reasonably correct. Reading Plans. See Section No. 8. Extras. See Section No. 19. TO CALCULATE THE AMOUNT OF MATERIAL. Section No. 25. Measurii. J the Rooms. Section Ino. 26. Measuring a house itself to calculate the amount of surface to be painted, stained, waxed or filled differs little from figuring the surface from Plans and Specifications. It is sufficient to say under this subject that the room itself is measured with a tape line. Take care to run the line into all corners, mouldings and such so as to get all of the surface, — figure too much rather than too little. Multiply height by v/idth and put down in square feet all surface. See Section No. 27 to follow. 62 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS Measuring the Surface — From Plans. Section No. 27. The bungalow plans in Figures "A," '*B," "C" will serve the purpose of illustrating the method. Measuring Walls and Ceilings. Section No. 28. The Dining Room. The ceihng ought first to be figured. Floor Plan, "Figure "A," gives the size of each room. The Plan reads 12 ft. wide and 15 ft. long for the dining room. These measurements are to the centers of the par- titions. Outside walls are 1 foot thick, inside walls 6 inches. The area of the ceihng then is 12x15 ft.= 180 sq. ft. To find the area of the walls begin in one corner and measure all four sides of the room, add them together: 12+15+12+15=54 ft. around the room. The height of the ceiling is found on the Section, Figure "J" as 8 ft. 6 in. The baseboard is 7% in. high according to Figure "F" (the rule on it shows 3 5/8 in. The scale is V2 i^^- equals 1 in. For con- venience call the ceiling 8 ft. high allowing the 6 in. for the baseboard. The distance around the room, 54 ft., multiplied by the height, 8 ft., equals 432 sq. ft. of surface for the walls. Contrary to the practice in exterior painting the openings on interior work should be deducted from this figure of 432 sq. ft. The door opening to kitchen is 2 ft. 8 in. by 6 ft. 8 in. Figure 'T" shows the 63 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS casings are 41/2 in. wide. Add to the width of the door opening the two casings which together are 9 in. wide. Add the width of one casing, 41/2 in., to the height. The area to deduct then for this open- ing is 2 ft. 8 in.-}-9 in. by 6 ft. 8 in.+4i/2 in., or 3 ft. 5 in. by 7 ft. 14 in, call it. dVoxl ft.=24 sq. ft. The windows on the right side are marked 3 ft. wide by 4 ft. 6 in. high. Add the width of two cas- ings (9 in.) and you have 3 ft. 9 in. by 5 ft. 3 in. ; call it 4 ft. X 5 ft. =-20 sq. ft. for each of two windows or 40 sq. ft. for both. The opening on to the front porch measures 5 ft. by 6 ft. 8 in. Adding casings you have, 5 ft. 41/2 in. by 7 ft. 1/2 in., call it 5i/2x7 ft.=38 sq. ft. The small windows opening on to the porch are 1 ft. 6 in. by 4 ft. 6 in. Add the casings, 9 in., and you have 2 ft. 3 in. by 5 ft. 3 in., call it 2 ft. x 5 ft.= 10 sq. ft., each window. Two windows=20 sq. ft. Door opening into the living room show^s 7 ft. wide by 6 ft. 8 in. high. Add casings and you have 7 ft. 9 in. by 7 ft. 1/0 in., call it 8 ft. x 7 ft.=56 sq. ft. The buffet is 6 ft. 10 in. v/ide by 4 ft. 6 in. high on Figure "H," call it 7 ft. x 41/0 ft.=31 sq. ft. In all then we want to deduct: 1 Door 24 sq. ft. 2 Windows 40 1 Door - -- 38 2 Windows 20 1 Door 56 Buffet 31 209 sq. ft. 64 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS SUMMARY The Walls 432 sq. ft. The Ceiling 180 " " 612 " " Deduct Openings 209 " " Actual Surface to Paint 403 '' '* The Living Room. Plan shows 12 ft. wide. The rule placed on the floor plan Figure "A" reads 5% in. The Scale reads 1 in. equals 4 ft. The room then is 20^/2 ft. long. The ceiling is 201/2x12 ft.==246 sq. ft. The Walls figure: 201/2+12+201/2+12=65 ft. around the room. Walls are 8 ft. high so we have 65x8= - - - 520 sq. ft. The openings to deduct are: Door and Casing 4 ft. !) in. x 7 ft. Va in. Call it 5x7 ft.=35 sq. ft. ' 2 " 8 " X 6 •' 8 '* " - 7 " 9 " X 7 " % '* Window and Casing 2 " 9 " x 5 " 3 " 2 " 9 •' X 5 " 3 " Door and Casing 4 " 9 " x 7 " % " 7 " 9 " X 7 " Va ** 3 '• 1 *' X 7 " Vi " ' TOTAL 254 sq.ft. SUMMARY Walls 520 sq. ft. Ceiling 246 '* *' 3x7 " =21 ** * Sx7 ' =5G " ' 3x5 3x5 • =15 " ' 5x7 ' =;;5 " ' Sx7 ' =56 " * 3x7 ' =21 " ' 766 " *' Deduct Openings .....254 " " Actual Surface to Paint 512 65 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS The Den. The Plan shows it to be 11 1/2 ft. by 13^2 ft., which equals 155 sq. ft. for the ceiling. Measuring around the room we have llV2+13l^ +111/2+131/2 ft.=50 ft. for the walls. Multiply by the height of the ceiling, 8 ft. ; 50x8=400 sq. ft. for the walls. The openings to deduct are : 1 Door and Casin- 3 ft. 3 in. x 7 ft. % in. CmH it 3x7i/a ft. = 22 sq. ft. 1 " " " 4 " 3 " x7 '^ i/a " - 1 Window and Casing 2 " 3 " x5 " 3 " 1 «• '• " 2 " 3 " X 5 " 3 " 1 I)*or and t'-nsinu: r» " " x7 " Vj '* 1 Window and Casing 6 " 9 " x 5 " 3 " 1 Door and Casing 3 " 1 " x7 " % " 1 Desk (Figure G) r» " " x 7 '' TOTAL DEDUCTIONS 206 sq. ft. SUMMARY Walls 400 sq. ft. Ceiling -155 " " 4x7 ' =2S 2x5 • =10 2x5 ' =10 6x7 ' =42 7x5 ' =.35 3x7 ' =21 5V^x7 *=3S 555 Deduct Openings 206 Actual Surface to Paint 349 " " The Kitchen. The ceiling measures according to Figure "A" 12 ft. wide by 13 ft. when the closet ceiling is also in- cluded. 12x13^ - 156 sq, ft. The walls measure around 12+13+12+13=50 ft. The walls are 8 ft. high to ceiling. 50x8 for the walls= 400 sq. ft. The openings to deduct are: 1 Door and Casing 3 ft. 5 in. x 7 ft. Vj in. Call it 31/2x7 ft.=24 sq. ft. 1 Window and Casing 3 " 9 " x 5 " 3 " " " 4x5 " =20 sq. ft. 1 » " " 3 " 9 " X 3 " 9 " " " 4x4 " =16 sq. ft. 1 " " " 3 '* 9 " x3 " 9 " " " 4x4 " =16 sq. ft. 1 Door and Casing 3 ♦' 5 " x 7 « % " " " 3%x7 " =24 sq. ft. 1 Cupboard 6 " 6 " x 8 " " " eVaxS " =52 sq. ft. TO'l'A!. 152 sq. fl. ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS SUMMARY Ceiling 156 sq. ft. Walls 400 it ti 556 '* " Deduct Openings 152 ** " Actual Surface to Paint 404 " ** Closet. Ceiling included with Kitchen. Walls 81/2+3+ 81/2+3=23 ft. around the room. Walls are 8 ft. high; 23x8= 184 sq. ft. The opening to deduct : 1 Door and Casing 3 ft. 1 in. x 7 ft. % in. Call it 3x7 ft. =21 sq. ft. SUMMARY Walls - 184 sq. ft. Deduct Opening 21 i* it Actual Surface to Paint 163 '' '* Bath Room. Size on plan 5^/2 ft. by 7^,4 ft., which equals for the ceiling 41 sq. ft. Walls 51/2+71/2+51/2+7^2=26 ft. around. The walls are 8 ft. high. 26x8=208 sq. ft. The openings to deduct are: 1 Door and Casing 3 ft. 1 in. x 7 ft. % in. Call it 3x7 ft.=21 sq. ft. 1 Window and Casing 3 " 9 " x 3 " 9 " '* " 4x4 " =16 '* " TOTAL .37 sq. ft. SUMMARY Ceiling 41 sq. ft. Walls 208 ti n 249 " " Deduct Openings 87 " " Actual Surface to Paint 212 67 t( it ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS The Hall. Ceiling measures on plan I41/2 ft. by 3i/i ft., in- cluding the Closet at end. 141/2x81/2 ft.=-50 sq. ft. The walls measure around 31/2+14 V2+SV2 +141/2 ==36 ft. They are 8 ft. high. 36x8 ft.==288 sq. ft. The openings to deduct are: 1 Door and Casing 3 ft. 3 in. x 7 ft. % in. Call it 3x7 ft.=:21 sq. ft. 1 « » " .-} " 3 " X 7 " V2 " '' " 3x7 " =21 •* " I » " «' 3 " 1 •' X 7 " Va " " " 3x7 " =21 " " TOTAL - 63 sq.ft. SUMMARY Ceiling 50 sq. ft. Walls -..- 288 " " Deduct Openings - 63 " " Actual Surface to Paint 275 " " Dressing Room and Closet. Size of Ceihng on plan TJ/o ft.x7i/2ft.^56 sq. ft. Walls measure around 7i/2-f7 14+7^2+71/2=30 ft. They are 8 ft. high ; 30x8=240 sq. ft. Openings to deduct are: [ Door and Casing 3 ft. 1 in. x 7 ft. % in. Call it 3x7 ft.=::L>l sq. ft. 1 Window and Casing 3 " 9 " x 4 " 9 " " " 4x5 " =20 " " 1 «' " " 1 " }) " X 2 " 9 " " " 2x3 " = 6 " " TOTAL 47 sq.ft. SUMMARY Ceiling -,.. 56 sq. ft. Walls 240 " " 296 " " Deduct Openings 47 " " Actual Surface to Paint... 249 " " 68 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PRQFITS Rear Screen Porch. Size of ceiling ly^xU ft.==90 sq. ft. Walls 7J/2-f 12+71/2 +12 ft.=39 ft. around. Walls are 8 ft. high. 8x39 ft.=312 sq. ft. Openings to deduct are : 1 Door 2 ft. 8 in. x 6 ft. 8 in. Call it 3x7 ft.=21 sq. ft. 2 r)oor.s 2 *' 6 *' X 6 " 8 •• '• ' .3x7x2 " =42 " " 1 Door 4 " X fj " 8 '' " ■' 4x7 " =28 " " TOTAL 91 sq.ft. SUMMARY Ceiling 90 sq. ft. Walls 312 " " 402 " Deduct Openings .— 91 " *i Actual Surface to Paint 311 it it Total Wall and Ceiling Area. Dining Room 403 sq. ft. Living Room ......512 " " Den .349 " " Kitchen 404 " " Closet 163 " " Bath 212 ** " Hall and Closet .275 " '* Dressing Room and Closet...-249 " " Screen Porch ..311 " ** 2,878 " " 6«* ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS Measuring the Floor Area. Section No. 29. (Same as Ceilings.) THE DINING ROOM FLOOR. Figure "A" shows it to measure 12 ft. wide by 15 ft. long, which equals — 180 sq. ft. THE LIVING ROOM FLOOR. Size 12 ft. by 20^/^ ft., which equals 246 " THE DEN FLOOR. Size ll«/2 ft. by 13V2 ft, equals .......155 " THE KITCHEN & CLOSET FLOOR. Size 12x13 ft., equals 156 " THE SCREEN PORCH FLOOR. Size 71/2x12 ft, equals 90 " THE HALL & CLOSET FLOOR. Size 31/2XI4V2 ft, equals. ..- 50 " THE BATH ROOM FLOOR. Size 51/2 x7«/2 ft, equals 41 " DRESSING ROOM AND CLOSET FLOOR, Size IV^xTVn ft., equals 56 " Total .- .974 sq. ft Measuring the Wood Trim. Section No. :^0. The Doors, Frames and Casings. It is necessary to measure each door and window only a sufficient number of times to learn what the measurements usually are, — to have the sizes in mind or a typewritten list of them for reference. Divide all doors into three classes, small, ordinary size and extra large. Then figure only two sizes of 70 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS doors putting every door in one class or the other, as there is no practical difference in time or material required for doors 2 ft. 6 in., 2 ft. 8 in. and 3 ft. v/ide, so call these ordinary doors and figure all of one size, 2 ft. 6 in. wide by 6 ft. 6 in. high. All other doors ought to be measured. Usually there are but one or two doors of extra large size per bouse. The Plan usually gives the size of the doors. To measure the surface of a frame and casing use a tape line to get the distance around from the edge of the casing on one side across the frame and cas- ing on the other side, as in Figure No. "K." Most casings and frames are either 4 inches or 6 inches wide, so the average surface to finish is 16 or 18 inches wide — call it IV2 ft., a couple of inches one way or another makes no difference. To get the length of the casing and frame, meas- ure from the floor on one side up to the top of the frame, across the top and down again parallel to the casing on the other side to the floor, as in Figure No. "K." The average door is 6 ft. 6 in., or 8 in. high. Add the width of the casing on top (6 in.) and figure the average casing and door frame as 7 ft. high. To the width of the door opening, 2 ft. 6 in., add the width of the two casings, each 6 in., and you have the length of the casing across the top, — 2 ft. 6 in. plus 6 in. plus 6 in,=3i/^ ft. Calculating the square measure, then, for the casing and frame, you have it II/2 ft. wide by 7 ft. high. The length of the casing, both sides and across the top, is 7-|-3%+7=17V2 lineal feet. 71 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS The Casing is V/^ ft. wide by 11 y^ ft. long= - .26 sq. ft. The Door 2i/> ft. wide by ^V^, ft. high== 16 sq. ft. each side, 2 sides= 32 " " Each Door and Casing, 2 sides=„ .58 sq. ft. The bungalow floor plan Figure "A" shows Doors and Casings as below : 9 Ordinary Doors and Casings, 58 sq. ft. each^ ....522 sq. ft. 2 Cased Openings, 26 sq. ft. each= 52 " " 2 Extra large Doors, 4 ft. by 6^2 ft.=54 sq. ft. each= :...... .108 " " 2 Extra large Doors, 5 ft. by 6i/> ft.=:65 sq. ft. each=...... !*. 130 " " 2 Extra large Doors, 7 ft. bv W? ft.=122 sq. ft. each==.... 244 " " All Doors and Casings, 2 sides-= 1,056 sq. ft. The Window Casings and Sash. Where there are many windows of approximately the same size within a few inches, figure all at the same measurement, four or five inches larger or smaller can make but little difference in either ma- terial or labor cost. The inside of the window only is figured with the interior decorating, the outside is included with the painting. The Casing, Frame, Sash and Stop are usually considered as ly^ ft. wide or across. They actually measure a few inches less, but the difficulty of getting at them and cutting edges on the sash justifies the calculation. See Fig- ure "L." 72 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS Floor Plan Figure "A" shows Windows, Sash and Casings as below: Six Windows 3 ft. wide by 41/2 ft. high, and the Casing, Frame and Sash would figure V/^ ft. wide. The calculation would be made this way: Two Side Casings 41/0 ft. high= 9 ft. Top 3 ft. plus a 6 in. casing on each side= 4 " Bottom Sill 3 ft. plus a 6 in. casing on each side= .- 4 " 17 ft. Each Window Casing would figure then : 11/2 ft. by 17 ft.==25V2 sq. ft. All Windows on Plan. 6 Windows, Sash 3 ft. x 4'^ ft. at 25Vj sq. ft. ench^loS sq. ft. 6 *• " 1% " X 4Vi " '* 18 " *' '' =10S " 3 " ^* 3 " X 3 •' " 21 " ♦' " = 63 " 1 " «• 1 '' X 2 " =12 " All Windows .nnd CiiKings, 1 side ...336 sq. ft. Baseboard. This piece of trim usually measures 6, 7, 10 or 12 in. wide, but is always figured as 1 ft. because both top and bottom edges must be cut clean, which requires at least as much time if not quite as much material as a flat 1-foot surface with no edges to cut. Figure "A" shows the baseboard measures as below, excluding openings: Dining Itooni, 124-ir) + ]2-f-ir) ft. = .54 ft.— 24 ft. openin«K=30 ft. Livinu: llooni. V2+20%+12-\-20V2 ft.= 65 "—33 Den, "n»/2-!-i3yi-fiiy2+i3y2 ft.= r>o "—27 Kitrhen, 12+7-f7-|-94-5-|-3ya ft.=: 43 "— Hjill & Clo.set, ii\ii+3V2-\-UV2 + '-iV2 ft.=36 " —14 Hath, r)ya + 7'/2-|-,-)y2 4-7ya ft. = 26 '-—3 Dressing Room, r»4-7%4-5-f7'^ ft.= 25 " — 7 (Mosot, 2y5-i-7ya+2y^+7y2 ft.=r 20 "—3 Closet, 3-f8y:s4-3-f8y, ft.= 23 "—3 =32 =23 " =43 " =22 " = 2ii " =18 " = 17 " =20 " 228lu Total Baseboard 228 ft. long by 1 ft. wide=228 sq. ft. 73 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS Picture Moulding. Dining Room 12+15+12+15 ft.== 54 ft. Living Room 12+20i/>+12+20i/2 ft.=== 65 " Den 111/2+131/2+111/2+131/2 ft.= 50 " Kitchen 9«/?+12+13+3i/>+8i/> ft.= 46 " Hall llt/^+3i/>+lli/,+8'/2 ft.=.... 30 " 245 ft. Picture Mouldings are made in different widths, 1% in. wide and 31/2 in. wide being most common. They are always measured as being V2 ft. wide for convenience in estimating. Total Moulding is 245 ft. long by 1/2 ft. wide===122 sq. ft. Chair Rail. anil. l1l^-f:Ha + 11'^ + ^^^ ft. = Kitchen. I)i.2 + 124-1:5+;}Vj4-8'^ ft.=.... r.ath Uooui. r>'/(:+7Vj-f-r>',44-7'/j ft. = .. Closet, 2',{, + T'/j4-l'yj-f7«/j ft. = Closet, a+SVa4-'54-^*<'/i n. = ,'50 ft.— 14 ft. oi)eiiinir.s=16 ft. 46 •• — 7 " " =.'i9 " 26 -^ 7 " " =19 " ...20 " — 3 " " :r-17 " 23 '• ~- 3 '^ " =20 " 111 ft. Ill ft, long by 1/2 ft. wide=55 sq. ft. Plate Rail — Dining Room. 12+15+12+15 ft=54 ft. minus openings 18 ft. =36 ft. Figure it as being 1 ft. wide by 36 ft. long-=36 sq. ft. 1 Batten or Panel every foot, excluding open- ings=12+15+12+15 ft.=54 ft., minus 24 ft.=30 ft. 30 Battens 314 ft. long=97i/2 ft. long by 3 in. wide, call it i/> ft. wide=48 sq. ft. Plate Rail 36 sq. ft. Battens 48 " " Total 84 " " 74 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS Buff et— Dining Room— Figure "H." Front measures 7 ft. 4 in. wide by 5 ft. high, call it 7x5 ft.=. 35 sq. ft 2 Sides 11/. ft. by 3 ft.=:... .- 9 Top 7>/2 ft? long by V/^ ft. wide=. 11 Shelf 71/2 ft. long by V2 ft. wide-^.. .- 3 " : H it it i< Total 58 sq. ft. Desk and Book Cases — Den. Front measures 51/2 ft. wide by 7 ft. high = 38 sq. ft. 2 Ends measure iy2 ft. wide by 7 ft. high each= 20 " " 7 Shelves measure 1 ft. wide by 51/^ ft. each== 38 " " Pigeon Holes — estimate about... 4 (( it Total - 100 sq. ft. Cupboards — Kitchen. Front measures 6i/^ ft. wide by 8^^ ft. high= 55 sq. ft. 2 Ends measure 1% ft. wide by 8^2 ft high= 25 " " 7 Shelves measure 1 ft. wide by 6 ft. high= 42 " " Total .122 sq. ft. Medicine Case. Front measures 2 ft. wide by 2^2 ft. bigh = 5 sq. ft. Inside measures 2 ft. wide by 2 ft. high== 4 ** ** 8 Shelves 1 ft. wide by 2 ft. long= 16 " *' Total 25 sq. ft. 75 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS Linen Case. Front measures 2i/4 ft. wide by 3 ft. high = 71/a sq. ft. 2 Sides measure l^/i ft. wide by 3 ft. high= 41/2 " " Top measures li/a ft wide by 2V^ ft. high ^ 4 ** " Total 16 sq. ft. 76 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PRaFITS SUMMARY AREA TO BE DECORATED— IN- TERIOR BUNGALOW—FIGURE "A," "B," "C." Section No. 31. Walls, Ceilings and Flooi:s. Walls and Ceilings Floors Dining Room ...403 sq. ft 180 sq. ft. Living Room 512 ** Den 349 '* Kitchen 404 ** Closet .163 " Bath 212 ** ■* L 41 Hall and Closet 275 " " 50 Dressing Room and Closet 249 '' " 56 Screen Porch ..311 '* " 90 .246 .155 156 Total 2,878 sq. ft... 974 sq. ft. Interior Trim. Baseboard 228 sq. ft. Picture Moulding 122 " Chair Rail 55 ** Doors, Frames and Casings (2 sides). ...1,056 " Window Casings, Frames and Sash (1 side) 336 '* Plate Rail and Battens 84 '* Buffet 58 " Desk and Book Cases 100 " Cupboard 122 " Medicine Case 25 ** Linen Case 16 " Total Interior Trim 2,202 sq. ft. 77 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS TO FIGURE THE AMOUNT OF MATERIAL FOR A JOB. Section No. 32. How Many Gallons from a Mix? See SectioH No. 11. How Much Surface Will One Gallon Cover? Section No. 33. Because flat paint made by thinning down pure white lead with turpentine and a little oil stays put and does not run, it is possible to mix it so thick as to cover and hide about any surface in one coat. This fact makes it difficult to state how much sur- face you may expect a gallon to cover. A man will mix his paint sufficiently thick to hide the surface in one coat if he must; then a gallon of paint, for instance, will not cover as much as when it is mixed thin and to hide the surface in three coats. A gallon of flat paint (lead thinned with turpen- tine) Hght tints, will cover on an average each coat as below. These figures do not represent the prim- ing, the second or third coats alone, but rather an average between all three coats. See Section No. 12. 1 Gallon of Flat Paint Covers: Section No. 34. Light tints on interior wood trim, plaster, or wall board about 600 to 700 sq. ft., 1 coat Dark colors about 700 to 900 " " " " See also Section No. 12 for rough cast walls. 78 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS 1 Gallon of Varnish Covers: Section No. 35. Floor Varnish about 500 sq. ft., 1 coat. Spar Finishing Varnish about 600 sq. ft., 1 coat. 1 Gallon of Hard Oil Covers: Section No. 36. About 450 to 500 sq. ft., 1 coat. 1 Gallon of Shellac Covers: Section No. 37. On an average about 400 sq. ft., 1 coat. 1 Gallon of Wax Covers: Section No. 38. About 600 sq. ft., 1 coat. Formulae: I gallon turpentine, 2 lbs. beeswax, 2 tablespoonfuls of XXXX ammonia. 1 Gallon Varnish Size Covers: Section No. 39. About 1,200 to 1,400 sq. ft., 1 coat. Composed of varnish, benzine or turps, and a little paint. 1 qt. covers about 350 sq. ft., 1 coat. 1 Gallon Glue Size Covers: Section No. 40. About 1,000 sq. ft., 1 coat. 1 qt. covers about 250 sq. ft., 1 coat. glue, ground or flake (about 22c quality). Formulae: 2^2 to 3 gallons water to 1 lb. good 1 Gallon of Oil Stain Covers: Section No. 41. Mahogany, Oak and others about 500 sq. ft., 1 coat* 79 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS 1 Gallon of Spirit or Acid Stain ('overs: Section No. 42. Mahogany, Oak and others about 450 sq. ft., 1 coat. 1 Pound Paste Wood Filler Covers: Section No. 4/5. On Oak about 40 sq. ft., 1 coat. On Birch about 45 sq. ft., 1 coat. On Pine about 45 sq. ft., 1 coat. 1 Gallon Liquid Filler Covers: Section No. 44. About 550 sq. ft., 1 coat. 1 Gallon White Enamel Covers: Section No. 45. There is a little difference between the brands of different manufacturers, but on an average one gal- lon will cover 600 sq. ft., one coat, over prepared ground coats on any surface. 1 Gallon of Enamel Undercoating Covers: Section No. 46. About 500 sq. ft., 1 coat. 1 Gallon of Paint and Varnish Remover Covers: Section No. 47. Brands differ, but 300 sq. ft., one coat, is an average. 1 Gallon of Calcimine Covers: Section No. 48. On Smooth Plaster about 275 sq. ft., 1 coat. On Sand Finish Plaster about 225 sq. ft., 1 coat. On Brick about 175 sq. ft., 1 coat. so ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS 1 Gallon of Bronze Covers: Section No. 49. Bronze Powder thinned with bronzing liquid or varnish and turpentine about 700 sq. ft., 1 coat on metal. One ounce of bronze powder thinned as above covers about 24 sq. ft., 1 coat on metal. Tiffany Glazing Color Covers: Section No. 50. Figure one pound of each color per room of aver- age size. Starch. Section No. 51. Figure one pound of starch per room. TO FIGURE THE AMOUNT OF LABOR FOR A JOB. Section No. 52. What is a Day's Work? See Section No. 14, Chapter III. The figures to follow do not represent the amount of first, second or third coat work a man can do per hour, but rather an average between all three coats. They were arrived at by adding together the time required for all three coats and dividing that figure by three. Painting Wood Trim. Section No. 53. Figure that an average journeyman will paint 150 sq. ft. per hour, or 1,350 sq. ft. per day of nine hours. 81 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS Painting Smooth Plaster Walls. Section No. 54. An average journeyman will paint about 150 sq. ft. per hour, 1 coat — about 1,350 sq. ft. per day of nine hours. Painting Sand Finish Walls. Section No. 55. One man will paint about 140 sq. ft. per hour, 1 coat, and about 1,260 sq. ft. per day of nine hours. Painting Rough Stucco Walls. Section No. 56. One man will paint about 110 sq. ft., 1 coat, per hour, and about 990 sq. ft., 1 coat, per day of nine hours. Painting Canvas or Muslin. Section No. 57. One man will paint about 140 sq. ft. per hour, 1 coat, and about 1,260 sq. ft., 1 coat, per day of nine hours. Painting Wall Board. Section No. 58. When panelled before painting many edges must be cut. One man will paint about 110 sq. ft. per hour, 1 coat, and 990 sq. ft., 1 coat, per day of nine hours. To p^int when not panelled or before moulding is put on figure same as smooth plaster walls. Sizing. Section No. 59. One man will apply glue size at the rate of 600 sq. ft. pel hour. One man will apply varnish size at the rati of 100 sq. ft. per hour. 82 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS Enameling. Section No,. 60. One man will enamel about 120 sq. ft., 1 coat, per hour on doors, windows, baseboards, etc. An aver- age Door and Casing will be given one coat both sides in half an hour. Figure that each man will enamel two doors and casings per hour, 1 coat, two sides. Figure that one man will enamel 130 lineal feet of baseboard per hour, 1 coat. Figure all baseboards the same, whether 6 inches, 8 inches, or 10 inches wide. Figure that one man will enamel an average win- dow in 15 minutes, or four windows per hour, 1 coat; this includes the casing, sash, sill, and all inside. Figure that one man will enamel 140 lineal feet of picture moulding, cove mould or chair rail per hour, 1 coat. Varnishing, Shellacing. Section No. 61. An average journeyman will apply one coat in one hour, as below : On 2 Doors and Casings, both sides. On 4 Windows and Casings, one side. On 130 hneal feet of Baseboard. On 150 hneal feet of Chair Rail. On 140 lineal feet of Picture Mould. On 150 hneal feet of Cornice. On 70 sq. ft. of Flat Surface. Staining. Section No. 62. One man will brush on and wipe off oil stain at the rate of about 200 sq. ft. per hour. Spirit stain and water stain about 150 sq. ft. per hour. 83 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS Calcimining. Section No, 63. An average journeyman will apply as below: 200 sq. ft., 1 coat, per hour on sand finish wall. 340 sq. ft., 1 coat, per hour on smooth finish wall. 180 sq. ft., 1 coat, per hour on brick. Bronzing:. Section No. 64. One man will bronze two radiators per hour, 1 coat. Starching. Section No. 65. One man will coat and stipple with starch about 200 sq. ft. per hour. Stippling. Section No. 66. This requires the services of an extra man, as it must be done immediately after the paint is brushed on. Figure for stippling a room the same time for one man as you figure for painting one coat. One man can stipple 600 or 700 sq. ft. per hour if the work is ready, but he usually follows a brush hand and can work no faster, so figure 150 sq. ft. per man per hour. Floor Filling — Preparing. Section No. 67. Figure for brushing on the filler that one man will coat 150 sq. ft. per hour, 1 coat. Figure the same time for wiping off the surplus filler. Figure for sandpapering that one man will rub down about 300 sq. ft. per hour. 84 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS Waxing and Polishing. Section No. 68. One man will brush on about 200 sq. ft. per hour, 1 coat. One man will poHsh fairly well with a weighted brush about 150 sq. ft. per hour. Preparing Surfaces. Section No. 69. Such work is usually so uncertain as to time and material needed that it is safer to do it on the time and material basis, — that is, day work. You never know what you are up against when burning and scraping off cracked and scaled paint, for instance, or removing old wall paper, filling cracks, etc. The paint m.ay come off fairly easy, or it may be so hard as to make it necessary to dig*' it off a httle at a time. There may be one or two thicknesses of wall paper or six. Possibly the paper was varnished some time or other which, of course, makes a difficult covering to remove. After you get the old paint or paper off, the plaster may be so poor as to require much filling and a coat or two of shellac before you proceed with the painting. Washing. Section No. 70. To do a good job of washing of walls requires about as much time as to paint it one coat, so figure the same time for it. Calcimine can be washed off at the rate of 170 sq. ft. per hour. 85 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS Tiffany Wall Glazing. Section No. 71. 1 Glazing- Color (excluding ground coats) 50 sq. ft. per hour. 4 Glazing Colors (excluding ground coats) 33 sq. ft. per hour. This includes the blending and stippling. Stenciling. Section No. 72. An Ordinary Stencil 4 in, wide may be trans- ferred in two colors to the wall, the ties filled in by hand, a small amount of a third color put in by hand and high lights wiped out at the rate of about 10 lineal feet per hour. An Ordinary Stencil can be transferred in one color, no filling in of ties or wiping out at the rate of 20 lineal feet per hour. An Outline Stencil may be transferred at the rate of 30 lineal feet per hour. Filling in Outline Stencils is an uncertain task as to time required. The character of the design, num- ber of colors, amount of wiping out of high lights and the skill of the decorator are all determining factors. The time required per yard or per room is subject to great variation. It is best to charge for this work on the Time and Material Basis; an esti- mate for it is little better than a guess usually. Time Required for Mixing Colors. See Section No. 73. Allow one hour per room for mixing paint, stains, wax, filler, and other necessary incidentals. 86 ESTBIATES, COSTS AND PROFITS MAKING UP THE ESTIMATE— INTERIOR FOR BUNGALOW SHOWN IN FIGURE NO. "A." Section No. 74. Listing the Materials. Section No. 75. Walls and Ceilings. Section No. 76. In Section No. 31 we find that the total area of walls and ceilings to be painted is 2,878 sq. ft. PUTTY. The first step is to prepare these walls and ceilings for painting by filling cracks and level- ing up the surface. We will estimate that it will re- quire about 2 lbs. of putty and 1 pint of shellac. SIZE. The surface is now ready to size. Sec- tion No. 39 says 1 gallon of varnish size covers about 1,200 sq. ft. Divide the total surface area, 2,878 sq. ft., by 1,200 sq. ft. and you find that 2.39 gals, of size are needed for the job, call it 2Vo gals. To make this size I^/l gallons of varnish and I14 S'^l- lons of benzine are needed. PAINTING. The surface is now ready to paint. Section No. 34 says 1 gallon of flat paint, light tint, will cover about 600 to 700 sq. ft., 1 coat, on smooth plaster walls. Divide the area to paint, 2,878 sq. ft., by 700 sq. ft.=4.11 gals., call it 41/2 g'^ls. for one coat, and 9 gals, for two coats. The materials needed to make this paint are lead, color and turpentine. An average formula for a 87 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS light tinted paint thinned to brushing consistency is : 100 lbs. of white lead equals 2% gals. 3 gals, turpentine " 3 1 lb. color " Makes --5% gals of paint The job will need then a little less than twice the quantities of this formula, but it is best to send to each job a httle more than is needed, as shown by your estimate. The quantities to figure then are : 100 lbs. of white lead equals 2% gals. 100 " " " " " - 2% " 6 gals, turpentine " ——6 " 2 lbs. color " Makes - IV/^ gals, of paint STARCHING. Estimate that about 1 pound of starch is needed for each room, or 4 pounds in all. Floors. Section No. 77. Section No. 31 shows the total floor area to be finished as 974 sq. ft. FILLING. One gallon of liquid filler fills about 550 sq. ft. (See Section No. 44.) Divide 974 sq. ft. by 550 sq. ft. and we find that 1.77 gals, of filler are needed, call it 1% gals. If paste filler is to be used on oak floors, 1 pound thinned with turpentine will fill about 40 sq. ft. Divide the floor area, 974 sq. ft., by 40 and you find that 24 pounds of paste are needed ; also one-half gallon of turpentine will be re- quired to thin the paste. 88 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS SHELLAC. A coat of shellac is now in order. In Section No. 37 we find that 1 gallon covers about 400 sq. ft., 1 coat. Divide the floor area, 974 sq. ft., by 400 sq. ft. and we find that 2.43 gallons of shellac are needed, call it 2V2 gallons. VARNISH. A coat of varnish is next needed. One gallon covers about 500 sq. ft., 1 coat. (See Sec- tion No. 35.) Divide the floor area, 974 sq. ft., by 500 sq. ft. and we find that 1.94 gallons of varnish are needed, call it 2 gallons. WAXING. A coat of wax will finish the floors. A gallon of wax made by this formula will cover about 600 sq. ft., 1 coat (see Section No. 38) : 2 lbs. beeswax — melt in a pot placed in a pail of hot water and add 1 gallon of tur- pentine and 2 table spoonfuls of strong Harts- horn ammonia. The area to be waxed is 974 sq. ft. Divide 974 sq. ft. by 600 sq. ft. and we find that 1.62 gallons of wax are needed, call it 2 gallons. The materials needed then are: 2 gallons turpentine, 2 pounds beeswax, 1 ounce ammonia. The Wood Trim. Section No. 78. In Section No. 31 we find the total area of trim to be finished is 2,202 sq. ft. Often one or two of the rooms in the house are given a different finish on the trim than the balance of the rooms ; the bath and dining-rooms may be white, the kitchen natural finish and other rooms stained. It will serve to illus- trate the method of estimating just as well, how- ever, simply to figure all of the trim to be finished the same way — that is, fill, stain and wax. 89 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS Filling. One gallon of liquid filler fills about 550 sq. ft. as per Section No. 44. Divide the total trim area, 2202 sq. ft., by 550 and you find that 4 gallons of filler are needed for the job. Staining. One gallon of oil stain will cover about 500 sq. ft., one coat on an average. One gallon of spirit or acid stain will cover about 450 sq. ft. Divide the area to be stained, 2202 sq. ft., by 500 sq. ft., and we find that 4.44 gals, of oil stain are needed for the job, call it 41/4 gals. See Sections No. 41 and 42. Waxing. One gallon of wax will cover about 600 sq. ft. one coat. See Section No. 38. Divide the surface to be waxed, 2202 sq. ft., by 600 sq. ft., and we find that 3.67 gallons of wax are needed for the job, call it 4 gals. Section No. 38 shows the materials needed for a gallon of wax are: 1 gal. turpentine 2 lbs. beeswax 2 tablespoonfuls of hartshorn ammonia. For 4 gals, of wax then the materials needed are : 4 gals, turpentine 8 lbs. beeswax 8 tablespoonfuls of ammonia. LISTING THE LABOR Section No. 79. Walls and Ceilings. Section No. 80. PUTTY CRACKS. Time required to prepare the walls of different rooms in houses will vary greatly according to the 90 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PRQFITS condition of the walls. When walls are cracked more than usual do not include the preparation of surfaces in the contract estimate but charge for it on the time and material basis. We will estimate that an hour*s time will be needed for filling the cracks in each of the four rooms, 4 hours in all. SIZING. There are 2878 sq. ft. of walls and ceihngs to be sized. One man will coat with varnish size about 100 sq. ft. per hour. Divide 2,878 sq. ft. by 100 sq. ft. and we find that 28.78 hrs. are required for the whole job, call it 29 hours for one man. See Section No. 59. PAINTING. The area to paint is 2878 sq. ft. One man will paint on an average about 150 sq. ft. per hour, one coat. Divide 2878 by 150 and we find that 19.18 hrs. are needed for one man to paint the entire area, call it 19 hours even for one coat and 38 hours for two coats. See Section Nos. 54, 55, 56 and 57. STIPPLING. The last coat usually is stippled. The area to stipple is 2878 sq. ft. One man will stipple as fast as the paint is brushed on, so figure 150 sq. ft. per hour. The stippling will then also require 19 hours. See Section No. 66. STARCHING. Wall and ceiling area to be starched is 2878 sq. ft. One man will starch and stipple at the same time about 200 sq. ft. per hour. Divide 2878 by 200 and we find that 14.39 hours* time are necessary for starching, call it 141^ hours. See Section 65. 91 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS Floors. Section No. 81. FILLING. Area to be filled is 974 sq. ft. One man will brush on about 150 sq. ft. per hour and will wipe off about the same amount in the same time as given by Sec- tion No. 67. Divide 974 by 150 and we find that 6.49 hours are needed, call it 6I/2 hours. We have then 6V2 hours for spreading the filler and Qy^ hours for wiping; 13 hours for both. SANDPAPERING. A man will sandpaper lightly about 300 sq. ft. per hour on an average. See Section No. 67. Divide 974 sq. ft. by 300 and we find that 3.24 hours are needed, call it 3^/^ hours. SHELLACING. 974 sq. ft. are to be coated. One man will coat about 70 sq. ft., one coat per hour. See Section No. 61. Divide 974 by 70 and we find that 13.91 hours, call it 14 hours, are needed. VARNISHING. Same time as is needed for shellacing, 14 hours for one man. WAXING. 974 sq. ft. is the area to be waxed. One man will coat with wax about 200 sq. ft. per hour. See Sec- tion No. 68. Divide 974 by 200 and we find that 4.87 hours are needed, call it 5 hours. 92 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PRaFITS POLISHING. Much or little time may be spent on this finishing according to how fine a job is expected. In Section No. 68 we find that one man will polish fairly well with a weighted brush about 150 sq. ft. per hour. Divide 974 by 150 and we find that 6.49 hours are needed, call it 6^4 hours. The Wood Trim. Section No. 82. The total area of all trim in this bungalow is given in Section No. 31 as 2202 sq. ft. STAINING. Area to be stained, all the wood trim, is 2202 sq. ft. One man will coat and wipe off with oil stain as per Section No. 62, about 200 sq. ft. per hour. Divide 2202 by 200 and we find that 11 hours are required. FILLING. One man according to Section No. 67 will spread on about 150 sq. ft. of filler per hour; he will wipe off about the same amount on an average. Divide 2202 by 150 and you find it will require about 14.68 hours, call it 143/2 hours, to spread the filler and the same time to wipe it off, or 29 hours for both. SANDPAPEPJNG. A man will sandpaper lightly about 300 sq. ft. per hour as per Section No. 67. Dividing 2202 by 300 we find that 7.34 hours, call it 7^2 hours, are needed. WAXING. 2202 sq. ft. is the total trim area to be waxed as per Section No. 31. Section No. 68 says one man will coat with wax about 200 sq. ft. per hour. Divide 2202 by 200 and w^e find that 11 hours are needed. 93 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS Mixing. Section No. 83. Considerable time is always required for mixing paint, stains, fillers, wax and other incidentals that are not figured in with above brushing- time. There are four rooms and bath in the bungalow being fig- ured so add 5 hours time. THE ESTIMATE COMPLETE. Section No. 84. INTERIOR OF BUNGALOW FIGURE NO. "A." Material prices and the wage scale of 50c per hour used here will necessarily change to fit market condi- tions in each locality but the method of figuring should remain the same anywhere. Material Cost. See Sections Nos. 74 to 78. WALLS AND CEILINGS. Putty. 2 lbs at mVz .07 Varnish Size— lU gals, benzine.-" .08 .10 1% jvals, varnish.. " 2.00 2.50 Flat Lead Paint— 200 lbs. white lead " .08 16.00 6 gals turpentine " .70 4.20 2 lbs. color, " .25 .50 Starch, 4 Ib.^ « .05 ,20 $23.57 FLOORS. Paste Filler— 24 lbs " .12 2.88 % gal. turpentine" .70 .35 Shellac, white, 2V3 gals " 1.50 3.75 Varnish, floor, 2 gals " 2,50 5.00 Wax— Beeswax, 2 lbs " .35 .70 Turpentine, 2 gals " .70 1.40 Ammonia, 1 oz " dO $14.18 THE WOOD TRIM. — — — Filler, liquid, 4 gals " .90 3.60 Stain, 4.V2 gals " 1.20 5.40 Wax— Beeswax, 8 lbs " .35 2.80 Turpentine, 4 gals " .70 2.80 Ammonia, 8 oz " .50 $15.10 Total Material Cost $52.85 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS Labor Cost. See Sections Nos. 79 to 83. WALLS AND CEILINGS. Puttying- Cracks 4 hrs. Sizing 29 Painting _ 38 " Stippling 19 " Starching UV2 " IO4.V2 hrs. FLOORS. Filling and Wiping 13 Sandpapering SVz Shellacing ■- 14 Varnishing 14 Waxing 5 Polishing 6V2 " 56 hrs. INTERIOR TRIM. Staining and Wiping ..., 11 " Filling and Wiping 29 " Sandpapering TV2 *' Waxing 11 " 58i^ hrs. Mixing paint, size, stain, etc 5 hrs. Total Time : 224 hrs. Total Labor Cost, 224 hrs. at 50 per hr....$112.85 Overhead Expense. Add Labor Cost ($52.85) and Material Cost ($112.00) together and take 15% of it, equals ..-.....$ 24.72 Profit. Add as profit whatever amount you think you ought to have, 10, 20 or 50% of the Labor Cost and Material Cost. In this estimate we will take 50% for profit. Add Labor Cost ($52.85) and Mate- rial Cost ($112.00) together; the sum equals '^" of this, equals $84.42 PRICE TO CHARGE CUSTOMER $273.99 95 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS CHAPTER V. PROFITABLE PRICES— PRICE LISTS. What is a Job Worth? Section No. 85. Who is responsible if you are making less profit out of the painting business than you ought to make? If you complain that it is impossible to get good prices for work ; that people will not pay what painting is worth, and that you are compelled to cut your prices below a living profit basis in order to get any work to do you are mistaken. You believe that you are stating facts; you are perfectly honest in thinking you are compelled to cut prices way below what you know you ought to ask. You are fully per- suaded that people want cheap work and low prices and, in consequence of these beliefs, you constantly endeavor to reduce the prices on work you figure to the lowest possible minimum, even though you cannot then do the work honestly and make a profit. There is only one way to get prices and that is to ask them. We are often fighting competition that does not exist, and trying to meet quotations that have not been given by competitors. Some people think it is shrewd buying to try to give the impression that they can get their work done for a low^er price by a competitor whom you know to be a quality man and a careful estimator and then to say they would like to give you the job, but do not feel justified in doing so unless you can 96 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS meet the other man's figures. Don't be mislead by any such game. If you have estimated the work carefully and are satisfied that your price is right, that you must sacrifice your profit if you take the work at a lower price, stick to your figure even though you lose the job. It is better to let some- body else get the work than to take it at a figure which will not yield you a fair profit. There are worries enough and chances for something to go wrong on every job. You may be compelled to do parts of it over again in order to give your customer the kind of a job you must in order to satisfy him and to maintain your reputation. You can't afford to add the additional worry of trying to make the job yield a profit Vv^hen you know the original price was too low. And you cannot afford to take work that does not yield a profit ; might better go fishing. A contractor whose business is down to the dead level of price competition will never get it back to a profitable basis unless he regains his nerve and asks the prices he ought to get. F'irst-class work at a profit is the standard to es- tablish and then live up to it. People are not going to tell you that your prices are too low ; they are not going to insist that you shall make a living profit if you seem determined to do without it. But they v/ill not respect you any more because you ask cheap prices, and they will not believe they are getting as good w^orkmanship or material as they would ex- pect if they paid you a fair price. Every job is worth all it costs and a profit. All it costs — don't forget that. Not only labor and m.aterials, but all 97 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS the overhead charges, — the percentage added to take care of the running expenses of the business, — go to make up the cost of the job. You are not doing justice to yourself until you get all the job costs and a reasonable profit in addition. There are those who are so anxious to get their work done cheap that they have no thought of qual- ity. To get their work you have to cut prices be- low the figures that will enable you to give an honest job. Then you get the reputation of being a cheap man. Competitors, finding you are determined to cut the profit out of bids in order to get the work av/ay from them, will retaliate in the same way, and before long every painter in the town will be doing work so cheap that there is no profit in it. Nobody will be making a fair living out of the painting busi- ness; no one will have the respect of the business men of the town and the painters will lose credit with supply houses. The end of such cut-throat competition is usually bankruptcy. It does not pay. A large proportion of the community is willing to pay fair prices for anything, whether it is a new coat to wear or a new coat of paint for the house. You must make people feel satisfied that they are getting good value for the money they spend. They want quality first and you cannot satisfy them by giving cheap price and low value. If you can con- vince these people that you will give them good materials and good workmanship, you can get a good price — all that the work costs and a profit. You must have the courage to ask a profit bringing price. Get the reputation for doing good work, for al- 9» ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS v/ays carrying out your contracts to the letter and a little more. When people question the price you ask or when they draw comparisons between your figuies and those some cheaper competitor offers, take the stand that you have a reputation for the (iualivy of your work and that you cannot afford to do anything but the best. Tell them the prices you ask are the lowest that can be given if they want reliable work. Point out, if necessary houses that have been painted with cheap materials and in a slip-shod way and show how soon they go to pieces and then call attention to jobs you have done that have stood up well and looked well long after the cheap work has gone to pieces. Arguments like this are convincing, if you advance them earnestly and show that you mean to give full value in return for the price you ask. What Price Shall I Charge? Section No. 86. A careful study of the estimating method given in this volume will enable you to figure in a suffi- ciently accurate manner the cost of a job. That much accomplished, make up a list of materials you use generally with prices in large and small lots in pound, pint, quart, half -gallon, five gallon and barrel lots. Keep this schedule of prices correct by revising the figures as changes occur. With the correct amount of material needed and the right prices before you all the time you have the basis upon which to figure the cost of a job. After this have the courage to add to this cost 15', (or some figure) to cover your overhead expense, iind 99 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS 20% (or some figure) for profit. You then have a fair price in the total of these items to submit to the property owner. Material Cost, Labor Cost, Over- head Expense and Profit — these are the necessary- elements into which to divide the cost of any work. Every job is Worth all it Costs — and a Profit. The Price per Square Yard. Section No. 87. Contractors of long- experience often arrive fi- nally at a price to charge per square yard or per square (10x10 ft.), which includes all in one figure the Material Cost, Labor Cost, Overhead Expense and Profit. Just what this price should be depends, of course, on market conditions under which your business is conducted. Each contractor must figure out the price or rate that is correct for his own busi- ness. This price to charge per square yard or per square (10x10 ft.) must necessarily be greater in cities wiiere the wage scale is 65c per hour than where a 50c scale is in force. It will even be greater or less a; between different contractors in the same town because, while the Material and Labor Costs are about the same to each, their Overhead Expenses are quite different. One may pay a high rent and anotlier little or no rent; one may employ a clerk and use an auto truck, while his competitors tote tlieir equipment about with a ''One-hoss shaj^" or a push-cart. The contractor who uses the auto truck usually carries on a mUch larger business than others and so his cartage and other Overhead Expenses often are not proportionately much greater for each job. 109 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS How to arrive at or figure out this price per square yard is the next point of interest. For prices ■charged by other contractors, see Section No. 88, to follow. Taking the two estimates for exterior painting given in Chapter III, Sections Nos. 21 and 23, as a basis from which to w^ork, the price per square yard for each of them would be figured as below. Measurements of the houses are 4,577 sq. ft. for one and 3,573 sq. ft. for the other. Reduce the measure to square yard basis by dividing each figure by 9 (9 sq. ft. equals 1 sq. yd.) and you find that one house measures 508 sq. yds. and the other 397 sq. yds. The estimate given in Chapter III for the house having 508 sq. yds. of surface to paint shows that the price for the job to be submitted to the owner is $95.40. The price for the other house having 397 sq. yds. is given as $72.49. Find the price per square yard by dividing the price in dollars by the number of square yards: $95.40 divided by 508=16.81+call it 17c per sq. yd. $72.49 " " 397===18.25+ " " 18c " " It would not be well to use either 17c or 18c per square yard as a Price to charge for all work, be- cause both of the houses from which these Prices were taken are rather plain and not very large. The Price you decide to charge for all work should be an average figure based on different kinds of work — both large and small, fancy trimmed and plain houses. ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS Let us assume we have a record of painting jobs that figure for a large house with fancy cornice, gable, grills, shingle belt, etc., a price of 26c per sq. yd. ; a large house, plain trim, with a price of 22c per sq. yd. ; a brick building with a price of 24c per sq. yd. and a cottage with fancy trim with a price of 20c per sq. yd. in addition to the two prices of 17c and 18c per sq. yd. as per the Estimates referred to. To arrive at a fair average Price to charge per square yard, add all the above prices together : 17c per square yard, 18c " 26c '' 22c " " " 24c " " ** 20c " 127 Now divide 127 by 6, which is the number of Prices averaged; 127 divided by 6 equals 21c per sq. yd. as the Price to charge for two-coat work. THE PRICES OTHERS CHARGE. Section No. 88. Time and Material Basis. Section No. 89. Chicago contractors add 15c to the present wage scale of 70c per hour for the time charge on a job, making 85c per hour per man. Material is charged against the job at retail prices and nets some profit to the contractor. 102 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS Exterior Painting Prices. Section No. 90. One Contractor Uses the Below Price Schedule: Use the tape line and measure carefully the cornices, mouldings, etc., following hollows, rounds and edges. Add 20 per cent for ordinary weatherboarding and edges of door and window frames. Also make al- lowance for parts difficult to reach. Prices should be figured as follows: New work, 1 coat, per square yard, 10 to 12c " 2 coats, '' '' " 20 to 22c " 3 " " " '' 25 to 28c Old Work, 1 coat, " " " 15 to 18c " " 2 coats, '' " '' 22 to 25c Brick Walls, new, three coats, per square yard, 28c to 35c. Brick Walls, old, two coats, per square yard, 20c to 30c. Brick penciling, per square yard, 12c to 15c. Where scaffolding is necessary, or the work is otherwise difficult of reach, or where color of higher cost than the ordinary is in demand, you must exer- cise your ov/n judgment in figuring the extra time and expense. Also in the case of repainting, be very careful to test the old paint, no matter how well and soHd it may look, because it very often happens that the old paint is loose from lack of binder in the orig- inal priming, and the new paint, on drying in con- tracting, loosens the old coating, causing scaling and then the new paint is blamed for the trouble. When the old paint has cracked, scaled or blistered, take this into consideration and figure on its removal. Also examine window sash to see how the putty is, and blind slats to see whether they are stuck fast and difficult to paint. 103 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS Another contractor gives his Price Schedule as f ollov/s : EXTERIOR OF FRAME BUILDINGS. One coat, 9c yard. Two coats, 15c yard. Three coats, 20c yard. EXTERIOR OF BRICK BUILDINGS. One coat, 12c yard. Two coats, 17c yard. Three coats, 22c yard. Bhnds, per pair, 50c to 75c, two coats ; Iron Shut- ters, per pair, 75c, two coats. OPENINGS. Painting exterior window openings, casing, sash, etc., 1 coat, 60c ; 2 coats, 85c each. Painting exterior of door openings, 1 coat, $1.00 each; 2 coats, $1.50 each. TIN ROOF. Old w^ork, 1 coat, 10c. Old work, 2 coats, 15c. New work, 1 coat, 12c. IRON WORK. Grilles and ornamental work to be doubled or tripled (surface measurements) : One coat, 12c. Two coats, 18c. Three coats, 22c. Steam radiators, 1 coat, 75c each. Steam radiators, 2 coats, $1.25 each. Bronzing highlights, 50c each. Bronzing entire radiator, $1.00 each. Verde antique work, 35c yard. STORE FRONTS. One coat, 20c yard. Two coats, 30c yard. Upper stories, 1 coat, 25c yard. Upper stories, 2 coats, 35c yard. (Measurements usually doubled instead of in- creasing prices.) 104 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS BOARD FENCES. One coat, 10c yard. Two coats, 15c yard. Measurements doubled for picket fences. Dor- mer windows, $1.00 to $2.00 each. Nineteen contractors at Loveland, Colo., agreed to maintain during 1915 the price schedule below and furnish stock, except where noted to the con- trary : DAY WORK. Wages at 50c per hour. ALL PREPARATORY WORK. Wages, 623/>c per hour. ROOF WORK." Per square (10x10 ft.), $1.50 and $2.50. EXTERIOR PAINTING. To furnish stock, 1 coat, 12c per sq. yd. ; 2 coats, 22c; 3 coats, 30c. Owner to furnish stock, 1 coat, 7c per sq. yd; 2 coats, 13c; 3 coats, 18c. A master painter of many years' experience gives these as average prices for use outside of large cities, all stock furnished by contractor: PAINTING NEW EXTERIOR WOOD BUILDING: Priming coat and putty, 14c per sq. yd. Two coats and putty, 22c '' " *' Three coats and putty, 32c " " " PAINTING OLD EXTERIOR WOOD BUILDING. One coat, 16c per sq. vd. Tvvo coats. 22c " " "'* PAINTING BLINDS. One coat. 44c per pair Two coats, 60c " '' Three coats, 90c ** " PAINTING TIN ROOFS. One coat, 10c per sq. yd. Two coats, 18c '' " " Three eoats, 24c " " " 105 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS PAINTING METAL GUTTERS, VALLEYS. One coat, 3c per running foot Two coats, 4c *' Three coats, 6c " PAINTING SHINGLE PvOOF. One coat, 14c per sq. yd. Two coats, 26c " " " Three coats, 40c " " " STAINING SHINGLES. 1 coat, dipped, $5.00 per 1,000 shingles. 1 coat, brushed on roof, $5.00 per 1,000 shingles. WINDOW SASH. Small sash, one coat, 25c each " two coats, 30c " " three coats, 45c " Large sash, one coat, 35c " " two coats, 40c " " " three coats, 55c " PAINTING NEW BPJCK WALLS. One coat, 18c per sq. yd. Two coats, 24c " " " Three coats, 38c " " " PAINTING OLD BRICK WALLS. One coat, 14c per sq. yd. Two coats, 28c " " " Three coats, 50c " " " Interior Decorating Prices. Section No. 91. Nineteen contractors at Loveland, Colo., agreed to maintain during 1915 the below price schedule and to furnish stock : DAY WORK, Wages, 50c per hour. ALL PREPARATORY WORK. Wages, 62y2C per hour. PAINTING WOOD TRIM— GLOSS. One coat, 15c per sq. yd. Two coats, 25c " " " ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS ft. PAINTING WOOD TRIM— FLAT. One coat, 17c per sq. yd. Two coats, 28c " " " Three coats, 35c " " " GRAINING (Excluding Ground and Varnish), 45c per square yard. PAINTING WALLS— OIL PAINT. One coat, 12c per sq. yd. Two coats, 22c " " " Three coats, 30c " '' '' TINTING WALLS— WATER COLOR. Smooth walls, $1.00 per 100 sq Sand finish, rough, 1.25 " " " STENCIL WORK. 65c per hour. ENAMELING. One coat. Four coats, rubbed. Two coats, VARNISHING, Two coats. Three coats. Four coats, STAINING. 15c per square yard. PAPERHANGING. Common lap work, Nip v7ork. Tiling and dull washable paper, Leatherette, pressed goods, White, $1.25 Leatherette, pressed goods, Colors, 1.00 Metallics, grass cloth, silk, 75c Wire edge, 30 in. goods, 75c Brush tints, 2.00 Upper and lower, advance, 10c 25c per sq. yd. 66c " " " 50c " " " 35c per sq. 48c " " 60c " " yd. 35c per roll 50c per double roll 50c " " " it it bolt tt Sanitas, roll 25c per yard 107 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS Burlap, 20c " " Smooth crowns, 5c each Pressed " 71/2C " Cut out borders less than 9 in. 5c to 7c per yd. " " " over 9 in., 7c to 15c " " Base borders and liners, 2c " " An experienced contractor has this to say about prices : On interior work, measure the size of the rooms, if walls and ceilings are to be painted, but do not make any deductions for windows and doors. Figure on square yards of surface and set your price accord- ingly. If the rooms are papered, and only the wood- work is to be painted, measure the baseboards, win- dow frames, doors and door frames, and figure the sash as if solid. For interior work on walls and ceil- ing, new work, three coats, the price should not be less than 30c per square yard; for old work, two coats, 24c. If only the woodwork is to be painted, new w^ork, three coats, 35c to 40c per yard ; while on old work, two coats, 28c to 32c will be none too much, according to condition of surface. Another contractor made up this price list: PAINTING WALLS AND CEILINGS. One coat, 9c per sq. yd. Two coats, 15c " " *' Three coats, 22c " " " One coat size and 2 coats paint, 20c per sq. yd. Three coats paint and stippled, 25c to 30c per sq. yd. PAINTING NEW PLASTER. One coat size and 3 coats paint, 35c per sq. yd. WASHING CEILING AND 1 COAT PAINT, 16c per square yard. TIFFANY WALL GLAZING, 40c per square yard. PAINTING METAL CEILINGS. One coat, 14c per sq. yd. Two coats, 18c " " " m ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS Px\INTING WOOD TRIM. One coat, 10c per sq. yd. Two coats, 15c " '' '* WOOD TRIM. Varnishing, one coat, 10c per square yard two coats, 15c " Stain and varnish flat, one coat, 15c " Wash and varnish, 2 coats, 18c *' Paint, grain and varnish raihngs, 40c per running yd. Paint, grain and varnish beams and overhead rafters, per yard, 30c. Stairways, ordinary, stained and waxed, $5.00 to $12.00 each. Same, stained and two coats varnish, $8.00 to $18.00 each. ENAMELING. One coat, 15c yard Two coats, 22c " Three coats, 30c " Four coats, 40c *' Rubbing enamel, per yard, 20c. FLOORS. Oihng, one coat, 8c '* two coats, 14c Filling, and two coats varnish, 18c yard. Fill, shellac, and one coat varnish, rubbed,' 80c yard. Stain, and two coats varnish, 20c yard. One coat oil and one coat varnish, 15c yard. Old floors, one coat varnish, 15c yard. DOOR AND CASINGS (Two Sides). Varnishing, one coat, 70c to $1.00 each two coats, $1.00 to 1.50 " Shellacing, one coat, 1.15 " Stain, two coats, varnish and wax, 1.50 " 109 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS Fill, stain and two coats varnish, 2.00 rub, 2.50 *' *' three " *' " 3.00 ]| Enamel, four coats and rub, 4.00 Still another contractor uses this price schedule: PAINTING DOORS (Two Sides). One coat, 86c each Two coats, ?l-40 Three coats, 1-80 Filling, two coats varnish and rubbed with pumice stone and water, 2.10 Filling, and one coat varnish, 1.10 '' two coats ** 2.20 '' PAINTING WINDOW CASINGS (Small and Sash). One coat, 45c each Two coats, 75c " PAINTING WINDOW CASINGS (Large and Sash). One coat, 60c each Two coats, 85c " WINDOW CASINGS AND SASH. Fill, and two coats varnish, $1.00 each SAKDPAPERING AND PUTTYING, 12c per square yard. FLOOR FINISHING. Filled, and one coat varnish, 30c per sq. yd. " two coats " 40c " " " " waxed coat, 35c "^ '^ *] Same, with two coats wax, 45c Waxing and polishing, 18c Filled, one coat varnish, rubbed with pumice stone and oil, 40c Same, with two coats varnish, 55c '* Parquetry floor, filled, varnished, one coat, puttied and rubbed, 45c " Same, two coats varnish, 60c New floor, one coat shellac, var- nish, or wax, 14c New floor, two coats shellac, var- nish, or wax, 30c 110 42c ii n n 10c a n n 14c n (< « 16c per sq. yd. 30c 12c 12c 12c 22c 10c ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS New floor, three coats shellac, varnish, or wax. One coat linseed oil. Two coats linseed oil, FINISHING INTERIOR TRIM. One coat first-class varnish or shellac. Two coats first-class varnish or shellac, Staining, Oiling, One coat wax, Two coats wax. Polishing, Filling, two coats of hard oil rubbed with steel wool, 80c " " " Filling, one coat hard oil and one coat wax, 50c '' " " Filling and one coat varnish, 20c " " " " two coats " 28c " " " *' " two coats ** and rubbed with pumice stone and water, 50c '' '* " STAIRS AND OPEN SPINDLE RAIL. Filling and two coats varnish, $8.00 to $10.00 for the job. Filling and one coat of varnish, $5.00 to $8.00 for the job. FILLING ANY TRIM. Open grain wood, paste filler, 30c per sq. yd. Close grain wood, liquid filler or shellac, 14c " " " Steel wool Hght rub or sandpa- pering, 12c " " '' Rubbing to satin finish, 20c " " " RADIATORS. Painting, one coat, 80c to $1.00 each Bronzing, one coat, same price. Glazing and wiping out, 40c to 60c " 111 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS ENAMEL. 3 Ground coats, sanded and 1 coat enamel SO per sq, yd. 4 " '• '^ • 1 '' " $1.00 *' " " g " '• " •' 1 " " 1.20 " " " 4 '• " " '' 2 coats '^ 1.2J) " " " 5 " " " " 2 " " 1.50 " " " Rubbing to satin finish with pumice and water, 50c per square yard. PAINTING WALLS. Size and one coat paint, 18c per sq. yd. " two coats paint, 30c '' " " " three " " 40c " " " Stippling, one coat, 6c " " " two coats, 12c " " " TIFFANY GLAZE, One color (not including ground coats), 40c " " " TIFFANY GLAZE, Two colors (not including ground coats), 60c " " " TIP^FANY GLAZE, Four colors (not including ground coats), 80c " " " CALCIMINING WALLS. Smoolh plaster, light tints and white, 7c per sq. yd. Sand finish or rough, light tints and white, 12c " " " Ceilings, light tints and white, 12c " " " One coat hard oil size, 10c " " " Removing old calcimine, wall paper, filling cracks, etc., charge day work and material cost. STENCILING. 1 color, 8 in. wide and smaller, 8c per lineal ft. 2 colors, 8 in. wide and smaller, 12c " " " 1 color, larger than 8 in. wide, 10c " " " 2 colors, larger than 8 in. wide, 16c " " " 112 FRONT 113 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS Chapter VI THE MODERN PAINT SHOP— ITS MANAGE- MENT Probably in no occupation is there greater op- portunity for waste of expensive material and more expensive time than in that of the contracting- painter and decorator. A correct shop system and shop practice such as exists in many of the larger city establishments may appear to require an un- reasonable amount of labor domg details and petty tasks, and yet at the end of the season when the reckoning with the books comes, the shop system of many details gives a good account of itself; it may easily lay claim to having earned a generous por- tion of the profits. Have you ever gone into a shop employing quite a large number of men where the *'do and go-as-you- please" method (or lack of method) is in force and surveyed the ruins ? The old saying : ''What is every man's business is no man's business" must have been written after the author had witnessed a gang of painters helping themselves in a shop guided by no system. Where only a dozen are employed, and no one man has charge of and is responsible for the materials and shop, no matter how orderly things were at the start, within a week chaos will reign; knives and paddles will be taken out of colors and jammed into white, light paint will be mixed in 114 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS ■dark pots because all the pots are uncleaned, oil, benzine and turpentine taps will be left running, every paint strainer, if there are a dozen, will be choked up with skins, dirty oil and turps will ac- cumulate by the barrel and hard putty will lay around in five-pound lumps while the waste skinned and fatty paint alone will probably exceed the value of several days' labor. And when several men get into the shop at once, what a waste of time at fifty or sixty cents per hour before they can find the ma- terial wanted, if indeed it is in the shop. The contractor with the low bid on a job is not always the one who has sacrificed his profit, but often is a man who by good system and manage- ment in the shop and on the job has cut down the cost of doing business to the minimum, his bid is low, but his profit is there just the same. It is no small task to introduce an efficient shop system and practice where no order prevailed before. The great difficulty is the opposition of the journey- men. The erratic disposition of the painter is an obstacle to overcome; the character of his work seems to develop whatever of the Bohemian there is in his nature. In adopting a new system of shop management a firm and decided course must be de- termined on from the start. In introducing reforms, the contractor himself must bow to and obey the rules. The work of managing the shop cannot be successfully delegated to one man until it becomes known that the system is part of the establishment, that to obey the rules is a condition of employment and to disregard them means the scratching off of names from the payroll. 115 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS Every shop of whatever size needs a carefully planned system of management. The shop which cares for but three to six men would naturally re- quiie only a simple shop arrangement and system. Bat at that, if a man is not employed to do all the mixing and care for the shop, an apprentice should be given the task. It will prove excellent training for him if carefully instructed and coached in habits of economy and cleanliness. It will give him a knov/1- edge of materials and help to establish the good and close relations that ought to exist betv/een master and apprentice. The shop plan here shown is that of a contractor in an Eastern city. A careful study of the arrange- ment easily shows that there is a place for every- thing and that everything is kept in its place. Order, method, cleanliness and compactness greet the eye from every quarter. This shop employs from forty to sixty men, and yet should they all call in the morning at the shop for "orders," every man could be sent out fully equipped with tools and ma- terials in fifteen minutes. Every pound of material and every measure of liquid would be charged on the books. The office force consists of one clerk and the proprietor. The paint shop is about 40x50 feet, and on one side are closets for storing colors, and on the other side lockers are provided for the use of the men. The general color of ceiling and woodwork is white. Each series of colors is kept in a special closet. Lemon, chrome, orange, raw sienna, several different kinds of ochre, and in fact everything pertaining to yel- 116 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS low, are conveniently kept in the same closet. A similar classification is made of the various greens, reds, browns, blues and other colors. The closets are about six feet high, quite deep, and of good width, with a shelf for each species of color, small cans on upper color closet, large kegs below. On the outside of the door of each shelf the name of the color is stenciled. Nothing larger than a five-pound pack- age of color is placed in these closets. They contain an assortment of five, two, and one-pound cans. Most of the colors used in this shop are bought in pack- ages of small size, excepting some of the ordinary colors used for shop mixing. The economy of buy- ing colors in such small packages for a large shop may be questioned, but suppose one of the men es- timates that he v/ill need ten pounds of umber for a job. He is given a five-pound can, a couple of two- pound cans, and a one-pound can. It is probable that he will use only seven or eight pounds of color. He is instructed to open the five-pound can first and generally a number of unopened cans would be re- turned. Had the man been given a ten-pound can, it would probably have dried up and been wasted. All materials are kept under lock and key in the cus- tody of the shopman, and his word is law in regard to the care of material. The closets are so arranged that he is able to place his hand immediately on any particular material. Now, concerning the shopman, do not think for one moment that such a large shop can be looked after systematically by a boy. Very few boys are systematic, and in addition, journeymen are not in- 117 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS clined to pay much attention to even a capable boy. The lockers for the men are numbered, and large enoug'h to hold two pots and one or two suits of over- alls. Each man is supplied with a key, and a master- key for all of them is kept in the office. In the back of the shop is a large zinc-covered work and mixing bench. On a broad shelf, raised about ten inches above the bench, are kept opened and partly used cans of standing color. No color may be taken from the closets while a duplicate color is on the shelf. In the back of the shop are barrels of oil, turps, benzine and varnish. Over the barrels are racks for cans, which are kept filled from the barrels by the shopman. One rack contains ten five- gallon cans of oil, another rack ten two-gallon cans of oil, w^hile another contains ten one-gallon cans. The same arrangement is made for turps, while var- nishes are decanted in one-gallon cans. All these racks are stenciled as to the articles contained in each. The time saved by this arrangement is very considerable. Suppose ten men need oil on diff'erent jobs. Instead of waiting to draw from tanks, each man may be instantly supplied from the racks. White lead for this shop is bought in casks. Three large tubs, with covers, are kept well filled with mixed color in the busy season. One tub con- tains white mixed for inside work, another contains white mixed for outside use, while the third tub is used for light drab resulting from the mixture of all light colors returned. It is, of course, used up be- fore old enough to become fatty. A smaller tub is provided for dark colors returned. lis ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS Every step-ladder, plank, rope, or tool of any de- scription is listed, and all tools sent out on a job are charged on a tool slip, teilin^: exactly their location. The chai'ging' of the tools is done by the shopman. When a job is finished, the man in charge is required to make out a list of everything left at the place of work. A printed slip with a space for each of the various tools used bj^ a painter is furnished him. This slip is filled out and given to the shopman, who at once turns it over to the wagon hand vrith in structions to bring the tools to the shop. The tools returned are compared with the list filled out by the painter, and also with the tool charge slip. If any- thing is missing, it is at once looked after, and gen- erally found. Under this system, it is not necessary every year to replace a large number of lost tools. Stock charging is carefully looked after, and the busiest time of the day is from 6:30 to 7 a. m. The shop forces, consisting of the master painter, shop- man and clerk, are on hand at 6:30 a. m. The books are tak n from the office into the paint shop and placed on a desk facing a fine set of platform scales. These scales having a double-faced beam, the clerk making the entry can at once ascertain the correct weight. Any stock taken out of the shop after the morning hour is charged on stock slips, which are all taken fromi the file and entered in the books before the day is over. There are no '"leaks" in this paint shop. Each man is supplied with a complete set of brushes — two paint brushes, two sash tools and several fitches, all of which are charged on the books, together with the number of the locker. 119 ESTIMATES, COSTS AND PROFITS When new brushes are needed, the old stumps must be turned in, and there is a regular brush in- spection every week. Each man is required to fur- nish himself with the following- tools: One glazing or stopping knife, one broad knife or scraper, a small pointing trowel and a good duster. Clean overalls aie required every Monday morning, and a refusal to observe these rules means a resignation from the objector. Clean pots are furnished the men, and it is made a point that the pots be returned to the shop in the same condition. The time sheet is issued daily to each man, the day being printed across the face of each sheet. Each day has a different color. The men are required to fill out the daily sheet, embodying a description of the work done by them on that day. Men reporting at the shop the next day are required to hand in their sheets before going to work. Those who do not report, are required to mail them over night and put in tlieir claim weekly for postage. Under this system, ail the time worked on any particular day is correctly charged by 10 o'clock on the succeeding day. If fifty men are working, you have a complete journal of their proceedings and can always make out your account without w^aiting for the weekly time sheet, and without making inquiries among the men. The daily time sheet seems to entail very con- siderable work, but in reality it is far less trouble- some tlian the weekly time sheet, and all the time is correctly entered at once. 120