There are two ways to budget for any project in business. You can take a top-down approach or a bottom-up approach.
A top-down approach involves establishing your budget first. This approach consists of you conducting initial research to estimate the cost to complete your project. Then, you contact contractors to see what they can accomplish within your price range. This can become problematic for two reasons:
- You may receive quotes that fit your budget, but the job may not be completed the right way.
- You may end up paying more to complete your project when the job could have been completed for less.
A better approach is bottom-up. This involves reaching out to several commercial painting companies in Phoenix and requesting an on-site walk-through so that they can provide you with their assessment based on your actual needs. You should tag along so that you have an opportunity to ask any questions you may have and point out anything unique about your commercial building.
An experienced commercial painting company in Phoenix, like Ghaster Painting & Coatings, will complete an on-site walk-through before discussing options for your project to ensure you receive an accurate quote that addresses all of your project needs. An accurate quote means accurate costs that can be accurately budgeted for.
Make Sure You Get a Detailed Quote
When you are basing your budget on a quote for commercial painting in Phoenix, you want to make sure you have the details to back it up. Quotes should include all of the materials your contractor intends to use.
Some contractors may not specify the type of paint and finishes they plan to use, and you might wind up with low-quality products that are less durable. The best products will stand up to weather, corrosion, and commercial environments, which protects your investment.
Your quote should also specify the prep work that needs to be completed, such as power washing or sandblasting, the number of coats to be applied throughout the project, and any clean-up that needs to occur. Be sure your quote includes all the services you need, because even one missing item may require change orders and additional costs that exceed your budget.
Compare Apples to Apples
When comparing quotes, make sure everyone is quoting the same job. If one contractor determines you need one coat of paint, and another decides you will need two, this can result in a large difference in labor and material costs. Before you decide on a final budget, you will want to speak with both companies to understand why they priced their quotes the way they did.
Regardless, make sure you receive quotes based on the same parameters. You may want to consider doing a formal Request for Proposal (RFP), which defines the scope of the project so that everyone quotes your project the same way.
Even with a detailed RFP, you may inadvertently leave out some important items. If a contractor brings up something you need that is not in the RFP, be sure to revise it and reissue it to any commercial painting company in Phoenix that is providing you with a quote.
Have a Contingency in Reserve
Any time you are budgeting for a large project, try to keep a little extra funding in reserve as a contingency. When preparing a quote, a contractor may not be able to tell if there is existing structural damage beneath the surface until after they begin the prep work. So, you may find that you need to spend some money for repairs before the painting can begin.
If you wind up not needing the contingency, so much the better!
You Have Options
In commercial painting, there are several options that will influence the budget you set. Some types of paints and coatings are more expensive than others. If you are changing your color scheme significantly or adding extensive design work, your project may require more coats or more labor. You may also need to restrict painting to early morning, evenings, or overnights so that you can keep your commercial building open during the day.
Keeping all of this in mind is important, as it will impact your budgeting decisions.
Avoid Surprises
One of your goals when budgeting should be to avoid surprises. One of the best ways to accomplish this is by working with experienced commercial painting professionals that have managed thousands of commercial and industrial painting projects.
Ghaster Painting & Coatings has more than 45 years of experience painting some of the largest, tallest, and toughest commercial painting jobs. You can see some of our work by checking out our photo gallery of commercial painting projects.
When you work with us, you get a commercial painting company that you can rely on. We take pride in our work and will help you set an accurate budget to ensure the job is done right the first time.
Budget for your commercial painting project the right way. Contact us to request an estimate.
