5 Rules for Pricing Small Drywall Jobs!

It's the little things that cost you on small jobs!

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Some nice 12x5 Trowels:

[mikeorr]

Guys, it’s easy! Charge way more than you think the job is worth, then when the customer complains you tell them to find somebody more expensive than you and you’ll raise your prices. You wanna be the most expensive guy in town because you do the best work.

Just remember when you get the job - be the best guy in town! Be the guy with the backpack vac, vacuuming their floors around the perimeter when you’re done, be the guy with the Sun Spot so you can cure all your drywall and paint in about 15 minutes, move their furniture. It’s not that hard and you’ll have more work than you can handle.

[iainstewart]

Painter here. I don’t ever price by the square footage, I price by the day or half day. I used to mark up paint but found it tedious to explain to clients. So instead, they get my price but I start my day clock when I get to the paint store. I've never had clients question that and generally make more than I used to with the mark up. That being said, repeat clients get a good price on small jobs, you are right, loyalty and appreciation needs to cut both ways in any relationship.

[travisharms]

Really appreciate you speaking as a contractor to other contractors, thought I was watching essential craftsman for a second.
Pride in your craft shines through. And keep up the good work!

[joseph]

I'm a carpenter and I never like it when people ask me to build DIY-tier things (like a single shelf). Because even if you can buy it at Ikea for $20, I still have to charge $500 because I have to buy the material, build the shelf, stain it, spray clear coat, and then install. This could end up taking 6 hours, not to mention going onsite to measure, discuss the project, and pick up materials, and then time lost that I could've been doing something else

[jorgehodgson]

Good video, great advice . I always tell my clients that the shock of a high price last less longer than the results and consequences of bad workmanship.

[PaulMikna]

Absolute pearls of wisdom here, Ben! As a handyman I do small patches because no one wants to do them. I have electrical and plumbing contractors handing my name out as the drywall repair guy after they knock holes in the walls. It's a great entry level way to get new customers for other work that I do.... and I would add your comment on cleanliness is huge! It sets you apart from many contractors by far. Thanks so much for this video, my friend!

[doofusmaguilacutee]

Ben, That last thing you said about piece work" really hits home" I'm a general contractor, but many years ago before I got my license, I worked for a local commercial & residential framing contractor as a carpenter. at one point, work really slowed down and the boss told the lead carpenter & me to find a fill in job until the next big project started in a couple of months. The lead & I teamed up & went to work for a tract home builder & it was a piece work job. It was a very "rude awakening" watching these other piece work crews ( the speed & "roughness" of their work was amazing). We lasted about a week before the superintendent came over & told us we were too slow & "let us go". The irony though was that he then hired us on an hourly pay scale to fix all the mistakes from the "piece crews" throughout the tract. I still remember one particular fix. The piece crew had framed an opening for a patio slider door on the 1st floor of a 2 story home. They made a mistake & set the 6 x 12 header about 2" too low & when the GC told them to fix it, these "rocket scientists" pulled out a chain saw & notched the header up the 2" inches in this load bearing wall.

[conradcoolerfiend]

Ben these types of videos could be a really great new addition to your content types. You have a lot of knowledge and experience and passing it down to newbies is super valuable. Also, its easy videos to make 😂which you deserve

[leightonandrade]

Great video, you explained it very well. Here in California we use 5 minute mud and oil based texture cans. We can go from a hole in the wall to textured and painted in about 2-3 hours.

[evangray]

Ben, I work in excavation, and everything you said applies to our trade as well. Accounting for travel time, prep, and disposal is especially important for us on small jobs. It takes us just as long to load equipment, prep, and clean up on a small job as it does a larger one, so we’ve learned to work that into every quote. Thank you for sharing your wisdom!

[C_HansenPainting]

All great advice in my opinion. Yes as contractors we may have a stock of some different mud, tapes and supplies but that does not mean we should give it away either. Also as you stated we shouldn't have a breakdown charge "$1" for using a partial roll of tape $2 for screws etc. Even with a general line item of "disposable materials" this doesn't cover the use of our equipment whether it be drops, knives, drills, dust containment and so on. If it's multiple trips in an occupied home then there is likely set up and clean ups multiple times. It can be hard to not take little jobs for a cheap charge but giving away labor and materials for pennys on the dollar isn't right either. I'm glad to hear your perspective regarding this touchy area. As a homeowner I also am aware that most garage door repairs, plumbers, HVAC, electricians and appliance repairs have minimum trip charges similar to an auto repair shop diagnosing repairs. This fee is sometimes waived if the work is contracted (but not always) and even then I feel it is incorporated into the job price. Yes we want to build relationships with customers and obtain more lucrative work but at the end of the day.. time is money and it takes years to have the experience to efficiently complete work to a satisfactory level in a timely and neat manner. If we make it look easy and fast it's because we spent years learning and we should not be penalized for that! Nice video as always

[jeffhildreth]

The gem of a "You don't lose money on work you don't do".
Made my day.
The other gem... "how fast I have to work and how much I don't care to make money at the job"
Since I am the guy that everyone says will never compromise (true) I get fewer and better "jobs".

Thanks, great video no matter the profession.

[jfl-mwrp]

Good advice Ben. Tradsmen should take the time make a spreadsheet or list on paper of every single thing they do for a small job. Leave nothing out. Then put how much time each little thing it takes to do. Then add materials, consumables, etc. You will be surprised how it adds up. Then do the job and reanalyze afterwords.

[Raysnature]

I'm a handyman in the UK. This is great advice all round not just for drywall. Most of my work is little jobs and it's so easy to under price. Some of my best customers tell me how expensive I am (I'm not by the way, I know full well what the market rates are), funny thing though is they keep having me back.

[stihl]

You quote the price. If he says "when can you start?" you know you were low. If he grumbles but agrees, you are getting close. If he says " I have to talk to my wife (or partner, or dog)" you probably quoted a price that will work well for you and he may go for it. If he says "I'll get back to you" - he won't.

[gregg]

I appreciate your tips. I’m a handyman and do a decent amount of drywall repairs. I have to say that the zipwall was one of my best purchases. Customers are pretty impressed when I set that up.

[carcasscruncher]

I find it to be a real pain haggling with people who end up just wasting my time. Point in case; i did a very small drywall repair last week. This was a toilet paper holder that got ripped off the wall. The repair drywall was literally 4 inches by 14 inches. Went back the next day to paint it. The paint they had was full of debri so i went to buy more paint. Customer didnt want to pay for a full gallon. So i left sherwin and went to lowes for a quart and was told it wont match for patch work. Told this to the customer. Now i have to go back again when they get the paint for themselves. Pinching pennies and costing me dollars. Btw, 45 min drive one way. The only reason i put up with it is because with this customer there is a lot of other work for me.

The worst is when you feel obligated to do a job for next to no profit because the client is still living in 1960 and youre dating their daughter. I told him sherwin wants $81 for a gallon of paint. He nearly fell off his chair. I have a discount for being in their system and was going to get it for $45 but was declined when i told customer. People really dont have a clue these days what work is worth. They expect a 6 pack of beer and $30 to cover everything. Lmao

[peterhunter]

An awesome video Ben, thank you! I’ve gotten much cleaner as I’ve gotten better at drywall, one tip I learned is to use a big box fan with a furnace filter taped to it in the window pointing out so your keeping negative air pressure in the workspace and you’d be surprised how much dust the filter catches!

[Mayamax]

The Essential Craftsmen gave a terrific bit of advice for bidding jobs. He said, "If you are not losing out on about half of your bids because your quote was too high, your bids are too low and you'll soon find yourself bankrupt and out of business."

[goodtobehandy]

Sure wish this kind of content was around 45 yrs. ago when I got into handyman work. Learn everything the hard way. From pricing to just doing the work.