Learning to estimate deck refinishing jobs
I usually do interior painting and a bunch of odd jobs. Sometimes I'm hourly, sometimes I bid. This summer I took on a couple of deck refinishing jobs and I was wondering how everybody writes up their estimates. And what they generally charge for deck refinishing. I am located in Portland, OR for reference.
The current deck I'm working on is 320sq ft, 6 stairs, 151 balusters with 10 4x4's, 71 feet of railing, 2 9 ft 8x8 rough cut beams, 6 40in x 8inch rough cut risers, and 60 feet of 1x8 rough cut wrap around the bottom of the deck. I have included photos. All bulk sanding is done. Just have to finish all of the detail sanding.
I see a lot of "charging per square feet" when I've looked around online for tips. Do I just figure out the square footage of every piece of lumber used on the railings, balusters, etc?
This is a repeat customer who is very chill who never asks about cost. So as I finish I'm trying to figure out what to charge. The sanding has taken so much time. I've used an orbital palm sander, detail sander, belt sander, oscillating tool sanding attachment, flapper wheel for the balusters (I usually remove them and set up a sanding and staining assembly line but these were nailed on), and rented a floor sander. The floor was in rough shape, lots of cupping and warping, and nails that I had to set. The balusters and spaces in between are tedious.
This deck was originally sealed with Behr Waterproofing Stain and Sealer. It started to fail after a year. I started by doing a light pressure wash, and am currently sanding everything. I will then stain with Expert Stain and Seal. I have included photos. Any advice is much appreciated.
Posted Jun 26, 2024, 2:58 AM UTC