Vanishing/painting sheds - how much will you pay?

The One Doctor

Hi all,

I work for a large shed manufacturer in Ireland and they want me to do on site painting and varnishing for customer's new (and old) sheds. I have the experience they need but instead of employing me they'll be recommending my services. They're had a lot of complaints from customers about sheds warping and it always turns out to be customers not maintaining their shed before the winter sets in.

In the past I've charged €150 for varnishing a small 8x6 shed and €300-€450 for painting. Prices go up depending on the size of course.

What are you willing to pay to get your shed/varnished or painted to last?

Thanks!

Tod

Jim_Hodge

I'd paint my shed in two hours max. I certainly wouldn't pay anything like those prices, to be honest. I can get a couple of rooms in the house painted for that.

Lumen

Warping? Not sure where you are in the country, but in Dublin I had a pressure-treated shed last for 12 years with no additional treatment. The only damage was from my clumsy strimming.

IMO you're better off going for the farrow-and-ball crowd and selling it on aesthetics.

DeirdreDee

I'd pay a lot of money for a vanishing shed. They'd come for miles not to see it.

Jim_Hodge

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117927164#Comment_117927164

That may have been mildly amusing had he said vanishing. Well done!

looksee

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117927491#Comment_117927491

He DID say vanishing - though I didn't see it till it was pointed out!

Jim_Hodge

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117927496#Comment_117927496

Aah, in the title. I see it.

I still detest people making fun of a misspelling or typo though. It can happen to any of us.

looksee

I thought the response was amusing, and not overstated. It was a mild little joke that was not unkind or abrasive. It made me smile (and I was on the receiving end of something very similar, that amused me too).

A2LUE42

Not sure how many would want the service, as the folks who wouldn't maintain their sheds would probably be just as unlikely to pay someone to do it.

randomguy

Hi, I recently painted my own old shed, but separately paid to have a loghouse painted as part of the purchase price of the loghouse.

I don't think many will pay to have an older shed painted, just from inertia etc, unless they are doing up their garden and the landscaper recommends it.

But if people are told when they are buying a shed that to preserve it and to ensure it lasts it must be varnished or painted, so they are paying out good money for the shed, being told it has to be painted or varnished to protect it, and being told that for an extra X amount of money a professional will do the job, cost of paint included, a fair few will go for it, depending on pricing. On pricing, it will really depend on the cost of the shed. If sheds are €800 and the cost of painting is €500, not many will go for it. Realistically, I can't see people paying over 20 to 25% more than the cost of the shed itself to have it painted. That's my own guess as to the market, for what it's worth. Your problem is going to be that the cost of your labour and paint is probably a lot more than what someone perceives to be the value of preserving their shed, unless they are forking out a fair whack for the shed.

The One Doctor

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117927788#Comment_117927788

Fair point, fortunately I have the whole list of customers, what size their shed is, what they paid etc so I can judge it fairly well. Thanks for the input, makes a lot of sense.