Where every dollar of the price goes.
A painting quote is one number on a page. This guide takes ours apart, slice by slice, and shows what each part pays for, what a cheaper quote has to leave out to be cheaper, and why we charge what we charge for a premium result.
One price. Five places it goes.
This is a real DHPainting price for a three-person crew over one week, ex GST. Keep scrolling to open it up and see what each slice pays for, what happens when a cheaper quote cuts it, and why we do not.
A three-person crew for one week
Here is how the numbers stack up for a typical five-day job with two painters and a site manager working 8 hours a day. The figures are illustrative, and labour includes wages, super and the WorkSafe premium.
From cost to price
| Amount | |
|---|---|
| Wages (two painters and a site manager, 40 hours each) | $5,800 |
| Superannuation at 12% | $696 |
| WorkSafe Victoria premium at approximately 1.5% | $87 |
| Materials (10% of job price) | $940 |
| Total cost | $7,523 |
| Margin (20% of job price) | $1,881 |
| Job price (ex GST) | $9,404 |
| GST | $940 |
| Job price (inc GST) | $10,345 |
Where the money goes
Share of the $9,404 ex-GST job price at a 20% margin.
- Base wages62% · $5,800
- Superannuation7% · $696
- WorkSafe premium0.9% · $87
- Materials10% · $940
- Margin20% · $1,881
Labour is close to seven dollars in every ten. Wages, super and the WorkSafe premium together make up 70% of the price before a single tin of paint is opened.
Reading the example
- Materials at 10% of the job price is a planning figure that suits an interior repaint. On the exteriors of Melbourne's period homes, membrane systems, two-pack coatings and scaffold consumables routinely push materials to 15 to 25% of the price. Materials are always costed at what they actually cost us, so the percentage falls wherever it falls.
- Supervision is the biggest single lever. In this example the site manager is close to half the base wages. Where a job only needs part-time supervision, that comes straight off the price.
- The WorkSafe Victoria premium shown is an estimate. The actual rate is set by WorkSafe for the painting industry classification and reviewed each year.
- GST is added to the final price at 10%.
Three categories of direct job cost
Labour
The biggest part of any painting job, and the part that decides how it turns out. Our painters are highly trained professionals who are genuinely good at what they do. We do not use subcontractors or painters who cannot meet our standard, and we employ our people properly. Their wages reflect that, and so does the finish on your walls.
- Wages for painters and apprentices (actual hours worked at their pay rate)
- Superannuation at 12%
- WorkSafe Victoria (WorkCover) premium
- Victorian payroll tax where applicable
- Leave and public holiday accruals for permanent staff
- Award allowances such as travel, height and tool allowances
- Site supervision time
Materials
Everything that goes on the walls or gets used up getting them ready. We use high quality paints and we do not skimp on coverage, because the point is a finish that looks right and lasts. Materials are charged at what they actually cost us.
- Paint, primers and sealers (Taubmans systems such as All Weather, Pro Enamel and Armawall)
- Fillers and prep consumables: Polyfilla, Evermend, sandpaper, sugar soap, sealant
- Sundries: rollers, brushes, tape, drop sheets, masking film, abrasives
- State of the art floor covering systems from Geofabric and Protecta coverings for a spotless site
- Access equipment hire: scaffold, EWP or scissor lift, ladders
- Skip bins and waste disposal
Site and job costs
Costs that only exist because of your particular job and site. They vary a lot between a Hawthorn terrace with street parking permits and a property on the outskirts of Melbourne. Because we are a professional enterprise, you also get the benefit of the high-end tools and equipment we bring to every job, from sprayers and dust extraction to our laser cleaning system, which adds to the value you get from us.
- Vehicle running costs for the job
- Equipment hire or depreciation, including sprayers and our laser cleaning system where used
- Permits, parking and traffic management
- Job-specific insurances
What the margin actually covers
Running the business costs money whether or not a brush is moving: the office and admin staff, software, marketing, licensing, general insurances and the owners' time managing the company. None of that is charged to your job as a line item. Instead, a share of it is recovered through the margin.
Why a cheaper quote is not always cheaper
A quote built on subcontract labour can look lower because it leaves out superannuation, leave loading, WorkSafe premiums and any reserve for warranty work. Those costs do not disappear, they just move to someone else or come back later as a defect nobody is obliged to fix. Our pricing includes them because our painters are employees and our warranty is real.
See the price for your home, slice by slice
Book an on-site visit and we will walk the property with you, identify each surface, and give you a clear, itemised price with nothing hidden in a rate.