THE ESTIMATING ANSWER
Estimate occupied office repainting by measuring the defined four-room office suite, separating product allowances from labour and setting out the work sequence and exclusions. This fictional Norwich example uses 7 itemised lines totalling £4,675.18; its exact quantities and rates appear in the paired app PDF.
The worked job is four-room office suite in Norwich. The written scope is: Repaint walls in four occupied office rooms outside normal working hours, with movable furniture protection and staged handback. Its matching itemised example shows how that description becomes quantities, allowances and a PDF. These figures are fictional inputs for learning the method, so check the real site, specification and supplier or subcontractor costs before quoting.
1. Define the measured job
Repaint walls in four occupied office rooms outside normal working hours, with movable furniture protection and staged handback. Measure each room wall area, doors, fixed equipment and the usable work window. Record the measurements and existing condition in the estimate before turning quantities into line items. The scope should make clear why this is a separate project from a broader renovation or maintenance quote.
Measure for this job: Measure each room wall area, doors, fixed equipment and the usable work window. Record the measured basis next to the relevant cost lines, since a room count, fitted length and purchased product quantity may each use a different unit.
2. Build a product and labour schedule
State paint products, colour changes and whether low-odour requirements affect selection. This example has 7 distinct lines, including room inventory and schedule, furniture protection, wall preparation. Use actual supplier prices and labour inputs for a customer job; the displayed amounts are fictional document inputs.
Choose before pricing: State paint products, colour changes and whether low-odour requirements affect selection. Keep a named allowance when the selection is open, and replace it once the actual product and delivery terms are known.
3. Sequence the work and handoffs
Stage one room at a time and document who moves desks and returns access. Show which task depends on access, a selected product or another trade. If that dependency is still open, label the price preliminary and identify the information needed before a firm quote.
Plan the handoffs: Stage one room at a time and document who moves desks and returns access. State which stage needs access or inspection before the next can begin, especially if a concealed condition might stop the work.
4. Set a change boundary
Restricted access or additional preparation can add visits. The example excludes ceiling repaint, data cabling move or overnight security provision. Record the discovery, agree the revised work and update the estimate before adding it to the job.
Change trigger: Restricted access or additional preparation can add visits. If this happens, write down the revised quantity and responsibility before adding an item to the customer estimate.
Worked project calculation
The paired PDF has 7 cost lines. For example, Furniture protection is 4 rooms × £104.00 = £416.00; Wall preparation is 16 hours × £41.60 = £665.60. Each amount is the stated quantity multiplied by its unit rate. Recheck whether a line describes installed work, a material purchase allowance or a distinct visit before changing its quantity.
| Work item | Quantity | Unit rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Room inventory and schedule | 1 lump sum | £208.00 | £208.00 |
| Furniture protection | 4 rooms | £104.00 | £416.00 |
| Wall preparation | 16 hours | £41.60 | £665.60 |
| Coating allowance | 1 lump sum | £384.00 | £384.00 |
| Two-coat wall application | 139 sq m | £17.22 | £2,393.58 |
| After-hours access allowance | 12 hours | £28.00 | £336.00 |
| Final room handback | 4 rooms | £68.00 | £272.00 |
| Illustrative total | £4,675.18 | ||
Adding the 7 exact line amounts gives £4,675.18. The PDF uses a 0% tax input and no markup solely to display this arithmetic. Decide the appropriate tax, overhead and profit treatment for an actual job; the fictional rates are not local averages or price recommendations.
Scope and price boundaries
Repaint walls in four occupied office rooms outside normal working hours, with movable furniture protection and staged handback.
Outside this example: No ceiling repaint, data cabling move or overnight security provision.
The role in this brief is painter. Confirm who supplies the selected products, makes the site safe, removes waste and signs off the work. Where opening up reveals a different condition, document it and issue a revised scope and price rather than silently extending the base estimate. Also check access, drying or curing time, and the client handoff described in the work sequence.
Before you send
- Measure each room wall area, doors, fixed equipment and the usable work window.
- State paint products, colour changes and whether low-odour requirements affect selection.
- Stage one room at a time and document who moves desks and returns access.
- Restricted access or additional preparation can add visits.
Compare the written scope with every line in the occupied office repainting PDF example. The preview below is the first page of the actual app export; open the PDF to inspect its full scope, notes and amounts.
Questions about this job
Which quantity controls this occupied office repainting estimate?
Measure each room wall area, doors, fixed equipment and the usable work window.
When should this occupied office repainting quote be revised?
Restricted access or additional preparation can add visits. No ceiling repaint, data cabling move or overnight security provision.
FROM SITE NOTES TO AN ITEMISED PDF
Build your own occupied office repainting estimate
Enter the project boundary and your measured lines in Estimates on iPhone or Android. Edit the fictional quantities and rates, add the actual business and client details, then inspect the PDF before sharing it.
