Point And Paint

25/04/2026

This is so very true, and seems to becoming a more regular thing! People need to remember this is not only a job it’s a passion and it’s what keeps the roof over ours and our childrens heads. Remember this when you are next given a quote for a job, whether it's Building Work, Plumbing, Electricals, Plastering, Painting & Decorating and any other trade which takes a lot of skill set and has taken years of training.........

A customer asked a contractor how much it would cost to do this project.

The contractor gave him a quote: £4500

The customer responded: That’s seems really high.

The contractor asked: What do you think is a reasonable price for this job?

The customer answered: £2500 maximum

The contractor responded: Ok, then I invite you to do it yourself.

The customer answered: I don't know how to.

The contractor said: Alright, then how about for £2500 I'll teach you how to. So besides saving you £2000, you'll learn valuable skills that will benefit you in the future.

The customer answered: Sounds good! Let’s do it!

The contractor responded: Great! To get started, you are going to need some tools. You will need a chop saw, table saw, cordless drill, bit set, router, skill saw, jig saw, tool belt, hammer, etc..

The customer answered: But I don't have any of those tools and I can't justify buying all of these for one job.

The contractor responded: Ok. Well then for an additional £300 I can rent my tools to you to use for this project.

The customer answered: Okay. That’s fair.

The contractor responded: Great! We will start the project on Monday.

The customer answered: I work Monday through Friday. I’m only available on the weekends.

The contractor responded: If you want to learn from me then you will need to work when I work. This project will take 3 days so you will need to take 3 days off work.

The customer answered: That means I’m going to have to sacrifice my pay for 3 days or use my vacation time!

The contractor responded: That’s true. Remember, when you do a job yourself you need to account for unproductive factors.

The customer answered: What do you mean by that?

The contractor responded: Doing a job completely from start to finish includes time spent to plan the project, pick up materials, travel time, gas, set up time, clean up, and waste disposal amongst other things. That’s all in addition to the actual project itself. And speaking of materials, that’s where we will start on Monday so I need you to meet me at the lumberyard at 6:00am.

The customer answered: At 6am?!! My work day doesn’t usually start until 8am!

The contractor responded: Well then you’re in luck! My plan is to start on the deck build by 8am. But to do so we have to start at 6am to get materials picked up, loaded and delivered to your job site.

The customer answered: You know, I’m realizing that a lot more goes in to a job than what a customer sees in the finished project. Your quote of £4500 is very reasonable. I would like you to handle the project.

CONCLUSION:

When you pay for a job, especially a custom job, (whether it’s a physical project or digital project) you pay not only for the material and the work to be completed. You also pay for:

✔️ Knowledge
✔️ Experience
✔️ Custom Skills
✔️ Tools
✔️ Time to plan
✔️ Time to prepare
✔️ Professionalism
✔️ Work Ethic
✔️ Excellence
✔️ Discipline
✔️ Commitment
✔️ Integrity
✔️ Taxes
✔️ Licenses
✔️ Sacrifices
✔️ Liabilities
✔️ Insurance

If you request a quote for custom work to be done, please don’t disrespect a service provider by trying to get them to lower their prices.

If their quote exceeds your budget, there’s nothing wrong with getting other quotes.

Just remember.. you get what you pay for.

👉🏼 SERVICE PROVIDERS: Know your worth and be confident in it.

👉🏼 CONSUMERS: Recognise their worth and be respectful of it.

Sharing this to support all my friends, family and clients who are Entrepreneurs, Business Owners and Tradesmen.

23/01/2026

Running a business is really hard.

What they don’t tell you is that it is mentally draining and potentially leads to severe anxiety, stress and depression in even the most laid back people. People will talk about you, compare you to others, use you, they will view you as a service and not a person anymore.

You have to worry about if you forget to phone/message someone back, are they going to think it was on purpose? Did you disappoint them? Will they hold that against you? When in reality, you just can’t get to everyone’s messages and emails sometimes.

You have the continuous stress of whether your business is making enough profit, if you have made enough to pay the bills, pay the wages, scrape by.

Starting up and running a successful business puts incredible strain on personal lives and relationships, sometimes causing them to breakdown and fail because there just is no work-life balance when starting a new business.

You need to be the director, the worker, the admin, the marketing team, the accountant, the cleaner..... All whilst being a parent, a husband or a wife, family support, friend... you don’t get to go home and forget about it, it’s a 24/7 thing that’s on your mind.

There’s a reason you don’t see many people succeed in small businesses after 5-10 years. It takes a toll. It’s freaking exhausting, especially the past two years. Here’s a small reminder that we are just normal people with hectic lives. Be kind, be patient….. and hopefully, more of us will stick around!

I copied this from a friend and thought it was pretty spot on with regards to most small businesses! Massive respect to all those that take this mammoth task on! Please remember to support local businesses in 2026.

21/12/2025

Another amazing review from a returning customer in Combwich.

18/12/2025

No One Tells You Decorating Is Trust (And Most of the Work You Pay For… You’ll Never Even See)

People think decorating is just… paint.
Roll it on, job done, next.

But no one tells you what it actually is.

Decorating is trust.

Because you’re not just letting someone “freshen a room up”…
You’re letting a stranger walk into your space — your real life.

Your kid’s bedroom with their little gaming corner.
Your front room where you’ve had arguments, laughs, grief, birthdays, the lot.
Your hallway that’s seen you dragging shopping in at 9pm, knackered.
Your home office where your head’s been spinning for months.

And suddenly I’m in there with dust sheets, tools, ladders, music on… moving around your stuff like it’s normal.

That’s why I never take it lightly.

Because when someone says, “Yeah mate, crack on,” what they’re really saying is:

“I’m trusting you not to mess my house up.”
“I’m trusting you to respect my stuff.”
“I’m trusting you to do it properly.”

And I’ll be honest as well — I’m very much of the belief that when you’re working in someone’s house for a week… you do become part of their family life for a bit.

I’m in and out while you’re making brews.
While the kids are getting home from school.
While the dog’s trying to suss me out like I’m a burglar.
While you’re juggling work calls, dinner, life… the lot.

So yeah — I think it’s important to get on with the dog, get on with the kids, be flexible if your schedule’s a bit mad, and just be a normal human being in someone’s home.

Some people see that as “unprofessional”.

Well if being friendly, respectful, and making people feel comfortable in their own house is unprofessional… shoot me.

Because the truth is, when you meet a customer for the first time, you are a stranger in someone’s house.
And I don’t want you feeling like you’ve got some weird robot tradesman stomping about your home not talking to anyone.

I want you to feel comfortable.
Like you can actually talk to me.
Like you can say “Lorraine, can you just be careful with that corner,” or “I’m popping out,” or “the dog’s a knobhead,” and it’s all normal.

That comfort matters. It’s part of the job.

And here’s the mad part…

Most of the graft you’re actually paying for…
you’ll never even notice.

Not because it isn’t happening — because if it’s done right, it disappears.

You don’t see the hour spent masking so your edges are crisp instead of looking like a toddler’s been at it.
You don’t see the filling, the sanding, the second fill, the re-sand… because once it’s painted it just looks “normal”.
You don’t see me protecting your floors, your skirting, your sockets, your furniture… you just see your room looking clean again.

You don’t see me standing there squinting at a wall like a lunatic because I can see a shadow you can’t…
and I can’t unsee it. So I fix it.
Because I’m not leaving your house knowing it’s “nearly right”.

And prep… mate. Prep is everything.

Anyone can slap paint on.
The difference is what happens before the paint even comes out.

A good finish isn’t “good paint”.
It’s good prep.

And sometimes — this is where it gets awkward — you walk into a job and the last person has done you dirty.

Paint over silicone.
Paint over gloss that wasn’t keyed.
Caulk on top of caulk on top of caulk.
Stuff peeling off when you sand it like it’s sunburn.

And then the customer’s looking at you like, “Why’s this taking longer?”

Because I’m not just painting your room, mate…
I’m undoing someone else’s laziness.

So yeah — sometimes it takes longer.
Sometimes it costs a bit more.
But what you get is a finish that doesn’t just look good on day one… it holds up.

That’s the invisible graft.

It’s the stuff you don’t photograph for Instagram.
It’s the boring bits that make the difference.
It’s the respect for your home when no one’s watching.

So if you’re thinking about getting a room done in the New Year — kids’ rooms, feature walls, full refresh, whatever it is — message me and I’ll tell you straight what it needs and what it’ll take.

No fluff, no nonsense, proper job.

Lorraine- Point And Paint Decorators
[email protected]
07977091121
Point And Paint

03/11/2025

08/09/2025

Copied from another site but definitely food for thought-

💷 £250 a day for a business 💷

That’s what the public think is enough for a business like mine to charge. Let’s actually do the maths:

👉 £250 a day, 260 days a year = £65,000
👉 Take off 28 days holiday (no, I don’t get paid for them) = £58,000
👉 No employer pension contributions (so that’s on me) = £56,260
👉 Fuel – £400 a month = £51,460
👉 Public liability & indemnity insurance = £49,960
👉 Tools (because they don’t last forever) = £47,960
👉 Uniform = £47,460
👉 Accountancy fees = £46,260
👉 Advertising & marketing (because work doesn’t magically appear) = £45,060
👉 Phone & internet = £44,460
👉 Training & certifications (we have to stay up to date) = £43,660
👉 Vehicle maintenance, MOT, tyres, tax = £42,160
👉 Downtime/admin/unpaid quotes = £38,910
👉 Tool theft (average £4,470 per incident) = £34,440
👉 Van breakdown/major repair = £31,940
👉 Other unexpected hits = £29,940

So from £65,000, I’m realistically left with under £29,000 – BEFORE tax, before bad debts, before anything else life throws at me.

And here’s what the public don’t see 👇
• We have to chase and hunt down our own work. No work = no pay.
• No sick pay.
• No holiday pay.
• No employer pension.
• Evenings and weekends spent quoting, doing paperwork, or on call.
• One van breakdown or set of stolen tools can wipe out months of earnings.

❓Do you still think £250 a day is enough for a tradesman?

I dont charge £250 a day , I dont even do a day rate!

19/08/2025

19/08/2025

Supporting local businesses. Bedrock Furniture are a fantastic local business, very friendly, affordable and lovely people . Thankyou to Sur and Les for your continues support

19/08/2025