Man renovating home gobsmacked over ‘insane’ painting quote

Renovating a home often calls for outside expertise. However, one homeowner was left stunned by a ‘staggering’ quote from a painter and decorator, prompting him to share his astonishment on social media.

On Instagram, where he documents his home renovation journey as @therenovationblueprint, the man recounted his experience in a reel captioned: “How much for a lick of paint?! Wait ’til you hear the quote.”

He revealed that the quote covered painting two bedrooms, ceilings, woodwork, and hallway walls, with a price tag nearing £4,000.

Talking in the video, he said: “I just received a painting and decorating quote which I think it absolutely insane… I wanna know what people think.

“That seems excessive to me. Is that how much that should cost?”

In the caption, he sarcastically added: “Just got a quote for painting and decorating – thought they were buying the house, not painting it!” before inquiring, “Would you pay this much or get the rollers out yourself?”

The post garnered more than 1,700 likes but also drew criticism, particularly from those in the painting and decorating trade.

One decorator responded: “Sounds right to me! Us decorators always undervalued because you think you can do it yourself.”

Another person chimed in, backing the cost as they said:: “Like so many, you clearly don’t see the value in decorating after spending so much money to get the job to this stage, paying the going rate for other trades. Like all other businesses, trades are allowed to make a good living and make a profit.

“A quality decorator is worth their weight in gold, especially at this stage of your project. You have to have the right mindset, skills and dedication to be a quality decorator and you really do get what you pay for. £4,000 is a very good price for the size of the project. You should have bitten their hand off if they’re any good.”

Adding detail to the labour involved, a third contributed: “It’s not just a lick of paint though! It’s full mist then two coats of emulsion per wall, prime and top coat all woodwork.”

However, not everyone agreed, as another Instagram user wrote: “The day rate for the decorator we used is £200, with experience it shouldn’t take more than 4 days so £800. Not sure where £4,000 comes from.”

Injecting a bit of humour, another person added: “Have never used decorators myself but I do know that I’d still be trying to revive my Mr if we’d received that quote!”