A Pre-1978 Painting Estimate Checklist for Texas Contractors

Start with the building's age and the proposed work

A request to repaint a 1960s Texas house should not move straight from wall measurements to a standard preparation price. First establish the building's age, what surfaces the proposed work would disturb, and which existing records are available. Newer paint on top does not establish what is underneath.

The EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting program addresses paid work that disturbs painted surfaces in covered pre-1978 housing and child-occupied facilities. Applicability, exceptions, certification, and work requirements need to be checked for the actual project. A year-built field alone is not a complete determination.

Record how the age was established and whether it remains unconfirmed. Then list the components involved: walls, trim, doors, windows, porch details, or exterior siding. Describe proposed preparation separately from the finish coat so the assessment covers the work you really intend to perform.

Collect records without making a visual diagnosis

Ask the owner for any existing lead inspection, risk-assessment, testing, or previous renovation records. Keep the report date, author, property address, and the components covered with the job file. A report about one window does not automatically describe every surface in the house.

Use the visit to document access and the visible condition, with permission for photographs. Do not scrape, sand, or disturb a painted area simply to see what is underneath during an ordinary estimating visit. Arrange the appropriate qualified assessment when the information is incomplete.

Also ask whether the project involves assisted housing or a child-occupied facility. Those facts help the responsible professional identify the applicable requirements. The customer does not need to solve the rules for you, but the estimate needs enough information to avoid pricing the wrong job.

Keep renovation and lead-abatement roles distinct

Texas DSHS explains the relationship between Texas lead rules, EPA renovation requirements, and HUD rehabilitation projects. Its guidance distinguishes renovation from regulated lead-abatement work and identifies certification requirements for lead inspections and risk assessments in covered housing.

For estimating, that means naming the service you are actually offering. A repaint estimate should not quietly promise a lead inspection, permanent hazard removal, or a clearance result that your firm is not qualified and engaged to provide. Resolve who is responsible for each required task before allocating the cost.

If a specialist is involved, obtain a written scope and current quote. Identify the components covered, deliverables, expected timing, and any conditions that could change that quote. Do not replace that scope with a generic “lead fee.”

Cost the resulting work plan by task

Once the appropriate assessment and work requirements are established, rebuild the internal estimate. Include the tasks the qualified work plan actually requires. The example below shows arithmetic for assumed coordination and support tasks only; it is not a complete lead-related project specification or a recommended allowance.

The rates and hours are invented, not Texas market figures. Add any actual specialist services, equipment, waste handling, required verification, painting labor, materials, and other costs that the resolved plan includes. Avoid counting support work again if it is already inside a subcontractor's price.

Decide the selling price after completing the cost sheet. A fixed percentage added to an ordinary repaint total cannot tell you whether all required tasks have been covered.

Give unresolved items an explicit next step

When the scope is still uncertain, state what must be resolved before a final price can be issued. For example: “The proposed repaint covers the listed rooms. Preparation scope and scheduling will be finalized after review of the applicable records and the required qualified assessment.” Adapt the wording to the actual stage of the job.

When the scope is resolved, replace that provisional note with the confirmed tasks and responsibilities. Keep report references, access arrangements, required occupant communications, and scheduling dependencies with the relevant job record. Explain any separately quoted service clearly.

EPA's RRP resource page provides official guidance and sample documentation. Use the resources appropriate to your project; this estimating checklist does not replace training or a project-specific determination. Then organize the customer-facing work in the painting estimate template and complete the final estimate review.

About this article

Prepared for the Quote Your Jobs blog. Worked examples use illustrative assumptions, not customer case studies or local market rates. Replace them with the actual scope, supplier information and costs for your job.