How much does a painting contractor cost to start?

What is the opening scope?

One owner and two payroll employees take on short interior and accessible exterior repaint jobs. The case purchases one new cargo van, one airless sprayer, one HEPA extractor, two sanders, ladders and a small mobile access platform. There is no leased retail showroom, fitted workshop or property purchase. Monthly storage is an allowance; a particular address and permitted use are still unverified.

Startup quantities support a single crew, not three independent crews. The sprayer’s standard gun, hose and tip are already included by the manufacturer. The spare-hose/tip allowance is additional stock; it is not a second complete sprayer. A HEPA extractor is one component of dust management, not a finding that every sanding method or lead job is compliant. Current sprayer specification.

How do the opening uses reconcile?

The preopening expense includes $2,400 of burdened employee setup payroll and $1,500 of burdened owner time. The owner is paid for organizing the opening. A procurement contingency already spent on unidentified overruns is an opening expense in this conservative case, not a depreciable asset invented to make the balance sheet work.

What is actually in the tools budget?

Only the extractor $899 matches the checked Woodcraft listed price for model 577871. The sprayer $1,500 is a procurement allowance: the seller showed a struck-through reference price and an unseen cart discount. The retired 390 PC price is not substituted for the current Ultra 390. Other tool prices remain estimates without delivered quotations. Extractor observation; Sprayer price boundary; Discontinued model.

Is the opening cash enough for the ramp?

No, under the base assumptions. Cash first becomes negative in month 5 and reaches a lowest balance of −$33,027 in month 51. The modeled extra requirement is $33,027. Adding that amount to the initial reserve would bring the mathematically required reserve to $78,027 and the opening funding total to $156,104, with the loan unchanged. That leaves no operating cushion at the trough and does not improve EBITDA.

The downside requires $311,566 beyond the existing reserve. It should prompt a change to the operating plan, rather than treating an enormous reserve as proof of affordability. The upside stays positive, with a minimum balance of $11,810. All scenarios use the same opening equipment and paid roster; demand, price, rework, weather and balance-collection timing change together.

Which purchases need the closest attention?

The vehicle dominates capital spending. Ford’s model-year 2026 Cargo Van reference starts at $48,400 plus $2,095 destination. This case adds $1,800 for racks/protection and $400 for title/registration, then applies the modeled state purchase tax to the taxable vehicle basis. A real VIN quote must confirm configuration, passenger capacity, payload, options, registration and delivered cost. Manufacturer MSRP basis.

Budgeted purchases use $0 state tax outside the two named local surtax areas. Recurring cost and material allowances are tax-inclusive. Actual repaint-contract classification and any customer-collected tax need accountant review; the tax guide is not a project-specific determination. State/local rates; Contractor tax guide.

Training is time as well as a fee. The EPA firm fee is $300; the initial renovator course price of $425 is an unquoted allowance. The eight-hour course requirement does not establish that the selected crew has completed training. Pennsylvania registration is budgeted at $100. Firm fee; Training scope; State registration.

What has not been costed as an actual project?

The budget excludes property acquisition, showroom/workshop fit-out, industrial spraying, lead abatement, structural repair, extraordinary access, long-project work in progress and personal income taxes. Ordinary job materials are not a complete lead-disturbing job quotation. Site-specific containment, access, worker exposure controls, disposal and training needs must be assessed before such a scope is accepted.

Storage, insurance, transport arrangements, payroll burden, delivered tool prices and lender fees need current quotations. The single van is a tool carrier; no unsupported three-person seating specification is assumed. Confirm a lawful transport plan and any mileage reimbursement before using the roster budget. A smaller used vehicle or staged hire can reduce uses, but neither change belongs in this executed case until the inputs and cash model are rerun.

Validate the case inputs

Download the input and evidence register (CSV). This case export separates observed context from assumptions and leaves quotation fields blank for your project. It is an educational register, separate from the planned personalized model.