Can you make a living as a domestic painter and decorator?

[ShimmiedIntoLife]

I have lost my corporate job. I dread the thought of job hunting to end up in the same soul destroying reality. It paid well though but made me and by extension DH miserable. I love painting, walls, ceilings, fences, outdoor furniture, it has been my weekend escape for years. I will need to upskill on woodwork. I appreciate loss of pension contributions, no sick pay, etc, so maybe I live in a fantasy world thinking I can make a living. I would be curious to hear from those who know. Thank you.

You can make a living. I've known some fairly well off painters.
You can still have pensions and sick pay if you plan for them.
Good trades people are hard to come by so good luck.

You absolutely can. The man I use is so in demand that you have to book him in around 6 months minimum advance. He is worth every penny I pay him!

I think ladies living on their own would love having a female painter and decorator maybe offer gardening as well.

I know someone who does painting and decorating, garden maintenance and odd jobs like building flatpack furniture etc. He also does house clearances for landlords after tenants have moved out, and for repossessed properties etc. Usually the place has been trashed and after clearing out all the mess it needs totally redecorating. He's friends with other tradespeople (plumbers, electricians, fencers, locksmiths etc) who he calls on, and they do likewise, passing jobs to each other as the need arises.

Make yourself known to local estate agents and landlords, that's my suggestion.

I would want a female painter. And I and sure a lot of single women would. I think you would be booked up quickly

I would book you. Good luck I'm sure that you'll do really well, but research it all first!

Absolutely! We've had a female painter/ decorater for years, she's always well booked up, is reliable and very good at her job.. Go for it!

I know a couple of female painter/decorators. They seem to get plenty of work.

Honestly some of the most well off people I know are tradies!
If you have the skill set its def worth looking into IMO.

Why is everyone just assuming the OP is female? Men can have DHs too!

OP, enjoying doing something and being good at it are two different things. I'm sure you do have skills, but they won't compare to those of an experienced painter and decorator. I would plan to do a college course or qualification in painting and decorating rather than just leaping into starting a business. You'll likely be studying alongside a load of teenagers, but you will learn so much.

There is a lady who lives near me, who is a self employed painter and decorator. She’s painted a couple of rooms for me and her work is excellent. I have her booked in again for next month. She’s always very busy and you have to wait to get anything done.

She always gets back to you and she’s very punctual. I like the fact that she’s a woman. I’m on my own, so it feels good to have a woman in my home.

She told me that all her work comes from recommendations.

@NoYouCantComeToTheWedding I am actually very good, I have every tool imaginable, can fill, sand etc. See two recent rooms, same colour. I also have a City and Guild working at height certificate from another life. I have been in senior commercial roles for years, so can run a business. I can afford to give it a go while job searching, I suppose and see how it goes.

Thank you all for the encouragement, and I am female, mid-forties.

Hi OP.

I'm an electrician, you absolutely can make a good living as a decorator, my best mate is a decorator (south west) and is booked well into next year! which makes him unavailable to touch up my wall destructions!

Both his kids go to private prep school, nice house, pension etc.

We do have pensions just as the corporate world does, you just have to attune your own with an adviser, I've got a good pension, private healthcare and private GP (which you need, because if you get injured you need to be back in business pronto)

Financially you should do very well, once up and running you should outstrip your corporate salary I'd think. You will be doing cash basis accounting as a sole trader, so keep every receipt that is deductible for when you do your books.

The only thing that is tricky is holiday, as you don't want to turn away work, and every job is different - I last took a holiday in 1996!.

Good luck, it will be great.

Around me (where it's rural) it is all but impossible to get anyone out to do anything around the house! So if you can offer as many skills as possible (my handyman did my guttering, sorted out a loose tap and is coming to fit my shelves later in the year) you will be beating them off with a stick. Even if you only do interior decorating, if you live somewhere fairly populous, you should be fine. It's just that with the cost of living increasing, you might want to upskill just a touch so you can offer a wide range of services (as many people are trying to do their own decorating to save costs).

Can you do hallways and climb a ladder to do iy? I think a lot of people who do their own painting will get someone in to do their hall, landing and stairs. Can you also do outside painting?

@Yetone Outside is no problem, currently changing colour of my own fence. Landing will be tricky to edge if high contrast colour, would need a special ladder...

I am desperate for female tradies.

Not just as a lone woman feeling safer with a woman working here, but because tradesmen are unilaterally unreliable and I hold out hope that a woman would just bloody turn up when she says she will.

Yes make sure you have all the right “kit” to do high landings/ceilings etc. But if you enjoy it, then get researching on prices to charge etc. don’t undersell yourself just because you’re new. Set up a Facebook account too and get friends to share your work.

I would hire you and wouldn't care if you were male or female as long as you were good. We have just renovated and now at the point of painting. Although out painter is great, good rates, flexible etc I have to go round afterwards and point out the things missed or needing another sand/tidy/fill etc. (He asked me to do this, I'm not being overly picky).

If you have good attention to detail it helps. Also, having a good eye for colour and having suggestions of what goes with X colour flooring or X coloured carpet would help me out. I realise some people have their own thoughts and won't take advice, but I find it difficult. The neutral colours we thought would be perfect, turned out either too dark, barely there or a pinky/lilac colour 😩

I'd totally go for it in your shoes - always in demand, good pay and as people have said, there will be a ready market for a female painter and decorator. I imagine it would be worth finding if there are any organisations that support new businesses in your area (my parents used to work for one in London) and get some advice on marketing, running a business etc.

We have a female plumber and she’s in huge demand. We absolutely love her though - she has a really positive, ‘Right, let’s this sort out’ attitude. Definitely go for it, and bring through apprentices when you can. Your work is great and you’ll have more work than you know what to do with.

My husband is a painter and decorator, brings in plenty dosh for the 6 of us. The main guys he worked with are now charging £40 an hour, yeah they're still busy but it tends to be long tedious jobs I. E painting the whole outside of a farmhouse that takes weeks. He's quite happy charging by job or £20 an hour.

You can make a great living doing any of the trades - just be aware that it is hard on the body. DH is a plasterer and arthritic in his early 40's - his dad is 80 and barely mobile as he destroyed his knees and back at work for years.

I paid £1700 for 2 rooms and a hallway and ceilings it can’t have taken more that two days

If I get two identical quotes, one from Bob and one from Sue, I would choose Sue without a moments hesitation. I would probably still choose Sue even if she was 50% more.