Hanging a picture

[Greg in Maine]

I got a call yesterday from a person (not a picture framing customer) who would like me to hang a picture for them. I am a small shop in a small town, and tend to do most anything a customer would like. The picture is about 3' x 4' ,weighs about 20 pounds and they want it to hand in a stairwell (I would guess that I will need some sort of ladder or staging to reach the hanging spot). The people live about 10 miles from here. I am wondering what a fair price might be to provide them with this sertvice. What do you think? Thanks for your ideas...again. Greg in Winthrop Maine.

 

[Jim Miller]

For out-of-shop work, I charge $60.00 per hour (including drive time) plus 65 cents per mile. Any hardware or materials are charged at full retail price.

Hanging a 36" x 48" picture in a stairwell may be a problem, depending on the difficulty of arranging ladders or scaffolding. Also, I suggest you check the weight; 20 pounds seems a bit light for a picture of those dimensions -- acrylic glazing, maybe?

If you do this job well, you may have a loyal new customer and a good source of referrals, as well. But the first priority is to do the job profitably. Price carefully.

 

[Curly's Mom]

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Jim Miller:
Price carefully.<hr></blockquote>
But also be careful. What happens if you fall and get injured? Who's going to work in your shop? I have an installer that works for me full time to do installations AND I don't let him get on anything higher than a 6' step ladder. If he can't hang it we tell the client to use their carpenter or painter who might have the scaffolding or a tall enough ladder. I also charge approximately the same as Jim but I feel the safety of my employee is more important than the money.

 

[Ron Eggers]

I also charge $60/hour including round-trip travel. This is significantly more than my hourly shop rate and reflects the fact that I don't like to hang pictures. I don't do scaffolding.

If you do this, make yourself a tool kit with everything you could possibly need so you don't have to make more than one trip. Mine has tools, a large assortment of hangers, glass cleaner and rags and band-aides. Resist the temptation to "borrow" tools from this kit for other purposes. It's embarassing to have to ask for a hammer, especially if you're charging $60/hour. Also, you'd be surprised how many homeowners don't have a hammer, or have no idea where it might be.

Also, find out ahead of time if you're going to need a hammer drill and masonry bits, special security hangers or pepper spray for the family dog. (I love dogs, but not when they've got ahold of my cuff and are trying to pull me off a ladder.) Assume nothing, especially if you're hanging pictures you didn't frame. You might get there and find this picture has a single sawtooth hanger. Sometimes it helps to have an extra pair of hands. A teenage son or daughter works very well, especially if they're looking for a little movie money. (If you don't have a teenage son or daughter, I don't recommend acquiring one just for this purpose.)

The best thing about hanging pictures is that I've rarely left a site without bringing back several new projects to the shop. The prevailing attitude seems to be, "As long as you're here . . ."

As an alternate plan, I've developed a good relationship with an ex-framer who also has good interior design skills. I'll often refer hanging jobs to her and she, in turn, sends/brings framing to me. Everybody wins.