Sample benchmark note
This is what you get back when you send a quote. The quote, the painter and the house are made up; the format is the one we use.
Send your quote Download the PDF See the sample scoping document
Sample. Made-up quote, made-up painter.
FN-SAMPLE-01
finalist.cc benchmark note
Benchmark note: interior repaint quote
| Trade | Interior painting |
|---|---|
| What we read | A one-page quote, pasted into the form (made up for this sample) |
| The house | Single-story, built in 1972 (as the homeowner told us) |
| The question | “Is anything missing? How do I compare this with another painter’s quote?” |
| Read by | A person at finalist.cc, against our interior painting scope checklist |
1. The quote as we received it
Example Painting LLC (made up) · Quote 1042
| Interior repaint, walls: living room, hallway, 3 bedrooms | $3,200 |
| Ceilings: living room and hallway | $650 |
| Trim and doors as needed | $600 |
| Materials, premium paint | $400 |
| Total | $4,850 |
2 coats where needed. Minor patching included. Fully insured. 1 year warranty. 50% deposit at signing, balance on completion. Price good for 15 days.
2. In four lines
- The quote names five rooms and the lines add up: $3,200 + $650 + $600 + $400 = $4,850.
- Five lines are vague: trim and doors “as needed”, “premium paint”, “2 coats where needed”, “minor patching” and “fully insured”. The first four let a second painter price a different job.
- Five things are missing: bedroom ceilings, colors, furniture and cleanup, a schedule, and lead-safe practice (the house was built before 1978).
- Half the total, $2,425, is due at signing. Ask what it pays for.
3. Line by line
| Line | The quote says | What we found | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rooms | “Walls: living room, hallway, 3 bedrooms” | Five rooms named, no sizes. Give any second painter the same room list with sizes so both price the same walls. | Included |
| Bedroom ceilings | Not listed (the quote has “Ceilings: living room and hallway”) | Bedroom ceilings are not on the quote. If you want them, ask for them as their own line. | Missing |
| Trim and doors | “As needed”, $600 | No count. Ask for the number of doors (one side or both) and which trim: baseboards, door casings, window casings, crown. | Vague |
| Coats | “2 coats where needed” | Who decides where? Ask for two finish coats on every wall and ceiling named. | Vague |
| Paint | “Premium paint”, $400 materials | No brand, product line or sheen. Ask for the product name and the sheen for walls, ceilings and trim. | Vague |
| Prep | “Minor patching included” | Define minor: nail holes and dings only, or cracks and water stains too? Ask about caulking, sanding and spot priming. | Vague |
| Colors | Not stated | How many colors, and does any wall go from dark to light? That often takes an extra coat. | Missing |
| Furniture, floors, cleanup | Not stated | Who moves furniture, how floors are covered, and what cleanup happens each day and at the end. | Missing |
| Schedule | Not stated | Ask for a start date and the number of working days. | Missing |
| Lead-safe practice | Not stated | The house was built in 1972. EPA says anyone paid to do work that disturbs painted surfaces in a home built before 1978 must be certified. Ask for the firm’s lead-safe certification and how it will contain dust. | Missing |
| Insurance | “Fully insured” | A phrase, not a document. Ask the painter’s insurance agent to send you the certificate of insurance, then check the business name and the dates. | Vague |
| Warranty | “1 year warranty” | The length is stated; what it covers is not. Ask for it in writing: peeling and blistering, labor and materials. | Stated |
| Payment | “50% deposit at signing, balance on completion” | $2,425 before work starts. Ask what the deposit pays for and whether the balance is due after a walk-through. | Stated |
| Arithmetic | Total $4,850 | $3,200 + $650 + $600 + $400 = $4,850. | Adds up |
| Price good for | “15 days” | Note the date it runs out before you collect other quotes. | Stated |
Lead-safe line: EPA, Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Program, https://www.epa.gov/lead/lead-renovation-repair-and-painting-program, read October 7, 2026.
4. Questions to send back to the painter
- Please add the bedroom ceilings as a separate line.
- How many doors are included, one side or both, and which trim: baseboards, door casings, window casings, crown?
- Will every wall and ceiling named get two finish coats?
- Which paint product and which sheen for walls, ceilings and trim?
- What does “minor patching” cover? Is caulking and spot priming included?
- How many colors does the price allow?
- Who moves furniture, how are floors covered, and what is the cleanup?
- What is the start date, and how many working days?
- Is your firm EPA lead-safe certified, and how will you contain dust? The house was built in 1972.
- Please have your insurance agent send me your certificate of insurance.
- What does the deposit pay for, and is the balance due after a final walk-through?
5. A scope to hand to a second painter
Yours to send to any painter you choose, so their quote prices the same job line by line. Fill in the blanks first.
- Walls in five rooms: living room, hallway, bedrooms 1, 2 and 3 (sizes attached).
- Ceilings: living room and hallway; price the three bedroom ceilings as a separate line.
- Trim: ___ interior doors (both sides), baseboards and door casings in all five rooms. Price trim as its own line.
- Two finish coats on everything named. Name the product and sheen for each surface.
- Prep: fill nail holes and dings, caulk trim gaps, spot prime patches. Price larger repairs per item.
- Colors: ___ wall colors, one ceiling white, one trim color.
- Include furniture moving, floor protection, daily and final cleanup.
- House built in 1972: describe lead-safe practice and certification.
- Give a start date, working days, payment schedule, warranty terms, and send a certificate of insurance.
6. What this note does not do
- It does not say whether $4,850 is high or low. We do not have a price database; the note is about scope and terms, and about making quotes comparable.
- It is not an opinion on the painter. Every finding quotes the painter’s own words.
- It is not a review of the contract’s legal terms.
- We did not see the house. Sizes and conditions come from the homeowner.
Prepared by finalist.cc, run by Our Landmen LLC. A sample to show the format; every name and figure is made up.