Youngsook Lee
Owner and color lead
Paints the test boards and walks every scheme with the owner.
Victorian and Edwardian exteriors in San Francisco
A Victorian can carry three colors or seven.
Lee & Espada plans the scheme with you on test boards, files the scaffold paperwork, scrapes to sound wood and paints the bays, brackets and gables in order.
How many colors is your house asking for?
One tower, five colors
Where each color goes
A scheme is a list of layers. Each layer gets a color and each color points at a part of the house.
- 1
Body
The main shingle field. It is the biggest area, so it sets the mood of the whole house.
- 2
Second body
A tall gable can take its own shingle color, which breaks up the height.
- 3
Trim
Window casings, corner boards and the band between floors. It frames the body.
- 4
Sash
The thin frames inside the casing. Usually the darkest color on the house.
- 5
Bands and borders
The line between floors and the edge of the gable, where a small accent earns its place.
Three, five or seven
What changes with each extra color
The prep is the same on every scheme. The masking, the cut-in and the time on the scaffold are not.
| What changes | Three colors | Five colors | Seven colors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Layers painted | Three colorsBody, trim, one accent | Five colorsTwo body colors, trim, sash, one accent | Seven colorsBody, second body, trim, sash, two accents, porch |
| Best for | Three colorsA plain facade or an Edwardian | Five colorsMost Victorians with a bay and brackets | Seven colorsA tower with scrollwork and shingle patterns |
| Masking and cut-in | Three colorsLong, simple lines | Five colorsMore tape at every window | Seven colorsHand-cut details throughout |
| Time on the scaffold | Three colorsThe shortest stay | Five colorsA few days longer | Seven colorsThe longest stay |
| Test boards | Three colorsOne board of each color | Five colorsTwo boards, sunny side and shady side | Seven colorsBoards on every side of the house |
| Deciding | Three colorsOne conversation | Five colorsA consult and a second look | Seven colorsA consult, boards and a walk past at noon and at dusk |
Scaffold and permit sequence
From yes to first coat, and on to the last
The days are for a three-story house with ordinary repairs. Yours come in writing.
- Day 0
Step 1: Walk the house and the block
We look at the facade from the street and the roofline, list what needs repair and ask what your block or district requires.
- Week 1
Step 2: File what the city needs
If scaffold or a pole will stand on the sidewalk or in the street, we prepare the application and tell you the fee. If your house is in a historic district, we ask before ordering paint.
- Day 1
Step 3: Scaffold goes up
Tied to the building, with rails and toe boards, and a covered walkway where people pass under it.
- Days 2 to 8
Step 4: Scrape, repair, prime
Loose paint comes off with scrapers and a HEPA vacuum. Rotted trim is replaced, gaps are filled, bare wood is primed.
- Days 9 to 14
Step 5: Body, then trim, then accents
We paint from the top down and from the largest area to the smallest, so a drip never lands on finished work.
- Last day
Step 6: Walk it, touch up, take it down
We walk the house with you from the sidewalk, fix what you point at and strike the scaffold.
Fog and rain days are days off. The schedule moves; it isn't squeezed.
Schemes
Sample work, by what you are looking at
Pick the part of your house, then see what other schemes did with it.
Showing 6 of 6
Sample photos.
Before the color
Most of the work is done before the first coat
A Victorian holds more old paint than most houses, and the new color is only as good as what it sticks to.
Houses this old can carry lead paint under later coats, so every scrape is set up as if they do: plastic down, a HEPA vacuum on the scraper and no dry sanding.
On every house
Scrape to sound paint, with a HEPA vacuum on the scraper
Replace rotted trim and shingles
Fill, caulk and sand the repairs
Prime every patch of bare wood
How pricing works
What moves the price of a multi-color house
Every estimate states its drivers. These four move it most.
Stories and access
Height decides the scaffold, and a steep lot or a tree at the front changes how it is set.
Repairs
Rotted trim, split shingles and failed caulk are listed by location, so you can see what you are paying for.
Colors and cut-in
Each color adds masking and a set of days. Seven colors is a different job than three.
Coats and paint
Bare wood takes primer first. The grade of paint is named on the estimate.
Six people on your scaffold
The same crew from the first walk-through to the last touch-up.
Bonifacio Espada
Co-owner and crew foreman
Runs the scaffold and decides what gets painted in what order.
Ebonie Edmondson
Color consultant
Sits down with you and the boards, and keeps the color list for the job.
Duc Cao
Estimator and permits
Writes the estimate and prepares the city paperwork.
Miles Thorne
Restoration carpenter
Replaces rotted trim, brackets and shingles to match.
Sakura Fujita
Office and scheduling
Keeps the calendar, the fog days and the neighbors' notes.
From sample jobs
What owners say about the paperwork and the paint
“The crew painted a board in two colors on the sunny side and the shady side before we chose. Neither looked like the chip, which is why it was worth doing.”
Azadeh K.Five-color scheme, Alamo Square
“The scaffold went up the week the city's paperwork cleared, and the garden was covered again every morning.”
Idil M.Three-story Edwardian, Cole Valley
“The estimate named every bracket we were repainting and said what would cost extra if the wood was rotten. Twice it was, and we had photos both times.”
Jakub P.Seven-color Queen Anne, Haight-Ashbury
Sample reviews.
Questions
Before you call
How long does a Victorian take?
Most two- and three-story houses are on the scaffold for one to three weeks, depending on how much wood needs repair and how many colors are going on. You get a day range in writing, not a promised date, because fog and rain move the days.
Do I need a permit for the scaffold?
It depends on where it stands. Scaffold on your own lot may need none; scaffold or a pole on the sidewalk or in the street usually does. We prepare the application, tell you the city's fee before we file and start the clock the week you sign.
Will my historic district or HOA approve my colors?
Some districts, landmark buildings and HOAs review exterior color. We ask before we order paint, and we can print a color board for the review. The approval is theirs to give, not ours.
How many colors is too many?
When a color doesn't point at a part of the house, it is noise. Three colors suit a plain facade. Five suit most Victorians with a bay and brackets. Seven suit a house with a tower, scrollwork and shingle patterns. We stop where the house stops.
My house was built before 1978. What changes?
Federal rules (the EPA's renovation, repair and painting rule) apply to paid work that disturbs paint in homes and child-occupied buildings built before 1978. They call for a certified firm, trained workers, plastic containment and a cleanup check. Every San Francisco Victorian is covered. Your estimate says what applies to your house, and our firm certification number is under Credentials on the About page.
Estimate
Send the address and a photo
We will walk the house with you, from the sidewalk and from the roofline, and write the estimate.
Phone(415) 555-0101
Hours
- Monday – FridayToday
- 7 a.m. – 4 p.m.
- SaturdayToday
- Estimate visits by appointment
- SundayToday
- Closed
Shop and office1475 Evans Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94124