How pricing works
A house with three colors and a house with seven are different jobs, and the estimate says why.
What decides the price
Five things move it more than anything else.
Stories and access: height decides the scaffold
Repairs: rotted trim and failed caulk, by location
Colors and cut-in: each color adds masking
Coats and paint grade, named on the estimate
Hills, sidewalks and trees at the front
What the estimate includes, and what it doesn't
It lists the surfaces, repairs, coats, products, colors, cleanup, schedule and payments.
Left out: rot found behind old paint
Left out: colors added after you sign
Left out: fees the city sets for scaffold or street space
What happens at the visit
We walk the house from the sidewalk and the roofline, photograph trim and test how the old paint holds. It takes about an hour, and the estimate follows in writing.
How and when you pay
Payments follow stages written in your contract. The contract says what is due before work starts, so you know before you sign.
If the job changes
Rot behind old paint is the usual surprise. We stop, show you a photo, price the repair in writing and wait for your yes.
Materials and who buys them
We buy the paint, you choose the colors. A special order, like a carved bracket, is written as an allowance.
These are sample answers. Dollar amounts appear in your written estimate, not on this page.
Written estimates
What yours should say, and what a vague one says
| Line | A vague one | A written estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Surfaces | A vague one"Paint exterior" | A written estimateBetter: Each wall, bay, gable and trim run, listed |
| Repairs | A vague one"Prep as needed" | A written estimateBetter: Rot and loose paint, by location, with photos |
| Colors | A vague one"Up to three colors" | A written estimateBetter: How many, and where each one goes |
| Coats | A vague one"Two coats" | A written estimateBetter: Primer on bare wood, then two coats |
| Schedule | A vague one"About two weeks" | A written estimateBetter: A day range, with weather days stated |
| Payments | A vague one"Deposit, then balance" | A written estimateBetter: Stages, written in the contract |
Ask for a written estimate
Send the address and photos, and we will set a time to walk the house.