Frequently Asked Questions

1. Estimate. The first step in getting your project underway is getting an estimate. One of our
estimators, who will also manage the project should you sign with us, will come out to meet you
at the project site. Together, you will do a walk through of the project. Your estimator will raise
any visible issues to your attention, as well as getting any information you have about the project,
such as when the last paint job was, any issues you’ve noticed, etc. Once the walk through is
complete, your estimator will put together a proposal for you. This will include the scope of the
work to be completed, how the job will be staged (scaffolding or ladders for exteriors generally),
the cost of the work, and a general plan for how the work will be completed.

 

2. Signing and Scheduling. Once you’ve signed the contract and submitted your deposit, we can
begin to discuss dates. Our calendar is fluid, taking into account jobs that must be completed
before yours, weather, and other factors and as such, until 2-6 weeks before the start of the project
we can only give you an estimated time. It is not unusual for the start date to change, though we
do our best to give you an accurate approximation of when the work will start. This is also the
stage at which you should be choosing colors, especially for projects that will include scaffolding.
We can come out and put up three samples for every color in your color scheme so that you can
evaluate them in the light and at different times of day. Once scaffolding has been erected it
becomes very difficult to tell what the colors will actually look like on your home, on your street,
in your light conditions. If you don’t have any idea what colors you’d like, we suggest you look
around for a house whose color scheme you like and let us know the address. We can do color
matching to get samples of those colors up for you. We can also connect you with colorists at the
major paint manufacturers we work with.

3. Beginning the Job. Once we have a firm date on the calendar, we will send you an email with a
list of questions pertinent to your project. This usually includes any access codes or keys we will
need, the selection of an appropriate location on site to store equipment and materials, the
location of running water, and a drain that we can use during the work.

4. Day One and Prep. We will invoice you for 25% of the job as well as any scaffolding costs on the
first day of the job and continue to bill you at intervals set out in your contract for work
completed. The first thing to do on any exterior paint job is to make sure that the inside of your
home and your surroundings are protected. We follow all EPA guidelines for working around
lead based paint, which ensures the safety of your home and neighborhood. Most of a good paint
job is prep work and you might be surprised at how much of the total job time is spent scraping,
patching, caulking, and repairing any issues that come up. If we find any dry rot, missing metal
flashing, or other issues we will bring these to your attention with options for how to approach the
fixes, as well as the price of these fixes. You are always free to bring in other contractors to do
this work but one of the benefits of working with us is that we can usually complete these fixes
with the team already on site, reducing delays and ensuring an efficient finish to the work.

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5. Paint. At long last, the team will begin to apply primer and then the finish coats of paint. Once
these are finished, scaffolding (if in place) will come down and the team will remove any
scaffolding hooks and do any touch ups.

6. Final Walk Through. You will get a chance to do another walk through with the project manager,
this time noting anything that needs to be addressed, as well as admiring the finished product.
Congratulations, you’ve gotten your house painted!