Opinion of estimate for exerior painting (long)

18 years ago

DH and I are planning to paint the exterior of our house which we moved into last summer. We've never had a house painted before so I really don't know what is a reasonable price to pay.

Our house is about 4500 sq. ft., stucco, and in Cincinnati, OH. Here is the most appealing estimate we've received so far:

We hereby propose to furnish the materials and perform the labor necessary for the completion of Exterior Painting.

1. Power wash to remove dirt, dust, etc.

2. Hand scrape all areas peeling and primer raw surfaces with Porter's oil base primer.

3. Caulk all cracks, breaks, etc. with 45 year latex caulking.

4. Paint color of choice with Porter's 25 year Acrishield paints on all stucco, trim, window frames and doors.

5. Estimate about 10 days labor with 4 men.

6. All labor and materials guaranteed not to peel, crack or blister for a period of 3 years.

$8,300.00

I should also add that this company comes highly recommended by a colleague who has an old Victorian with 6 or 7 different colors on the exterior and she was very satisfied with this company. We would use 4 colors--the body color (not changing drastically), window trim, window sashes (including storms), and an accent color. As you can see from this picture of our house, there isn't a lot of detail at all in the trim work. What I'm worried about are the 45+ windows which all need to be scraped/stripped and reglazed. We obviously don't want to spend more than is necessary, but we want the work done right, and this estimate is actually a couple thousand lower than any other we've received. If it weren't for the rec from my co-worker, I might eliminate the estimate as the low one of the bunch. BUT, if we can get the house done for this amount we'd be thrilled. Here's a pic (I'll link, too, in case it doesn't work). Any opinions? Thanks!

Here is a link that might be useful: {{!gwi}}

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Comments (7)

deirdrelouisville
18 years ago
It is an astonishingly low price!

We live in Louisville, KY and just had our 6,000 square foot stucco home (3 story with 65 windows) painted at a cost of $22,000.

Our bids ranged from 12,000 to 30,000 dollars. Even at $22,000, the work is mediocre.
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randymeyer
18 years ago
Are you sure the windows are included?

In St. Louis, I would be about $9,000.00 just for the windows.

He is figuring about 320 man hours plus material. He is bidding at about $20/hr. That is cheap. I pay part time office personnel close to that rate.
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pharaoh
18 years ago
I think it is fair. Our house is about half that size. In LA, we paid half of your estimate.

Some part of the siding was wood which had to be sanded down. They painted the house in three colors, windows and the front door. Nice job, no spills, no dead plants! Took one man 7 days to do the whole thing.
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MongoCT
18 years ago
Are they just going to prime the areas of trim where they scrape the trim to bare wood, or prime all the trim?

Are they top coating the trim wth one coat of paint or two?

Since you're changing color on the window trim, I'd be concerned about getting a consistent top color. Much depends on the hiding ability of the paint they will be using. If they're tinting the primer. If suspect, the trim could look uneven under certain lighting conditions.

Are they spraying everything? Just spraying? How about the trim? When painting, will a brush ever touch the trim?

Cleanup? Splatters/overspray on the roof? Patio? Damage to landscape plantings?

May be uneeded concern on my behalf, but I'd ask the question.

You have the advantage of a good reference. That's worth a lot these days.

I'm in Connecticut. Cha-ching! Pricey. One of the better painters I know charges $20 an hour for himself, $14 an hour for his help. He does top-notch work, better work than those that charge $45-$50 an hour. His low bids actually scare people away, even after they see his fine work and with his excellent references.

Still, ask a few more questions to raise your comfort level.

Mongo
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cintijen
Original Author
18 years ago
Thanks so much to everyone for your responses! We have yet another highly recommended painter coming to do an estimate tomorrow, so I'll be anxious to see his price.

Mongo, thanks especially for your list of questions about the original estimate. I had compiled a short list, but you seem to have covered almost everything!

I'll post again after I receive the next estimate.

Jennifer
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cintijen
Original Author
18 years ago
Well, I got our fourth estimate today--$19,700! I'm so confused as to how each bid could vary so much. I'm going to call the $8300 and ask him all of Mongo's questions and try to make a decision from there...

Thanks again for all the input!
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MongoCT
18 years ago
Make sure that he's a true businessman...does he carry insuarance? Bonded? Workman's Comp? Some of these may or may not be required in your locale.

Get certificate/license numbers as required, and then CALL THE INSURANCE COMPANY to see if he has a policy in effect.

Way too many people print certificates up on their home computers and pass them off as real, or they steal the license number from another contractor.

What you want is for his insurace to cover the costs if someone falls off a ladder or scaffolding on your property. You don't wnat those costs coming out of your 401k.

Of course, if he falls off and no one is looking, drag him over on to the neighbor's yard, then call 911.(g) Aw, c'mon, it's just a bit of bad construction humor...

Mongo
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Opinion of estimate for exerior painting (long)

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deirdrelouisville

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Opinion of estimate for exerior painting (long)

Comments (7)

deirdrelouisville

randymeyer

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