yes, they are hacks. You need to find a reputable painter, not the bunch of guys standing around in front of Home Depot

Respectfully, this is a very reputable company with 4.5 on 85 great reviews on yelp. That is why I am so confused. What should I do?

OMG, get rid of them now! A high school kid can do better than that! You should have no drip marks, they shouldnt even be putting the ladder on wet paint and if they are spraying, they usually tape off the areas NOT to be sprayed! I hope you didnt pay them anything yet. Print out these pictures, in case you have to go to court over this! WOW! Just WOW!

I appreciate the information. I do not want to exaggerate or be impossibly hard to please, just to get a reasonable sense of what should be expected with a reputable paint company. I only posted a few pics but there are a lot more issues than just those posted. For example, gloppy paint on sides and behind downspouts because they were never removed before painting, bent nails exposed instead of snapped off before painting, areas of paint already flaking off, white paint tracked over our dark porch and overspray on our concrete patio, dry rot that was not only not fixed, but not painted and just left exposed to elements, etc-but to be fair there are also areas of the siding that seem fine.

I guess I list them all out, with pics included, and ask the owner to make sure they are addressed. Then the ball is in his court to fix it up. Hopefully it will all work out, and I REALLY appreciate the information about what is and is not part of a typical exterior paint job.

Whatever you do - do not pay them. If you've given them a deposit, do not give them any more. Do not let them talk you into giving them more money to go buy more product or whatever.

Be very firm, not one more penny until EVERYTHING on your list is cleaned up and corrected. Give them a reasonable deadline to get it done and get out - like 5 or 10 working days.

They've put you in a very difficult position. You want to be a good client and play fair and now they're now forcing you to supervise their work, put your foot down, and make demands. You don't want to piss them off or be mean, but you are obligated to speak up for your investment in the paint job and your home. I always make a point of letting them know that I don't appreciate their putting me in the position to hold them accountable.

(been there done this more times than I care to count)

" For example, gloppy paint on sides and behind downspouts because they were never removed before painting, bent nails exposed instead of snapped off before painting, areas of paint already flaking off, white paint tracked over our dark porch and overspray on our concrete patio, dry rot that was not only not fixed, but not painted and just left exposed to elements, etc-but to be fair there are also areas of the siding that seem fine.

I guess I list them all out, with pics included, and ask the owner to make sure they are addressed."

What does your contract say? Were the downspouts going to be removed, or painted in place? Were the employees supposed to remove bent nails and repair dry rot? Or was someone else supposed to do that before they arrived?

In my part of the country, it's way too cold to paint now. I've also seen paint run when it was put on so late in the day, it didn't dry before the dew set, and the result looked like your first picture.

The overspray and tracked paint can probably be cleaned up, but it sounds pretty bush league that they didn't mask things off in the first place.