You’ve seen the signs that your house will need to be painted this summer or fall. Perhaps it is peeling paint falling in your driveway or the bushes against the side of the house. Perhaps there is an unsightly mildewy look beneath the eaves. Maybe the evening light reveals that the parts of your house exposed to full sun look just a little different than the ones that are shaded much of the day.

It’s time to get a reliable estimate for getting your house painted.

Gather information

Your first step is to start gathering information. Who do you know that paints houses, or recently had their house painted. Who do they recommend? Did they have a positive experience? How does the paint job look now?

Later, when you get a few estimates, you can also check the Better Business Bureau site for references and information about the companies who have actually submitted competitive bids. Remember though, just because a company has had a complaint or two at the BBB does not mean that they are not a good candidate for your work. Look instead to see if the complaint was reasonable, and whether the company was able to successfully resolve it. The biggest and best companies are not the ones that never make mistakes. Instead, they likely make a few mistakes just because of the amount of work they do. The real proof is whether they solve those occasional issues to the satisfaction of the customer.

Define the job

While you are gathering information about who you might want to have paint your house, begin to think about the scope of the work.

Does the paint job include a nearby garage or shed? Are there a few hard-to-reach eaves or other spots? How many layers of paint are already in place – will it have to be a full scrape job or just a light scrape then they can paint over it? How much of the work will be done on ladders or scaffolding? How important is it that they pick up all their debris – or are you willing to do some of the clean-up to save a few dollars?

Request and evaluate bids

Once you’ve clarified the work and gathered a few names, you are ready to make calls.

List a few key points about the work, and call to ask for estimates making sure you mention those points. Most companies will give you an estimate for free, but they will tell you upfront if they do or don’t offer everything you request.

Then use the information you have gathered and pick the company that meets your needs and your budget. Remember that getting better quality work the first time – including better quality paint – means a few extra years before your next paint job.

Photo by Ricky Singh on Unsplash