Four years ago, the search for a housepainter led us to interview several candidates. We were not impressed, albeit not disgusted, with anyone until we met John. Unlike some other painting contractors, he is present onsite while all work takes place. That's really important!
He was unpretentious, obviously passionate about his craft, and genuinely interested in what was wanted/needed. He also took the time to look around and note the neighborhood standards and what kind of details and colors were absent, overdone, or were too darned boring.
Something really awesome about John -- it meant so much to me, personally -- was that he didn't try to rush decisions about color. He encouraged us to obtain samples so we could see how they appeared on the house in sunlight, rather than relying on little squares on the brochure. I already had a picture in my head of how I wanted it to look, but I also wanted to weed out other colors I'd considered just in case I'd like those better. Sure enough, I preferred my original choice, and John's input across all the colors was very much appreciated. Some were pretty but already appeared on the block and I wanted to be different; some were interesting but too ghetto, and others were great but I felt I'd get tired of them if they covered the whole house. John's considerable patience and listening to all my questions and ponderings did not go unnoticed. He spent a lot of time with us!
John and his team prepared the house beautifully, protecting all the windows and the front door, using dropcloths on the ground, and communicating with us constantly about what they were doing so we'd know not to try to go out the door or open windows (we were home the whole time). He power-washed the house. As a favor, he also washed out and fixed the gutters! (One had been sagging and screamed "fixer upper" ) They never looked better! He also called attention to areas where the termite guys had missed some of the dry rot problem. That enabled me to call them back and have it taken care of so the painting could proceed on schedule.
I was fortunate enough to watch the guys work, and they were true artists. I'm an artist myself, and these guys treated the house like their canvas. They cleaned up after themselves and the property looked much better than before they did their masterpiece. The house looked like new construction!
We couldn't have been happier with the process, the result, and now, the longevity of the work. It has held up very well, four years later. The only blemishes are nicks in the entry threshold that happened when a fridge was wheeled in, three years later.
The cost was slightly lower than other quotes, although that did not swing the decision. I don't believe a better result would have been possible at any price. Sure hope John's still painting by the time the house needs to be done again!
FYI: if you're planning to have your house painted, determine if there first needs to be termite treatment/dryrot/gutter repair done first. Don't spend money and time prettying up all the siding and trim if boards need to be replaced -- then the paint will look like a lipstick job that has to be done all over again. The condition of your gutters, siding and trim, as visible from the street, is a big factor in the house appearing to be well-maintained or not. read more
