Home Services Guidelines and Best Practices
House Exterior Painting
House Exterior Painting guidelines, FAQs and unit pricing information
January 2017
Are you looking for independent, trustworthy advice about House Exterior Painting? Do you need to understand common installation options? If your project calls for House Exterior Painting work, the following guidelines and best practices will help you understand: Is a subcontractor really necessary for House Exterior Painting work? Will a permit be required? What are common problem areas? How much will House Exterior Painting labor cost? What are the important House Exterior Painting quality checks that should be included in the work requirements?
House Exterior Painting - Frequently Asked Questions
| What is a fair price for House Exterior Painting? | Costs vary with project size, job quality and time of year. For typical House Exterior Painting expect to pay between $1.07 to $1.33 per square foot. Additional fees are typically charged for small projects or rush jobs. |
| Is a permit needed for House Exterior Painting work? | Design approval and permits from your local building authority are usually not required for House Exterior Painting. If your home is subject to homeowner association covenants, you should verify that the House Exterior Painting complies with association guidelines. |
| Is it worth using a professional to perform House Exterior Painting work? | The appearance, useful life and required maintenance for the house paint may be affected by poor installation techniques and inexperience. To minimize risks with House Exterior Painting, hire service providers carefully and always tie payment milestones to appropriate quality checks (use the list below). |
| Is House Exterior Painting something that I can do myself? | The typical House Exterior Painting project can be completed by a moderately skilled do-it-yourselfer; as with any project, high quality House Exterior Painting requires attention to detail and careful planning. |
| How many days are typically required to complete the House Exterior Painting work? | This work can be completed in 1 to 4 days. |
House Exterior Painting - Options, Quality Checks and Important Details
Use the list below to document your expectations for level of detail and finish quality for House Exterior Painting. Make sure that relevant information is included in any written contracts or work orders on your project. Before any House Exterior Painting work begins, review the checklist with the service provider. Tie payments to satisfactory completion of this checklist.
- The layout, location, style and finish appearance of ALL materials used in House Exterior Painting will be approved by owner, before any work begins
- No home exterior or clean up residue will be left on adjacent finished surfaces, trim plates, fixtures or grilles
- All visible home exterior surfaces will have a consistent texture and uniform sheen
- The home exterior finish will have uniform color depth and appearance in all lighting conditions
- All home exterior edges at surface edges and trim intersections are sharp and crisp, forming a clean, straight line
- The home exterior surface and surface finish will be free of surface defects, irregularities and any physical damage
- There will be no house paint on hardware, trim plates or fittings; attached hardware and fittings should be removed prior to house paint application, whenever possible
House Exterior Painting - Work Milestones and Project Reminders
The following list summarizes work tasks commonly performed during House Exterior Painting. These tasks help ensure proper completion of the house paint work and compliance with common manufacturer and vendor warranty requirements. Make sure that either you or your service provider takes responsibility for each of these tasks. All service provider task responsiblities should be clearly called out in the written contract or work orders.
- Review written list of work to be completed; review quality requirements and payment terms before work begins
- Select, specify and order house paint; verify that type, grade, finish, size, color, any options, and quantity are clearly identified in the order; make sure that delivery date, terms and damage provisions are included in the order
- Confirm date (and time) for project start with subcontractor - one week and two days prior to project start
- Review material choices for House Exterior Painting with the homeowner before work begins - consider toxic exposure, allergic risks and environmental factors; purchase construction materials only after approval
- Prepare area for safe, efficient work; move items that restrict work access or are vulnerable to damage; cover and protect items that cannot be moved
- Carefully remove fixtures, fittings, finish plates, grilles, knobs, pulls and trim that will be reinstalled later; label and safely store these items for later use
- Inspect installation quality and verify proper operation for house paint using the Quality Checklist on this page; create a punch list of final tasks that must be completed prior to final payment
- Reinstall pre-existing fixtures, fittings, finish plates, knobs, pulls, grilles and trim
- Submit final payment in exchange for signed lien release; final payment amount should be adjusted for excess material to be returned and tasks not performed; pay with a check to ensure expense can be verified for tax purposes
