Curb Appeal - And How Not to Get Burned!
I love this time of year here on the Outer Banks.
It seems like just when you cant stand another day of cold windy weather, springtime peeks out and saves the day.
With all of the springtime renewal, most homeowners often begin the process of clean up from winters wrath.
Whether your property is for rent, sale, or just for you, curb appeal can make all the difference in the world.
How so, you ask? Well let me assure you that with so many rental homes or homes for sale these days, the markets are getting very competitive.
The curb appeal of your home can either make or break you in terms of how many rentals you book or how soon your home will sell.
If you are skeptical, just ask any rental or sales agent.
Having realized how important curb appeal really is, you might ask yourself, how can I get the most bang for my buck? The answer is simple.
Paint! Surfaces inside and outside of your home are often covered with a coating that is applied by a painter, and if these surfaces are coated sloppily, your scrutiny then turns to the imperfections beneath the coating as well.
There is an old saying in the construction trades which goes, a little caulk, a little paint, makes the carpenter what he aint.
Years ago, when we used to do more new construction, one thing I remember most vividly is this very premise.
If we were given enough time to do a really nice, neat job, the rest of the punch list for the other trades was relatively small.
Everything shined like a new penny, crisply coated, and clean.
But when we were rushed, forced to work over other trades with their dirt and dust resting on our freshly painted surfaces, not being able to clean up completely, the customers always recognized the imperfections in the paint and then turned their attention to the drywall, then the carpentry, then the flooring, and so on and so on.
These punch lists were frequently out of control, with items that normally would be perfected by the painter to some degree.
Considering this, its easy to understand why painting is the most frequently requested type of work in a massive home improvement market.
Relatively, the cost of painting as compared to other types of work is low.
if you hire the right people.
Not to mention, anybody can paint, right? Well true, to some degree, but surprisingly few people actually do paint correctly.
If you dont believe me, just ride down the road and look at how many houses are peeling.
You might be equally surprised to know how many of those homes were professionally paint just a year or two ago.
The repair of these peeling homes has actually emerged as one of our specialties, unfortunately for the owners.
Just think about how aggravated you would be to hire someone to coat your home for what you think is a good price, only to have that job peel within a year.
You are left to track down the painter and hope that they will fix it.
I can assure you, that for one reason or another, most of the time they will not.
So beware of bargain specialists, since your savings wont mean much if you receive a low quality product without after-sale service.
At this point your actual cost doubles, at least.
You see, what usually happens goes something like this.
You call four painters for an estimate on a given project.
Only two ever respond, and the scope of work that those two painters outline, is vastly different.
One says that they will powerwash and then begin to apply one coat of a paint to the siding, for $500.
00.
The other painter says they will powerwash, and after the house dries out, they will handscrape to remove any additional loose or peeling paint, and then they will prime and apply two coats of stain to the siding for $850.
00.
Most people will then call one or both painters to ask about the difference in the scope of work, to which each painter defends their scope.
For whatever reason, it seems that very frequently, the customer will choose the lowest price, and take the word of the painter that tells them that the additional scraping and coats recommended by the other guy is just a needless expense, when in fact, it is the most important part of the job.
So, now that the bargain job has failed, and the painter cannot be found or refuses to repair it, you are left to repair the job, usually at a higher price, since the additional prep work is compounded by another coat of paint! So how do you wade through the rising tide of painting contractors here on the Outer Banks to select the one thats right for you? Well a good place to start is with their associations and references.
If you are satisfied with a contractors recommendations, ask to see their references.
A reputable contractor should have references in your neighborhood, and if not, you might ask yourself if the contractor is experienced enough to handle your job.
Ask if they are members of the local Chamber of Commerce, and Better Business Bureau.
You might think that memberships with these associates is meaningless and just another expense adding to the contractors hourly rate, but actually these associates do provide you the customer with some added assurances, if there are problems.
The Better Business Bureau can provide you with free, third party dispute resolution, but more importantly, their standards for membership effectively begin the vetting process for you.
Membership in the PDCA (Painting and Decorating Contractors of America) is another tell-tale sign that the contractor is serious about their business and their commitment to their customers.
You see, if a business owner does not see value in being members of their trade association, or the qualifying associates of their community like the BBB, how valuable are you to them once the job is finished, or problems arise? To me, this is where the men are separated from the boys, so to speak.
Face it, no company operates without the occasional problem.
A companys success or eventual demise rests in some part on how the problems are handled.
Companies that are not interested in growth, planning, and associations, very often cannot financially withstand the hit of a warranty project, and will do everything in their power not to paint for free.
This mentality is the main reason that the home improvement sector is the most frequently complained about sector in this economy.
This mindset costs consumers billions of dollars per year in improper installations and failures within the trades.
Many trades are regulated by the state, but painting is not one of them.
Compounded with the ease and relative low cost of start up, painting contractors are springing up like so many new blades of grass here, on the Outer Banks.
While it is true that painting is not rocket science, and anyone can paint, or at least move their arms back and forth with a brush in hand, professional painters never really stop learning.
With coatings, tools and regulations continually changing, serious contractors strive to learn all they can to improve their finished products and service to their customers.
In a market where there is a never ending stream of painters promising to do the same job at a lower price, value is sometimes hard to discern, but if you take the time to look into a companys backround and reputation, and remember that price is relative to the quality of the proposed work, you should not be disappointed.
If problems arise, you can rest assured that the companys main concern is your satisfaction, and not whether they can afford to repair your job.
When gathering your estimates, there are several specific things you should be looking for.
First, you must compare apples to apples as it were.
If you get differing scopes of work, you must determine which scope is proper for your job.
You might try talking to all bidders, but if you are still not sure, contact the PDCA or your local paint store.
Believe me, the paint stores dont want their paint failing any more than you do, and will usually be able to tell you what is proper regarding preparation and coatings, keeping in mind that they do sell paint.
I have been in situations where the paint store tries to sell the customer an extra coat of primer or a much more expensive coating, etc.
Second, make sure that the contractor will be using a moisture meter for exterior work to check the moisture content of the substrate prior to painting.
Moisture is the primary cause of paint failure, and if the contractor does not use a meter, they are guessing.
Wood cannot be painted properly until the moisture content is below 12%...
period.
As far as I know, there very few contractors using the meters here, so beware, and be sure.
Third, make sure that the contractor does not specify cheap materials.
Materials usually are less than one fourth the cost of any given project, with labor being the most expensive.
What have you really saved if the cheap materials only last a couple of years? This is also true with caulking.
Caulk is the sole barrier between your trim and siding, which when failed, often goes unnoticed and causes rot and mold.
These repairs are usually extensive, and expensive and could be prevented by using a five dollar per tube caulking instead of a two dollar per tube caulk.
Again, illustrating where the real value is.
Fourth, realize that there are too many other pertinent things to think about than can be covered in this article, and you are ultimately responsible for your decisions.
In painting, value comes in the form of long lasting jobs, and crisp clean work.
While every company reports to deliver this value, statistics show that this market is sorely lacking in professionalism.
Do your homework, develop relationships with reputable companies, and you'll sleep better knowing that your property has that curb appeal which sets you apart from the rest!
It seems like just when you cant stand another day of cold windy weather, springtime peeks out and saves the day.
With all of the springtime renewal, most homeowners often begin the process of clean up from winters wrath.
Whether your property is for rent, sale, or just for you, curb appeal can make all the difference in the world.
How so, you ask? Well let me assure you that with so many rental homes or homes for sale these days, the markets are getting very competitive.
The curb appeal of your home can either make or break you in terms of how many rentals you book or how soon your home will sell.
If you are skeptical, just ask any rental or sales agent.
Having realized how important curb appeal really is, you might ask yourself, how can I get the most bang for my buck? The answer is simple.
Paint! Surfaces inside and outside of your home are often covered with a coating that is applied by a painter, and if these surfaces are coated sloppily, your scrutiny then turns to the imperfections beneath the coating as well.
There is an old saying in the construction trades which goes, a little caulk, a little paint, makes the carpenter what he aint.
Years ago, when we used to do more new construction, one thing I remember most vividly is this very premise.
If we were given enough time to do a really nice, neat job, the rest of the punch list for the other trades was relatively small.
Everything shined like a new penny, crisply coated, and clean.
But when we were rushed, forced to work over other trades with their dirt and dust resting on our freshly painted surfaces, not being able to clean up completely, the customers always recognized the imperfections in the paint and then turned their attention to the drywall, then the carpentry, then the flooring, and so on and so on.
These punch lists were frequently out of control, with items that normally would be perfected by the painter to some degree.
Considering this, its easy to understand why painting is the most frequently requested type of work in a massive home improvement market.
Relatively, the cost of painting as compared to other types of work is low.
if you hire the right people.
Not to mention, anybody can paint, right? Well true, to some degree, but surprisingly few people actually do paint correctly.
If you dont believe me, just ride down the road and look at how many houses are peeling.
You might be equally surprised to know how many of those homes were professionally paint just a year or two ago.
The repair of these peeling homes has actually emerged as one of our specialties, unfortunately for the owners.
Just think about how aggravated you would be to hire someone to coat your home for what you think is a good price, only to have that job peel within a year.
You are left to track down the painter and hope that they will fix it.
I can assure you, that for one reason or another, most of the time they will not.
So beware of bargain specialists, since your savings wont mean much if you receive a low quality product without after-sale service.
At this point your actual cost doubles, at least.
You see, what usually happens goes something like this.
You call four painters for an estimate on a given project.
Only two ever respond, and the scope of work that those two painters outline, is vastly different.
One says that they will powerwash and then begin to apply one coat of a paint to the siding, for $500.
00.
The other painter says they will powerwash, and after the house dries out, they will handscrape to remove any additional loose or peeling paint, and then they will prime and apply two coats of stain to the siding for $850.
00.
Most people will then call one or both painters to ask about the difference in the scope of work, to which each painter defends their scope.
For whatever reason, it seems that very frequently, the customer will choose the lowest price, and take the word of the painter that tells them that the additional scraping and coats recommended by the other guy is just a needless expense, when in fact, it is the most important part of the job.
So, now that the bargain job has failed, and the painter cannot be found or refuses to repair it, you are left to repair the job, usually at a higher price, since the additional prep work is compounded by another coat of paint! So how do you wade through the rising tide of painting contractors here on the Outer Banks to select the one thats right for you? Well a good place to start is with their associations and references.
If you are satisfied with a contractors recommendations, ask to see their references.
A reputable contractor should have references in your neighborhood, and if not, you might ask yourself if the contractor is experienced enough to handle your job.
Ask if they are members of the local Chamber of Commerce, and Better Business Bureau.
You might think that memberships with these associates is meaningless and just another expense adding to the contractors hourly rate, but actually these associates do provide you the customer with some added assurances, if there are problems.
The Better Business Bureau can provide you with free, third party dispute resolution, but more importantly, their standards for membership effectively begin the vetting process for you.
Membership in the PDCA (Painting and Decorating Contractors of America) is another tell-tale sign that the contractor is serious about their business and their commitment to their customers.
You see, if a business owner does not see value in being members of their trade association, or the qualifying associates of their community like the BBB, how valuable are you to them once the job is finished, or problems arise? To me, this is where the men are separated from the boys, so to speak.
Face it, no company operates without the occasional problem.
A companys success or eventual demise rests in some part on how the problems are handled.
Companies that are not interested in growth, planning, and associations, very often cannot financially withstand the hit of a warranty project, and will do everything in their power not to paint for free.
This mentality is the main reason that the home improvement sector is the most frequently complained about sector in this economy.
This mindset costs consumers billions of dollars per year in improper installations and failures within the trades.
Many trades are regulated by the state, but painting is not one of them.
Compounded with the ease and relative low cost of start up, painting contractors are springing up like so many new blades of grass here, on the Outer Banks.
While it is true that painting is not rocket science, and anyone can paint, or at least move their arms back and forth with a brush in hand, professional painters never really stop learning.
With coatings, tools and regulations continually changing, serious contractors strive to learn all they can to improve their finished products and service to their customers.
In a market where there is a never ending stream of painters promising to do the same job at a lower price, value is sometimes hard to discern, but if you take the time to look into a companys backround and reputation, and remember that price is relative to the quality of the proposed work, you should not be disappointed.
If problems arise, you can rest assured that the companys main concern is your satisfaction, and not whether they can afford to repair your job.
When gathering your estimates, there are several specific things you should be looking for.
First, you must compare apples to apples as it were.
If you get differing scopes of work, you must determine which scope is proper for your job.
You might try talking to all bidders, but if you are still not sure, contact the PDCA or your local paint store.
Believe me, the paint stores dont want their paint failing any more than you do, and will usually be able to tell you what is proper regarding preparation and coatings, keeping in mind that they do sell paint.
I have been in situations where the paint store tries to sell the customer an extra coat of primer or a much more expensive coating, etc.
Second, make sure that the contractor will be using a moisture meter for exterior work to check the moisture content of the substrate prior to painting.
Moisture is the primary cause of paint failure, and if the contractor does not use a meter, they are guessing.
Wood cannot be painted properly until the moisture content is below 12%...
period.
As far as I know, there very few contractors using the meters here, so beware, and be sure.
Third, make sure that the contractor does not specify cheap materials.
Materials usually are less than one fourth the cost of any given project, with labor being the most expensive.
What have you really saved if the cheap materials only last a couple of years? This is also true with caulking.
Caulk is the sole barrier between your trim and siding, which when failed, often goes unnoticed and causes rot and mold.
These repairs are usually extensive, and expensive and could be prevented by using a five dollar per tube caulking instead of a two dollar per tube caulk.
Again, illustrating where the real value is.
Fourth, realize that there are too many other pertinent things to think about than can be covered in this article, and you are ultimately responsible for your decisions.
In painting, value comes in the form of long lasting jobs, and crisp clean work.
While every company reports to deliver this value, statistics show that this market is sorely lacking in professionalism.
Do your homework, develop relationships with reputable companies, and you'll sleep better knowing that your property has that curb appeal which sets you apart from the rest!
