A job week
What happens, and what you'll see
A first repaint of a two-story clapboard house. Your estimate gives the days for your house.
Step 1: Day 1: set up and wash
Plants and shrubs get covered and walkways protected. You'll see the wash and a lot of water, then a quiet, damp house.
You: move cars, pets and outdoor furniture
Step 2: Days 2 to 4: scrape, repair, caulk
This is the loud part. Loose paint comes off, soft boards come out and new ones go in.
You: nothing, except tell us about any sticking windows
Step 3: Day 5: prime
Every bare patch and every new board gets primer. The house looks patchy for a day.
Step 4: Days 6 and 7: paint
First and second coats, then trim and doors.
You: choose a time for the walk-through
Step 5: Day 8: walk-through
Abby walks the house with you, and we touch up what you point to. Ground clean-up comes last.
The first visit
Before any of that: a walk around the house
Abby walks the house with you, or without you if you're away. She probes the lowest boards, looks at the sills and takes photos of the weather side. The estimate arrives in writing, with what she found marked on the photos.
At the visit
She probes the lowest boards and the sills
She photographs the weather side
She asks when the house was built
She writes what she found and what it costs
Questions
About a job week
Do we need to move out or move anything?
No. We cover plants and shrubs, move outdoor furniture away from the walls and protect walkways. Moving anything inside is only for windows we work on from the inside.
What happens when it rains?
We wait. Paint needs dry siding and a dry forecast, and Maine doesn't always give us one. When the day is off, we text you before 7 a.m. with the new start. Rain days move the schedule; they don't change the scope or the price in your written estimate.
Was my house built before 1978?
If it was, the EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) rule applies to paid work that disturbs paint in homes and child-occupied buildings built before 1978. The firm must be EPA Lead-Safe Certified and follow set work practices: containment, wet scraping, a HEPA vacuum and a documented clean-up. Our firm number is in the footer. Your state or town may add rules, and we'll tell you what we know.
How do deposits and payment work?
The written estimate sets a deposit and a payment schedule tied to the steps of the work. Plans are billed once a year in spring. Ask us for the schedule before you sign.
Ask for the walk-around
Tell us the town and when the house was built. Abby calls back the next working day.