painting insurance | Crestwood Painting

Lead Paint Certification: Why It’s Important

Crestwood Painting has been EPA Lead-Safe certified since 2011, many of our Job Leads have also been trained and certified, as well.

Lead in paint has been outlawed since 1978. If your home was built before that the EPA says that lead-safe work practices must be followed. That means lots of tape and plastic to protect your home and family (and your contractor).

If a pre-’78 home is proved to have no lead in the work surfaces then lead-safe practices do not have to be followed. But the test procedures are fraught with their own set tangled rules – so we just assume lead on every pre ’78 project and work accordingly.

This means more more prep work than most contractors will do: we cover gardens to keep paint chips out, we sweep and vacuum driveways and decks and very often we’re told the yard is cleaner than it was when we started!

We equip our painters with gloves and proper breathing protection when they’re scraping, too. And soap to wash hands before lunch and at the end of the day.

We keep the soap in a nylon stocking – it’s an old Girl Scout trick (the nylon stocking keeps the soap free of dirt). There was a lot of eye-rolling at first but our painters do use it – while they tease.

Lead poisoning is very serious business. Young children and pregnant women are especially vulnerable. Contractors that ignore the EPA’s RRP (Renovate, Repair & Paint) regulations are putting their business at risk. Those same contractors are also unlikely to share the risks with their customers or their employees.

Yes, it’s true – there is a slight cost difference in complying: more time in implementing lead-safe protection, more materials also. On the flip-side, our systems allow us to protect very efficiently and clean up much more effectively than we ever did before implementing lead-safe work practices.

It feels good to do the right thing. All that, and a contractor’s nod to the Girl Scouts, to boot!

Top 3 Must-Haves When Hiring A Paint Contractor

Careful Crestwood painters

If paint contractors are clear in what they are providing and customers are clear in what they are getting then everybody will be happy, yes? So why are happy customer/contractor experiences relatively rare? The answer is the dreaded Unmet Expectations.

Let’s say the paint contractor hired to paint your house drips on your new patio. You assumed he would properly protect your home, he assumed you wanted the work done fast and cheap. If he didn’t have a written contract then shame on everybody. If he did have a contract did it clearly specify these gems?

Inclusions
Exclusions
Clarifications

Inclusions

This is, of course, the work that will be done. In our case it would read something like “Paint house and garage only, including all previously painted doors, windows, soffits, fascia, etc.” Also included should be the materials used, time to completion, and yes, surfaces to be protected.

A job well specified is half delivered

Exclusions

If your fence will not be stained or painted it should be noted here. If the dog house, garage or porch swing will not be painted that will all be listed in the section. Is it really necessary to describe what will not be painted? Well, yes – everyone wants to avoid Unmet Expectations. If you expect that your beloved white dog house will not be painted and then come home to see that it is now gray you will be, at least, a bit put off.

Now, Exclusions can go too far – it’s not necessary to state that your roof will not be painted, is it? Or the driveway?

Clarifications

So you’re talking with your painter during the estimate and he assures you that he’ll take extra precautions around your new rose bushes. This section is where that assurance should be described – “Rose bushes on east side of garage will be staked off with yellow caution tape to help prevent damage”. Even better is an explanation of the consequences if the roses are not staked off – something like “if roses are not staked off and are damaged contractor agrees to have a qualified nursery replace them.”

If the rose bushes are not mentioned at all you’re setting yourself up to have some dreaded Unmet Expectations. Or, what if the contractor simply forgets what he said about the rose bushes. Or he forgets to tell his work crew?

It’s been wisely said that “a job well specified is half delivered”. Give Crestwood Painting a call if you’d like to see what Met Expectations feel like.

Top 5 Uninsured Contractor What-if’s

uninsured paint contractor A few pointed questions to your agent and you’ll soon see who pays if you hire an uninsured contractor – you do. Almost always. My pal Tim Weingartner at Farm Bureau Insurance offered some specific cases that are very helpful.

Q. What if your contractor’s ladder falls on your convertible – who pays for what?
A. Your auto policy will cover the damage, but you, of course, will pay the deductible. Your carrier will likely “subrogate” (i.e. try to collect from) your contractor and you will have to determine if it’s worth trying to recover your deductible.

Q. What if a similar event occurs one year later. Will that event be handled differently?

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What’s A Warranty Worth?

Peeling exterior paint warranty — Peeling paint is a possible warranty situation. What kind of company will stand behind their work?

Believe it or not, some homeowners have hired crummy contractors – the kind you have no confidence in. But these people are quite sure that if everything goes bad, they’ve still got a written warranty.

Now a warranty is only as good as the company making it. The SBA says that 80% of new service companies don’t make it to their 5th birthday (93% don’t make it to 10 years!). You should know how far along that time line your contractor is before you buy into his warranty.

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Employees or Sub-Contractors?

crestwood painting van who is your painter - kansas city Who is working on your project? And exactly how are they being paid – as an employee or sub-contractor? It really does make a difference and it really can cost you money. Here’s why:

Risk to Homeowners

Any contractor, whether an individual or business, should have proper insurance – both workman’s compensation and business liability. It is ultimately the customers’ responsibility to ensure that there are no breaks in the insurance chain. Workman’s compensation is required by law; business liability is simply common sense and good judgement. If there is an accident (and improper, or no, insurance) there will be liability – it just won’t be covered. At that point the customer is front and center in the liability chain.

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