vinyl siding | Crestwood Painting

Many homeowners are content to get three estimates. That’s OK if you’re installing a new sink, but a real mistake for a major project like whole house repainting or remodeling. Jeb Breithaupt is a remodeler in Shreveport, LA, this article from the Shreveport Times explains very clearly that there’s a better way to choose a contractor.

“I don’t know how it became common knowledge among homeowners that the best way to hire someone to remodel your home is to get three different bids for your project.

I’d call that a fallacy for two reasons. First, you might think you’re going to get apples-to-apples prices to compare, but you rarely do. Second, if your goal is to find and hire the lowest bidder, prepare yourself to accept cheap products and crummy service.

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Hyde Park Kansas City exterior paint cost kansas city crestwood painting — This Hyde Park treasure cost about $8000 to paint.

After making the decision to paint the exterior of their home, Kansas City homeowners want to know about cost. The short answer is always “it depends” because there are so many factors involved.

Crestwood Painting has done a small ranch home in Westwood for $2200. We’ve also painted several large, older homes that ran about $15,000 and gem just off Ward Parkway was $24,000. In general, most homes are in the $6000 to $12,000 range. Here are some of the considerations:

Material – if we’re painting vinyl or aluminum siding it only needs to be washed. But cedar clapboards, on the other hand, require hand scraping of every square inch of exposed surface.
Prep – A home in poor condition requires more prep work than one in good condition. Prep work take time; more time certainly affects cost – something to keep in mind when considering an attractive lower price.
Colors I – Each color adds to the complexity of the overall project and each color means another trip up the ladder. A mid-century ranch house is fine with 3 colors; a classic Craftsman might require five colors to properly highlight the architectural details.
Smaller houses cost less to paint.
Colors II – Poor quality paint doesn’t cover very well. Some painters charge more for a color change (e.g. dark blue over white). If that’s the case you might ask that painter about product choice.
Details I – Shutters are often an accent color. If shutters can be easily removed there’s no problem; if plastic shutters are fixed with pound-in-never-come-out plastic anchors it might be necessary to leave them in place and paint around them.
Details II – Corbels, brackets and crown molding are all often painted an accent color. Each can make the whole more impressive and each of these features requires care and attention to bring out the overall look.