“Iris looked at the porch ceiling first, showed me why it had stained, and wrote that repair into the estimate before she mentioned paint. Every room had its own line.”
Becky H.Inside rooms and a porch ceiling
House painter in Duluth, Minnesota
Here's what happens when I come to look at your house.
I'm Iris Lange. I paint houses in Duluth with two helpers, Vince and Nico. This is the first visit, step by step, so nothing about it is a surprise.
- A written estimate before any work
- The same three people on every job
- Winter discount on inside rooms
Iris LangeOwner and painter, Lange Painting
The first visit
Six things I do, in this order
Most of my customers have never had a painter in the house before. This is the whole visit, the way I'd tell it across your kitchen table.
I knock, and we walk the outside first.
I look at the siding, trim and porch from the ground and ask where you've seen peeling or cracking. If the house sits on a hill, I check where a ladder can stand.
Then we go through every room you want done.
You show me walls, ceilings, trim and doors. I note what's in the way, and I look up at the ceilings and into the corners where water may have been.
I press, scrape and ask the year.
A thumbnail on the paint tells me if it's chalking or lifting. I ask when the house was built, because before 1978 the work follows federal steps, and I'd rather you hear that from me now.
We choose colors in the room's own light.
I bring chips and we hold them to the wall. Look at them again in the morning and the evening. Nothing gets ordered until you say so.
I measure and write it down while you're there.
Surfaces, repairs, coats, paint and sheen, and what the estimate doesn't include. Before I leave, I tell you when the written estimate will reach you.
Then I go, and you decide on your own time.
No decision at the door. If you say yes, we pick the days together, and Vince and Nico come with me.
What I paint
Rooms, outsides, porches and stairwells
Four kinds of work, all done by the same crew.
Winter
The quiet season is the discount season
Paint outside needs warm, dry days, so the outside season is short up here. Inside work doesn't care about the thermometer, which is why winter is when inside rooms get a discount.
Outside painting
Dry days only, with a warm enough forecast.
May to Oct
Outside walk-throughs
I come in winter, you decide, and we pick days for summer.
Nov to Apr
Inside painting
Open all year.
all year
Winter discount on inside rooms
The weeks when my calendar has room.
Dec to Mar
Coupons
Two winter coupons
Bring one to the first visit, or mention it when you text.
Winter discount on inside rooms Details, and the end date, are on the coupon and in your written estimate. 
Winter booking for outside painting Details, and the end date, are on the coupon and in your written estimate.
Sample offers.
Each coupon shows its end date.
Iris Lange, owner and painter
One painter, two helpers, one house at a time
I started painting houses on Duluth's hills because I like finishing a room and handing it back. Vince and Nico work on every job with me, so the people you meet at the visit are the people on the ladders.
Sample comments
What neighbors say about the visit
“We met in February and she painted the outside in August. It was Iris, Vince and Nico every day, the same three people I'd shaken hands with at the visit.”
Josh W.House exterior
“I texted a photo of the stairwell and she told me exactly what she'd want to see in person before I paid for anything. Then she came, and the estimate matched what she'd said.”
Jonna N.Stairwell and hallway
Sample reviews.
Where I work
Duluth, the hill and the towns next door
Most of my work is within a half hour of the lake. Anything farther, text me and I'll tell you honestly whether it makes sense.
- St. Louis County: Duluth, Hermantown, Proctor, Rice Lake, Saginaw, Canyon
- Carlton County: Cloquet, Esko, Carlton, Scanlon, Thomson, Wrenshall
- Lake County: Two Harbors
I don't paint in Wisconsin, on the Iron Range or farther up the shore than Two Harbors.
Quick answers
Questions people ask me
How long does the first visit take?
About an hour for most houses, longer for a big one or a house with a lot of rooms to look at. I tell you when I book it, so you can plan around it.
What's on a written estimate?
Every surface and room, the repairs I'll make, how many coats, which paint and sheen, how many colors, cleanup, the schedule, how payments work and what the warranty covers. Anything I leave out, I say I'm leaving out.
My house was built before 1978. Does that change anything?
Yes. Federal rules apply to paid work that disturbs paint in homes and child-occupied buildings built before 1978. I ask when the house was built at the first visit, and if it's that old I explain what changes and how I'll work. My firm's EPA number is listed under Credentials on the About page.
What about weather and drying time up here?
Outside work needs dry days and a warm enough forecast. I check the data sheet for the paint we're using and watch the week ahead. If the weather turns, I move the day and tell you.
What does your warranty cover?
It covers my workmanship, in writing. Terms, limits and exclusions are in your written warranty, and I'll go through it with you before you sign.
Start here
Tell me about the house, or text a photo
A few lines is enough. I'll write back about when I can come for the first visit.
Phone(218) 555-0102
Hours
- Monday – FridayToday
- 7:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
- SaturdayToday
- By appointment
- SundayToday
- Closed