Everything people ask before the first visit

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.

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.

Repairs I can't see until work starts, like soft wood under old paint, and colors you add later. If either comes up, I stop, show you and write the cost before going on.

You don't need to be home all day. I'll tell you what to clear before we start. We move the rest to the middle of the room and cover it. Floors, stairs and plants outside are covered too.

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.

Two coats over a primed surface is my starting point, and more where the old color is much darker or the wall is patched. We choose sheen by room: flatter for ceilings, a little more for trim and kitchens. It's written on the estimate.

I do, and I use premium paint. The brand and color name are on the estimate. Ask me for the product data sheet and I'll send it.

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.

Washing, scraping loose paint, patching small holes and cracks, caulking gaps and priming bare spots are part of the work I list. Larger repairs, like replacing rotted trim, are priced on their own line.

They're on the written estimate: what's due before work starts, and when the rest is due. I'll go through them with you at the visit.

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.

Yes. I bring chips to the visit and we look at them in the room's own light. If you want a color consultant, I'll tell you plainly when that's worth paying for.

If your block has either, ask them first. I can give you the color names, sheens and a short description of the work in writing to take along.

Every paint is different, so ask me for the product data sheet for the one we choose. I plan which rooms to do first, keep doors closed and open windows when the weather lets us.