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Painting question

3K views 15 replies 10 participants last post by  chrisn 
#1 ·
I am buying a new home. Its about 5400 square feet including the finished basement. The wife is demanding I paint the house professionally because I guess we picked a house that was 130k less than the house she wanted. So now we got an estimate and it is $26,000 to paint the house and fix some bad spackle. I told the wife I could do it since I have painted many interiors before with drywall repair. My question is am I sane to tackle something this big with 20 ft ceilings? How long should something like this take to tackle? Is 2 weeks a good estimate? more?

I don't want to do this but to save possibly over 20k not counting materials, I think it just might be worth it? What would you do?
 
#10 ·
The most expensive thing about painting is getting off the ground. That being said, a 20-ft. ceiling height is not a DIY project. That can result in wheelchairs or a ride in a coroner's van.

Get a couple more estimates from liscensed, insured contractors. Why don't you cut the job down to size by doing the basement yourself? That can be a good place to hide, too. :)
 
#2 ·
More details needed---ceiling to be painted?Trim and doors? How many rooms? Closets?

Get another quote or two--be sure you are dealing with pro painters and not someone without training and experience.

A house that size will often have a crew of three or four skilled workers---
 
#3 · (Edited)
A pro team will not have to answer to "she who must be obeyed" in the same way you will. Do you really want her riding you to "get er done"? Can you handle her constantly telling you you missed a spot?

Do you have the ladders and all and bottom line, assuming you really can do this do you want to take on this job? It sounds like the answer is no. Even if you save 20 grand will you end up resenting this project and maybe the house as a result of doing this work?

And what kind of color changes are you making or are you just going to do everything in the same color for now. Are you in the home already or is it empty? Are these fairly simple rooms without a lot of doors and windows to paint or cut in around? If so, I would not be intimidated so much by the square footage.

I think on a lot of levels and not financial, this could turn out to be an expensive $20K savings.
 
#7 ·
It's 5400 sq feet (this includes the basement). In the basement there is a lot of drywall repair that needs to happen. All trim/doors/windows. 20 foot ceilings. I am getting other estimates. I really do not want to paint the house but will if it will save me 22 grand (figure materials would be roughly 4 grand plus extra for tools/tarps and scaffolding rental). Done it before but there are other things I would rather be doing.
 
#8 ·
It's 5400 sq feet (this includes the basement). In the basement there is a lot of drywall repair that needs to happen. All trim/doors/windows. 20 foot ceilings. I am getting other estimates. I really do not want to paint the house but will if it will save me 22 grand :eek:(figure materials would be roughly 4 grand plus extra for tools/tarps and scaffolding rental). Done it before but there are other things I would rather be doing.

Interior, exterior, both?


$22,000 for paint??
I could paint 10 houses,( at least) inside and out with that much paint
 
#13 ·
Thats what I might do but the wife says I might *offend* whoever I get to paint my house if I try and take the *easy* stuff. Then again, she isn't sure I can paint the house (even though I painted 2 when single) but she seems ok with my plumbing work which she *has* seen.
 
#15 ·
I've argued with a few of these guys for sport (sorry fellas) but they're giving you good advice here. One estimate is really no good to you. With few details given it sounds high to me also, especially considering the house is empty, no furniture to move, nothing to work around, etc.. If you want to save some of the money, please the wife and do some DIY all at the same time, you could think about hiring a good company to do the first floor, and/or rooms with cathedral ceilings, etc., and you tackle some smaller bedrooms and bathrooms with normal height ceilings..
 
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