You have finally decided to do house painting in San Ramon. But you’d rather turn the job over to the professionals than doing the painting yourself. Aside from wanting to utilize the professional painter’s skills and obtain a better-looking home, you also want to save yourself from all the fuss and the stress (and possible additional cost in case you make mistakes) if you do the job yourself.
There are many painting contractors in San Ramon and the surrounding area. To ensure you hire a qualified contractor to do the house painting in San Ramon, here is a list of things that you may want to do.
- The best first step is to ask around. You can ask for referrals from friends, neighbors, or anybody you know who may have had experience with a professional painting contractor. You can also ask painting contractors you are considering if they provide referrals. Once you have a list, make sure you call and speak with them. They may help you decide if that contractor is the right one to do your work.
- Make sure that the paint contractor is bonded, licensed, and adequately insured. Sure, anyone can do the painting on your walls. But you’d rather hire professional painters who will stand behind their work. Some states require licensing but some do not, determine if a license is needed before asking a contractor if they have a license. Once you get a confirmation that your home state holds licensing orders, ask the contractors if they carry a valid license – better yet, ask them for a copy of it. After being licensed, the next most important item to check for is that the contractor has adequate insurance. This is vital in case of a painter’s injury or accidental damage to your property. The insurance of the painting company will assume the financial responsibilities rather than you having to pay for things.
- Once you’ve verified that the contractor is bonded, licensed, and insured, get estimates from every contractor are considering. You will want to get a minimum of three estimates. Before you’ll get an estimate, ask the painting contractor first to come over your property and have a walkthrough. If the contractor wants to provide the estimate first before having the walkthrough, then you probably do not want to work with them. Let the potential contractor walk through your property with you. Be sure you are specific about your project. This gives the opportunity for the contractor to examine possible damage to your house that will need to be repaired before they begin painting. Some painting contractors in San Ramon will also make small repairs. They will let you know if this is available.
- Interview each candidate as you are walking through your property. It might help to prepare a list of questions that you would like to ask them. You may want to include these questions:
- How long you have been a professional painter?”
- Do you do have employees that do the work or do you subcontract the work to someone else?” If they use only subcontractors, you may want to look for another contractor.
- Can you provide references?” Painting contractors who refuse to supply a list of references may not be the right choice for your work.
- Do you have guarantees with your work? And if you do, what is included in the guarantee?”
- What brand of paint products do you use? Do you use non-VOC or non-odorous paints regularly? If you don’t use these paints normally, will you use them for my project?”
These questions should be met with positive answers. If the contractor you are interviewing doesn’t meet all of these inquiries, then you won’t want to hire that contractor.
- It can be rather intimidating to have a stranger insider your home. Since you don’t know the person very well, it’s also important to pay attention to the contractors’ conduct and behavior especially when carrying out their job. Ask every candidate to be on time for appointments, courteous and business-like, providing estimates in a timely manner. You can also approach your neighbors, friends, etc., who have worked with the same painters, and ask them about the behavior of each contractor.
- If a candidate does provide references, ask them to provide at least three references from their past clients and talk to them directly. If possible, visit their homes and commercial areas to assess the painters’ work personally and see if the work still looks good and has withstood the elements such as sunlight and moisture.
- Once you’ve chosen a contractor, request a written contract. Read it carefully to be sure you understand everything included in the contract. As the client, you have the right to ask questions that you may need to be cleared up. Some homeowners have asked these questions:
- What surfaces do you paint? Do you paint only walls, or do you also paint trim and molding?”
- What types of paints do you use for every area? Do you use latex or oil-based paints? Do you use flat or glossy paints?”
- We would like to remain in our home while the painting is done. May we do that or do we need to vacate it while you’re doing your job?”
- Once the projects starts, when do you expect to finish it?”
- Do you clean up after yourself when the work has been finished?”
- What will you do to protect my property while you are painting?”
- Are there circumstances that may cause the amount you are paid to change? And, if so, how do handle these instances?”
After the project has been done, you will want to walk through the areas that were painted with the painting contractor to review the work prior to making their final payment. This will give both of you the opportunity to check for possible flaws or missed spots so that the painter is able to correct them before he gets paid. You may find it difficult to get the contractor to return if you skip this step and they have been paid.
These are some of the things to consider when you decide to hire painting contractors to paint your home. Hiring a contractor can take time for investigation and research, and it can be stressful. However, you can save yourself from trouble and stress in the future if you hire a qualified contractor you feel comfortable with when house painting in San Ramon.
