Hiring professionals to house painting in Concord allows you to focus on the other things that matter more to you than spending time learning how to prepare surfaces before painting or how to avoid lap marks when rolling paint.
However, it doesn’t mean that hiring someone else to handle the paint job is easy (unless you know the painting contractor personally and have worked with them in the past, then the search stops right there). If you want a professionally done paint job that lasts, you must go through some process steps in hiring the right contractor.
Getting a painting proposal is one of the first important steps in hiring a professional painter. Because not all painters are the same, it is important to understand that every painter evaluates a project in their own way, which means they can include different information in their own proposal.
The key here is to know what you need to know to arrive at the best decision. So, continue reading and learning how to compare and evaluate proposals from different painting contractors correctly.
The mistake customers usually make when hiring a contractor
One of the process steps during the initial stages of hiring a professional paint service is to evaluate the proposals of several local painting contractors who have the potential to win your project. In shopping for a painting contractor, homeowners usually invite a bunch of painters over, point them to the areas that must be painted, and, without much preamble, request a quote.
This is a common mistake that many homeowners commit when looking for a painter, but they may not realize it. Perhaps those homeowners just don’t want to exasperate painters with a barrage of job descriptions, or they assume that a professional should know best. While it is true that professionals should know their jobs best, their experience and skill level vary depending on the contractor. Some contractors are more experienced than others, so one painter’s approach to your project may be completely different from another.
For instance, one bidder may offer an extra coat because their boss tells them to do this. Another bidder may omit the primer, perhaps because that’s the only way to outbid his competitors. Yet, another bidder may not include the crown molding and trim because they believe these parts need not be done.
Such discrepancies in job specifications are almost impossible to compare because the work being done is not the same. This may leave the homeowner repeating the bidding process from the beginning. Or even worse, such inconsistencies may also leave the homeowner to repeat the bidding process all over again while in the middle of an ongoing job. Especially when the homeowners finally realize that there are areas that they want to be painted that weren’t included in the winning proposal.
Provide the project description to the bidders
To avoid such confusion, the homeowner should provide all bidders with a detailed project description. The description doesn’t have to be complicated as long as it is exactly told the same to every bidder. The bottom line is that the homeowner must let the bidders know exactly what they want done.
Suppose you’re the homeowner. Provide the bidders with a project description as simple as this:
Exterior painting on 1st Main Street:
- Clean the surfaces, scrape the loose paint, and prepare the surfaces to be painted.
- Apply one coat of primer and one coat of finishing paint.
- The front will be painted in three colors, while the sides and back will be painted in two colors.
- The material used will be high-grade “ABC Paint Company.”
Stick to your original project description
Even if you have clearly stated the project description, you may find that some bidders will recommend something different and that’s not included in your project description.
No matter what or how many “bells and whistles” the other bidders may tempt you with, you must not stay away from your original project description. However, you may have to reach a compromise with the bidders.
For example, one of the bidders offers another coat of the finishing paint. While this proposal sounds attractive, it would be good to ask the recommending bidder to provide you with a separate price only for the extra coat of paint. It will enable you to compare proposals that are not entirely different from one another instead of ending up comparing apples to oranges or another completely different type of fruit.
Moreover, you will have a clear idea of which estimate will match your needs, and it will be easier to hire the winning bidder.
Other information
As you’re evaluating the proposal from each bidder, you may want to look for other essential information, such as:
- The number of painters who will be working on your project
- How long the painters are expected to remain?
- When the painters plan to start
- The name of each painter and their business information
- Valid and updated license from each painter
- Insurance of each painter
- The space where you and the contractor will sign an agreement will bind the contract.
- A section where the contractor states their policies regarding changes to or cancellation of the contract.
The more details and information a proposal has, the better. This will reduce or eliminate the chances of miscommunication between you and the contractor during the project.
Advantages of hiring the right painting contractor
Once you hire the winning contractor to paint your home, you will be able to enjoy some advantages:
- Quality work – When you hire a professional to paint your home, expect them to do a quality job. Professional painters use their skills, experience, and quality materials to turn out a flawless and long-lasting finish.
- Convenience – One of the reasons why homeowners would rather hire someone else to paint their property is convenience. Instead of spending their hours and weekends on a painting project, they let the pros handle it. They have the experience, skills, and tools to complete the task quickly and successfully. You won’t have to go out to buy paint and tools and take out of your busy schedule to tackle a paint job. By hiring a professional painter, you can be assured that they will deliver the job to perfection.
- Time savings – Since professional painters have the skills and experience, they know the fastest and most efficient painting techniques. They don’t have to go around and learn how to prepare a surface or how to achieve a uniform color within a room, which will otherwise slow down the painting process. If you want your painting project to be done quickly, leave the job to the experts!
- Safety – Residential painting often involves dealing with high walls or ceilings, which requires the use of a step ladder or scaffolding. It also involves using paints, primers, thinners, and other substances that might injure anyone’s health, especially if they don’t wear the proper protection. That’s when getting a professional painter into the picture comes in. The paint crew has received regular safety training, wears protective gear, and follows the recommended safety guidelines. They are insured, too, so you won’t be held accountable if there’s an accident on your property while the crew is on it.
At the end of the day, it’s the clients who have the final say on how their homes should be painted. What they need is a reliable painting contractor who will help them achieve their house painting in Concord goals. Carefully evaluating the proposal from each bidder and letting them know what you exactly want in a project will enable you to hire the winning contractor.
