$2,700 to paint 2K sf house reasonable?

Rental Property Investor · Seattle, WA · Member since 2014 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes

Interior paint only. Includes paint, which he estimates to be 8-10 gallons, going from yellow paint to white, will need two coats for sure. It's the old paint from when I bought the place 6 years ago.

I thought about doing this myself, but it would take me a couple weeks with a friend. This guy can finish in 2-3 days so I can actually get a tenant back in there, the last tenants were rough on the walls. I kept 1.5K of the deposit for this work. The $2,700 is the contractors cash price, and it seems like it's worth it to me, especially including materials. Frees me up to find other investments rather than paint...

Should I hire him? I do want to be clear on the cost and type of paint, double coat, where is being painted, with the contractor in writing though yeah?

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Nathan GesnerBusiness Member

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Real Estate Broker · Cody, WY · Member since 2010 · 28k+ posts · 41k+ votes

This is a very reasonable price. I've paid twice that much for a home of that size.

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Bob S.
Real Estate Consultant · Cleveland · Member since 2020 · 6k+ posts · 3k+ votes
3y
Quote from @Jack B.:

Interior paint only. Includes paint, which he estimates to be 8-10 gallons, going from yellow paint to white, will need two coats for sure. It's the old paint from when I bought the place 6 years ago.

I thought about doing this myself, but it would take me a couple weeks with a friend. This guy can finish in 2-3 days so I can actually get a tenant back in there, the last tenants were rough on the walls. I kept 1.5K of the deposit for this work. The $2,700 is the contractors cash price, and it seems like it's worth it to me, especially including materials. Frees me up to find other investments rather than paint...

Should I hire him? I do want to be clear on the cost and type of paint, double coat, where is being painted, with the contractor in writing though yeah?

Yes fine, BTW why would it take a couple weeks, Its two or 3 days ?
1 Reply
Helen Zhang
Austin, TX · Member since 2016 · 160 posts · 39 votes
3y
From my experience in California and Texas, I believe this is very reasonable even assuming the height of your interior is 8 feet.
1 Reply
Dylan VargasPro Member
Rental Property Investor · Chico, CA · Member since 2016 · 633 posts · 336 votes
3y
Very good deal for that square footage. Make sure its good paint. Good luck and keep us posted.
1 Reply
Jane S.
Flipper/Rehabber · Colorado Springs, CO · Member since 2016 · 502 posts · 167 votes
3y
Hey! you can DIY over a weekend. There is so much fun to be had with $2700! Get a PRO discount at HD & get their lowest price paint "one coat co vers". You may not need 2 coats. Repair the tenant damage so your paint goes on nicely. Every painter I had over to estimate the job wanted to use 2 coats and it made no difference. They say that to increase their price. I have a bid of $400 for a medium bedroom not incl ceiling. Maybe you shouldnt use 6-year old paint. I always buy the paint and just pay for labor that way i know how much its really costing.
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Bruce WoodruffPro Member
Contractor/Investor/Consultant · San Diego / Phoenix · Member since 2021 · 12k+ posts · 15k+ votes
3y
Quote from @Jane S.:

Hey! you can DIY over a weekend. There is so much fun to be had with $2700! Get a PRO discount at HD & get their lowest price paint "one coat co vers". You may not need 2 coats. Repair the tenant damage so your paint goes on nicely. Every painter I had over to estimate the job wanted to use 2 coats and it made no difference. They say that to increase their price. I have a bid of $400 for a medium bedroom not incl ceiling. Maybe you shouldnt use 6-year old paint. I always buy the paint and just pay for labor that way i know how much its really costing.

Please don't do your own painting. It can be spotted a mile away by any pro. It's just not worth it to save a few hundred $$. Someone who paints once every 5 or 10 years cannot match the quality touch and look that a professional painter can....they paint every day...
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Matthew Paul
Severna Park, MD · Member since 2013 · 7k+ posts · 7k+ votes
3y
Quote from @Bruce Woodruff:

Quote from @Jane S.:

Hey! you can DIY over a weekend. There is so much fun to be had with $2700! Get a PRO discount at HD & get their lowest price paint "one coat co vers". You may not need 2 coats. Repair the tenant damage so your paint goes on nicely. Every painter I had over to estimate the job wanted to use 2 coats and it made no difference. They say that to increase their price. I have a bid of $400 for a medium bedroom not incl ceiling. Maybe you shouldnt use 6-year old paint. I always buy the paint and just pay for labor that way i know how much its really costing.

Please don't do your own painting. It can be spotted a mile away by any pro. It's just not worth it to save a few hundred $$. Someone who paints once every 5 or 10 years cannot match the quality touch and look that a professional painter can....they paint every day...

Thats the truth
My wife watches all the home improvement shows , she decided to paint the bathroom . She told me " painting is easy " . After a couple hundred in paint , tape , rollers and brushes , she taped off everything . And she painted , and lets just say it didnt work too well . Now unfortunatly I can paint , so I threw away the tape , cheap brushes and roller and got out my good stuff , repainted the ceiling , hand cut in the walls and the trim and finished in 3 hours . She commented that I make it look easy like on the shows . I had to remind her that I have been doing home improvements for 35 years and she hasnt .
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Fred Cannon
Rental Property Investor · St Augustine, FL · Member since 2019 · 265 posts · 279 votes
3y
@Jack B.sounds very reasonable to me if he is using quality paint. Paint is very expensive now, so two coats will be a lot of paint. I recently did some painting in my personal house and paid over $60 per gallon for Sherwin Williams top quality paint. When
I paint my rentals I always do the ceilings as well. Really makes a difference, especially if they are popcorn. Also I have gone to doing white on white. Easy to touch up and no second coats required. Looks so much cleaner as well
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Steve Scheid
Contractor · Durango, CO · Member since 2019 · 13 posts · 5 votes
3y
The best way to see if it’s a fair price is to get multiple quotes. Make sure you’re comparing apples to apples though. Ask about the prep, how many coats, and the quality of paint to be used. Have them put it in writing broken up with as many line items as possible. Also get a timeline. Your local paint store like Sherwin-Williams can refer reputable painters.
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Michael Robbins
Property Manager · Henderson, NV · Member since 2018 · 501 posts · 317 votes
3y
@Jack B. if you have not already you might consider confirming with the painter that the price includes (or excludes ceilings), and if it also includes patching/texture of any settling cracks/holes in the wall.
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Steven Foster Wilson
Rental Property Investor · Columbus, OH · Member since 2017 · 3k+ posts · 3k+ votes
3y
Quote from @Jack B.:

Quote from @Steven Foster Wilson:

Quote from @Jack B.:

Includes paint, which he estimates to be 8-10 gallons, going from yellow paint to white, will need two coats for sure. It's the old paint from when I bought the place 6 years ago.
I thought about doing this myself, but it would take me a couple weeks with a friend. This guy can finish in 2-3 days so I can actually get a tenant back in there, the last tenants were rough on the walls. I kept 1.5K of the deposit for this work. The $2,700 is the contractors cash price, and it seems like it's worth it to me, especially including materials. Frees me up to find other investments rather than paint...
Should I hire him? I do want to be clear on the cost and type of paint, double coat, where is being painted, with the contractor in writing though yeah?

'I always get multiple quotes. Is this the only estimate you got? I have found #1 it is good to ask if they have pictures of other work that they have done. Sometimes, I will even go to their job they are working on to make sure they do a good job and are not a mess. #2 It is always good to get a few different estimates, I will find someone on Facebook, a contractor, and a nice company and compare/contrast. #3 I learned this the hard way, always write a contract with the timeline and all this information. I have got burned one too many times now not to do that.

I've seen pictures of his work in his craigslist advertisement, also checked reviews on a home improvement site. Can't find him on Yelp or Google reviews but he is licenses and bonded and insured, checked state records.

That is good. I would just get some other quotes as well to compare and contrast on price.
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Jack B.
OP
Rental Property Investor · Seattle, WA · Member since 2014 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
3y
Quote from @John Alosio:

Quote from @Jack B.:

Interior paint only. Includes paint, which he estimates to be 8-10 gallons, going from yellow paint to white, will need two coats for sure. It's the old paint from when I bought the place 6 years ago.

I thought about doing this myself, but it would take me a couple weeks with a friend. This guy can finish in 2-3 days so I can actually get a tenant back in there, the last tenants were rough on the walls. I kept 1.5K of the deposit for this work. The $2,700 is the contractors cash price, and it seems like it's worth it to me, especially including materials. Frees me up to find other investments rather than paint...

Should I hire him? I do want to be clear on the cost and type of paint, double coat, where is being painted, with the contractor in writing though yeah?

I'm sorry, I couldn't help but notice that you held $1,500 from your tenant's security deposit to repaint your rental. Was there drywall damage? I always thought paint was part of normal wear and tear. You should budget to repaint every 5-7 years on your own dime.

No that was for other damages, utilities, etc. and partly to paint because there is a difference between normal wear and tear and damage. These room mates trashed the walls in the two years they lived there. I've never seen such damaged walls in over a decade of doing this.
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Jack B.
OP
Rental Property Investor · Seattle, WA · Member since 2014 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
3y
Quote from @Steve Scheid:

The best way to see if it’s a fair price is to get multiple quotes. Make sure you’re comparing apples to apples though. Ask about the prep, how many coats, and the quality of paint to be used. Have them put it in writing broken up with as many line items as possible. Also get a timeline. Your local paint store like Sherwin-Williams can refer reputable painters.

Yes yes, good advice and I already did all this before. This was the cheapest guy but cash price. Confirmed filling holes, and he even said some areas need to be primed where the holes were and that they have to do a double coat otherwise the old color will show through.
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Conner Olsen
Real Estate Agent · Austin, TX · Member since 2020 · 1k+ posts · 941 votes
3y
Quote from @Jack B.:

Interior paint only. Includes paint, which he estimates to be 8-10 gallons, going from yellow paint to white, will need two coats for sure. It's the old paint from when I bought the place 6 years ago.

I thought about doing this myself, but it would take me a couple weeks with a friend. This guy can finish in 2-3 days so I can actually get a tenant back in there, the last tenants were rough on the walls. I kept 1.5K of the deposit for this work. The $2,700 is the contractors cash price, and it seems like it's worth it to me, especially including materials. Frees me up to find other investments rather than paint...

Should I hire him? I do want to be clear on the cost and type of paint, double coat, where is being painted, with the contractor in writing though yeah?

That would cost 4k for me to hire it out. I think that's a good price, make sure quality is good.
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