How pricing works
What a job costs, and why
We do not quote from a photo and we do not publish a price per square foot. Walls this old vary too much. This is what moves the number.
What decides the price
Five things move it more than anything else.
The surface: lime plaster, gypsum plaster, brick or stucco
What is on it now, and how hard it comes off
Repairs the wall needs first
The number of coats
Height and access: stair halls, tall ceilings, scaffold
What the estimate includes, and what it doesn't
A written estimate names the surfaces and areas, the repairs, the removal method, the coats, the product and its data sheet, the color, the cleanup and the schedule.
Not included: damage found behind old paint
Not included: a color change after you approve the patch
What happens at the visit
Areli or Bessie walks the walls, taps for hollow plaster, scrapes a corner to see what is on it and asks the year the house was built. We photograph what we find and set the patch date.
Materials and who buys them
We buy and mix the paint. You choose from the maker's colors or bring a sample, and the patch confirms it before we order the whole job. Ask for the product data sheet and we send it before we order.
If the job changes
If the wall behaves differently from the patch, say damp plaster or coats that come off harder than expected, we stop, show you, and agree the change in writing before any more work.
When you get the number
In writing, after the visit and, when you want one, after the patch has cured, because that is when we know the wall. The estimate is for the work described. Anything outside it is a change.
The test patch visit may be billed. We tell you before we come, and the amount is on your estimate request.
Reading two estimates
A written estimate, and a vague one
If you have two quotes, put them side by side. These are the lines that should be on both.
| A vague one says | A written estimate states | |
|---|---|---|
| The wall | A vague one says"Paint the walls" | A written estimate statesEach surface and its area, by room |
| Repairs | A vague one saysNothing, or "as needed" | A written estimate statesCracks and loose plaster, and how they are fixed |
| Old paint | A vague one saysNothing | A written estimate statesWhat is on it and how it comes off |
| Coats | A vague one says"Two coats", with no product named | A written estimate statesHow many, and the drying between them |
| The paint | A vague one says"Premium paint" | A written estimate statesProduct, color and a data sheet |
| Cleanup and schedule | A vague one saysNothing | A written estimate statesWhat is covered, cleaned and when |
| Changes | A vague one saysSettled on the day | A written estimate statesHow a change is priced, in writing first |
Questions
About cost
How do you price a job?
In writing, after we have seen the walls and, when you want one, after the patch has cured. The price follows the surface, the preparation, the number of coats and the height of the work. How pricing works has the full list.
What does the warranty cover?
Terms, limits and exclusions are in your written warranty, and we go over it with you when we give the estimate.
Who buys the paint and picks the color?
We buy and mix it. You choose from the maker's colors or bring a sample, and the patch confirms it before we order the whole job. Ask for the product data sheet and we send it before we order.
The test patch
See it on your own wall first
We paint a square of mineral paint or limewash in a spot you pick, in the coats the wall would get. Look at it for a week, in morning light and under lamps, then decide.