Straight talk
Who we are not a good fit for
Most contractor websites try to be right for everybody. We are not right for everybody. Here are six situations where you should not hire us, and what we would tell you to do instead. If none of these describe you, we are probably a good match.
Six honest cases
If this is your situation, do not hire us
We would rather turn down the job than take your money for work that will not hold up or that you do not need yet.
Your project is under our minimum and cannot be bundled
Our project minimum is $450. Setup, masking, travel and cleanup cost us the same on a half wall as they do on a whole room. If you have one small patch or a single closet, a handyman will do it cheaper and we will tell you so on the phone.
What to do instead: Call a handyman, or wait until you have two or three rooms to do at once.
You want the cheapest bid in the stack
There is almost always somebody cheaper than us. Sometimes they are cheap because they are hungry and good. Often they are cheap because they are skipping prep, thinning paint or working uninsured. We are not going to match a number by cutting the part of the job you cannot see.
What to do instead: If the lowest price is the deciding factor, take the low bid with open eyes and ask for proof of insurance.
You need it finished this week
We schedule real crews on real timelines. Interior work in season is usually booked out. We would rather tell you we cannot get there than squeeze your house in and rush the prep.
What to do instead: Ask us for our next honest opening. If that does not work, hire someone with immediate availability and check their references.
You want us to paint over a moisture problem
If there is an active leak, a wet basement wall, an ice dam stain or a bathroom with no working fan, paint will not fix it and it will not hold. Stains come back, film peels and now you have paid twice.
What to do instead: Get the roof, gutter, plumbing or ventilation fixed first. Then call us and we will do it once, properly.
You are a landlord doing a fast turnover
Rental turnover work is a volume game. It wants one coat, one color, in and out in a day, at the lowest possible cost per unit. That is a legitimate business and it is not the way we work.
What to do instead: Use a turnover crew that prices by the unit. If you own a property you actually live in or plan to sell, call us.
You want us to paint over wallpaper
We will not do it. Seams telegraph through, the old adhesive reactivates and removal later becomes a much bigger and more expensive job. We would rather lose the work than hand you a wall that fails.
What to do instead: Let us remove the paper properly, or hire someone else who is willing to paint over it. We just will not be the ones.
The flip side
Who we are a good fit for
Homeowners who plan to stay a while, who care what the trim looks like up close, and who would rather know the number than be surprised by it.
- You want the same crew in your house every day, with an owner on the job.
- You want the price published before you talk to anyone.
- You have wallpaper to install or remove, which most painters in this area will not touch.
- You want a lifetime workmanship warranty and free touch-ups for a year, in writing.
Next step
Still think we fit? Price your project in about a minute, then read what happens at the walkthrough before we come out.
Ask us anything
Still have a question?
Send it over and we will answer it. We answer questions publicly on this site, because if you are wondering it, someone else is wondering the same thing and nobody has told them straight.