Estimating Painting House Trim?
I am planning on starting a painting business. Most houses where I live have vinyl siding so you only need to paint the wood trim. How do you estimate those jobs? Do you charge by linear foot?

I am planning on starting a painting business. Most houses where I live have vinyl siding so you only need to paint the wood trim. How do you estimate those jobs? Do you charge by linear foot?

Increasing the value of your home can be a complicated affair, with renovations, curb appeal, and general repairs all eating away at your time and budget. One of the simplest measures you can take to increase your property value is to give the exterior of your home a fresh coat of paint.
Chipped and faded siding gives buyers the impression that your house is old and poorly maintained. After all, if you don’t care enough to make the outside look its best, then what other things have you let fall into disrepair?
You want potential buyers to drive by your house and take notice. A quality paint job can do just that. Be sure however, that you choose the right colors, or else buyers will take notice for all the wrong reasons.
So where do you start? One place is the inside of your home. While it isn’t necessary to match the interior decor with the outside, it is a good idea to use complementary colors to ensure a feeling of harmony from the inside out.
Look at your architecture. The structural design of your home will have a huge impact on whether colors look chic or tacky. You want to enhance architectural features, not overpower them, so be sure to take the style of your home into account before painting.
It is also wise to take a look at the neighborhood you live in. Are the houses painted with neutral colors like beige and gray? If so, then painting your home magenta will do more than make your home stand out; your house will look garishly out of place. While kitschy businesses can get away with bright, crazy colors, the average homeowner cannot, unless it works with the rest of the neighborhood. It is also considerate to think about your neighbors in case they themselves plan on selling in the future. You not only don’t want to lower your property value, but you also don’t want to take the whole neighborhood down with you.
Roofing materials also have a color, so consider this in your plans. Work with what is already there in terms of style, age, and colors.
Another question to ask yourself is: how many colors will I use? For more intricately designed homes, having a few complementary colors can really highlight architectural detail, and give your home a sophisticated look. Using multiple colors on a plainly designed home, however, overwhelms the structure and looks ill-placed.
As far as shades go, the darker the color, the smaller the home will look. It will also fade much quicker and therefore be more difficult to touch up at a later date. Dark colors also retain heat, so think about what kind of weather conditions you will be dealing with. On the positive side, dark hues can look very refined and elegant.
Lighter shades will make your home appear larger, and will reflect heat. Unfortunately, any marks and stains on the house will be much easier to spot than on a dark colored home.
No matter what color you choose for your exterior house paint, your home will look brighter and ten years younger with a fresh coat on its siding. It really is the easiest and most cost effective way to improve the look of your home, as well as increase your property value.
Smith Bowden is a real estate firm that specializes in the red hot Madison WI real estate market. Contact us today to learn about the wonderful selection of Madison WI condos, and find your dream home today.

Homeowners often worry about how they are going to accomplish their expansive remodeling and home improvement endeavors. Usually, the answer lies with a professional contractor, especially for the more complicated and complex projects that so many homeowners are unqualified to handle alone. One such project is the exterior painting job of a house, as it has the potential to present a few obstacles that amateurs may not be prepared to handle themselves.
An exterior house painting contractor can work wonders for a project in desperate need of a professional booster shot. Sometimes, a homeowner will dive right into the project without really knowing how to best handle the situations that arise unexpectedly. They try their best to fix whatever has gone wrong so that it does not cause further problems down the road, but too often they fail and are unable to prevent the project from falling into ruin. They then are forced to hire somebody to come and fix their work, thus adding to the overall cost of the project and the stress the homeowner is feeling as a result of their failed home improvement endeavor. With an exterior house painting contractor, homeowners should feel assured that their project is in excellent hands.
Professional painters are trained properly and are taught how to best deal with these mishaps or problems as they arise so that they do not become larger problems down the road. This often saves the homeowner a good deal of time and money, so the price of an exterior house painting contractor may in fact pay for itself by avoiding costly errors that the homeowner may run into if they go about the job alone. With a contractor handling the physical labor, the homeowner may be able to focus on other areas of a remodeling project if they are in the midst of improving their house, or they can just relax knowing that their project is in excellent hands. This brings peace of mind to many people and makes the exterior painting experience a positive one.
The services an exterior house painting contractor may provide often extend beyond physically painting the house. Many contractors are able to assist their clients in planning the project so that it runs smoothly and efficiently. Having a well thought out plan as to what is going to happen in the remodel or exterior painting project can ensure that problems are kept at bay and the potential errors that may arise are minimized so that things move forward. This often helps to avoid delays and gets things done on time, or sooner, so that the homeowner can enjoy the project as soon as possible. When things are going smoothly, everybody is happy.
When it comes time to repaint, think about the best way to accomplish the project. Usually it starts with hiring a professional to handle the larger, more complicated projects that are usually way over the homeowner’s head. Having this kind of professionalism on the jobsite often rubs off on the completed product. With a beautifully painted home, the rest of the house will pull together nicely and the homeowner will have a house he or she can be proud of.
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