Chip' Painting Co.

At the time of our inital meeting on 4/2/2011 to discuss painting the exterior of our 2,300 square foot home, I made it clear that timing was important, because other work was scheduled to follow the paint job. When Steve arrived on 4/18/2011 to begin work, he informed me that he was on call for jury duty and would not know until the evening of each day whether he would be available to work the next day.  The day he arrived was misty, so he said he would match paint and return the next day. The following days were spent sanding and powerwashing from a few hours per day to a few full days.  On 4/27/2011, Steve was called to jury duty.  Multiple projects were in process and Steve was asked in the beginning to complete the rear of the house first.  Since the back side of the house had not been completed (seven work days after beginning the job), and other work  (deck construction and landscaping) was scheduled, he was asked to work on Saturday.  Steve informed me that he was not available on weekends, so he worked for an hour or two on the days he was required to report to the court.  On 5/9/2011, Steve returned to work in the afternoon. The following week (5/16/2011)  Steve worked one full and one partial day.  During the week of 5/23/2011 Steve had begun another job so was only available to work for a few hours some days.  The work was finally completed on 5/26/2011, six weeks from the day he arrived. In short, Steve spent a long time doing a job that should have been much shorter. Had he told me about jury duty when he bid the job--and he must have known--then I would have postponed the painting or hired someone else.

The overall work performed was poor, in large part due to inadequate preparation. Multiple areas of stucco peeled after painting,  His estimate included glazing of windows, which was done on part of only one window.  The other windows, he said, didn't need reglazing.  He painted over areas that had not been prepped at all, creating a thick, sloppy appearance.  The front door and shutters were painted the wrong color, because he lost the paint sample I gave him to match, so he just guessed at the color.  He repainted the door and shutters with the correct color, but the shutters were painted while attached to the house, leaving  black paint on the window frame and siding. The sliding gate across the driveway was to be painted with semi-gloss to match the front siding.  He used flat paint instead, then repainted the gate after the mistake was pointed out to him.  In multiple areas, drips are seen and blistering of paint is evident.  Sanding on one large window frame was severe in one area, creating a gap between the edge of the screen and window frame.

Other concerns included inadequate clean up at the end of each day.  One day, an exposed razor blade was found in the driveway next to the supplies and equipment that he left every night.  Although our children are now teenagers, we also have pets which had access to his storage area.  He also stored some of his equipment in our garage, which was already full, making access to our things more difficult. Steve used strips of cardboard to shield windows, concrete, etc. from paint, instead of plastic and tape.  These paint-stained strips of cardboard were left  around the property in plants and landscaping.  Paint chips were also left in planters.  Plants were stepped on, crushed, painted, and a yard ornament was bent.  Paint was left on window glass, and one window screen was torn after he removed the screens and left them in the bushes.

Steve is a friendly person who worked well with others on site.  He repainted the areas that we brought to his attention. This job took too long, and the quality control was left up to me to discover.

Steve is on-time for work, comes completely equipped for the day's work, and is honest to the n-th degree. Short-changing someone is just not part of his life. He is detailed and loves his work, and enjoys being able to look at the finished product with pride. There is no one better or in whom I have more confidence. You'll see why if you meet him. He stays in touch throughout the whole process, either in person or, as in my case, by email because I don't live at the house. I drove up to the house a couple of times just to enjoy the progress and was never disappointed.