Otis Merry Painting

Otis Merry and his painters did an excellent job painting my house in 2022, and previously in 2013. Otis Merry is the type of contractor I am always hoping to find: long-term skilled employees, competent, hardworking, reasonably priced, responsible, reliable, respectful, and accommodating. High quality paint and related products are used. During this time of the ‘great resignation” and inflation, finding contractors with experienced and skilled employees is particularly challenging. Based on my prior experience with Otis, I knew that his business model was based on long-term employees and doing quality work that would ensure repeat customers. Otis Merry specializes in older homes like Craftsman and bungalows, etc, with lead paint, but paints all types of residences. His experience gave me confidence as my house is 94 years old. Since the use of lead paint was not banned until 1978, a high percentage of existing homes have lead paint. Many painters I have interviewed are not qualified and do not want to follow lead-safe practices as required by law. They seem to hope you won’t know about the regulations or know enough to ask them to follow the regulations. When I receive bids from this type of contractor they either submit outrageously high bids or submit low bids inadequate to do the job. Each time I obtained bids for the painting of my house, Otis Merry’s bids were in the middle range price wise. This is what you want as a homeowner to ensure your project can be done properly. at a fair price If you are a reasonable and fair person, you want a fair price for yourself and for the contractor doing the work. If you gouge a contractor, he will cut corners to make up for the low price. Otis Merry was on the job every day. The foreman and painters who painted my house were unfailingly hard working, skilled, courteous, considerate and accommodating. They seemed happy in their work. The foreman was very focused and committed to ensuring that I was happy with their work. The job site was cleaned up and organized at the end of each work day. The painters did not leave the job to work on another project. They remained until the project was done. Parking is very inadequate where I live with parking on one side of the street only. Because of the foreman’s approach, the dentist’s office next door happily worked with the painter to find the best solutions for the parking challenges. If you are anything like me in terms of the type of contractor you want, you will agree that Otis Merry Painting sounds like the type of contractor you are looking for. For your information, I am a retired architect.

We have used this company in the past and we knew we would get good service. Otis communicates well, responds to calls and presented an estimate in a timely manner. His crew is polite, cleaned up daily and did good quality work. We have more work scheduled to be done in the next few weeks. We highly recommend this company.

We had the exterior of our North Park Bungalow power washed, clear wood preservative applied and the trim painted. They also power washed and treated our wood deck. They refreshed the wood cabinets in the kitchen and repaired a problem with our unique wood kitchen counter. They also did painting in our bedroom necessitated when we had work done on our ceiling fan. We were extremely happy with the project. They gave a timely quote and communication with us was good. They started on time and finished in 2.5 days plus a half day in doing the power washing a few days before they started the work. Unlike other painters we have used in the past they had enough staff to get the work done very quickly which greatly minimized any disruption. The finished work looks very good. We would definitely use them again and would recommend them for anyone with an craftsman home. All of the staff were very professional and friendly and considerate. The price was comparable to the painter we had used previously (who is no longer available) and significantly less than the estimate we received from a much larger company. We also liked their consideration in picking a color for the trim work that was an improvement over the previous color.

Having Otis Merry and his team paint the entire interior of our 1927 Adams North bungalow was a joy. Otis returned all my calls promptly. His quote was accurate and clear. Work began on day we agreed on with thorough preparation. This is a professional crew in every way. The process was orderly and the end result outstanding. White, lime green, dark brown. Plaster repair, old wood windows, salvaging french doors in poor condition, spraypainting kitchen cabinets-- they can do it all. Cheerfully and with good energy. We'll see Otis Merry again when it's time to paint the exterior :)

Fantastic paint job!! I had extreme paint deterioration on the fascia, eaves, and garage door so I had to have it tested for lead. I hired Otis Merry Painting since he's certified in lead abatement and so glad I did. This crew went above and beyond with scraping, sanding, and then painting to make my house look new again. The crew was very pleasant, professional, detail oriented, not to mention hard working!! Otis (owner) showed up everyday to check on things, kept me informed of everything going on, and made sure all my concerns were taken care of. I couldn't have asked for a better crew to paint my house. I still can't get over how great it looks!

Excellent! Otis and his crew were able to finish the job on a tight timetable with no surprises and excellent results. His crew was professional, neat, and precise.

Otis was great to work with. He came out reviewed what we would like done (power washing eves, repairing some wood damage, priming and painting windows and eves). He made suggestions of another contractor to use for termite treatment and replacement of a sliding door before he should start his job. He kept us informed during every step of his job. His crew was so efficient and professional, protecting plants and surrounding areas, and even putting up extra barriers to protect any spray that might have gone to our neighbors to protect his new solar system. The team repaired our garage door and frame, which I thought was above and beyond their painting scope but excellently done and gratefully appreciated. The crew was very respectful of our property in placing their equipment during the job and each day cleaning up. Our house looks like new and he stayed true to his contact, I would very highly recommend Otis and his crew.

Our house looks fabulous! Otis Merry provided a competitive bid and shared his artistic expertise to review options for a lovely color choice with matching trim. His crew power-washed and prepped the house exterior quite nicely before priming and applying the topcoat paint. Meticulous attention to detail was evident after paint spraying and then hand painting the trim. Otis went the extra mile to ensure we were satisfied with the finished product. He even washed all the exterior windows and screens as an unexpected added bonus! I highly recommend Otis Merry Painting for your painting needs.

From our first contact through project completion Otis Merry Painting surpassed my expectations. Otis was responsive to my request for a quote and on time for our appointment to walk around the house and garage. He was reassuring about the work needed (painting, as well as stucco and trim repair), but also realistic. Otis came to the house a second time after we accepted the quote to go over how to approach painting trim, accents and fascia, as well as color combinations, as we expressed an interest in changing colors and getting his input. He provided great suggestions and then got samples for us to evaluate on the house. He got our feedback on the samples and then offered additional suggestions. He applied a second set of samples that we selected and also some additional ones that he thought were what we were looking for. Ultimately, we chose the colors he developed based on our feedback, not those we selected. The colors he offered us demonstrated how he listened to our input and vision for the house. We scheduled a time for the power washing, prep and painting. Otis and his crew were friendly and professional, working diligently from the time they started on a Thursday and completing the job the following Wednesday. They were very clean and careful to move any items so as not to get paint on them. Otis inspected all of the work and went through with his team to touch up or fix issues he identified. We were particularly impressed when the work was by all appearances done on a Tuesday afternoon and Otis indicated they would return the next morning for a couple hours to finish all the touch ups properly. In my experience a lot of companies get that close to the finish line and call it a day, Otis and his crew were focused on getting it right even if a few more hours were needed. We could not be happier with the job they did and the colors they helped us select. We will recommend Otis Merry without reservations.

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My bedroom hand not been painte in years and really needed an professional paint job. Lots of holes, cracks & gaps to be patched and repaired. Otis & his crew showed up on time and did an extremely professional job. I am so happy with how it turned out. Beautiful workmanship!

I originally reviewed this company in March 2015 when they made many cosmetic changes and then painted the exterior of my house--and did an EXCELLENT job.  (Other painters had told me the changes I needed were impossible and/or prohibitively expensive.  Otis handled them all very economically with savvy and flare)
I'm adding to that review with the information that (6 months after the job was very satisfactorily completed), Otis sent one of his guys by to patch and seal a place where my window trim was pulling away from the stucco.  This problem was NOT there when they painted, and their paint job didn't cause it--but they were nice enough to do this extra favor for me.  No charge!
Again, A+ to Otis and his crew--professionals with style and grace.
They are my painters for life.

Every attention is paid to every little detail.  From a stucco wall merging into a brick wall
with no gap or even a detectable difference in material to a sixty year old
front door that looks like a new front door which would cost hundreds of dollars.  And the sixty year old gate which was in
pieces and also restored to a working gate and it?s original condition.
 
I can only say that Otis Merry Painting, and his
professional crew delivered much much more than I expected.  Days in preparation to fix every little piece
of dry rot and crack restored the house to it?s original beauty.  Once this was done, the actual paint
application went rather fast.
 
The end result, absolutely stunning.
 
If you want it done right, hire Otis Merry Painting.

My house ( a 1914 bungalow) needed a color change and Otis had some suggestions to make it look great.  He did extra work and I loved it.  I wanted to keep his sign out front forever. The paint job looked great and I received many many compliments.

Otis and his crew were exceptional! They arrived timely. They were responsive to all my needs, questions, requirements without hesitation. They were very respectful to me and my property. I have a bad back so if anyone saw me trying to lift or carrying something they would immediately jump up to help.  Who shows that kindness anymore?  Otis and his crew do.  They cleaned up after each days work and did it with care and consideration.  When the job was finished they washed my windows.  Once again, who does that?
The exterior of my home looks fabulous.  It is crisp, clean, sparkling. I could not be happier with the results. I will be hiring Otis Merry again in the fall to paint the interior of my home.  
Anyone who wants a professional they can count on to do an extraordinary job in an extraordinary way should hire Otis Merry!

, .Fabulous! Wonderful! Terrific! Gorgeous! Very affordable!
I have NEVER been so pleased with a service provider in all my years as an Angie's List member.
First, Otis did a very thorough eval/assessment of my home and the work that needed to be done.  We walked thru every single window, porch, blemish--as he told me what he would do to make my house look exactly like it should.
He was unceasingly patient with me as we discussed colors, types of paint, etc.  He brought up things that I would never have considered (who knew the thin metal flashing at the edge of my roof should be painted--with special metal paint--to match the roof???)
Some of my windows needed new wooden frames surrounding the vinyl--his crew did a beautiful job.  But other windows needed only a careful application of the trim color--right on the vinyl frame.  This saved me a lot of money.  And the result is perfect.  
His crew removed a very ugly lattice on the first story roof--a "decorative" element which I've hated for years.  (Other painters told me it couldn't be done.)  They also removed some strange "bump outs" under several windows, and re-stuccoed so you'd never see the difference from the original stucco.
The project took 6-7 full days--with a crew of 3-5 pleasant, polite, very skilled men working all that time.  Otis came by daily to check progress and direct his crew.  Considering all the workers, and all the excellent work they did, and how they cleaned up so well every day and at the end of the project, the price was a steal.  I got way way more than I paid for.
And I will never have anybody but Otis Merry paint anything inside or outside my house ever again.

Otis and his team started and ended as promised and quickly addressed a couple of very minor issues.

He did a fantastic job. I found them through Angie’s List. They helped us with colors. It went very well.

Otis always had enough highly qualified painters scheduled to make the job flow properly. Everyone was clean, polite and professional, in addition to being great painters.  I was also pleased that Otis accepts credit cards.

My trim was in pretty bad condition because a previous painter didn't do a proper job. South side (sun-facing) windows were the worst.  The main part of this nasty job was repair,prep and prime and then they applied two coats of color.
Otis Merry's crew were on time early every morning. They were polite and got right to work and obviously were experienced at what they were doing. They also seemed to work well together as a team.
Otis came by occasionally to see how things were going, however, the painters were good about answering any questions or concerns that I had. They also added a few things I wanted done without complaint
They were very good about cleaning up and securing their equipment each day and, at my request, worked around my tenant's schedule.
I
 would not hesitate to hire Otis Merry and his crew for future painting projects.

They did a fantastic job and were very professional. They were very fast and respectful of my home as well.

We chose three top rated painters from Angie's List to quote our project because we value quality work. Otis was not initially the low bidder but we chose to work with him because of his professional approach to our project and excellent reviews. Our decision was validated by the quality of his crew and his willingness to work with us on price while rearranging his work load to accommodate our very tight schedule. He also was very helpful with color selection and trim details.  When it came time to work five journeymen painters showed up and worked tirelessly for three days in 90+ degree heat to restore our 40 year old neglected stucco home. I was very impressed that Otis came the first day and did a project walk through with the crew to clearly define the scope of the included work. The crew was very professional and easy to work with, addressing every comment that I had. They clearly enjoyed doing quality work and even complemented each other on their efforts (I've never seen this before with a work crew). Otis followed up with me to make sure that I was completely satisfied. He and his crew are clearly the best of the best and I would not hesitate to have them back.

I received three bids for repainting the exterior of my Spanish Revival home.  My house is 2000 square feet large and was last painted in 2004.  Otis came out and looked at the project shortly after I first contacted him.  He was friendly, professional and had some good input on how to approach the job.  His bid arrived two days later and ended up being in the middle of a higher and a lower bid, but the lower bidder was unable to do the job for another month which didn't work with my plans.  After accepting Otis' s bid, he came over and worked with me on the colors to be used.  I requested sample colors to be painted on the house.  No problem.  I wanted a different sample tried.  No problem.  I picked my colors, the work was scheduled and workmen arrived promptly on the start date.  The job was done a week later.  I was very impressed with how friendly all of the guys were.  They were great to have around the property and were really efficient and clean.  The place was cleaned up every night!  I saw Otis almost daily, checking on the job.  I had no problem reaching him by phone if there was a question.  I would highly recommend this company to anyone considering a painting project.  Everything went smoothly, and the house looks great.  The people were wonderful to work with and NO surprises.  I was told what to expect and that's what happened.  Lovely!!!

.

Updated on 12-8-14

On October 8th, I contacted Otis regarding a few areas where the paint was starting to peel off.  Since he had completed the job 7-8 months prior, I wasn't sure if he would take care of these or not.  He responded he'd send someone out when they were in the area again, but to be patient.  On Nov 10th, I contacted Otis again as a follow up and was told he had a job in the area in the next week and would follow up with me then.  On Nov 30th with still no follow up, I contacted Otis again and told him I'd take care of the flaking paint myself.  No reply yet from that contact.

I worked for a paint manufacturer  for over 10 years and I'm well aware of the reasons why paint flakes, which is why I asked Otis if he'd take care of these areas.  Had he said "No, it's been too long", I would have understood.  However, he did say he'd take care of the problem, and yet never did.

Since my original contact with Otis in October, several more areas have started to flake.


Original review...
I contacted several painting contractors thru Angie's List for a quote on painting the exterior of our house, as well as a 2 story house behind ours.  While Otis Merry wasn't the least expensive (nor the most - right in the middle), he was by far the friendliest and easiest to work with.  Because of the age of the property, I knew it had lead-based paint which needed special attention due to health concerns and local laws.  One of the contractors we got a quote from didn't even mention the lead in his examination of the property or in the bid!
With delays due to weather to start the project, Otis communicated ever step of the way.   Once the work began, he started on one side of the house to accommodate some concrete work we were going to have done at the same time.  Coming home everyday after the painters had left, there was no trash, or ANY other sign they had been there, other than the areas that had been either patched/primed or painted.
Despite a troublesome new fence that needed multiple upon multiple coats of primer and finish coats to prevent bleed thru, Otis was more than happy to make it right.  There were a few other very minor areas that were missed and needed a brush full of paint to make it look new, but based on the amount of square feet of surface they were dealing with between the 2 houses, I wasn't surprised or minded.  Again, Otis was happy to quickly send out someone to take care of these minor areas.
When the work was finally completed after 2 weeks, the entire property was swept and made to look cleaner than when they had started.  OUTSTANDING JOB!!