ABOVE THE REST PAINTERS

It didn't

Fred was by far the cheapest quote we received from all of the Angie's List Painters.  However I didn't let that scare me away from using his company. I looked at his other reviews and didn't find anything bad about his company on the internet.  We decided to go with Fred as I felt that he was a straight shooter and had the best value, he was also willing to use Sherwin Williams Super Paint for the same price he quoted me.   Fred's crew did all of the pressure washing and prep work done on 7/30.  Today 7/31 his crew started at 8am and worked all the way till 4pm non stop.  They painted the entire home in one day including the trim work and front door.  I would use Fred again.  If your considering using Above the Rest you shouldn't think twice.  You will get a quality job at a very fair price. 
Thanks Fred and the Above the Rest Crew for making our house look
new again..

Everything went as requested

My home is about 7.5 years old and the cheap paint the builder used was showing signs of fading.  We also had some minor stress cracks in the stucco caused by normal expansion and contraction.  I have meticulously kept up on the exterior cracks by filling them with caulk and painting over them over the past years.  We decided to look on Angies List for a painting contractor in addition to getting recommendations from others in the neighborhood who have already re-painted their homes.  I was happy to see the other recommendations on Angies List as well with great ratings.  I called four contractors to give me estimates for the job.  I ended up with three total.  When Fred from Above the Rest Painting was about to hand me his estimate, he warned me not to be discouraged because he is normally much lower in price than his competition but that he treats each job like it was his own home and that he was very meticulous and detail oriented.  Well, his price was much lower than the others and normally I would shy away from the lowest bidder as many would.  However, I recalled one particular review on Angies List for Above the Rest that I read during my research that stated a similar concern but they went with Fred and his team anyway.  The review was extremely positive and that gave me the courage to give Above the Rest a try.  I am a do-it-yourselfer through and through and hate to spend money on things I feel I can do myself.  However, I have limited time to do everything and decided this was something I needed to let someone else do.  The other plus for this painter was that he was available to start in only a few days and he also stated he would get the job done in 2 days, where his competition was going to take four days.  I was concerned again about rushing through this job, but Fred re-assured me that it was going to be a quality job.  I also like the fact that Fred was not stuck on only using Sherwinn Williams paint, that the others seem to only use.  I use Consumer Reports religiously for my major purchases and it has never steered me wrong.  The Behr paint from Home Depot was rated very well and my father swears by that brand as well.  Fred had no problem using this paint instead of SW and even recommended it himself.  Now as far as how Fred explained in detail how he would paint my house here is what he explained:  He would pressure wash the house not using bleach if possible (to protect the plants) and even threw in doing the driveway for free.  If bleach were necessary he would wash the plants before and after and cover them as much as possible during the job.  He would then apply a sealer to the exterior, then apply an elastomeric patch over any cracks and paint.  He paints by spraying on a coat, then someone comes behind and back rolls the paint.  The difference in how Fred does things from the others who say they spray a second coat, is that the person back rolling is actually dipping his roller in a bucket of paint and rolling with it, so in a sense you are getting a second coat.  The others back roll by just using a paint wetted roller behind the initial spray coat to spread it in the stucco good.  Well Fred showed up promptly when he said he would and did exactly as he explained.  After day one, I noticed the ceilings of the lanai and front entrance were not pressure washed.  I bought this concern up to Fred over the phone and he said he tells his folks to absolutely never pressure wash there because some builders use drywall for the ceilings and the pressure washer would go right through.  If I were doing the job, I would have never of thought of that so Fred saved a few holes in the ceiling.  After day two everything was done as promised and the workmanship I saw was outstanding.  I couldn't find a paint spill anywhere, even on my paver lanai.  Every paint line from trim to body color was a straight as can be and I could not find a flaw anywhere.  I was truly happy with the quality and knew I made a good choice in using Above the Rest.







There is a little more to the story that I should share.  I had given the exact colors I wanted to use on the home to Fred.  We were not changing the colors from the original so we had the SW color names and numbers from the builder.  The only changes would be that we were going to use a satin paint and not flat and we were going to paint over the stained gutters, facia, and soffits with the trim color.  Well, it turned out that our trim color was too close in shade to the body color and when we painted the gutter, facia, and soffits the same color as the trim, it looked like the same as the body color on the sides of the home (where no trim existed), especially in the shade.  Something about not having the contrast of the bright white gutters, facia, and soffit made the home look dull.  After many discussions with the wife, we decided we needed to re-paint the gutter, facia, and soffit a lighter color to get the contrast back.  Now, I must share that when Fred was at Home Depot getting the paint mixed up in the colors I had specified, he had a questioning attitude about how close the body and trim colors were.  He called me from the store before proceeding with the paint purchase and asked me if I was absolutely sure the trim and body colors were correct.  I assured him they were.  I went to SW and looked at the color pallet for my body color and tried several samples of varying shades and we finally settled upon a lighter shade from another color pallet that went well with our body color.  I called Fred and asked for another estimate for re-painting the trim on the home.  Again, he provided another reasonable price and He was able to come out a few days later and re-paint.  After this time, the home looks awesome to us now.  We have the color contrast back and Fred agrees we made a good choice.  I know that if I were changing colors, Fred would have been a valuable resource in helping with the colors.  He has been doing this for a very long time and I would recommend you use him in helping with your color selection, as this can be a difficult task to do if you are not skilled in color selection.  I appreciate that Fred is part of a small, family owned business and provides an excellent and professional service.  I will always support the small business owner over a larger outfit whenever given the opportunity.  If you are in the market to get any painting done, do not hesitate to call Fred at Above the Rest.

I contacted Fred to paint the outside of my house.  His price was great and he was extremely knowledgeable and helpful.  He kept us informed every step of the way about what he was doing.  He showed up to my house with his crew and they were very professional.  Fred is very attentive to the job he is doing and is very much a perfectionist about it.  He was wonderful and always available to answer our questions.  He finished the job quicker than we expected and he even called twice after he was done and paid, just to be sure we were happy and didn't have any concerns.  I would definitely use him again.

Fred came out to give me an estimate and spent his time explain what would be done to house. Example was spray wasting the house, then sealing the walls, filling cracks, and the painting. He explained options and was willing to beat any other offers. Once I decided on my colors he was at the house the next day. Spray washed the house but due to the dropping water he said w would seal and paint the house next.

I got 4 estimates. He was about $2,000 cheaper than the highest estimate and still came in below the rest. I checked his reviews and he had an A ratings, so I hired him. He does exactly what he says he is going to do and more. This whole job was done within two days. He was here until almost dark because he promised it was going to get done. His workers were quiet and it was like they were not even there. He offered to come back if anything was wrong, but to me it was perfect. He is like old world. His word is good. He will help you with colors and his taste is excellent. I feel like I have a brand new home. Nobody should sign with any contractor until they talk to him.

Simple is the easiest way to tell you.'
I called
He came out quickly
He talked with me about my needs, wants and whats best for my properties and my budget
He came when promised
It was done quickly and correctly
I paid
I called him weeks later to do more painting on another property

He did an incredible job. I would welcome him back in my home for future painting needs without hesitation.  His painting was done with care.

Fred's company has not only done work on my personal home but I have
referred him and his company to many of my clients (I am a real estate
agent of over 29 years in the business) in the Northwest Tampa area. 
Fred is very hands on to make sure all goes well with the whole job.  He
has done anywhere from full house projects for my clients (ie: wood
repair, pressure washing, priming, painting interior and exterior and
patio flooring to even tile roof painting/surface coating) to small
interior paint jobs.  I am very careful who I recommend to my clients
and I highly recommend Fred and his company, "Above the Rest Painting"
to you.

I live in Holiday FL, I hired Above the Rest to paint my elderly parents house, in Port Richey, as a friend of mine had used them with good results. I got 3 other estimates, to be sure, and they gave they me best quote, and threw in a free driveway cleaning.  They, painted the exterior of the house, and also painted their master bedroom inside.  They showed up on time, got it done, it looked great and my parents were happy. I would use them again and recommend to others.

They were very honest and the quote was very reasonable. The painter is a very honest and professional guy. His quote was the best one out of the five quotes that I received. He used quality products and was on time. He did a great job with the exterior painting. However, his crew didn?t do a nice job with the interior painting. It seemed like they were in a hurry. I would definitely use their services in the future for exterior painting.

GREAT SERVICE! GREAT PRICE! GREAT CRAFTSMANSHIP AND QUALITY OF WORK! WORKED OVER-TIME TO COMPLETE JOB! HIGHLY RECOMMEND!