Aub's Painting

The project was a total nightmare mostly on our doing but Aubry was a great person at first, however, he sent a person to caulk and fill nail holes(TERRIBLE), next he sent the trim crew..they did a decent job which only highlighted the substandard caulk job, Also the doors weren’t sealed by the paint so they are now swollen. Now for the walls, we’ll just say D, enough said. I paid $7000 plus now I have to pay someone else to fix, lowest bid $2500

It was wonderful. I had no idea how to paint a two storey stair hall.

While we are happy with the finished product, the process was a little bit problematic. Aubrey is one of the nicest, kindest people you will ever meet, and he does good work, but he doesn't write anything down, and as a result, forgets what you want done. He also left a mess in our kitchen, which, while he came and cleaned up it immediately when I called him about it, caused me a lot of stress. As his prices and work are good, and he is trustworthy and honest, I would tentatively recommend him, but would advise you to specifically write down what you want done (and where/which rooms, and maybe even put Post-Its in each room with details) and have him map out a specific timeline for completion and put it in your contract with him.

We started with a walk through and my pointing out the different areas to be painted. He was very helpful pointing out other things that needed attention. We were cleaning the house for the purpose of selling and he said he knew what to do to make the house attractive to buyers (he was recommended by our realator).
The list of projects got longer and longer with his offering to do many of the additional projects for free. Over the time of the work what was being done for free and what had been contracted became very blurred. The house took longer than expected but that is due to all the additional work. The cost was close to what was profected but some of the things I wanted to have done weren't and many of the projects suggested done but not to my total satisfaction. By the end of the work I just wanted him to be finished so I could get on with what had to be done in order to sell the house.

He did an excellent job on the painting. He was also very competitive on the price. He would jump to the same price but he included other work. He goes through the rest of the house.

I liked that he does his own work and doesn't subcontract. We were both flexible on when he got the work done, Aub was accurate in his quotes and with indicating what he could do and what the results would be. The results were good and price was fair - he was able to solve issues with my cabinets and my basement floor at less cost than other solutions I considered.

All the work was done professionally and quickly. The bedroom which had to have the drywall repainted was a several day job since the compound had to be done in layers and sanded after drying. I left the front door open and Aubrey came and went as needed while I was at work. He always left the house clean.

In general the work was well done but I had to follow and touch up some places where some paint was on the trim/baseboard. He did spackling after having painted the walls, which required coming back and painting those areas - some of which were overlooked and I had to paint those places - he left paint so this was not a problem, just a bit of a disappointment. It felt as if the job was left uncompleted. We may have encouraged this because we were ready for them to be done and out of the house so we could get to other work.
He made suggestions as to additional work that was needed and was willing to do some of these without charge but this became confusing because I couldn't remember what was a part of the contracted work and what was things he was doing for free.
I made the mistake of not asking for and receiving a detailed estimate that was itemized. As work progressed we kept adding and deleting things that would be done. I am certain that we got our money's worth for the work but I'm confused as to what exactly we paid for and what the actual cost of the labor was and the cost of the materials. It didn't seem as though this was very professional, but I take part responsibility for that - I didn't push for a written contract that was itemized..
The owner had workers that provided most, but not all, of the actual work. Work that was presented as being under the owners supervision. They were punctual and stuck with the work but were inexperienced and worked less than full days. The owner was gone for several days in the middle of the project and while he was gone the crew worked without supervision. We are unsure just how many hours were required for the entire project.
In every way the owner seemed to have our best interests at heart. He was friendly and helpful, made good suggestions and seemed to be well informed of what would meet our needs. We understand that he had good reason to be absent through part of the project but it might of been more appropriate to have suspended work while he was away.
We are pleased with the work but just don't feel completely satisfied with the project's completion. A part of my dissatisfaction may be linked to my disappointment with the colors chosen - not the painter's fault.

I have been using Aubrey for years now and he has always delivered over and above what the job called for. His prices are reasonable, both him and his workers are very professional and do very good work. I've referred him to many friends and they all thank me for introducing him to them. If you hire Aubrey, you will want to refer him to your friends.