Thinking about having your house interior or exterior painted? The first questions we get from potential clients are always about the cost to paint a house. Naturally, the price will always vary depending on a number of factors, some obvious and others not so obvious. But every project basically comes down to two main factors: labor and materials. So what can affect the final price, and how can you determine much it will cost to paint a house?
Cost to Paint a House Interior
People will often tell us the square footage of their house, then ask for a price. But it is never this simple, and it is best to be leery of a company who quotes a price sight unseen... they might change it once they see the house!
No two houses are the same, and two houses of the same size can have wildly different painting costs. Here are the main factors that can affect the cost to paint a house interior:
- Number of rooms – more walls means more area to paint
- Height of ceilings – can it be reached with an extension, or is scaffolding required?
- Amount of prep needed – caulking, filling nail holes, repairing damage sheetrock
- Furnished vs vacant – an empty house is much easier to paint than a furnished one
- Going from dark color to light – primer or extra coats might be needed
- Paint choice – will you require standard or high-quality paint, or an economy product?
It also will depend on what is being painted. Do you just need the walls painted? What about the ceilings, trim, baseboards, and doors? Does the house have crown moulding? Do you prefer an oil-based paint for trim and doors?
Cost to Paint a House Exterior
The price to paint the exterior of a house is affected in a similar way, with the added variable of weather and season. Everything takes longer in the winter, especially the drying time for power-washing and painting. Therefore, this means a slightly higher labor cost. On the flip side, painting companies do less business in the winter, which means better availability and quicker starting times.
Here are the main factors that can affect the cost to paint a house exterior:
- Number of stories – taller houses require more ladders or scaffolding
- Amount of masonry – the more brick or stone, the less siding there is to be painted
- Required repairs – such as rotten trim, removal of ivy, or extra caulking and sealing
- Accessibility – if the house is surrounded by vegetation, it is harder to paint
- Type of materials – wood, stucco, hardie, vinyl, etc?
- Prep work required – is only power-washing needed? does wood siding have to be sanded?
Just like the interior, it will also depend on what exactly is being painted. Do you just want the siding painted? What about the trim, soffits, fascia, and doors? The garage door? Are we going from a dark color to light color?
Getting An Accurate Price
In today’s instant society, most people don’t want to hear that we can’t give a price sight-unseen. But as you can see from above, it is nearly impossible without seeing the project. In reality, it actually takes less time for an experienced estimator to evaluate the cost to paint a house than it would to go through every single variable with a customer by phone or email, even if 100 photos were provided. In fact, most of our site visits only take 10-15 minutes.
The benefits are that you get an accurate and guaranteed quote that won’t be changed on you when the crew shows up to begin. Our estimates are always free, and we email a proposal to you that can be accepted electronically. You can even pay your deposit and final invoice online with a credit card or bank account!
