Whether the exterior of your home needs a new paint job or you’re thinking of painting the interior rooms of your house, one of the first factors you will likely think about will be: how much will it cost? Many factors play into the final cost for such a project, such as the size of the home, interior or exterior painting, how many rooms you want to paint, quality of materials, labor costs, and more.
Here are some more things to think about regarding the price tag of hiring painting contractors in San Francisco.
The First Step: Getting an Estimate
The only way to know for sure how much your paint job will cost is to get quotes from a few different contractors. This will give you a good idea of what people are charging for the type of request you have. Not all companies are created equal, either: some can have very low, affordable prices, while others can come in at the high end. Still others are right in the middle.
Once you have all quotes in hand, you can then compare them to see which would be the better option for you. Remember: cheapest isn’t always best. Contractors who offer dirt cheap prices may be cutting corners on materials or processes, or they may not even be licensed at all.
In general, to paint the exterior of a 2,000-square-foot, two-story home, it costs around $3,500 for both labor and materials. In general, to paint the interior of a 2,000-square-foot, two-story home is about $5,000. Painters in San Francisco tend to charge between $20 and $60 per hour, with $40 an hour being is typical in urban areas.
Interior Painting
An average-size home in this country clocks in at about 2,300 square feet, with the national average for interior painting costs ranging from $2 to $5 per square foot. Most homeowners pay about $3. With those numbers in mind, the cost of painting a home’s interior rooms would be nearly $7,000, which includes two coats of paint, ceiling, and trim.
Other things may influence this cost, such as how complex and time intensive the job is, as well as additional repairs and prep work needed.
Exterior Painting
What about the outside of a house? This varies by state, but costs are usually based on the home’s square footage. Additional factors include the cost of labor and materials in your region, as well as how many stories you have and how easy it will be for contractors to access your home.
On average, to paint the exterior of a two-story home that measures 1,500 to 3,000 square feet is between $2,900 and $4,600 and up. Again, the only way to know for sure what your final price tag will be is to get quotes from different contractors.
Factors That Influence Cost
The important thing to remember is that painting costs vary widely by contractor and your neighborhood. One big factor is the safety risk and difficulty involved in painting multistory homes. You’ll pay double for labor for multi-story homes even if your material costs remain the same, says House Beautiful. The low-end price range for painting a single-story house is $1,800 to $6,000, as compared to $5,000 to $12,000 and up for a three-story house.
You also have to take into account the pitch and complexity of the architecture. It’s much easier and quicker to paint the exterior of a small ranch than it is a large Victorian-style house with detailed turrets and intricate trim.
There can also be unexpected costs that come up as the contractor learns more about what will be needed to complete your project. Those factors include:
- Unexpected prep work and repairs: Prep work may take a week or more depending on the condition and size of your home. Paint adheres better to a well-prepared, smooth surface, so your home will need to be power washed first, peeling paint needs to be scraped off, cracks need to be patched, and primer needs to be applied. That all adds to the cost.
- Historic restorations: If you have an older home in a protected area of the city, certain steps will need to be taken to fall within those guidelines. Because lead paint has been banned for some time now, your lawn must be protected from toxic lead paint dust and chips during the process.
In the end, no matter how much the painting project costs you, there’s no doubt that painting your home will increase your property value.
According to the National Association of Realtors Remodeling Impact Report, a fresh coat of exterior paint gives you a 55 percent return on investment, plus it also carries the highest “joy score” of all exterior renovations (9.8 out of 10).
Get a Quote From Fresh Start Painting
Now that you know how affordable painting can really be, it’s time to get your free quote from the pros at Fresh Start Painting SF in Daly City CA. Contact us today at (415) 347-7689 to learn more about our interior and exterior painting services throughout San Francisco and surrounding areas.