What to expect and prepare for an exterior painting consultation

After living in your home for nearly a decade, you realize you’ve never thought to get your exterior repainted. 

You take a walk around and notice the paint is looking a little worn. So, you decide to contact a few local painters to schedule a consultation and get a quote. 

The first couple of contractors you met didn’t seem to give you all the information you needed. You left the consultation feeling overwhelmed by a pressuring salesperson, unsure if you’re going to get what you need out of your project.

It comes down to your final consultation, and you’ve decided to meet with Southwest Exteriors. You’re a little nervous and want to know that this consultation will be different. 

Southwest Exteriors has been a local home remodeling contractor for over 30 years. We are exterior experts and aim to provide you with the best solution to any problems you experience.

It’s common for exterior painters to simply ignore any problems on your siding and just paint over them. While they will be the less expensive option, and the price can be tempting, it’s like putting a bandage over a wound that needs stitches. 

What sets us apart from other painting contractors is that we cannot only identify possible problem areas around your exterior, like rotting or cracking, but solve them as well. 

This article will outline the steps during an exterior painting consultation with Southwest Exteriors. This way you know exactly what to expect when it comes time for your appointment. 

After reading, you can go into your consultation feeling comfortable and prepared. 

1. We’ll talk through your wants, goals, and needs

The first step in your consultation is to understand what you are looking to get out of your painting project. 

During this time, we’ll ask you lots of questions about any problems you are experiencing, what you’re looking to get done, if you have any other projects going on at the time, and what your plans for the future of your home are. 

Your design consultant needs to understand all the details of your goals, wants, and needs for your project so they can provide the best possible solution for you. 

2. We’ll assess the entire exterior of your home 

The next step to better understand your project is to walk around the exterior of your home with you to inspect the project area. 

We’ll be looking for any potential problem areas on your siding during this inspection, like rotting in wood or cracking in stucco. We will also educate you about the dangers of leaving damaged siding unrepaired and what can be done to fix it. 

It is important to identify any potential problems and provide the appropriate solution for them. This way you can get not only a high-quality paint job but a high-quality siding repair as well, if necessary. 

While some other painting contractors choose to ignore problem areas or lie about their abilities to fix them, Southwest Exteriors is here to provide you with the solution. 

If there is any damage to your siding, it must be repaired before going in with the paint. Depending on the degree of damage, a painting consultation might turn into a siding consultation.

Suppose there are many problem areas found on your siding. In that case, it may be more worth it for you to consider replacing your entire siding with a durable fiber cement material. This type of siding requires little to no upkeep or maintenance. 

Though the cost of an entire siding replacement is more than repairing and painting your siding, it can save you more money in the long run when you will not have to deal with frequent maintenance.

As we walk around your home, we’ll continue to discuss your wants for your project to get a better idea of how we can help. 

This walkaround will help us define the scope of work for your project. Then when we sit down to discuss the details, we are on the same page and can best work together. 

3. We’ll sit down and discuss the details of your project

Once we’ve got a good idea of the scope of work or your project, we can sit down and talk more about what goes into your project. 

We’ll talk through the entire painting process and educate you on the products we use. This includes talking through all details of the prep work, application of the paint, caulking, and how repairs will be handled. 

We use an all-purpose paint primer and Sherwin-Williams Duration topcoat. For wood siding, we use Loxon primer that is mildew resistant and protects against rot. 

You are offered a free 90-minute color consultation with a color specialist for any paint project with Southwest Exteriors. This consultation helps guide you to picking the perfect color for your exterior and helps take away the pressure of scouring through hundreds of colors and shades on your own. 

While talking through the details of the project, we’ll also discuss the warranty with you. 

Southwest Exteriors offers a lifetime warranty for all projects. This means that if anything breaks, becomes damaged, or something goes wrong, the cost of materials, labor, and installation are covered. 

After this discussion, you’ll have a complete understanding of our processes and how we handle our work. 

We are a client-centered company, and during this consultation, our number one goal is to serve you as best we can. 

Our time with you is valued as a collaborative consultation, and we want to have a conversation with you, not a one-way discussion. Whether you decide to work with Southwest Exteriors or not, we want you to be educated to make the best decision for you. 

4. We’ll present you with an exact price

The final step in your painting project consultation is to present you with an exact penny price. This price is calculated based on the size of your project and the condition of your siding.

If your siding is damaged and needs repairs or a total replacement, this will be discussed and factored into the cost of your project. 

Once we have presented you with the price of your project, we will inform you of the different payment plans we offer. 

Our payment plans include the option to pay for part of your project before construction and the rest once the project is completed, or a choice of a zero or low-interest monthly payment plan from six months to 10 years.

The price presented at your consultation will be good for seven days. This price is the most discounted, and after seven days, your retail price will be valid for 30 days. 

We do not want you to feel pressured in any way to commit to a project you might not be ready for. We understand the value of taking time to think through your options to make the right decision. 

What to prepare before your painting consultation

Before your consultation, you should walk around the exterior of your home to scope out any potential problem areas. 

If you notice one small area on one side of your house, there might be other areas waiting for you to find them. It is good to know what repairs might need to be made so you are not surprised during your consultation. 

Knowing what color you are wanting is also helpful during your consultation. If you know exactly what color you want, we can get it ordered right away and get your project going. 

If you know you want a darker color, like blacks, grays, or navy blues, this will affect your project's cost. This is because darker colors need more coats of paint in order for them to reflect their true tone. 

It can also be helpful to the contractor to know when the last time your exterior was painted to get a better idea of the condition of the siding. 

Researching ahead of your consultation is always helpful so you know what should be included in a quality exterior paint project and can prepare questions to ask a contractor ahead of time. 

Are you ready for your exterior painting consultation?

Now that you know the agenda of an exterior painting consultation with Southwest Exteriors, you can feel comfortable and prepared before the time of your appointment.

Knowing your needs and goals for your project is important to identify beforehand so we can help you as best we can. 

It’s also important to have realistic expectations for your project. If you are looking for the least expensive option, then Southwest Exteriors is not the right fit for you.

If you are looking for a high-quality, long-lasting solution to your exterior, then we might be the contractor for you. As exterior experts, our goal is to provide you with the best possible solution to whatever your needs are.