Is your landscaping getting the best of you?  Any trees or shrubbery that is against the house (any area that is to be painted) will need to be trimmed back approximately a foot so that enough space is allocated for painting.  Not only will this make it easier to gain access to these areas to paint, but it will also keep the wet paint from getting wiped back off if the wind moves the plant.

Do you collect keepsakes?  Any items hung on exterior walls, such as pictures or fragile items on small shelves, should be removed.  Small vibrations can cause these items to occasionally fall.  This is especially true when exterior siding or windows are to be repaired or replaced.

Will you need any siding replaced?  When siding replacement is performed, the estimates may not include hauling waste unless specified.  Most private trash removal companies will haul this waste free of charge, if it is broken down into pieces smaller than 4' x 4'.  Scott's Painting will break these items down and either place them in trashcans or at the end of the driveway.  If professional waste removal is required (other than your standard trash pickup) or if you would like a dumpster on site, please inquire prior to the work beginning.  On large projects a dumpster will be included in the estimate.  You may use the dumpster as an opportunity for any "spring cleaning" if you wish.

What type of insulation is behind your exterior walls?  The original building contractor may have filled the exterior walls with styrofoam bead insulation from the ceiling after the home was built.  Scott's Painting & Staining has found this to be true in about 3% of the homes serviced, depending on the area.  In these homes you may occasionally find small beads of the white insulation around the edges of the walls, doors, windows or fireplaces.  A quick way to determine if the outside wall has styrofoam bead insulation is to remove a light, phone, or electrical outlet face plate and inspect the surrounding area for any small beads of insulation.  If siding is being replaced and your home has styrofoam bead insulation, some or all of it may be lost when the original siding is removed.  If this happens, Scott's Painting can replace the styrofoam insulation with either fiberglass insulation or another type of insulating material per the customer's request.  This may result in addition charges.

Don't get caught off guard!  If additional work becomes necessary, it will be communicated to the customer, along with pricing information, prior to the work being performed.  Generally, additional work may come about as a result of siding or windows rotting.  Rotted wood may be hidden until scraping and painting preparation uncover problem areas.  Please see our rotted siding/window replacement page for more information about identifying any problem areas.

Aren't those automatic sprinklers great?  Not if they are getting your house or siding wet everyday.  Check that your sprinkler heads are not spraying against the house, especially on any hardboard siding.  Note that the sprinkler head may not spray the house directly, but that the mist may drift with a light breeze.  The hardboard siding used on many homes in the last 25 years is very susceptible to rotting, if it gets wet by sprinkler heads day after day.  Sprinkler heads shoot water up and generally there is a gap between where your wood siding will stop and your foundation will begin.  If possible, sprinkler heads should be about one foot out from the house and should spray away from the house.  Any reputable sprinkler company can relocate sprinkler heads or adjust their spray pattern.  Keep in mind that drip irrigation in flowerbeds along the side of the house is the best solution, and also conserves water.  Take note if the builder placed hardboard siding within 1 foot of the soil.  Even daily moisture in the soil can cause the wood to rot if it is too close to the ground.