hiring an exterior house painter

[Anon]

Any thing I should be aware of before hiring a painter to paint my 2
story house outside? Does a pro require a down payment and is there
any rule of thumb to the amount...1/3 of total price? Any advice is
appreciated to educate me.

[Dan Hicks]

It varies, but $50 or so on contract signing, 1/3 on delivery of
materials, 1/3 on half completion, and 1/3 after final inspection is one
breakdown. It might also be 1/2 on delivery and 1/2 after completion or
something similar. Depends in part on how much is expended for
materials -- the first large payment should more or less cover the
delivered materials, and at least 1/4 should be held until everything is
complete and has passed all required inspections (including your
personal one).

Be sure to ask for an insurance document from the painter's agent
directly naming you as a protected individual.

Contract should list sort of prep work covered (and what will constitute
"extras"), brand and type of materials used, etc. Should include
cleanup and leaving site cleaner than he found it.

--
Dan Hicks
The butterfly counts not years but moments and so has enough time.
--Tagore