Looking for contractor to do small painting job (Chantilly, Fairfax: HOA, homeowners insurance)

[sprklcl]

Our house front exterior door metal/steel frame paint is peeling from many years of sun exposure. Need a competent contractor to scrape/sand the door and repaint it. Live in western Fairfax County. The medium or larger companies conracted have at least a several hundred dollar minimal. Have contacted several painters and handyman without success and can spend hours or days researching more.

Suggestions you have used in local area for small paint jobs. No Craigslist as it has a reputation with safety in mind. If your referral has a website so can basically evaluate, and bonus if it has at least a few online user reviews.

[lchoro]

You have to find someone who is doing work in the neighborhood. Otherwise, no decent free-lance handyman or painter will do it either. It's very hard to find people to do work under three thousand dollars. They have to pay an apprentice and devote time to travel and oversight.

You should be able to scrape the paint off, sand it, and paint it. Most of the time is prep work. Waiting to do the second coat will mean painting on a second day. I would just do it myself.

[sprklcl]

Due to health medical reasons and limitations, it's not a job can do by self. Others with suggestions? Willing to pay up to $500. Lowest minimum received so far from someone knowing what they are doing is $800.

[lchoro]

Originally Posted by sprklcl

Due to health medical reasons and limitations, it's not a job can do by self. Others with suggestions? Willing to pay up to $500. Lowest minimum received so far from someone knowing what they are doing is $800.

I had the same problem with very minor roof leak last year. The roofers either didn't want it or asked for $ 640 minimum. A handyman who was working on the house next door caulked the leak for $ 50.

The main thing with inexperienced and bad painters is protecting the area around the door from splashes and drips. Either wait till you have more work to bundle or find someone like a teen you can supervise.

I painted first two floors of a three-level townhouse last year when I had trouble finding someone. I brought in a handyman to do the rest which included siding and trim repair. Even then, it was not cheap.

[BOS2IAD]

When we owned our house, we used Mr. Handyman for similar jobs.

We found them by using Angie's List where they got good reviews.

https://www.mrhandyman.com/

When you go to their website, enter your zip code. The one we used was based in Chantilly.

ETA: Whatever you do, make sure you hire someone who is licensed and insured. In VA, if you hire someone who isn't licensed and insured should they get injured while on the job, your homeowners insurance won't cover that.

[webster]

Sometimes HOA's have lists of credible tradespeople they keep for their owners. If you have a friend who lives in an HOA see if their's has such a list. The other resource is if you use the same HVAC company, ask if they have anyone they can refer you to. Both of these methods have worked for me in the past.

(Costs are high and shocking, but remember the amount of time its going to take them, their overhead such as vehicle, trash disposal fees, taxes, insurance and so forth. Still it does seem high according to sites like homewyse, though I have found that site usually underestimates.)

[boyd888]

Originally Posted by sprklcl

Willing to pay up to $500. Lowest minimum received so far from someone knowing what they are doing is $800.

Has it occurred to you that $800 is what having a competent, bonded, licensed and insured person come do it might cost you?

Go to thumbtack and post a picture of what you want done and you will get bids from companies. Select the lowest bid since that seems to be what you're looking for.

[lchoro]

You're essentially paying them the whole day's wage, maybe two to get the second coat, since they can't split up jobs. The amount of labor might be two to four hours total, but they won't be able to fill the remaining time over two days unless they already work in the neighborhood.

[Flamingo13]

Originally Posted by sprklcl

Due to health medical reasons and limitations, it's not a job can do by self. Others with suggestions? Willing to pay up to $500. Lowest minimum received so far from someone knowing what they are doing is $800.

No clue why you are fixated on what you have arbitrarily decided the price should be rather than having someone competent and qualified. You didn't state that it was all you could afford and if that's the case, you need to try to find a friend, ask neighbors, etc. and be willing to take a risk.

[sprklcl]

Originally Posted by lchoro

I had the same problem with very minor roof leak last year. The roofers either didn't want it or asked for $ 640 minimum. A handyman who was working on the house next door caulked the leak for $ 50.

The main thing with inexperienced and bad painters is protecting the area around the door from splashes and drips. Either wait till you have more work to bundle or find someone like a teen you can supervise.

I painted first two floors of a three-level townhouse last year when I had trouble finding someone. I brought in a handyman to do the rest which included siding and trim repair. Even then, it was not cheap.

Googling found there is nationwide shortage of painters and roofers. So it makes sense for those companies to manage their workload with limited resources to charge a minimum.