Checking a Contractor’s License Tip

Monday, July 09, 2007

Before contracting with any California contractor (Plumber, Painters, Remodelings, Landscapers, etc), here area few tips to help educate you a bit on a Contractor's Longevity and Legal Requirements:

1. You can check the licensed status here: Licensed Look Up
2. When checking the status, make sure you check their worker's compensation and insurance status too. It is easy for certain contractors to work around worker's comp. and cut corners in their hiring process.
   
3. Ask a company about their hiring process and how long their employees have been with them. Do they do drug testing might be a good question to ask. 
4. You can sometimes tell how long a contractor has been around based on the first digit of their licensed number. For example, our licensed number, #491884, was issued in 1982. You can tell by the number "4." Licensed numbers that started with a "4" seemed to be issued beginning in 1978 to about 1983. If a company's licensed number begins with an "8", it is very likely that the company is 5-7 years old. This "rule of thumb" is not 100% accurate in determining the age of a company, but it does help a consumer if they are more comfortable hiring an older company. 
5. Make sure that the company you hire has a legal license. California has strict standards in obtaining an licensed. If they will not provide you with a licensed number, just move on. You don't want to hire an unlicensed contractor in California. There are too many so called contractors that do not follow the requirements and take advantage of homeowners who don't do their homework.
   
6. Check their status with groups like the Better Business Bureaus to see what types of complaints they have outstanding and/or how they were taken care of.
   
7. Ask to speak with 2-3 clients of theirs in your area and call them. Don't just read a testimonial, though that is helpful. We encourage you to call our clients when you have questions about if we are a good fit. You can ask them questions you won't ask us!

We hope you will find this information helpful. If you have further questions before hiring a contractor, email or call us. We have been in the business a long time, and we tend to know very high quality companies that will treat you well. 

A Big Thank You!

Friday, July 06, 2007

It is not everyday that a consumer would take the extra time to write a Thank You letter and fill out a customer survey, but it does happen. It reassures a company that they are doing the right thing. We have been richly blessed to have had a fair share of letters and thank you cards after we completed certain projects, and we thought we would share our latest letter with you. Ms. Cazares gave us permission to use her name, address and comments for future Chism Bros. customers.

We were hired to spruce up several areas of her home before she considered possibly selling her Bonita home. Her home was already in lovely shape, but we were able to help with the finishing touches of kitchen cabinets, the entry door, repairing of a ceiling stain and some general exterior touch-ups.  

We hope you will take a moment and read her survey and the letter she wrote to us. 

Read: Survey Report Card 

Read: Thank You Letter 

 

p.s. We have compiled a book of the letters and thank you notes. If you want to see more, ask the estimator to bring the book when you setup your estimate.  

Using Who You Want on an Insurance Claim

Monday, July 02, 2007

We recently received a call from one of our clients who had an insurance claim inside her home. She had to have a paint company other than ours to do the work, and she was very worried they would not do a quality job. She called us to ask advice on the products the other company wanted to use and their general procedures. We came to the conclusion that whoever was hired was not very qualified or educated on how to use certain products. It was comical, because we were doing work at her home right about the same time as the insurance work was being done, but we could not do the insurance work...so we thought!

We then contacted our insurance company, Statefarm, and asked them if a homeowner can use their own contractor when they have a claim. Here is was their response, "We definitely leave the choice of contractor up to the policyholder in all claims.  I can't believe that your customer's company would not be open to that as well.  I have heard of very few companies that do not offer that choice, but most do."

It is a good idea to check and see if your insurance company is willing to let you select the company you are comfortable with when you have an insurance issue. We have heard many complaints and seen the terrible results of unqualified contractors that are hired to do insurance work. It is your home. Make sure you get the contractors you deserve!

Tips On Pricing Out Your Small Paint Job

Thursday, June 14, 2007

We recently received a phone call from a woman who needed to have the 1st floor of her house painted ASAP. She would not be in town and could not have access to meet for an estimate, so she asked for a ballpark over the phone. If it was reasonable, she would just have us do the work and give a more firm quote later. The information was given to our estimator who gave a rough estimate of about $3,000. The pricing would be on an hourly basis with that general ballpark. We started the project on Monday of this week, and they decided to add the upstairs too. The estimator was then able to stop by and give them a firm price for the rest of the work, which they gladly accepted.  

When you have a small project or do not have time to meet for an estimate, you can do one of three things:

1. Call our office and get a rough estimate over the phone. The office will take your information and send it to our estimator who will give a "good-faith estimate." A Good Faith estimate is similiar to when you get a home loan. A loan officer will prepare a document discussing your closing cost. Sometimes the cost is less than the estimated cost. This happens with our estimates over the phone too. If you are comfortable, you can proceed on a time and materials basis with the approximate estimate or ask for an estimator to stop by and firm up the pricing.
2. You can use our Painter For a Day program to get the work done. Our current pricing is on our PFD forms. On most small jobs, you may have a pretty good idea how long a job would take. For example, if you want to paint a baby's bedroom with two coats (and the room is not empty), this will probably require just one painter for the day. You may not need a Master Painter for this job too, so the pricing would be $495 plus any paint. If however, you wanted to get your exterior entry door (standard size), stripped, re-stained and finished to restore the look, you would request a master painter for 2-3 days. If you are unsure, just click the dropdown button that says, "Help Me Choose." Our clients love our Painter For a Day program, because it gets their small jobs taken care of by our professional staff of painters.
   
3. If you are trying to save money or just enjoy painting, you can also use our Painter For a Day program to assist you in the painting. In other words, you can work together. We had a homeowner who wanted to do some painting but needed an extra hand: someone who was good at painting. So he hired one of our painters for a day or two to help him paint. We don't mind if you hire us to do the whole project, part of a project or work along side with you!

We are comfortable giving you general pricing over the phone or email for smaller projects. Please email or call with your particular job or FILL OUT our ONLINE Painter For a Day Form. 

Restoration Comes to Completion

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

We are doing the final touches to our Fort Stockton craftsman home in Mission Hills this week and have posted the latest pictures online. The photos you see are before and after.

View Photos

 

Selecting Your Colors with an Interior Designer

Friday, June 08, 2007

Are you aware that nearly every paint company that you request an estimate from will say that they help with colors? How do you think they will do that? Probably not much different than the way we all look for colors: Color Chips, Magazines, Color Charts, etc. Most painters and estimators will have good ideas about color and can provide excellent advice on colors that are appealing.

If you are satisfied with sampling by painting on 12 different color samples that a paint company told you to try or ones you "think" you like, the best of luck to you! We have heard from too many homeowners that they are tired of that process. They would rather not paint samples on the walls or spend a Saturday looking at color charts. Chism Brothers Painting has provided a new way to help our clients in the color process. We have teamed up with several high quality interior designers in San Diego. We have selected them based on their personality, expert color advice (as we have observed them in action), and the excellent reports we have received from our clients.

How does it work?

When you schedule an estimate from Chism Brothers, our estimator will discuss the project with you and give you a verbal idea of the cost. Once you decide to move to the next step, he will write up a formal contract for you to approve. Next, the estimator will set up a design consultation with a designer in your area. Finally, our project manager will paint one or two samples on your surface to make sure you are comfortable with your color selections.

This is a free service for our clients. We have had clients that had a general idea of the colors they wanted to use but still took advantage of our design service to help them gain peace of mind about their color selection. When you hire Chism Brothers, you will see and feel a difference in the service and the quality. We stand behind our word. 

It Looks Worse Before It Looks Better

Friday, June 01, 2007

We are half way through our 2007 Mission Hills restoration project on Fort Stockton, and it is looking even worse than when we started! We have posted a few more photos of the preparation and stripping process and will now begin to apply paint to this house! We have been stripping select areas of the home, especially the Fort Stockton side. When we do a restoration project, it usually looks worse in the middle of the project because there is not paint applied yet! In just another week, the home will look a lot different from the photos you now see.

If you are interested in our restoration services, please contact our office for more information about our past projects and your project. View Mission Hills Project 

“Never Paint Your House Again?”

Wednesday, May 30, 2007

I am getting tired of hearing commercials that claim that there are paint products on the market that last forever and companies stating that you will "NEVER Paint Your House Again." There are many companies in the U.S. today that are selling this concept with very high profit margins and 25 to 50 year warranties. Every time I hear the radio ads on Talk Radio, I cringe at the warranty and paint product selling points, knowing that they are too good to be true!

The paints that are on the market today are better than they were 10 years ago. There is no doubt in my mind that paint is getting better and that the paints advertised on the radio are exceptional products. The products being advertised with big selling points today, have a ceramic product mixed in them. Ceramic coatings are the new products of this millennium. However, they will not last forever. You will have to paint your house again. Do not be fooled by any paint manufacturer or contractor that will boast of a lifetime warranty. These products will last longer than typical house paint but they still get dirty fade over the years. Also, ceramic-based paints should not cost 5x the cost of regular paint. Ceramic can be added to just about any type of paint and make it better.*

So the next time you get a call from a salesman asking you if you want a product that will last a lifetime, be prepared to pay a lot of money for a product and service that should cost a lot less. Lastly, remember that a warranty is only good as long as the company is still in business. 

 

*Read Article about Adding Ceramic to Paint

Don’t Hire A Contractor When…

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Why is it so hard to compare estimates these days? Why do three different estimates vary so drastically? A key reason is based on how the contractor is conducting business.

One of the ways a contractor can save money in the estimate process is if he works completely by himself. He will not have much overhead and can typically do your project for 20-40% less than the larger more established companies. However, in the state of California, every contractor who has at least 1 or more employees must carry worker's compensation insurance. This is extremely important for you, the homeowner when making a final decision. Contractors can be sneaky on this insurance, because it is very expensive for remodelers and painting contractors.

If you hire someone who does not have valid insurance for ALL his or her employees, you, the homeowner will be liable if any accident takes place during your project. If your goal is simply to save money, be extra careful and go with a licensed, fully insured single painter. If you want more security that your job is done professionally, according to the laws of the state and on time, you need to hire an established company that will cost a little more up front. However, in hiring a professional painting or remodeling contractor, you are free and clear of any problems on the job. Imagine if an unlicensed or uninsured worker bumped his knee on your project and claimed that he needed knee surgery (but had an existing condition). You may have to pay for all his medical expenses. This definitely happens in our state!

There are contractors in San Diego that look and act professional but still do not follow all the laws. They can have worker's comp for some of their employees and still hire illegals who are not part of the policy. So, don't Hire a Contractor until you have thoroughly researched that they are operating an honest business. 

Mount Soledad War Memorial Ceremony

Friday, May 25, 2007

The Mt. Soledad War Memorial Association will be hosting a Memorial Day Ceremony Monday at 2pm.

For More Information View the Details Online

Painting Contractors in Four Categories Part 2

Thursday, May 24, 2007

Read Part 1: View Now 

Industrial Painting 

Industrial painting typically consists of projects contracted by the government or large industrial buildings. A paint company would need to specialize in the painting of complicated surfaces such as: Boats, Tankers, Boilers and also requires knowledge of different products that are applied with special paint machines. It would be very difficult for an industrial paint company to specialize also in Residential work, because they are not familiar with masking, covering, and careful preparation of wood and drywall.

New Construction 

New Construction painting companies specialize in painting track homes. When a homeowner purchases a new home, the one complaint we hear most is, "They used cheap paint and did a quick and cheap paint job on this place."  They then turn around and hire a specialized paint company to repaint the walls and change colors. A new construction company's goal is to get the homes painted as quickly as possible. The whole production schedule is to spray as much as possible without masking a thing. 

Be Consistent

A good marketing principle for any company is: "Be Consistent." The Xerox company, many years ago, once tried to get in the printing business. Why not? It was close to copy machines, right? They began making printers and spending over a billion dollars in the process. Where did it get them today? Xerox printers? Xerox will always be known for making copiers. That is their specialty, and they realized that they needed to be consistent with what they know best: Copy Machines.

Our Focus

Chism Brothers Painting's focus is on painting single family homes with the best staff, preparation and products in the industry. Can we paint a commercial building? Yes! But we are not setup to do it quickly and profitably so that we and the developer or HOA is happy. So, we decided to stick with house painting. We are not commercial painters. The only time we will cross over to doing a non-residential painting project is when we are hired by our current clients who have commercial properties. If you are looking for a paint company that is focused on quality and customer service instead of the "just getting the job done" please consider talking to us about your next project.

Painting Contractors in Four Categories Part 1

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

We receive a lot of phone calls throughout the year asking if we will bid on big commercial projects, rental units, income properties and apartment buildings. We wanted to educate you a little about the type of work we do and do NOT do. Many consumers may think that all paint companies are the same. This is an honest assumption, since many paint companies try to be all things to all people. You will see advertisements that a paint company will do residential, commercial, industrial, income properties, etc.

We believe that painting should be separated into at least four categories: 1) Residential, 2) Commercial, 3) Industrial 4) New Construction. Chism Brothers Painting falls under the Residential category. When you are looking for a painting company, you need to find one that fits your project. This is an important step if you are trying to compare pricing. If a company specializes in multiple categories, his or her pricing will vary quite a bit. Here is a brief description of the three categories: 

Residential Painting

Residential should be defined as a paint company that repaints single family homes and new high-end custom homes. Painting homes requires a certain level of attention to detail and preparation standards that are not always as important in the other categories. If you are looking to have your home painted and want a company that is clean, careful, high quality, you need to look for a paint company that only does residential work. Their pricing will sometimes (not always) be higher than those who also do commercial work. 

Commercial Painting

A commercial painter is a paint company who paints hospitals, shopping centers, income properties and home owner associations. This type of painting typically requires less attention to detail, because there is a very tight budget and time frame. A shopping center developer wants a good job but wants to get the job done as quickly as possible. They will not worry about the fine details of laser lining the baseboards or saw cutting the stucco and installing 50 year caulking. Commercial painting also takes less training, so the painters typically do not have the experience to work on custom homes. Most commercial projects consist of painting exteriors, basic drywall and pulling the trigger on a paint sprayer in a building. When a company switches from Commercial to Residential, their painters cannot possibly be consistent in their quality standards.

We received a call from a client who wanted a bid on some interior work. She showed me some of her doors and doors frames, and our estimator commented on how what great quality was done by the last painters. She then said that it took them three times to get it right. She mentioned the name of the paint company, and our estimator knew they were large and very well known/trusted commercial painting company. Their specialty was for commercial work, and when they tried their hand at a single family home, it took them three tries to get it right.

Continue to Part 2

Retirement Begins Again For Employees

Monday, May 21, 2007

About 8-10 years ago, Chism Brothers Painting began offering benefits to their employees. We had medical insurance and a basic simple IRA plan. This morning, we had an all company meeting with a Fidelity Representative to discuss the beginning of our new 401K plan for all of us.

We are excited to encourage our staff to save and have a careful and smart financial plan. We are committed to keeping long term employees and making sure they are well educated on saving for the future. We are grateful for our staff, and we know you will enjoy having them work on your home.

View Your Painting Projects Online

Friday, May 18, 2007

Recently we added a photo gallery of upcoming projects online. Our estimator will take a number of photos of your property and post them online for you and our project manager to view. The photos are typically of areas that we are painting or have a specific area of attention or concern: i.e. special masking, prepping or finishes to be applied. The estimator will write his notes about select pictures as well. This helps you to understand more clearly what and how we will be painting your home, and it gives the project manager a visual picture of the work that needs to be done and some of your concerns. This will help solve any miscommunication and make sure the job is done to your satisfaction.

 View our PROJECT page.

 

 

Spring Exterior Restoration Begins

Monday, May 14, 2007

We just began the preparation process of the Mission Hills Craftsman this past week. We have taken a couple of photos to show you the type of prep and stripping that will be taking place. Please check back shortly as we begin to continue taking photos during and after of this home. It is located on Fort Stockton. If you are interested in talking to us more about our restoration of homes, we would be glad to give you the address over the phone.

 Here are some of the photos