Summer Customer Newsletter

Monday, August 07, 2006
Here is a copy of "The Local Color" newsletter distributed to our clients. We try to keep them informed on what is happening in our business. We also offer design and maintenance tips, special offers, and other things that they may find helpful.

ChismNewsletter~Summer06.pdf

Summer Customer Newsletter 2006

Angie’s List Positive Feedback

Thursday, August 03, 2006
We recently had a member of Angie's List write up a positive report for our company. We appreciate the extra time they spent to inform others of the service we provide. We do what we can to make everyone feel they made a great choice. We love hearing your feedback so we can keep providing excellent service.

A Fine Cup of Coffee

Monday, July 31, 2006
One of the things we love to do at our office is make fine coffee for all of us to enjoy. How delighted we would be to treat you to a freshly ground cup of coffee, espresso or specialty drink if you stop by our office. You can see how we run our business, meet our staff, and visit our paint shop as well. This will give you an idea of what we are all about at Chism Brothers Painting. Like coffee we serve you, you will love your experience with Chism Brothers when we paint your home.

Keeping Mildew Away

Thursday, July 27, 2006
Removing mildew is typically an easy process but it can be time consuming to cure the growth of mildew. One thing to remember is that mildew is different than mold. Many people tell us that they have mold growing in their bathrooms, eaves, and deck when in reality it is only mildew. Mold is far more harmful for those suffering from allergies than mildew, but mildew's uncharming characteristics include its unsightly appearance and its propensity to eat away paint. Mildew is typically black and spotty looking. It also tends to be more of a surface growth that feeds directly on the paint. Mold has to be removed by a licensed mold remediation company while a professional paint company or homeowner can remove most surface mildew in California. You will find mildew growing in the follow areas: 1) Where there is little sunlight (north sides of homes), 2) Dense landscaped areas, 3) Bathrooms with insufficient vents, 4) Underhang/Eaves of Home, 4) Decks that have an oil base, semi-transparent stain, 5) Homes that have oil base products and lots of moisture, and 6) Around your shower or bathtub where the wrong caulk has been used. To clean mildew areas, use a little solution of bleach mixed with water. In a bathroom, you can use a sponge and wipe the walls and ceilings with the bleach water. This will typically remove the mildew right away. If it is a larger area, you can spray the solution using a small Hudson sprayer and use a brush or sponge to wipe the areas down well. A pressure-washer with the ability to apply a detergent also works well to remove surface mildew. In order to keep mildew from returning, the best solution is to paint with products that do not attract mildew. Waterborne (acrylic) products are the best available today. Most oil base products contain ingredients that cause mildew to grow. Some deck coatings, for example, will say they are mildew-resistant, but not mildew-proof. Ask a professional about the best products to use. If you would like our help, we would be happy to offer our professional opinion on how to keep your home looking the best. Many painters are not well educated on the current and best products to use on a home. We want you to be happy that you hired us and confident your problems are addressed and solved.

Inspect07.11.06.jpg

Tuesday, July 11, 2006
Calendar of Inspection

July Maintenance Tips

1. Keep the sprinklers off painted surfaces and stucco. Water is one of the main causes of premature paint failures.
2. Touch-up exterior wood trim when cracks first appear on sills and horizontal surfaces. This stops water from getting behind the paint film and dramaticaly increases the life of the paint job.
3. Repaint the south and west side fascia every 3 years or when you see signs of small cracks/discoloring. This can save a lot of money in the long run by not having to do much preparation when the paint is cracking and peeling due to intense sun exposure.

For our clients who do not want to think about their home projects, we provide free inspections to help keep their home looking the best.

Residential vs. Commercial Painting

Saturday, July 08, 2006
Most painting contractors in San Diego advertise they paint apartments, condos, commercial buildings, and houses. On the surface it sounds good that a paint company would offer such a wide variety of services. However, residential painting is very different than painting a condo complex or commercial building. By the way, Chism Brothers Painting is one of the only professional painting companies in town that offers only home painting services. Almost all of our competitors offer commercial painting. Back in the 1980's and early 1990's, we began to offer the same thing as most other companies but did not find much success. Our specialty was painting fine homes in San Diego, but for a time, we began to compete in the commercial projects around town thinking we would expand our business and make everyone happy. The problem we were running into was that our competition was bidding jobs for dirt cheap and producing them. This was possible by hiring cheaper labor and doing lower quality work. People hiring commercial painters are not looking for the perfect paint job. Painting apartments, condos and other commercial buildings requires some skill but less attention to detail. The painters we have seen and sometimes hired that specialized in commercial painting did not always have a high level of painting skills to paint in fine homes. In the mid 1990's, we decided to step down from the larger projects and become solely a residential painting company. We made this decision so that our quality and customer service would be consistent and even better. We did not want to hire cheap help. We wanted to hire people of great character and train them to be the finest craftsmen in San Diego. We hire our employees to paint with the greatest concern for our client's home and train them to understand proper preparation and have a knowledge of products and proper cleanup. If you receive estimates from companies that offer commercial and residential painting, Chism Brothers Painting will be the highest bid most of the time. The other companies' quality or attention to detail will be inferior. They will find ways to get the job done quickly. We will not rush through a project. Some of these companies will definitely be great to work for, but if you are looking for the best value and customer care possible, please consider talking to us further about your project. Our clients hire us because they want a great experience and a company that will always stand behind their work. The excellent value and the accurate estimates we give to our clients make them feel comfortable that we will do the job right.

The Home-Going of Patrick Chism

Sunday, July 02, 2006
On July 1st, at 7:42 p.m. Pat Chism went home to be with the Lord. My father, Mike Chism, Pat's wife Edna and one of his daughters, Sarah, was able to be by his side when he took his final breathe. I will miss my uncle very much. I enjoyed growing up in this business and being so close to Uncle Pat. He meant a lot to so many people and enjoyed his job of painting homes in San Diego very much. He will be deeply missed by so many people. The service to celebrate Pat's life will be at Eastlake Community Church in Chula Vista on Wednesday, July 5th at 1 p.m. (Hawaiian Shirts are welcome) Here is a note from Mike Chism, President of Chism Brothers this morning in regards to his brother Pat:

Hello All,

Well, my dear brother Pat’s suffering ended when he went home to be with the Lord @ 7:40 Saturday evening. After having a remarkably good week, things began to change Sunday morning. Monday he was sick, very fatigued and disoriented. Tuesday morning he began to shut down completely. He acknowledged my presence at about 8:30 AM saying very quietly, "Hi Bro." That was about the very last verbal communication any of us had with him. His condition gradually deteriorated over the next few days. Saturday evening his vitals dropped and he just stopped breathing. It was like someone simply turned the motor off and he quietly was gone.

Using the services of Hospice was very helpful. It enabled family and friends to gather round during his final hours. I think it is good for people to see their loved one go. It is a reminder that there is more to life than this life and that we all face a similar reality one day. It is a good reminder to live life from the perspective of eternity, make peace with ones Creator and prioritize accordingly.

Thank you for your thoughts and prayers over this last year.

Mike Chism

I Made The Right Choice!

Thursday, June 29, 2006
If you are viewing this blog right now and are in search of a quality painting contractor, we highly recommend that you try our Painter For a Day™ program. Hiring the wrong contractor and then experiencing dissatisfaction is extremely costly. Chism Brothers Painting's goal is to provide a one of a kind experience simply by doing the right thing. We persistently strive to do the right thing and make each and every customer say to themselves, "I made the right choice!" With hundreds of painters in town, the decision of who should paint your home is not easy. If you are looking for a company who puts quality and customer satisfaction first, please give us a try. We stay in business by doing excellent work for people like you!

Posted by admin on 06/29 at 12:06 AM
General • (0) Comments • Permalink

Update on Pat Chism

Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Pat Chism, Vice-President of Chism Brother's Painting, was diagnosed with stage four of pancreatic/liver cancer in June of 2005. His final project was working at a long-time customer's home: The Levines in La Jolla. He had to step down from his position in the middle of the project to receive the proper treatment. Because of the severity of Pat's condition, he was unable to return to work. He has been strong in this fight against cancer. Today we received a report that he is not doing well; his fight is reaching an end. Only twenty percent of people with this form of cancer last a year, and Pat was diagnosed twelve months ago. Many of our clients have been very kind and thoughtful in asking how he has been doing. We will update this blog with further news. Pat has been surrounded by a loving family--his wife, Edna, and four children, Sarah, Amy, Mikey, and Matt. He had the great joy of walking his daughter, Amy, down the aisle on her wedding day, May 12. His family is strong and so is Pat's faith in Christ. He believes he will soon be with His Savior, Jesus Christ. He does not blame God for what happened but is grateful to have served Him on this earth for 53 years. We have all had many opportunities to visit and encourage him, and he genuinely appreciates the love and support from our clients.

America is Remodeling with NARI

Monday, June 26, 2006
If you are looking at remodeling your home, ask us first who to hire. We have a list of some of the best carpenters, drywallers, installers, etc. in San Diego. These are companies that try to provide the same great service to their clients. Another great resource for you when you have a house project is to contact a NARI professional. NARI stands for "National Association of the Remodeling Industry." It is a group of professional remodelers, subcontractors, and vendors who strive to take remodeling to the next level. It is similiar to a better business bureau. A NARI contractor also has certain certifications for remodeling kitchens, bathrooms, and whole houses. If you are looking for quality companies, or simply do not have the time to be your own general, check their website at: www.narisd.org. They are in the process of designing a website that is more consumer oriented, so please visit again soon. David Chism is a current board member of NARI and will be helping with the redesign of the NARI website this year. Chism Brothers Painting makes it their priority to join the right groups of professional organizations, to learn from others, and to be the best in the business for you!

Out of Business Already!

Saturday, June 24, 2006
You may have heard advertisements for a product called, "Liquid Stucco" on the radio recently. There was a similiar company in town called, "Red Diamond Coatings" selling a similiar ceramic coating. Unfortunately, Red Diamond did not last very long. They went out of business within the last several weeks. Red Diamond Coatings came to San Diego around 3 years ago to sell the "state of the art" paint coating with a 50 Year Guarantee! It followed the popular Liquid Stucco and Siding that was being advertised in parts of the U.S. I was concerned and told the company that I did not think it was ethical to offer such warranties. I asked them what would happen if the paint failed in 10 years and they were not in business. My concern was validated when I heard the news that RDC had closed their doors for good. The product was originally developed by a company in Canada and is still sold by a different name at a local San Diego store called Colorama. These new ceramic coatings are excellent, but BEWARE of whom you hire to apply the material. A number of the companies around the United States will do a few things that are unprofessional. 1) They will hire subcontractors to apply the paint. 2) They will sell you on the product saying it will last 25 years, 50 years, or for life! 3) In order to sell the amazing warranties, "Never Paint Again," they charge a very high price, and it is NOT worth it. I have written several blogs on this issue, because I believe many San Diegans are being taken advantage of when hiring these high-pressured sales companies. Beware of dishonest companies selling good products with invalid guaranties.

Budget Numbers

Thursday, June 22, 2006
It is almost impossible for paint companies to be precise when giving you a painting quote. People typically hire us, not because of our quote and proposal, but because they feel comfortable that we are the most professional and will do the job right. Most painting companies work like this: You give them a call, they show up whether you are home or not, do not ask many questions, and leave a hand written estimate or drop it in the mail explaining what they will do for a certain price. When you contact Chism Brothers Painting, you will find a different approach.

• We will schedule an appointment to meet with you face to face.
• The estimator will ask you a few questions, and take time to answer any questions you may have for him as well.
• The estimator will then take a look around and give you a Budget Number of what it might cost. The budget number depends upon your previous discussion. For example, if you want to do a complete restoration of your home, he will look at the project with restoration in mind. Whatever your needs may be, the estimator typically can give you a range of pricing on the spot. If the budget was near what you were thinking or you feel comfortable with it, the estimator will then proceed to explain the rest of our process.
• If you feel you want to use us, we will then put our verbal estimate into a formal written proposal.

We care about our customers and believe that providing accuracy in our numbers is very important.

Bogus and Bankrupt

Wednesday, June 21, 2006
I went on an estimate call today for an elderly lady in the North Park area who wanted me to paint all the wood trim on her small bungelow home. One of the first questions I asked her was, "When was the last time you had your house painted?" She replied that she had it painted with TexCoat back in 1998. The job back in 1998 cost her about $10,000 to paint the trim, and it was guaranteed for 25 years. Here I am looking at repainting in just 8 years, and by the looks of it, the job should have been done a few years ago. I asked her what happened to the company who painted it, and she said they went bankrupt. She also mentioned that the TexCoat labor warranty is only as good as the company that is applying the material. She was very disappointed that the paint was failing and needed a completely new paint job with many areas requiring a full two coats. The moral of the story: be very careful when selecting a painting contractor. If you go with a low bidder, you may be redoing the paint job in a short amount of time just like this woman. The company that painted her house did not do a very good job. The proof is in the pudding. I cannot stress enough the importance of hiring a licensed contractor who does not take advantage of his clients, has a good reputation, and has been around a long time. Most young companies that offer great deals, low prices, amazing warranties and/or have "good" products may not be around in 5 or 10 years. There are no two paint companies that are alike, and most of the good companies that do the job right charge a very fair price which sometimes can be the highest. Chism Brothers Painting is not always the highest bidder on projects, but we do plan on being around for many years (and have been). We will do the job right the first time so you don't have to redo the project and spend more money. We will do whatever we can to make every dollar count.