Painting the History of a Family and a Town

At Chism Brothers Painting, we say that we are not just about painting, but about people. Fortunately, we can dedicate ourselves to both at the same time! One of our recent projects, a historic home restoration in Chula Vista, is a perfect example of this.

John and Nancy Parks contacted us several months ago to receive a quote for restoring the exterior of their historic home. This property had been in their family for well over a century, belonging to John’s great-grandfather, a Chula Vista entrepreneur. It was a lemon orchard until 1928, when John’s grandfather (a contractor) built a small home on the site. When the Chula Vista Historic Home Tours began, this home was one of the first to be featured.

The Parks family has been a rock in the Chula Vista community for generations, serving on the museum board, the women’s club and many other capacities. This house has served as the happy nucleus of the family, hosting all of the holiday celebrations and reunions—even some weddings—over the decades.

When John and Nancy bought the home in 1985, it was in need of repair. Together, the two of them completely stripped the wooden exterior and thoroughly restored the look of the home. “We were younger then!” laughs Nancy.

This time, the couple decided to hire a contractor to do the work. They researched their options thoroughly, looking for a painting company that would give the necessary care and attention to detail on this home that they loved. Some contractors were not even interested in the job, but John and Nancy liked what they heard from Chism Brothers. After doing all their homework and receiving multiple bids, they decided to hire us to do the work.

Sadly, John Parks died before we began the project, leaving a hole in his family and the community. Nevertheless, Nancy decided to go ahead with the project this spring, and we began work in mid-April.

The scope of this project was extensive, taking about three weeks to complete. We power washed, sanded and/or stripped nearly every exterior surface on this wooden home, getting it ready for the transformation. We removed the shutters and some doors, and used plenty of tape, paper and plastic in the whole process! Also, it was necessary to repair some small areas where the wood was damaged.

Then, we methodically primed and painted the home exterior, from the wooden window frames to the siding to the eaves to the garage door. When painting wooden windows, we use a spray-on product that coats the glass. The window frames can then be spray painted, and when we are done, we simply peel off the glass coating, leaving crisp lines and a beautiful look.

The Parks’ property also contains an garage which required extensive restoration as well. This structure received the same excellent care that we gave to the house. Additionally, we restored a decorative iron rail and the front porch columns.

With the house painted and looking great, we put the shutters and doors back up, and—voila—a historical home restored to the full extent of its charm and beauty!

Nancy is happy to talk about her experience with Chism Brothers Painting. She was impressed with our website and with the service she received over the phone, and her initial reactions proved to be true all throughout the painting and restoration process. She wanted a contractor who is experienced with historical restorations and who takes pride in conscientiously doing the job well. She and her late husband had had much experience with contractors, and Nancy describes Chism Brothers as “a class-act!”

Chism Brother’s Painting is proud to be a part of the San Diego community, preserving our history and investing in our neighborhoods—not just by painting, but by serving people whenever we get the chance. Visit our gallery to view the full project portfolio.

Contact us to begin a discussion about your historic home restoration, or other painting project, whether residential or commercial.