Pricing for Exterior Restoration

Restoring a home can be quite a challenge and expense. We often get calls regarding restoration of exteriors and occasionally interiors. We have extensive knowledge in the repainting and restoration of old homes in San Diego. In the past 1 1/2 years, we have worked on 3 restoration projects on houses built in the early 1900’s. Each project was unique and somewhat costly with beautiful results. If you are planning on staying in your old home for many years or if you enjoy preserving the value of your home, restoration may be for you. In this article, we wanted to give you some general ideas on pricing if you are thinking of restoring your exterior.

Chism Brothers Painting does not typically do restoration projects for a fixed price. There isn’t a reliable way to give you a fixed cost on such projects. However, we do put in a lot of work before we start to give you a very good idea of what you should spend. For example, the home pictured here: Mission Restoraton was estimated in two separate ways: Time & Material for the major preparation and a Fixed Cost to finish the home. We had given the homeowner a “good faith” estimate on what he would probably have to spend for the exterior of his home. In the end, a home of that size with wood replacement, re-glazing, stripping bad areas, primers and top coats, cost nearly $50,000. We did a smaller project in South Park that we put a “not to exceed” price on the estimate. We did the entire project “Time & Materials” but had a good idea of how far to take the prep. On the South Park project, the homeowner could have easily spent $50,000 on their early 1911 home as well, but we found ways that would keep the cost down. Instead of replacing quantities of wood, we used epoxy and special wood fillers to restore the look. In certain areas of the home, we sanded to a sound surface instead of a full stripping. Anytime a painting company strips paint down to a sound surface, the cost is very expensive.

Chism Brothers loves to restore homes. It is important to be forthright about your budget with our estimator. He can easily give you some general pricing on what you might need to spend. He will also listen to your concerns and goals of the home and give you his recommendations if you are unclear on what you “need” to spend. If you have an old home and need help finding painters, a window repair specialist or a skilled carpenter, please give our office a call.