Question: How Much to Paint a House?
Summer is here and in the Pacific Northwest that means it’s officially painting season. Before you go searching for home painting estimates, you may want to know the average cost to paint a house. Painting prices vary widely across the United States. In this article we will be discussing painting costs in Portland OR and Vancouver WA. Although, these two cities are five minutes from each other, you may be surprised to learn that painting prices can be wildly different. Portland has a higher cost of living, Oregon income tax and greater demand for home improvement work. Vancouver is a smaller city, with a lower demand for construction work and a sales tax that is added to, instead of calculated into an estimate. You may be surprised by how much it costs to paint a house so let’s get into the prices and how they are derived.
How Much Does it Cost to Paint a House Exterior?
The average cost to paint a house varies from state to state and city to city and depends on the season, condition of the home and job complexity. In Vancouver WA, the cost to paint a house exterior ranges from $1.20 – $2.00/square foot. The average cost to paint a house exterior in Portland OR ranges from $1.50 – $2.25/square foot. These are rough averages for exterior painting costs in the Portland metro area. Different painting contractors will charge different prices.
How Much Does it Cost to Paint a House Interior?
Interior painting cost per square foot is higher than exterior painting costs. In Vancouver WA, interior painting prices range from $1.30-$2.50/square foot. In Portland OR, interior painting prices range from $2.00-$3.00/square foot. The majority of these costs go into painting mill-work (trim/baseboard/doors). The Interior painting cost per sq ft would be much lower if you only need walls painted. Again, these are just rough averages and interior painting costs will vary based on different painting contractors.
Professional Painters – Why are They so Expensive?
“It’s just painting, right?” That’s probably what you are thinking after reading the house painting estimate that your painting contractor sent you. Well, you’re right, it is just painting however it takes skilled labor to do a professional job. There is also risk factor (falling off a ladder) when painting that many homeowners are not willing to take. So, if you are reading your home painting estimate and you’re bewildered by the price what are some costs that are calculated into that estimate?
Painting Contractors – Oregon/Washington Overhead Costs
Let’s take a look at some overhead costs that ALL licensed painting contractors in the states of Oregon and Washington must calculate into their quotes BEFORE even accounting for the materials and labor costs:
- Equipment costs and maintenance: A professional grade airless sprayer ranges from $850-$3000 and higher. Once purchased, filters, nozzles, tips and pump must be maintained/replaced.
- Liability insurance and state bond: Liability insurance for a residential general contractor in Oregon/Washington can range from $700-$2000/year depending on your corporate entity and what kind of work is conducted.
- Workers compensation (if company has employees): Workers compensation is different between Oregon and Washington but on average ranges from 4%-12% of payroll expenses.
- Annual business renewal state fees: Any business that in registered with the secretary of state must pay, yearly to file an annual report. In Washington the yearly fee is $100 and in Oregon the yearly fee is $200.
- Contractor licensing and renewal fees. In addition to being registered with the secretary of state and department of revenue, a general contractor must also maintain their contractors license. In Oregon, a contractors license is maintained through the Contractors Construction Board (CCB). In Washington you must go through Labor and Industries (l&I). Both require a contractor’s license renewal fee every two years.
- City endorsements to perform work (Washington): City endorsements are required by most cities where your business is not physically located. These yearly endorsement fees range between $15-$50. For example, If your business is physically located in Vancouver, WA like ours is and we wish to conduct work in the surrounding areas like Battle Ground, Ridgefield, La Center, Woodland, Camas, Longview, Kelso, then we must pay yearly endorsement fees.
- Vehicle and transportation costs: Work vehicles like trucks and vans are expensive to purchase and costly to maintain. Transportation costs are high when your work truck gets 12mpg.
- Income tax (Oregon): Work conducted in Oregon is subject to the Oregon income tax rate of 9.9%. This cost must be calculated into your home painting estimates.
- Sales tax (Washington): Constructions services in Washington state are subject to a 6.5% sales tax rate plus the sales tax rate of the city you are servicing. Unlike Oregon, the state tax is not calculated into your painting estimate. Instead, sales tax is added to the subtotal.
Overview
As you can see, there are quite a few costs that go into a painting contractor’s over head. These are the bare minimum costs. If a company is leasing an office/warehouse/or storage space, then that must be calculated into the overhead cost as well. Same goes if the company is large and has in house accounting, secretaries, administrators, ect. These overhead costs are the reason it is much cheaper to hire an unlicensed worker. We haven’t even discussed the labor, paint prices and material costs that go into painting your house so let’s dive into that next.
Cost to paint a house exterior – What Goes Into it?
As previously mentioned, exterior painting cost will vary based on geography and scope of work. Before having a professional painter give you an estimate you should determine:
- Size of your home.
- Condition of your home’s exterior.
- How tall is the structure?
- What is the grade of the property and is your home on a slope?
If you have a large, tall home sitting on a slope that hasn’t had a coat of paint in 30 years, your paint job will be on the costly side no matter who you hire. So, how much does exterior painting cost. In Portland, OR, a common price range is $1.50-$2.25/ square foot. In Vancouver WA, exterior paint prices sit a little lower at $1.20-$2.00/square foot. Again, these are rough averages and prices could be lower or higher depending on the job. Note: the square footage price is based of the floor square footage of your home, not the square footage of exterior siding that will be painted. For example, if a home is listed as 1000 square feet on Zillow then 1000 square feet is what your painting contractor plugs into their formula.
How Long Does it Take to Paint a House – Exterior?
The amount of time it takes to paint a house exterior depends on the crew size and the job complexity. However to give you a quick example, a two story, 1800 square foot house that has been well maintained over the years should take a crew of two people no more than one business week (2-5 days) to complete. The majority of time it takes to complete an exterior paint job is spent on preparation which means, cleaning, scraping, taping and masking. Another time consumer is painting trim and fascia. If your house is very dirty, with lots and peeling paint and also has more windows than average, the exterior paint price will be quite high and it may take longer than a week to complete.
Interior Painting Cost – Am I Being Overcharged?
Interior painting is far different than exterior painting. It is more accessible to homeowners, requires no professional grade equipment and some homeowners enjoy the process. Average cost to paint interior of a house in Vancouver range from $1.50-$2.50/square foot in Vancouver, WA. In Portland, OR, interior paint prices are higher, sitting at $1.50-$3.00/square foot. These prices might seem high but they are market based prices. Many lower and middle class homeowners choose to paint their own interiors. This means that the prices for interior painting are geared towards relatively wealthy and affluent homeowners. Interior painting prices are market driven.
Average Cost to Paint a Room
Let’s use a 200 square foot bedroom as the example. If you wanted the walls, ceiling and mill work painted, it could easily cost $500-$1000 Seems high right? Let’s say you removed the millwork and ceiling from the scope and only focused on wall painting. That would lower the cost to paint a room to $150-$300. Wall painting is the cheapest part of interior painting. It is the trim, baseboard and doors that drives prices up so much. The cost to paint a room obviously varies widely but to get the most bang for your buck out of your painting contractor, stick to wall painting.
Why Are House Painters so Expensive – Conclusion
After reading this article, your may have come to the conclusion that professional painters are expensive. You are not wrong, but so are plumbers, electricians, flooring contractors, handymen and mechanics. I was charged $80 for an oil change the other day. The fact is, services in the US are expensive. Painting contractors have a business overhead to account for. At the same time, they must pay their crewmen a livable wage. Good, reliable workers come at a price well above minimum wage.
To the homeowners reading, here is some advice. If you are searching for painting contractors and would like a painting estimate, brace yourself for a price the seems high. Instead of focusing on the price, focus on the painting contractor. Ask yourself if the company comes across as reliable, trustworthy and honest. You are going to pay good money for work done on your home so you want the process to be as easy as possible. Find a professional that looks and acts professional.