Exterior House Painting Costs SA 2026 - Get Free Quotes

What Exterior House Painting Costs in South Australia

Exterior house painting in South Australia runs $3,500 to $7,000 for a small single storey home, $5,000 to $10,500 for a standard three or four bedroom house, $8,000 to $15,000 for a large or heavily detailed single storey and $10,000 to $25,000 for a two storey. Measured against wall area the rate is $18 to $40 a square metre. Weatherboard and clad homes sit separately at $6,000 to $16,000 across all sizes. Those ranges are wide because exterior pricing is driven by condition and access rather than by the size of the house.

That is the central thing to understand before reading any quote. Two houses of identical footprint in the same street can differ by many thousands, and the difference is what the walls are doing rather than how much wall there is. Preparation is where that variation sits, and it is the only part of the job nobody can see once the painting is finished. A quote that describes it as required has committed the painter to nothing measurable.

The second driver is access, and it is a fixed cost rather than a rate. A single storey house on a level block needs trestles and planks, while a two storey or a sloping Adelaide Hills block needs scaffolding, and scaffold hire and erection lands on the job before any painting happens. It scales with the perimeter and the duration rather than with the square metres. Ask for it as its own line.

This page covers what the work costs, what actually drives the figure, the South Australian conditions that shorten coating life here, the substrates found across this state and what belongs in a written scope. Broader guidance on the decision of whether to paint at all, particularly on stone, sits at exterior house painting. Read this alongside that page rather than on its own.

They are intended to be read alongside each other. Between them they cover both the decision and the price.

Figures are indicative South Australian market rates for 2026 and assume a house in reasonable condition. Properties carrying salt damp, structural cracking, failed render or lead paint need that work resolved before painting, and none of it appears in a square metre rate. Where nobody has walked around the building, what you have is an estimate rather than a price.

Salt damp, structural cracking and failed render all need resolving before painting. None of that appears in a square metre rate.

Cost by House Size and Type

A small single storey home runs $3,500 to $7,000 and is the entry point for a full exterior repaint in this state. That assumes sound render or brick, simple detailing and straightforward access from a level block. The same footprint in weatherboard or with failing paint sits above it, sometimes sizeable. Size matters least of the variables on a house this small.

A standard three or four bedroom single storey runs $5,000 to $10,500 and is the most common exterior job across South Australia. The spread within that range is preparation and detail rather than floor area. Interior scope sits at interior house painting. A plain rectangular house with two elevations facing the weather sits at the lower end, and one with gables, a return verandah and multiple window styles sits at the upper.

A large or heavily detailed single storey runs $8,000 to $15,000. Articulation is what puts a house in this bracket rather than size alone, since every gable, dormer, bracket and window reveal is cut in by hand rather than rolled. Detail alone can account for a third of the difference between two houses of equal wall area. Count your windows and note the verandah before requesting quotes.

Two storey homes run $10,000 to $25,000 and the gap from single storey is mostly access rather than paint. Scaffolding has to be erected before work starts and struck afterwards, adding days to the program and thousands to the cost, and working at height is slower because a painter carries less and moves more deliberately. Scaffold erection and striking are separate operations with their own schedule.

Check whether the duration quoted covers the scaffold as well as the coating. The two answers produce quite different completion dates.

Eaves, fascia and trim alone run $1,500 to $4,000 and are worth pricing separately on any house where the walls remain sound. It is the most cost-effective exterior improvement available, since eaves deteriorate first and carry a disproportionate share of how a house reads from the street. On pre-1990 homes the eaves may be asbestos cement rather than timber, which changes the preparation entirely.

It is the most cost-effective exterior improvement available on a house with sound walls. Establish what the sheeting is before anybody prepares it.

Why Preparation Is Most of the Cost

Preparation accounts for somewhere between half and three quarters of the labour on an exterior repaint, and it is the single largest reason two quotes differ. A painter intending to wash the walls and start rolling will always be cheaper than one intending to strip failing coating back to a sound substrate, and both quotes can describe themselves as including preparation. Both descriptions are technically accurate and they describe different jobs.

Reading for what is actually allowed for is the skill worth developing. It is the difference between a price and a starting figure.

The arithmetic on preparation is stark. Paint applied over a sound, correctly prepared surface lasts ten to fifteen years externally in this climate. The same paint over a chalking, drummy or poorly adhered surface fails within one to three years regardless of what the tin cost, because the failure happens at the bond rather than in the film. You are buying adhesion rather than paint.

Chalking is the most common South Australian condition and it is easy to check yourself. Rub a dark cloth firmly across a north or west facing wall, and if it comes away with a fine powder the binder holding the coating together has degraded under ultraviolet exposure. A stabilising primer is then required, and a quote that omits one has understated the job. North and west elevations reach that point years before south facing ones.

Drummy render is the condition that most often turns a quote into a variation. Tap across the wall with a knuckle and listen for the change from a solid dull sound to a hollow one, since hollow means the render has lost its bond to the substrate behind it. Those sections cannot be surface filled and take any new coating off with them when they release. Preparation and repair scope sits at paint preparation and repairs.

Ask what happens if the surface turns out worse once work begins, because on older South Australian housing that is a realistic possibility rather than a formality. Agreeing in advance whether it triggers a variation, a pause or a renegotiation is far better than discovering the position with scaffolding already erected. Getting that position agreed early protects both sides. Raising the question unprompted is a sign of having done this before. Get the answer in writing rather than as a reassurance on site.

What South Australian Conditions Do to a Coating

Exterior coatings work harder in South Australia than the marketing generally acknowledges, and two factors do most of the damage. Ultraviolet intensity here is among the highest in the country and it degrades the binder rather than simply fading the colour. That degradation is what produces chalking, and once a surface is chalking nothing bonds to it without a stabilising primer first. Once a surface is chalking, nothing bonds to it without a stabilising primer first. Running a cloth across a west wall takes a minute and tells you whether a primer is needed.

Colour interacts with this directly and is worth thinking about at specification stage. Deep and saturated colours absorb more energy, run hotter and fade faster than mid tones, and on a west facing Adelaide wall the difference in service life can be several years. Heat load matters as well, since a dark wall radiates into the house through the afternoon. Where a dark colour is wanted, asking about heat reflective pigment systems is worth doing.

Salt is the second factor and it reaches further inland than most owners assume. Properties along the Fleurieu, around both gulfs, on the Yorke Peninsula, through Port Lincoln and across the Limestone Coast carry airborne salt that deposits on walls and works into any weakness in the coating. Those properties want washing down with fresh water first, which inland work does not. Expect a shorter recoat interval on the coast.

Reactive clay soils add a structural dimension, and general property guidance is published at sa.gov.au across much of metropolitan Adelaide. The ground swells in winter and shrinks through summer, and that movement transmits into the walls above as seasonal cracking that reopens each year. Rigid fillers split along the same lines annually, which is why flexible products and late summer timing both help. Late summer is when cracks are at their widest and therefore the right moment to fill them.

Mould and organic growth on shaded walls is covered at mould resistant coatings. Salt damp is the South Australian condition that matters most and the one no coating fixes. The signs are bubbling paint at the base of walls, a white crystalline deposit, crumbling mortar and a tide mark parallel to the ground, and painting over it traps the moisture and drives the damage further up the wall. The cause has to be addressed first, which usually means ground levels, paving or subfloor ventilation rather than anything a painter does.

Substrates Across South Australia

What your walls are made of determines the product system as much as the price, and South Australia has an unusually varied stock for a single state. Getting this wrong is the most expensive mistake available on an exterior, because an incompatible coating fails at the bond and takes the surface with it. Getting it wrong is the most expensive mistake available on an exterior. Any contractor quoting without establishing what is behind the existing finish is guessing. Ask what substrate they identified and how they established it.

Texture and render finishes sit at texture coating. Rendered and brick veneer homes are the straightforward case and cover most post-1970 housing. The wall is a cavity construction with a membrane behind it, so the coating is decorative and protective rather than part of the moisture management, and the full range of acrylic products is available. These are the houses where quotes cluster tightly and three prices return three similar figures.

Solid stone is the case that needs real care and Adelaide has a great deal of it. Bluestone, sandstone and limestone walls are porous and need to breathe, and applying a modern impermeable coating traps moisture inside them, producing salt damp, spalling stone and a finish that fails in sheets. Painting previously unpainted stone is also effectively permanent, since removal damages soft stone. Stone and other older fabric is covered at heritage house painting.

Weatherboard and clad homes carry more linear cutting than any other substrate, which is why they sit at $6,000 to $16,000 across all sizes. Every board has a top and bottom edge cut in by hand rather than rolled, so a hundred square metres of weatherboard carries several times the edge work of a hundred square metres of render. A hundred square metres of weatherboard carries several times the edge work of the same area in render. Board condition adds a second variable, since split, cupped or rotted boards need replacing first. Check whether replacing damaged boards is priced in or left out.

Fibre cement and blueboard on newer extensions need a system designed for sheet movement. Joints between sheets move seasonally and a rigid coating across them cracks along every joint line unless the system includes proper jointing and a flexible topcoat. On pre-1990 buildings the same looking sheeting may be asbestos cement, which must never be pressure cleaned or sanded. Establish which before anybody prepares anything.

Product Systems and What a Warranty Covers

Exterior product choice matters more in South Australia than in milder states, and the difference between a mid range and a premium acrylic system across a whole house is generally a few hundred dollars in materials. What that buys is ultraviolet resistance and film flexibility rather than a different colour, and on a west facing wall in this climate those two properties are what determine whether you repaint in eight years or fifteen. South Australian ultraviolet intensity is among the highest in the country, and it attacks the binder rather than simply fading the colour. It is one of the few upgrades in this trade that clearly pays for itself. Ask what the quoted system is rated for in this climate.

Ask for the system by name rather than accepting a description. Premium exterior paint commits a painter to nothing, while a named product can be checked against its technical data sheet, which states the specified primer, the recommended film build, the recoat times and the surfaces it is suitable for. A painter unwilling to name the system is a reasonable thing to be cautious about. Most are happy to, and many will show you the data sheet.

The primer matters as much as the topcoat and is where corners are most often cut. A stabilising primer on chalked render, a suitable sealer on new render still curing, a rust inhibitive primer on ferrous metal and a specific product for bare timber are all different, and using a general purpose undercoat across everything is how a job fails early. The data sheet will name the correct primer for each surface. Ask which ones are in the quote.

Manufacturer warranties are worth reading rather than assuming. Most are conditional on the specified primer being used, the correct number of coats being applied, the surface being properly prepared and periodic washing being carried out by the owner. That last condition is the one nobody does and the one most often relied upon when a claim is declined. Ask what maintenance the warranty requires before treating it as protection.

Separate the manufacturer warranty from the painter's own workmanship guarantee, because they cover different things. The manufacturer covers the product failing on its own terms, and the painter covers application defects such as poor adhesion, runs or missed preparation. A reputable operator will offer a workmanship period in writing. Ask how long it runs and what it excludes rather than accepting a verbal assurance.

Access, Scaffolding and Sloping Blocks

Access is the second largest cost driver on an exterior repaint and the one most often folded invisibly into a square metre rate. A quote that does not name the access method is hiding the variable that separates two otherwise similar prices. Ask which method is assumed, how long it will be in place and whether it is costed separately. Ask which method is assumed and whether it is costed separately. A quote silent on access has assumed the easiest case.

Trestles and planks are the standard for single storey work on a level block and add relatively little. Scaffolding becomes necessary above the first floor and runs into thousands, scaling with the perimeter and the duration rather than with the wall area. That means a slow job costs more in scaffold hire than a fast one, which is a reason to ask about the program as well as the price. A slow job therefore costs more in scaffold hire than a fast one. That is a reason to ask about the program as well as the price.

Elevated work platforms are an alternative on some sites and rope access on others, and each suits different conditions. A site with clear ground around the building and room to manoeuvre may suit a platform, while a tight urban block may not. Rope access appears more often on taller buildings than on houses. The right method is a site decision rather than a preference.

Sloping blocks are the South Australian complication that catches owners out. A nominally single storey house in the Adelaide Hills, on the Fleurieu or anywhere with a fall across the site can have one elevation sitting several metres above ground, which brings scaffolding into a job that looks straightforward from the street. Scaffolding on a sloping block is a genuine requirement rather than an upsell. Walk the perimeter with the painter rather than describing the house by phone.

Where scaffolding is going up anyway, bringing other work into the same access window is the largest saving available on an exterior project. Gutter replacement, fascia repair, roof work and window repairs all use the same access, and hiring it once for several trades beats hiring it three times. Roof coating sits at roof painting. Sequence the roof before the walls rather than after.

Gutters, Timber, Metal and Other Exterior Surfaces

A full exterior repaint touches more than walls, and the surfaces around them each behave differently under coating. Understanding what is in scope prevents the common situation where the walls look excellent and everything around them suddenly looks worse by comparison. Each behaves differently under coating and each needs its own specification. Ask for these as separate lines so you can see what each contributes. It also lets you drop one to meet a budget.

Eaves and soffits deteriorate before walls because they are shaded, rarely washed by rain and collect dust and cobwebs. They also carry a disproportionate share of how a house reads from the street, which is why eaves, fascia and trim alone at $1,500 to $4,000 is such an effective refresh. On pre-1990 homes the sheeting may be asbestos cement rather than timber or fibre cement, and it must never be pressure cleaned or sanded. It also carries a disproportionate share of how a house reads from the street. Eaves are where deterioration shows first.

Timber needs more preparation than any other exterior surface and more honesty about its condition. Window frames, sills, barge boards, verandah posts and decking all suffer where the previous coating has failed and water has entered, and painting over rot simply conceals it for a season. Sound timber wants a flexible system that moves with it. Deck and fence coating sits at deck and fence painting.

Metal surfaces need the right primer or nothing will hold. Ferrous metal such as steel gutters, wrought iron balustrades and verandah ironwork needs rust converted or removed and a rust inhibitive primer before topcoat, while galvanised and Colorbond surfaces need a specific etch or adhesion primer because ordinary paint simply will not bond to them. Ordinary paint will simply not bond to galvanised or Colorbond without an etch primer. Getting this wrong produces flaking within a year rather than a gradual decline. Ask which primer is specified for each metal surface.

Garage doors, downpipes and meter boxes are the items most often omitted and most obvious once the walls are done. Each is small, and each looks conspicuously untouched beside a fresh wall. Ask whether they are in the quote or excluded, since adding them after the scaffold comes down is a return visit. Garage floor coating is a separate trade at garage floor painting.

Timing an Exterior Repaint

Exterior painting is weather dependent in a way interior work is not, and getting the timing right affects both the finish and how long it lasts. South Australia gives a generous working window, but both ends of the year present problems worth planning around rather than discovering mid-job. South Australia gives a generous working window, but both ends of the year present problems. Planning around them beats discovering them mid-job. Ask what the painter does if the forecast turns.

New build exteriors sit at new home painting. Spring and autumn are the reliable seasons. Temperatures sit in the range most acrylic exterior products are formulated for, overnight dew is manageable and there is enough settled weather to complete preparation, priming and two coats without a break. Established painters book those periods well in advance, which is itself a reasonable signal about who is worth waiting for.

Midsummer is workable but demands an early start and sensible sequencing. Adelaide wall surfaces reach temperatures well above air temperature, and coating applied to a hot wall flashes off before it can flow out and bond properly. Broad rendered elevations are often sprayed and back-rolled, covered at spray painting. Crews that start early, follow the shade around the building and stop through the worst of the afternoon are working correctly. One proposing to coat a west wall at three in the afternoon in February is not.

Winter is the season to avoid for coating, though preparation and repairs are perfectly reasonable then. Low temperatures slow curing, most products specify a minimum application temperature commonly around ten degrees, and overnight dew or an unexpected shower on an uncured film will ruin a day's work. Overnight temperatures matter as much as daytime ones, since a coating applied at three in the afternoon is still curing at midnight. Overnight temperatures matter as much as daytime ones. A coating applied at three in the afternoon is still curing at midnight.

Build a weather buffer into the schedule rather than treating a quoted duration as fixed. A full exterior needs several consecutive suitable days for washing, repairs, priming and two coats, and a contractor promising a fixed completion date regardless of forecast is either lucky or planning to push on when they should not. Ask what happens if the week turns. Several consecutive suitable days are needed for washing, repairs, priming and two coats. A fixed date promised regardless of forecast is a warning.

What Moves an Exterior Quote

Condition is the largest variable and it is established by touching rather than looking. Chalking, drummy render, cracking, failed previous patching and salt damp all sit behind an apparently sound wall, and each changes the preparation materially. It explains how two painters can be thousands apart on one building with neither figure being unfair. Ask each painter what they found rather than only what they charge.

Access is the second and it scales with the building rather than the area. Storey count, block slope, boundary clearance and whether a scaffold can be erected at all determine the method and therefore a sizeable fixed cost. Storey count, block slope and boundary clearance together decide the method. On a two storey house access frequently exceeds the paint and the labour of applying it combined. Settle that question before weighing any of the numbers.

Substrate is the third and it sets the product as well as the price. Render, brick veneer, weatherboard, fibre cement and solid stone each need a different system, and the wrong choice on stone in particular produces a failure that damages the building rather than just the finish. Establish what your walls are before comparing any two figures. The wrong choice on stone in particular damages the building rather than just the finish. Establish what your walls are before comparing quotes.

Detail and articulation is the fourth and the one owners notice least. Gables, dormers, return verandahs, decorative brackets, multiple window styles and heavy eaves all add hand cutting that a plain elevation does not. A house with an elaborate frontage and three plain sides can still carry a third more labour than a plain rectangle of the same area. An ornate street elevation with three simple ones behind it still adds around a third to the hours. Count your windows before requesting quotes.

Colour and the resulting coat count is the fifth variable. Deep bases carry less opacity and frequently need three coats rather than two, and a change from a dark scheme to a pale one needs a blocking primer or an extra pass. Naming the intended colour at quoting stage matters, since a quote given without knowing it has assumed something. That assumption becomes a variation later.

Adelaide and Regional Pricing

Pricing across metropolitan Adelaide tracks construction type, condition and access far more closely than suburb. The same floor area in two different areas can differ by half again, and the reason is structural rather than geographic. A 1990s rendered brick veneer in the growth corridors and a 1910 stone villa in the inner suburbs are different jobs regardless of what either is worth. Quoting the house rather than the postcode is the right approach. Approached that way, the differences between quotes become clear.

The inner suburbs carry the highest exterior rates because of what the buildings are made of. Solid stone and solid brick, ornate detailing, verandah ironwork, sash windows and frequently lead paint on anything pre-1970 all add labour rather than margin. A painter quoting an inner suburban villa at growth corridor rates has probably not inspected it properly, which is a reason for caution rather than celebration. All of them represent hours rather than markup. A quote well below the others on an older house is a reason for caution.

The growth corridors north and south are where quotes cluster most tightly. Angle Vale, Munno Para, Blakeview, Andrews Farm, Seaford and Aldinga carry large volumes of rendered project housing built to similar specifications, and painters working those areas can price them quickly and accurately. Where one quote is a clear outlier in those suburbs, ask what it includes rather than assuming a better rate. Where one quote is a clear outlier in those suburbs, ask what it includes. The scope explains most gaps in modern housing.

The Adelaide Hills and the Fleurieu carry the sloping block complication more than anywhere else. A house that presents as single storey from the road can require scaffolding on its rear or side elevation, and that changes the figure sizeable. It is also where seasonal moisture and shaded elevations produce more organic growth on walls, which adds washing. It is also where shaded elevations produce more organic growth on walls, which adds washing. Walk the perimeter rather than describing the house.

Regional exterior work carries travel and, on larger jobs, sometimes accommodation. Larger centres including Mount Gambier, Whyalla, Port Lincoln, Murray Bridge, Victor Harbor and Port Augusta have their own painters at rates close to Adelaide levels, while smaller towns are serviced from those centres. Stone and solid brick are far more common outside the metropolitan area, which changes the specification. Coordinating with a neighbour on the same street is the practical way to absorb mobilisation.

How Long Exterior Work Takes

A full exterior repaint of a standard single storey South Australian home takes six to ten working days, with small homes at four to six and large or detailed ones at eight to thirteen. Weatherboard runs eight to fourteen because of the edge cutting, and two storey work twelve to twenty once scaffolding is erected and struck. Those are working days rather than calendar days, and weather moves them in a way it does not move interior work. Weather moves those figures in a way it does not move interior work. Treat a quoted duration as a working estimate.

Preparation occupies more of that time than owners expect. On a house needing washing, render repair, curing time on the patches and a stabilising primer, the first coat of colour may not go on until day five or six. That is not slow work, it is the job being done in the right order. A crew rolling colour on day two has either found a house in excellent condition or skipped something.

Scaffolding adds days at both ends rather than in the middle. Putting scaffold up and taking it down are jobs in themselves, and on two storeys they stretch the program by two or three days in which no coating happens. Ask whether a quoted timeframe includes the scaffold or only the painting, since the two produce quite different completion dates. Find out if the stated program accounts for erecting and striking the access. Hire that runs an extra fortnight is a cost somebody pays.

Recoat intervals are fixed by the product and the weather rather than by the crew size. Most exterior acrylics specify a minimum recoat time that lengthens in cooler conditions, and applying the second coat early traps solvent in the first and produces a soft film that marks easily. A painter waiting for the right window rather than pushing on is doing it correctly. More painters on site brings more elevations forward rather than shortening the wait.

Build a weather buffer into the schedule and treat a quoted duration as a working estimate. A full exterior needs several consecutive suitable days, and a contractor promising a fixed completion date regardless of forecast is either lucky or planning to coat in conditions they should not. Ask what happens if the week turns, since the honest answer is that the job pauses. A contractor promising a fixed completion date regardless of forecast is either lucky or planning to coat in conditions they should not. Ask what happens if it rains on day four.

What to Look Out For

Ask what preparation the quote allows for in specific terms rather than accepting a general assurance. A scope naming what will be washed, what will be stripped, what will be filled and what primer is specified can be checked against what actually happens on site. A scope reading prepare as required cannot be checked against anything. That single question separates exterior quotes more effectively than the price does.

Get the access method named and costed separately. Scaffolding, elevated work platforms and rope access are very different propositions at very different prices, and a quote folding access into a rate is hiding the largest fixed cost in the job. Ask how long the scaffold will stand, since hire scales with duration rather than with wall area. Establish the standing time, because scaffold hire is charged against weeks rather than square metres. A quote folding access into a rate hides the largest fixed cost.

Confirm the product system by name rather than by description. Premium exterior paint commits the painter to nothing, while a named system can be checked against a technical data sheet and carries a manufacturer warranty with stated conditions. Ask what those conditions are, since many require periodic washing that owners never do and that quietly voids the cover. Ask what the warranty conditions are, since many require periodic washing that owners never do. That condition is the one most often relied upon when a claim is declined.

On anything built before 1970, raise lead paint before preparation is discussed. Preparation is exactly the stage that disturbs it, and dry power sanding, heat stripping and pressure washing all turn intact lead paint into a hazard spread across the property. Handling and removal options are covered at lead paint removal. Anyone who brings it up without being asked is worth keeping.

Licensing applies, since painting and decorating is building work in South Australia and work above the threshold needs a licensed building contractor registered with Consumer and Business Services. Verify the number against the public register and ask for a certificate of currency for public liability insurance. Working at height also brings duties administered by SafeWork SA. Verify the number against the public register rather than taking a verbal assurance. Ask for a certificate of currency for public liability insurance as well.

Standards, Licensing and Safety on an Exterior Repaint

An exterior repaint is building work under South Australian law, so the contractor should hold a building work contractor's licence from Consumer and Business Services. The number is verifiable on the CBS public register in under a minute.

The penalty regime changed on 15 January 2026 and is now considerably heavier. Unlicensed work, advertising outside a licence, non-compliant contracts and improper payment demands each attract a $5,000 expiation fee, carrying out work without building indemnity insurance where required attracts $20,000, and repeat offences can reach $150,000 for an individual or $550,000 for a company. CBS established a Building Industry Response Team in June 2026 to pursue them.

AS/NZS 2311:2017, Guide to the painting of buildings, from Standards Australia, is the workmanship reference and it is more useful on an exterior than anywhere else. It addresses surface preparation, the selection of coating systems for a given substrate and the film build required, which are precisely the three things that separate a repaint lasting fifteen years from one failing in two.

Where the building carries paint applied before 1970, AS/NZS 4361.2:2017, Guide to hazardous paint management, Part 2, is the relevant document. It covers establishing whether lead is present and selecting a management strategy, and it matters most at preparation, since dry sanding, heat stripping and pressure washing all mobilise lead into the soil and air around the house. Health questions belong with a doctor or SA Health.

Access safety is administered by SafeWork SA under South Australian work health and safety law. Scaffolding erected above four metres requires a licensed scaffolder, and a contractor who names the access method and who is erecting it has planned the job properly.

Brands commonly specified for exterior work in this state include Dulux, Haymes, Wattyl and Taubmans, each publishing exterior technical data sheets naming the primer, the film build and the minimum application temperature. Broader SA painting guidance sits with house painters in SA.

Getting Comparable Quotes

Exterior quotes differ more in what they assume than in what they charge, so a short written brief before you call is what turns three incomparable figures into three you can read side by side. Without it the cheapest quote is usually the one that assumed the soundest walls and the easiest access. Without a brief, the cheapest quote is usually the one that assumed the soundest walls. A page covering the house is worth the effort it takes. Give all three painters the identical brief.

State the storey count, the approximate wall area and whether the block slopes. Those three determine the access method and therefore the largest fixed cost in the job. Anyone quoting without knowing the site falls away will revise once they see it. A painter who has not been told about a fall across the site will revise when they arrive. Getting it wrong at this stage produces a quote that changes.

Describe the substrate honestly, including anything you already know. Rendered, brick, weatherboard, fibre cement, painted stone and unpainted stone are six different starting points with six different specifications, and guessing produces a quote that will change. Painted stone and unpainted stone are two quite different starting points. If you are unsure, say so and ask them to establish it on site. Guessing produces a figure that will not hold.

Say what condition the walls are in and mention anything you have noticed, including chalking, flaking, cracking, bubbling at the base or hollow sounding render. Owners who point out known problems get more accurate quotes, not more expensive ones, because the alternative is discovering them halfway through with scaffolding up. Owners who point out known problems get more accurate quotes rather than more expensive ones. The alternative is discovering them with scaffolding already up.

Say what you have noticed even if you are unsure what it means. Ask every painter to itemise preparation, access, the product system and the coats as separate lines.

That structure exposes immediately where one has allowed for stripping and another for washing, or where one has scaffolding and another has assumed ladders. That structure shows whether one has allowed for stripping and another only for washing. It also makes it obvious which line to cut if the figure has to move. That format is available from most painters on request.

Making the Decision

On an exterior repaint the quotes carry enough money that the differences deserve real attention, and the cheapest is frequently the narrowest scope rather than the best value. Read the preparation and access lines before reading the totals, and the totals make more sense afterwards. A painter quoting proper scaffolding where another assumed ladders is not more expensive, they are quoting a different and safer job. A painter quoting proper scaffolding where another assumed ladders is quoting a different and safer job. At height that difference is a safety one rather than a cosmetic one.

Where quotes differ widely, ask the outlier directly what they allowed for that the others did not. A painter who found drummy render the others missed is worth listening to, and one who quietly excluded the eaves explains the gap in the other direction. An exclusion of the eaves accounts for a gap in the other direction. Both answers tell you something useful about who inspected properly. Ask about their findings, not just their figure.

Favour the painter who walked the whole perimeter over the one who quoted fastest. Someone who tapped a wall, rubbed a cloth on a west elevation, looked at the ground levels and asked about the block's fall is pricing your house rather than an average one. Someone who rubbed a cloth on a west elevation is pricing your house rather than an average one. Speed of quoting is not a virtue on an exterior. The fastest quote frequently carries the most assumptions in it.

Have the scope recorded in writing before any deposit, covering the access method, the product system, the coat count, the preparation and the position if the walls prove worse once work begins. At this value it is also worth tying payments to completed stages rather than to calendar dates. A dispute the parties cannot resolve between themselves is heard by SACAT.

A payment schedule tied to completed stages rather than to dates is also worth agreeing. Most painters prefer the certainty that gives them.

Finally, keep the colour formulations, the product data sheets and the warranty conditions together somewhere you will find them. They matter at the next repaint, they matter for touch-ups after storm damage, and they matter at sale. They matter at the next repaint, after storm damage and again at sale. Ask what maintenance the warranty requires, since a coating that needs periodic washing will not clean itself. Keep the batch and formulation details from the tins rather than the tins themselves.