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If there is a question that you still have that we haven't answered, please don't hesitate now or during the project duration to ask. No question is "stupid" or uncalled for.
By thinking through some of these simple by detailed questions and answers, we have done our best to assure you that you will truly get "more SMILES to the gallon".
Do you charge by the hour and if so how much?
While some contactors work on an hourly rate, this is something that we don't do. We feel that it protects the homeowner against unknown costs that could arise as well as puts a price on the work to be completed before we arrive so you know what you're going to pay and we know what we are going to get paid. The only instance we will work by the hour is sometimes in wallpaper removal if the paper seems glue too well. We would let you know this in the estimate prior to beginning work.
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How long does it take to meet for an estimate? And do I get a written copy?
The length of an estimate depends on the amount rooms to be quoted on and the complexity of the work to be completed. While we do consult on colors, we don't like to do this during an estimate visit. Most estimate visits last approximately 1/2 hour on average and we like to have the estimate to you within 24 hours of our original visit. Quite often we will have the estimate to you within a few hours of the visit. The approximate duration of the project is quoted in the estimate and if you ask our previous clients, we are usually right on the mark.
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Can you give me a quote over the phone with the room dimensions?
Giving a home estimate can be like getting an appraisal on fine jewelry. Condition, dimensions and quality are all considerations that are part of a painting estimate. A room 12 x12 may have four walls with 1 door. It may also have a stucco ceiling (painted before), a closet with or without closet organizers, vinyl windows (need not be painted) wooden casement windows (more time consuming)
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What do I need to do to get ready for the day you arrive to paint?
While we do every possible thing to make the entire experience easier for you, there are a few things we ask you to do prior to us arriving. We ask that in the room(s) to be painted you remove all valuable, breakables, pictures, wall hangings, lamps or tall objects that could topple when plastic/dropsheets are place on/over them.
Secondly, we ask that you leave a space closest to door of entry so we can unload our equipment and supplies into your home with ease for the duration of the project (if possible).
Thirdly, please make sure during the cold winter months that all walkways and driveways are cleared of snow and all icy surfaces salted/sanded. As a homeowner, it is your responsibility should you not clear your ice and an injury occur. While we understand during the winter months that plows can come by during the day, we ask that for our arrival that all ends of driveways are cleared from the plow. After all, we live in houses that we've just cleared before we came to work!!!
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Are you insured in the event that something is damaged?
Yes, we carry a standard contractors liability policy with Statefarm Insurance Company which covers any damage to your belongings or home should anything unthinkable happen.
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How many are part of your crew?
It depends on the time of year and what our schedule is like. Generally speaking there are 1-2 people on a crew including myself. Good people who care about their work and surroundings are difficult to find which also add to the costs in terms of Payroll deductions. For that reason, we tend to work with other self-employed painting contractors who share our philosophies and work ethics. These are only used on larger jobs and discussed with the homeowner usually at the time of the estimate.
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Can I pay by Mastercard/Visa/American Express?
We only accept two forms of payment... Cheque and Cash. While retails stores and larger service chains offer the luxury of paying by Credit Card or payment plan, this is something we have shied away from. The reason is that a percentage has to be paid back to the Banks on each transaction and we would rather pass the savings of not building these charges into every job. With only 3 requests over the past 15 years for such a form of payment, it doesn't make it worth the account fees per month for something rarely used.
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When do I pay you for the work? Why do I have to give you a deposit?
We have a payment schedule that is straight forward and easy to follow: For jobs less than 3 days, payment is due in full immediately upon completion. For jobs greater than 3 days, we ask for a deposit of 50% of the total project price up front which covers the purchase of supplies etc. The remaining amount is due in full upon complete satisfaction of the work which is usually the last day. This is a policy we have set up for everyone and not just "some" of our customers. We feel it's a way of meeting the client half way. All of our equipment is on your premises as well as the complete paid for paint inventory for your job.
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Do I supply the paint or do you?
We deal with a couple of paint suppliers for all of our paint and sundry (rollers, brushes etc.) orders. This shows our suppliers that we are dedicated to buying only from them and in return, they pass on a substantial discount to us. We in turn, turn around and pass the saving onto you the consumer.
When you decide to purchase the paint at a retail price, you pay more than what we purchase the paint for. When you purchase paint from somebody who knows somebody at a paint manufacturer/store, our hands are tied should we run out of paint mid-day or something be wrong with the product in terms of color or defect. By us purchasing all the materials for the complete job and arriving with them the first day, it also provides us a back-up plan should drying time delay us in one area and we can simply work on another room as we have the paint. Although all XYZ paint stores carry the same products, variances can occur because of different paint tint machines, human interpretation or different batch numbers of paint.
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Do I give you a key to my house and my alarm code?
While 99% of our clients completely feel comfortable passing on their keys and alarm codes, there is always that 1% that have had a bad experience or for whatever reason choose not to. Because we can be delayed in traffic, tied up at the paint store or have to leave a job site early, we do require that customers provide us with some form of access to the home should the homeowner not be present. For those 1%, there are avenues that provide us access to the home without giving us a key. This quite often would be giving a garage door opener with access to the home by an inside garage door. We can provide some other viable ways should they be required. Alarms codes are also quite often used by us for security sake. For that reason, the key and code are given to us and the code is never recorded on paper. Quite simply, the code is forgotten by the next job and/or we expect that the code given is a temporary one and will be reset after the job completion.
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Mississauga Office
(905) 826-9183
Georgetown Office
(905) 877-7605 |
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