New Home? The Best time to paint is Before you move in!
Maximizing Your Investment: Pre-Move-In Interior Painting
Amidst the excitement, there's a practical considerations often overlooked: the opportunity to undertake interior work before officially moving in. Not only can this save you money, but it also streamlines the process.
Planning Ahead: The Key to Efficiency
One of the first steps in this process is obtaining bids from local painting companies. Getting your ducks in a row is crucial. Realtors often provide photographs of homes on the market to entice potential buyers. These images serve a dual purpose—they can also be utilized by contractors to formulate preliminary bids. Thus, initiating the bidding process early offers insights into the potential costs involved, providing clarity and enabling better planning for all involved. We can usually squeeze in a job if given advanced notice.
Timing is Important
When a house is empty, interior painting becomes notably more efficient. Without the presence of furniture and belongings, painters can devote more time and attention to walls, ceilings, and doors. Moreover, the setup and cleanup of the jobsite is more streamlined, potentially saving up to two hours per day. This means faster turn around times. Because no one is living in the space, this allows us to leave the space 'as is' day after day. Meaning we set up once, and clean up once. This time savings can be huge, especially on larger projects like a whole house repaint.
Free Expert Advice
Home inspectors often miss a lot. Most home inspectors have never actually worked in residential construction. For less than $500 you can become a licensed home inspector! (New York).
As a side note- You should always get a home inspection prior to signing anything. We have met people who bought homes in November, and come to find out the furnace doesn't work, and the septic system is bad! Yikes!
Most people decide with in 15 minutes whether they will be putting in a bid to purchase the house. Often before they have seen the entirety of the property.
Seizing the Opportunity: Painting Ceilings, Closets and Bathrooms
While some may prefer to wait until all belongings are in place to see color interactions, painting ceilings, closets and the bathrooms prior to moving in provide several advantages. Without furniture and personal items getting in the way, painting becomes a bit easier and faster. This is especially true in rooms with high ceilings or other features requiring scaffolding for safe access—a necessity for spaces exceeding 12 feet in height. Painting around the ceiling fan or recessed lighting in the great room or foyer for example. While tall step ladders exist, scaffolding reigns supreme in terms of safety and practicality.
Given bathrooms are personal spaces, a fresh coat of paint in a bathroom- especially personal bathrooms like the master bathroom, is a surefire way to almost instantly transform a used bathroom into a new bathroom.
Don't Overlook Painting the Garage and Basement
Often overlooked, spaces like the garage and basement deserve attention before moving in. These spaces are prone to more wear and tear than other spaces in the home due to their ability to store yard tools, or other stuff you will get to 'later'. If your basement is finished, painting it first allows you a place to go that is 'normal', while the rest of the home is being redecorated to match your style and tastes.
Painting these areas before moving in allows for generally uninterrupted access. Additionally, addressing any necessary repairs—especially in high-traffic areas like bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchens and hallways—ensures a more seamless transition when the big day comes. Movers, are not like a bull in a china shop. They don't want to have to pay to re-paint your home, so they are usually very careful about bumping into walls and door frames.
The Challenge of Popcorn Ceilings
The removal of popcorn ceilings is much easier in an empty house than an occupied home. Removing popcorn, or repairing popcorn is very messy. Its better if the home is unoccupied. This goes for wallpaper removal as well. When it comes to popcorn, there is significant amount of prep that is involved. We remove popcorn wet, it sticks to everything. The ability to keep a room set up over the course of the job is a huge time/money saver for all involved. Especially if its a large area like the Great room or the foyer.
Conclusion: Investing Wisely in Your New Home
In conclusion, the period between closing on a new home and moving in presents a prime opportunity to undertake interior painting by maximizing both efficiency and cost-effectiveness. By securing bids early, capitalizing on empty spaces, and prioritizing essential areas in the home, homeowners can seamlessly transition into their new abode. Whether it's enhancing aesthetics, ensuring safety, or prolonging the longevity of your investment, pre-move-in interior paintwork is a strategic investment in the future comfort and functionality of your home.
P.S. I would like to address a 'new' problem that us painters (and many contractors) face on almost a monthly basis. That is scammers posing as recent home-buyers. They will often text local painting contractors about their 'new home' they purchased, and are collecting bids. I get 1-2 of these per month.
These scammers are getting better. Unsuspecting contractors may get caught up in this scam, so if you see a contractor you don't recognize walking around your house, this is probably why.
Thankfully I haven't fallen for this scam, however I have heard stories. Due to this, we are all now a bit cautious. Calling your chosen contractor first, instead of texting, will prevent you from being mistakenly marked as spam by an unsuspecting contractor (not just painters)
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