I bought a house a couple of years ago and the exterior now needs to be painted. I am kicking myself now because the house is two stories with a steep roof (so siding peaks go up to nearly 3 stories), and if it was a single story I would just paint it myself.
I got three quotes on painting from contractors all rated highly on Angie's list. The lowest was for 3K but was for a single coat and I don't get the impression that they'll do much more than a quick once over, although it's hard to say. The highest bid was $5500 and included 2 coats of paint, puttying nail holes (important because I have masonite siding), replacing a few rotten boards, and and rebuilding part of the front porch banister which was unfortunately repaired cheaply by the previous owner and now is rotten. Unfortunately the masonite needs to be painted very frequently or it will rot.
I can get the siding all replaced with something lower maintenance (hardy plank or vinyl) for about $15K. I have the money to do that, but I'm torn as hardy plank will still need to be painted periodically. Vinyl seems like the way to go. I need to get more vinyl quotes.
If I try to sell it and get something smaller/lower maintenance, then I will have to paint it anyway, so I feel like I'm in a bit of a pickle here.
Thoughts? Suggestions?