This is quite often question among our clients and quite easy to answer. There are three important rules of thumb to remember.
Rule of protection.
You always have to keep in mind that paint protects your house. Exterior paint keeps water from getting into siding, window trims. It doesn’t let mold and water damage to spread into wood and materials that can’t withstand water for long period of time. This means, that once in a while it makes sense to walk around the house and look for the spots where paint got pealed off or scratched out from a surface. Small areas should be sealed and repainted right away. In case area is too big, you might better repaint entire house. Keep in mind that leaving wood material exposed to a potential water damage might cost way more.
In addition to cost of water damage repair, you still will have to paint everything again. So the bottom line, you might end up paying twice as much as you would pay for repainting. In case you see mold on top of a paint, you might want to call power wash service just to brush it up a bit. Important fact about power wash – paint that got pealed but hard to see will be way more visible. In general it’s recommended to wash your house once every two years.
Rule of color.
This rule is only about you. What was your feeling when you were coming from work to freshly painted house? Does fresh paint makes you smile? If so, you probably want refresh it a bit.
Rule of impression.
This rule has nothing to do with you. It affects a potential home buyers. Every real estate agent knows that calm, friendly colors increase a chance to sell house dramatically. A lot of homeowners repaint their interior and exterior before selling house to increase their chances. If you are planning to sell your house, you should definitely consult with your real estate agent and find out what market is interested in at this time at your area.