FAQ

Homeowners

1. Are estimates free?

Ross Painting does not typically charge for estimates, but they are not free; the minimum cost to Ross Painting to supply a proposal is $200.00. In return for this “Free” service we ask that the client respond to our proposal in a timely manner.

2. Can you give me an estimate over the phone?

The short answer is no. Our proposals are not just numbers, instead we provide you with a detailed scope of work that reflects our understanding of what you want and a detailed description of what is needed to provide the desired results. The price supplied is per that scope of work.

Although you may be able to tell us how large your home or room is and how many rooms there are, there are a large number of variables that go into determining what work will be required and how long it will take to complete a project. Not to mention what materials might or might not be required. We want to do our projects the right way and that starts with a good estimate.

3. How soon will I receive my proposal?

If you have an urgent need we will try our best to help you out; but typically you will receive your proposal within 2 days to one week from the day we look at your project. When you call we already have commitments on our time and after meeting with you it is typically a few days before we can sit down and work on your proposal.

4. How often should I repaint my exterior?

There is no set answer for this. This will mainly depend upon the quality of the last paint job and the quality of the materials used, as well as the condition of the substrates (whatever is being painted), the exposure and the colors (some colors are less stable than others). Depending upon the product, clear wood sealers can last as little as 6 months and up to 2 years, semi-transparent stains may last 3-5 years, solid stains 4-7 years and properly applied paint finishes 5-15 years; the preparation, priming and number finish coats as well as the quality of the finish paint are all determining features.

The best thing to do is keep an eye out and contact a painting contractor to evaluate the conditions for you…you really want to re-paint or re-stain before you see signs of failure, because preparation and repair can add a lot to the cost of any job.

Builders

1. What size project can you handle?

We won’t bite off more than we can chew, but in general, we feel that we can handle any size custom home project. We work do new tract, apartment buildings or condominiums.

2. Can you meet our schedule and deadlines?

Ross Painting has never missed a deadline. We expect that important performance dates will be conveyed to us in a timely manner, we need all schedule information as early as possible, and if the other trades can stay on schedule then we should have no problem in performing as expected.

3. Do you have the insurance we need?

We have always met or exceeded the insurance requirements for the projects we work on. Insurance certificates are always supplied when we are a sub-contractor and upon request to any client. We carry workers’ compensation, general liability, auto and pollution insurance.

4. Do you have the experience required?

We’ve been at this since 1972 and have experience in all phases of commercial and residential painting. We invest in our employees by sending them to classes and continual training. We, also, keep up by taking classes on the various facets of the business; Ross Painting is an Accredited PDCA Painting company…the only one in northern California and invests in continued education to maintain the accreditation.

5. How do you manage your jobs?

Every job has a foreman who is the point of contact on the job for your company. Additionally, Ross Painting has a Field Superintendent who is directly in charge of all foreman, he is involved in setting up the job and he will stop by on a regular basis to make sure that the project is running properly and on schedule and to assist in technical issues. If there are any problems, he will stop and become involved in the project hands-on, until the project is on course and running smoothly.

Ross Painting employs an experienced painter as a driver/delivery person to keep foremen and painters on the job and out of the paint store. This person, also, helps in set-up and removal of Ross Painting equipment and materials.

Ross Painting has an office manager and part-time office assistant to make sure your calls are answered and the paperwork flows smoothly.

Property Management/HOA

1. What is your crew size?

The crew sizes vary from one job to the next depending upon the size of the project, deadline requirements, work to perform for that day/week etc.

For large projects; 10-15 painters and more, if warranted
For medium projects; 8-12 painters
For small projects; 2-8 painters

2. How long will the project take?

This is job specific and the information is provided on our submitted proposal.

3. How long will it take to submit a proposal?

It always depends on the size of the project and how complete the bid-information and instructions we receive is.

Small-medium size projects take 2-7 business days.

Large projects take 8-15 business days.
We are usually given a date by which our bid should be submitted and we always submit by that date.

4. What is your process?

Of course the process varies a bit for each project but the following is typical:

Interior or Exterior; first we review the project with the field supervisor and foreman to make sure they are familiar with the project and are familiar with the scope of work.

Interior or Exterior; The office sends a letter to the owners introducing Ross Painting and giving them a general idea of what they can expect, our anticipated schedules and dates, notices that they will receive and asking them to contact our office with any questions or concerns both prior to the project starting and as it progresses.

Interior or Exterior; we hand out notices to each individual residence, usually taping them to the garage door frame or entry door frame. Notices are given in advance of each process and instructions are given to the owner, such as, please close your windows while we are pressure washing.

Exterior; we begin by pressure washing the buildings.

Exterior; Once the buildings are dry, depending upon the size of the project, the washing crew continues cleaning while the preparation begins on the cleaned buildings.

Exterior; we start scraping, spot priming, caulking and filling. During this time our painters are surveying the surfaces and report any wood rot they may encounter.

Exterior; we will then do any sanding, scraping, and patching that is included as part of the accepted scope of work.

If problems are discovered that have not been addressed in the scope of work, this will be brought to the management company’s attention for direction on how to proceed; if minor it is typical that a change order would be provided, and the extra work performed as may be agreed.

Exterior; next comes the protection and covering of all items not to be painted.

Exterior; spraying and back rolling begins.

Exterior; painting of the detailed surfaces, such as window trim and door trim and any other siding that was missed or intentionally skipped during spraying, follows.

Interior or Exterior; after the residents have selected a few date options, a schedule is created for the painting of doors. As the time approaches, notices are posted as a reminder and the door painting proceeds. This is the most sensitive portion of the project and the hardest to schedule…we do our best to accommodate individual needs and circumstances while still maintaining a schedule.

Interior or Exterior; As completion approaches, an inspection is scheduled with the owners’ representative, this could be someone from the management company, a board members or committee of members or a hired professional.

Interior or Exterior; From the inspection, a punch list of items, which may require corrections or remedial work, will be produced.

Interior or Exterior; Ross Painting will review the punch list, schedule and complete the work as needed.

Interior or Exterior; a final inspection should occur to ensure the punch list work has been properly completed.

End of project!

5. Do you have a warranty?

Yes, typically it is job specific, depending on the manufacturer and the surfaces and the conditions Our warranty is typically a one year labor and material warranty, but we are interested in our image and long term relationships and will come out to inspect any problems that occur outside the warranty to determine if the workmanship of Ross Painting employees is the cause of the problem. Typically there will be evidence of any paint failure during the first year and it is a good idea for property owners to inspect completed project within the first year and address any discovered-problems early, while they are small; this can usually prevent larger, obvious problems from showing up down the road.

Warranties can be negotiated to fit the clients needs.

6. Do you have proper insurance to paint HOA’s?

Yes, we can provide proof of insurance with our proposal. Once the project is sold and the contracts are signed, we provide certificates of insurance with “additional insureds”, mentioned as requested that is job specific and time specific.

7. Do you do large projects?

Yes, our largest HOA project to date was 348 units and we feel we can handle any size complex. We also do small projects as well, our goal is to service our clients and their painting needs.

8. How much experience do you have?

Ross Painting has extensive experience in all aspects of painting since 1972.

Ross Painting is the only PDCA accredited painting company in the Bay Area and Northern California; this required extensive study and continuing education.

Ross Painting has invested in training related to safety, handling of hazardous waste, properly handling of paint with lead, proper procedures for preparation and application, management and certifications for applying specific products.

9. Is there something that sets you apart from other HOA painters?

Many, if not most, companies painting large HOA-type projects specialize in this type of work and employ a process where various workers stick with one process. The workers follow behind one another to be as efficient as possible; one person may pressure wash day after day after day and never touch paint followed by another who may scrape and sand, then another who may mask, then another who sprays, and so on through completion.

In the course of a year Ross Painting's painters will rotate in and out of a variety of projects from large HOA exterior projects, where prices are very competitive and productivity is key to success, to large multi-million-dollar custom home projects, where attention to quality is the cornerstone to success. We feel that this experience benefits our clients with both types of projects; when we are doing high-end work it helps because the painters are accustomed to being efficient and productive. When they move over to work on the HOA projects they bring an attention to detail that our competition typically does not have and they let us know if they see a potential problem and they won’t just paint over it.