Peak moving season is just around the corner! Are you looking to sell your home or wondering why your home hasn’t sold already? You’ve probably begun asking yourself: How can I increase curb appeal? How can I get potential buyers to perceive a higher property value? How can I set the tone for showings?
Believe it or not, poor paint colour choices might be the culprit. Colours command an effect on our psychology. It changes our mood even before we can realize it. Red, for example, may be associated with good luck and celebration, while for others could trigger a sense of urgency and panic. It’s true, the wrong paint colour could be undermining the sale of even the most well-furnished, tidy home. First impressions are everything, sometimes it can even be the make or break on a potential offer.
Now, we’re not claiming to be colour psychology experts, but we’ve partnered with experts in this field and interior designers over a variety of paint projects (shoutout to Medina Living Designs) and have noticed that the colours and shades that appeal most to the masses are, wait for it – neutrals. Warm and earthy neutral tones are replacing the popular grey, say 54% of design experts.
Warm Neutrals Are On The Rise
Why warm neutrals? Paint naturally influences spaces, affecting the mood of every room. This is an opportunity when selling your home to offer your buyers a “blank canvas” of opportunities. This year, as home and work lives continue to blur, comfort is on the agenda. Warm neutrals and earth tones are on the rise, while cool tones take the back seat. Earth-based hues create a welcoming and cosy atmosphere allowing the potential buyer to picture themselves living, cooking and lounging in the space without too much noise.
Elevating Your House Fixtures
Another reason why neutrals have a universal appeal is that almost any piece of furniture or statement piece harmonizes perfectly with a neutral base. Light fixtures like an antique brass lamp or wooden frames all integrate seamlessly with beige, clay, or any neutral colour. Going for neutral colours will more than likely always provide a good first impression – increasing curb appeal.
Now that you’ve probably decided you want to take on an entire interior repaint, let’s help you set the tone for this new environment you are creating.
We suggest asking yourselves these questions first when looking at paint samples.
● Does this colour feel warm and inviting?
● Does this colour feel cold and boring?
● What kind of ambience and feeling am I looking to give off?
We find that asking these questions in the very beginning will remove any impulsive purchases of an “eggplant purple” that then, might attract a “teasing peach”.
Fun fact: When people think of neutrals, they usually lean towards the colour white. While 2021 trends actually show that white on white paint does offer a seamless and clean finish, we also suggest going for an off-white, beige, or greige to add a little bit of personality.
Need Help Picking a Paint Colour?
With neutrals, there’s an endless amount of samples to choose from. Palettes of greige (a warmer grey) highlight a warmer tone that adds that light and bright feeling, setting the vibe for the environment without coming across too cold. While it’s important to take time to pick the
right colours, don’t spend too much time. If you’re stuck on choosing the right colour, let us connect you with one of the pros.
To help, we’ve listed a few of our paint colour favourites by Sherwin-Williams, one of our trusted paint suppliers to help you get started.
● Perfect Greige
● Site White
● Argos
● Alabaster
It’s important to take some time reflecting and looking into the right colours. While the colour red we mentioned above represents success and good fortune, to a buyer, it can cause uneasiness and panic when entering a home. The value of a fresh coat of paint, however, is unmatched, and in the right colour will not only increase the chances of finding a buyer sooner but also boost home value.
We can help! Chat with a PLE Painting crew member today to request a free estimate!
In this blog post, we’re going to talk about how to budget for your Vancouver paint project.
In business and in our personal lives it is generally agreed upon that budgeting is a good thing, allowing us to plan our cash flow more effectively. When it comes to homes in Vancouver, budgeting is essential, as maintenance and upgrades are both of high importance and (potentially) cost.
We want to always ensure we are prepared for upcoming expenses and seek to get the biggest bang for our buck, whether building a new home or maintaining your existing home or business.
We have put together some ideas and tips for helping you budget for the painting of your property or construction project. Please let us know if you find these helpful!
#1 thing to look for when budgeting:
You need an experienced company that has expertise in your type of project/home to work closely with you. There is no replacement for experience and repetition when estimating and budgeting paint projects, and you will experience a massive difference when working with the best.
New Construction Builders and Renovators:
- Your project will have a budget. You want to set realistic painting budgets as early in the project as possible, to get the clients on board. Often the painting component of the project gets worked out later in the process when budgets are tighter, then sacrifices need to be made. We don’t believe the quality of your painting should be an area where you sacrifice.
- Compare the cost difference in going from a cheaper paint contractor to a premium service We find that in the scope of a whole new build the cost to upgrade your paint experience and finish quality is a very low percentage of total project cost, yet the difference to your experience during the job and the finished product will be profound.
Strata Councils, Property Managers and Building Owners:
- Prevention is the best medicine. We advise being proactive in identifying painting projects that require doing, as the advantages are twofold:
i) by upkeeping your buildings you avoid preventable, costly damage and repairs, including urgent ones that can destroy your budgets
ii) your expenses will be more predictable because you will see what expenses will be coming up in the future. You can start to forecast multiple years out, allowing predictability in expenses related to painting.
- Well maintained paint is aesthetically much more appealing, thus increasing rents/property values/revenues.
Homeowners
- When homeowners don’t have a paint budget and maintenance plan, they so often have to wing it, leading to challenges. Consulting a paint pro will allow you to be proactive in protecting your biggest asset and cash flow management.
- Must plan a budget with other costs if doing renovations. When you have a set budget available, it is important to identify any critical items and prioritize them first. After taking care of the most critical items, you can work down the priority list with the remaining available budget.
Overall:
- It is so important to have clear communication and expectations when identifying and setting planning projects and setting budgets. When everyone is super clear, outcomes are predictably better.
- What is NOT included in a budget is equally important as what is included. Being vague when detailing what is to be done and what is not, leaves room for misinterpretation and cost overruns.
- When you are having your planning meetings, have clear and comprehensive documentation from your painters so you can make informed decisions on the spot.
- Coming out of meetings, when new budgets, projects and ideas are on the table it is important to consult your painters to ensure you will be able to achieve your goals with available budgets.
- Have a contingency fund for changes to scope that can come up, unexpected cost overruns due to unforeseen circumstances that can and often do come up during larger projects. This is especially important in construction projects.
- Painting the exposed areas more often helps your building look its best and stay protected. South facing sides especially need paint more often than north-facing sides. In addition, fascia boards, window trims, and other exposed areas need more attention than tucked away siding and soffit.
Summary
Hopefully, we have presented compelling and useful ideas for you around budgeting for painting. Elliott and Jay have been owners in the paint industry for a combined 35 years and have executed on thousands of projects of all types. We have the experience and knowledge to help you with planning and budgeting your painting needs. We are also passionate about and love it, so you will enjoy the process of working with us.
Please call or email us today to start or continue the discussion of how PLE can help you with all of your painting and budgeting needs this year!!!
In this blog post we’re going to talk about painting trends in Vancouver, specifically challenges for strata councils, building and business owners as well as homeowners that have upset the typical maintenance and painting landscapes.
2020 has been a strange and unique year for us all.
During challenging times, it becomes even more important to plan effectively and spend wisely. We’re with you!
PLE has been working hard with our team, our clients, and our partners to adapt our strategies so we can continue to bring our best, and to help you, as our clients to get the most value possible.
With the influx of work we are seeing, here are 4 things to consider if you are thinking about hiring a painting company in 2020 or 2021:
1) More Demand: With all the uncertainty, many strata councils, homeowners, and businesses put capital improvement/maintenance projects (including painting) on hold in 2020.
As many of these projects are not optional in the long run, and we are spending more time at home than ever, wear and tear is still happening and these projects are still going to need to be done at some point. With that, we are already seeing a big demand for 2021
We recommend getting a quote from your painter sooner than later. Top local companies can book up fast!
2) Maintenance is best done on an ongoing/as needed basis: When it comes to painting, delaying needed work can have expensive repercussions from both an aesthetic and cost perspective.
If your budget is tight, top local painters can work with you to help determine what work is urgent and what can wait. At PLE we love to help clients build plans to help manage upcoming projects over time AND within your budget.
3) Clear Communication: When looking to put together a painting project, choosing a company that offers clear, concise and comprehensive quotes/estimates is really important.
At PLE Painting, we prioritize putting together great estimates that are easy to understand, knowing that we are all on the same team as we work through your project.
4) Indoor Painting: With winter coming, the Vancouver painting industry basically moves indoors. As such, October thru March is a great time to plan and execute interior painting projects.
Pro Tip: Local painting contractors will price more aggressively in the winter, so you can save money if you act fast.
Going into November, there is a push to get quotes and complete projects before the holidays, so by acting sooner, you can ensure your favourite company will be able to prioritize your project.
In this session of PLE partners, we talked to Ian Gray of Actis Projects. We really gel well with his team of young, talented individuals. Ian brings fresh ideas, innovation and an enthusiasm for every project that is unique in the industry.
About Activs Projects
Actis Projects is a full-service Vancouver-based construction company. They provide a wide array of construction services including home renovations and additions, home building, condo and strata renovations, commercial projects, and remote access work. With a diverse range of experience and a reputation for timely, clear communication, Actis consistently delivers the best possible product.
How did you get started in general contracting?
Ian: I walked across the alley from my home for a summer job and joined a crew working on a house. That’s how I started. It was a summer job and then part time during university. I found myself keep going back to it, gained experience and skills. I was one of the guys on site who would try and find solutions instead of just throwing their hands in the air and be like, “I can’t do this.”
I then worked my way up because it was more money and more fun. And then eventually I hit the top of the ladder and then you say; “what’s beyond the ladder and you’re like, well, I build my own ladder. I’m going to start my own company.” That’s kind of how it happened.
What do you like best about your job?
Ian: I like working with a great team of people to actually produce something cool and it is something people get to use for 30 plus years, whether it’s a house or something commercial.
I like bringing a plan to fruition, navigating the ups and downs of any construction job, leading the clients through that. I’ve been through it all. I make the journey as enjoyable as possible and the design aspect is really cool.
I also like the management side, coupled with the hands-on construction part. There’s a lot of planning that goes into construction, such as spreadsheets, plans, coordination, but then the result of that are very tangible. You get to see the fruits of your labour.
What is your biggest challenge on the job?
Ian: I’d say the biggest challenge is just being clear on what everyone’s expectations are, whether that’s finding out exactly what the client’s looking for or what their priorities are. If I’m really clear on what their priorities are then I can design and plan something really well.
If their ideas are less clear, then it becomes more difficult. We make every effort to make communication as clear as possible. I think we do a decent job, but I’d say if we know what people expect and what the subtrades need then that’s like 80% of it.
What is one thing that people don’t generally know about your trait?
Ian: We are the centrepiece in the wheel that brings the house together. We need to know quite a bit about every single subtrade.
Although we are not plumbers, we need to know 70% of what plumbers do, electricians, roofers etc. The trades bring professional opinions and their expertise, but we need to have a pretty good handle on their skills and be aware of their scopes.
We need to frame things with their jobs in mind. We need to know what they are talking about so we can plan and build accordingly.
What’s your favourite project that you worked on?
Ian: The list is so long. I would say one of my favourite projects would be this four-unit heritage home I did in Kitsilano. It was an earlier project I have done and it was a pretty large, lifted house. We moved it seven feet and laid new foundations and all heritage elements had to be intact. That was kind of early on in my career too so it was pretty formative as far as like: ‘Hey, can we do this?’ And then we discovered yes. So that was really exciting. I drive by it frequently and it still looks good. It’s holding up great. The people are taking care of it. There are a lot of cool things we’ve done. That was one that probably sticks out right now as one of my favourite ones.
But you know, we’ve done lots of the first high-performance homes too.
I’ve also done some remote access jobs which are pretty cool too. We had the guys over on Keats Island. That was the coolest day I’ve ever had in construction. It was the day that we helicopter-installed a bunkhouse onto some foundations down a crazy slope. That was very exciting and awesome.
That brings slightly different construction challenges because you’re running into what makes financial sense which starts to change as the cost of people being there increases so that you focus more on large material deliveries which necessitate more planning. Coordination becomes super important because you can’t just go to the supplier for something so it just presents a few other challenges. It’s not something everyone has the appetite for so some of those jobs could be pretty cool as well.
What do you like best about working with PLE?
Ian: One of my favourite things is just the communication. I’ve always got four or five jobs going on at the same time and they’re all at different phases and I’m all over the place. I’m getting new jobs, running jobs, and their communication is great. They let me know, basically every day, what the status is, where they’re at, and what they need for me to continue to do their job well.
It’s always very clear, concise communication. My other favourite thing is quality, great value, and trusted people as well. I like have no equivocations leaving them completely alone on a job site. Even members of the crew, even those who I haven’t met yet, or are meeting for the first time, are great.
We can chat about the job real quick and then I know it’s going to be taken care of. With some other painting crews maybe the salesman communicates well but the people actually on the job don’t, and that can create issues and headaches that I just don’t have time for.
How does PLE make your job easier?
Ian: They make my job easier by quoting accurately as well, not giving the best-case scenario price but giving me the price that is not going to change. That helps a lot.
When they say they’re going to be there, they’re going to be there. That makes a big difference as well. The professionalism of their crew speaks a lot to the types of people that we work with and our other trades and just gives everyone peace of mind.
And if everyone is at ease, than I am at ease because one of my primary jobs is to make sure that the trades are comfortable with the whole situation.
Experience is key. As you’re working on someone’s house and, depending what you’re doing, it could be a significant expenditure for the client and probably the biggest one of their lives. And if one of the trades has never done a large construction job before, it can be problematic. I need to feel comfortable with the people working on the client’s house. That is super important. PLE brings the experience to every sing job so I don’t have to worry.
In this blog post, we want to give Vancouver homeowners some painting tips on how they can have a great experience with a painting company so the interior of their house looks amazing.
Every home needs to be painted, inside and out, (almost) without exception, every 5-15 years. As such, there is a high probability you will have the inside of your home (house, townhouse, condo) painted sometime soon.
We know that having the interior of your home painted can be daunting and stressful. It is your space, your stuff, and having a big disruption with people you don’t know or trust and who don’t have a solid plan can be a nightmare. Trust us, it doesn’t have to be that way!
PLE would like to help you by outlining some tips that we will take to help make your next interior painting experience a great one:
1) Have a plan and execute the plan. We will help develop a plan that works around YOUR LIFE. We split the job up into different areas, phases/stages, to minimize the impact. We generally work with smaller crews of 2-3 painters, so we don’t want or need to paint everything at once. We will make a plan to move through the space strategically, so you can help prepare areas when they are needed, and keep the rest of your space functioning normally through more of the project.
2) Reduce Costs. There are things you can do to reduce costs, improve efficiency and help the job run even more smoothly. These can be removing electrical and light switch cover plates; removing blinds and window coverings; removing items off walls, shelving and other furniture items; storing away your breakables; unplugging electronics. If you are willing to do some prep work beforehand, it saves costs and ensures our painters can focus on what we do best — painting. However, If you don’t want to do any of that, we are happy to do it all as well!
3) Choosing the right paint for your job is critical. There are so many options out there, it’s hard to know what the best paint is for your home. We research and test all the new paint technology, so we are on the cutting edge of this very technical industry. We also have long standing relationships with the top manufacturers in the industry so we get the best possible pricing on the best possible products. This ensures we will get you the perfect paint for your home, at the best price. Top-quality paint may give you double the life span with a slight cost increase of maybe 10-15%. Talk about great ROI!!!
4) Choosing the right colours. You may know what you want but if you don’t, there are people that can help. We know the colours that the top designers are using this season. Our paint suppliers are also very helpful and we can connect you with them. If you want a bit more assistance, we work with great designers that do colour consultations to make sure your colour selections are a perfect match for your taste and your home. No matter what, we will help make sure you are getting the right colours
5) Retro elements of your home can be updated. Did you know you can paint tiles, bricks, mantles, fireplaces and lots of other items in your home that may look old and dated? If you have some of these in your home, ask us if we can modernize them for you. Paint is great like that!
6) Timing Is Critical. Keep your home looking great, by painting when the time is right. When left too long, paint will begin to look shabby, dated and may even start failing. We can help you determine when the best time to repaint is, to keep your house looking fresh all the time!
We hope you found these tips useful. PLE is constantly raising the bar for client satisfaction by being Vancouver’s best painting company.
If you are wondering if it is time to paint, or if you know it is, reach out to PLE to put together a plan.
