What drives exterior painting cost
The exterior of a home has more variables than the inside, and each one shows up in the price:
- Square footage and stories. A larger, taller home means more surface area and more access equipment. Two- and three-story homes need staging or lifts that a single-story rambler does not.
- Siding type. Wood, fiber cement (Hardie), stucco, brick, and vinyl all prep and coat differently. Wood and stucco generally need more prep than fiber cement or vinyl.
- Condition. Peeling, mildew, chalking, and dry rot all add prep. The more failure on the current finish, the more work before a single coat goes on.
- Prep scope. Pressure washing, scraping, sanding, and priming are the backbone of an exterior job. They are also the steps cheap bids cut.
- Carpentry and wood replacement. Rotted fascia, soffits, trim, or siding boards have to be repaired or replaced before paint. This is real cost and it varies widely by home.
- Trim and detail count. Multi-color schemes, decorative trim, railings, and detailed eaves all add brush time.
- Number of colors. More colors means more cut lines, more masking, and more time.
- Access. Steep lots, tall walls, and tight setbacks make ladder and equipment work slower.
These are the lines a complete written estimate spells out, which is exactly why a flat per-square-foot number falls apart once a crew is actually on the walls.
Cost by home size (ranges)
Use these ranges to budget. They are starting points, not quotes. Every home is priced on its real size, siding, and condition.
| Home | What it covers | Typical range | Next step |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small / single-story | Siding, trim, eaves on a smaller footprint | Lower end of exterior pricing | Free written estimate for your exact home |
| Two-story | Full exterior, more surface and access | Mid-range, scales with prep and detail | Free written estimate for your exact home |
| Large / three-story | Large footprint, complex access | Highest range | Free written estimate for your exact home |
| Trim only | Fascia, eaves, window and door trim | Priced by linear footage | Free written estimate for your exact home |
| Detached structures | Garages, sheds, fences | Priced individually | Free written estimate for your exact home |
**** Want a real number instead of a range? Get a free written estimate and we walk your home, price the prep and any carpentry, and put it all in writing before any work begins.
The carpentry and prep that bidders hide
Here is where exterior bids go sideways. Dry rot, soft fascia, failing soffits, and damaged siding often do not show up until a crew is up close. A low bid quietly assumes none of it exists, wins the job on price, and then bills it back to you mid-project as change orders once the rot is staring everyone in the face.
We do it the other way. We assess for wood damage during the estimate and price any carpentry and wood repair in the written proposal, up front. You see the full cost before you sign, and you are never painting over failing surfaces. The number we quote is the number we work to.
“We were so happy to find Hedlund Painting after getting some astronomical quotes to paint the trim of our brick home (I know this is Seattle, but not all of us are Jeff Bezos).” Monica H., 5 stars (Google)
Seattle and the PNW: why local matters
The Pacific Northwest is hard on exteriors, and that drives both prep and product. Persistent rain and mildew settle on north-facing walls, UV bakes and fades south and west faces, and the cedar and wood siding common on older Seattle homes needs scraping, the right primer, and rot repair before it will hold paint. Older homes in Seattle and Edmonds frequently need carpentry and pre-1978 lead-safe prep, which we are EPA Lead-Safe Certified to perform.
All of that is real cost a cheap per-square-foot quote conveniently leaves out. An honest estimate prices the climate-driven prep that makes the paint last, rather than pretending it is not there.
“Hedlund put exceptional care into painting the exterior of my house. The crew made sure every detail was taken care of and not a single drop of paint is out of place.” Brian G., 5 stars (Google)
How Hedlund prices exterior work
- On-site walkthrough. We assess siding, trim, access, and any wood damage in person.
- Written proposal. You get a clear, itemized estimate that includes any carpentry, by email.
- No surprise overages. The quote is the price. If something genuinely changes, we talk to you first.
- Premium exterior coatings. We use Sherwin-Williams, PPG, and comparable grade paints matched to your siding.
- 10-year workmanship warranty. If something is not right with the work we did, we come back and make it right.
