Since you’ve been home more than usual, you may be more focused on your home and ways to improve it for all the time you and your family are spending there. You may be considering painting inside and out, changing out or painting your cabinets, or, if you’re really industrious, maybe knocking out a wall or two.
While you’re thinking over your choices, you may be asking yourself, “Which home renovation project will give me the highest ROI?”
In a perfect world, we could buy a bright yellow sofa pit with built-in cup holders, install over-the-top, clashing wallpaper just because we like the design, bring in ornate light fixtures, or get cabinet-front or avocado appliances to outfit our kitchens. Most of us, however, don’t. Why? Because tucked away, somewhere back in our minds is a concern about future resale.
Excellent real estate agents astutely and continuously warn us about resale and trying to sell a house that has unusual décor choices. “Your blue carpeting is not good for resale,” I remember one agent saying with disdain. “And that backsplash tile, it’s … colorful,” she said choosing her words carefully.
If you don’t care about future resale then you may or may not care about ROI. You can tell right away when you see a house, who is not concerned and who, on the other hand, does consider resale value when making changes and updates to their home.
So, back to the questions, “Should I paint, decorate, remodel, or renovate?” and “Which Gives the Highest ROI?” The answer is that it really does depend on many factors, some in your control and some out of your control.
Here are some factors to consider when you’re trying to decide what updates to do next for your home. As with all things in these unprecedented times, we’ll also consider the effects of COVID-19 on our home updating plans.
Most of us are spending more time inside at home and because of that, you may have noticed that your mood is influenced by your surroundings more so than ever. We often attempt to control how a space makes us feel by updating furniture, adding light fixtures to brighten our space, and decorating to bring a positive vibe inside.
For those that have the resources to furnish their home with new belongings every few years, this can be an enjoyable experience that provides you with a calmer, happier feeling. New furniture and interior decorating can influence your mood in positive ways.
Interior decorating, however, can be expensive, whether or not you hire an interior designer to help you select your furnishings and colors. Because it can be a costly option, the ROI associated with decorating may not be as high as you’d like.
On the one hand, you may love your home’s new look, but on the other hand, you may not gain the return on the investment it takes to get that new look. That’s where a relatively inexpensive painting project comes in. A new paint job can boost the mood inside your home and can accomplish this effect at a fraction of the price.
And paint is so versatile because you can use it to accomplish many different goals. For example, if adding more light to your space is your goal, consider using warm/neutral colors to draw in natural light or cool colors to add a richness to your space. You can also change the colors of your rooms easier and more frequently than it may take to choose a new couch or bedroom set.
With the coming Fall and Winter months, many homeowners spend extra time indoors and out of the cold fresh air. Having clean air inside the home, where allergens, mold, and cooking fumes exist, is important now today more than ever, as we consider the effects of the coronavirus, along with other pollutants. Some take the route of buying home air filtration systems for specific rooms. Others even go as far as to replace ductwork and dehumidifiers to improve air quality. So why paint when you could filter the air in your home instead?
There are few if any, downsides to investing in clean air for your home. The one problem is that most people don’t (or can’t) remove the underlying causes of the poor air quality so that even if you have a home air filtration system, it will have to continuously work to clear out the recurring toxins in your home’s interior air.
Paint is a helpful tool in keeping dust and allergens to a minimum, which aids in improved air quality control. With the help of paint, individuals with allergies or asthma can breathe easier in your home.
Walls and other surfaces of your home are typically made of materials that absorb moisture naturally. Over time these surfaces can become compromised which is when mold and other allergens take hold. Paint is designed to seal out moisture from porous surfaces and is the best way to prevent mold and damage during each hour you inhabit your home.
Bottom line is that a home air filtration can be expensive and may or may not provide you with a solid return on your investment. Having your painter use low or no volatile organic compound (VOC) paints can help you improve your home’s air quality at a fraction of the cost. If having superb air quality is essential in your home, you may want to have both, a new air filtration system plus newly prepped and painted walls, painted with the highest quality, lowest VOCs available.
When homeowners think of improving their home, they may immediately assume a remodel is the best option. While this may be beneficial for some, not every homeowner has the time or resources to invest in remodeling. With all the benefits that come with remodeling, why paint?
In short, painting is a much more cost-effective way to increase your home’s value. Not only is painting the least expensive way to increase the overall value of your home, but it is also effective for both interior and exterior gains. A professional paint job communicates to others that you’ve cared for and protected your home well. It also has shown to help homes to sell more quickly than homes that haven’t been repainted, and the painted homes are often selling for a higher asking price. The return on investment when it comes to painting vs. remodeling is no competition. Painting is the clear winner.
That said, there are many renovation or remodeling projects you can have done to your home that will provide many years of joy while you’re there, as well as add value to your home. The initial outlay may be more expensive than painting, but the return may be equal or better.
Our team of carpenters can take on any remodeling project you have, whether it’s in your mind or already on paper, drafted out in detail. We can discuss the details of your project and let you know what your potential return on investment (ROI) may be.
Painting is not a cure-all to every homeowner’s desires, by any means, but there is immense value, both emotional and physical to a well-painted home. From interior to exterior, paint is designed to protect your home, to make it more enjoyable, and to keep you safe from unsafe toxins that may be hiding in your walls. The key is to find a professional painter who can help you make your home everything you’ve wanted and more.
At Bruno Painting our mission is Upholding and Caring for Surfaces and Relationships. Our teams of professional painters and professional carpenters are eager to help you get your home looking how you want it to look, all while providing you the highest return on your investment.
The English writer Sydney Smith once said “A comfortable house is a great source of happiness. It ranks immediately after health and a good conscience.” If this is true, then caring for your home and making it a beautiful and well-protected space is important. And now, more than ever, with all the time we’re spending at home due to COVID, have space you love is important for your mental well-being and peace of mind.
To keep your space feeling fresh and updated, it’s important to care for the walls and other painted surfaces on a regular basis to prevent your interior from feeling old, scuffed, and unclean. A healthy home starts with a fresh coat of paint every few years. Here are the top five reasons to schedule a painting contractor for your home’s interior this year.
A home that is well lived in has quite a bit of character. Sometimes character is beneficial, but not so if it means scuffed, dingy walls, or damaged surfaces. Instead of feeling homey or cozy, a home in this type of ill repair only looks like it’s not well-taken care of. Not only is it important to repair worn or damaged areas of your interior wall space, keeping up with your home’s interior maintenance is essential for a healthy home environment.
Typically speaking, interior walls are composed of materials that absorb moisture naturally. Over time, these surfaces can absorb too much moisture if exposed without a coat of paint to protect them. This means that damage internally to the structure of your home can begin to occur. Moisture within the walls can also lead to mold which is never good for your health. Thankfully, the solution is simple; a fresh coat of paint regularly applied to walls seals out moisture and gives your porous walls the protection they need.
Local professional painters have knowledge about high-quality paints and which types and brands protect your home in relation to how you live. From children to pets to the occasional recliner rubbing against the wall, paint acts as the perfect buffer between your family and your home.
Interior painting can be a surefire way to make your home a happier, more comfortable space. For new homeowners, this may be an essential step in order to make your house your own. Older colors even can feel dated and nonconforming to your style. Whatever the case may be, making the colors of your interior appealing to you should be a priority.
New colors are released yearly to help homeowners keep their homes looking sharp. Many homeowners like to stay on-trend, while others prefer to use classic colors, despite what shows as new or popular at the moment. Popular colors such as Coral Clay or Naval from Sherwin Williams and First Light or Blue Danube by Benjamin Moore can bring new life to any space. Jeweled tones like dark blues and sage greens are popular with many homeowners recently, though, Sherwin-Williams has recently introduced their 2021 palettes that show some unique color combinations and many of Benjamin Moore’s 2020 colors are lighter hues. What’s important is that your new paint color makes your home happier for you.
Older paint can influence you in more ways than one. The health and wellbeing of people indoors have become a vital piece to the improvement of paints used around the house. Advances in technology have made it possible to offer interior paint with low or zero VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds), which give off a strong paint “odor” and actually release harmful vapors.
Over time, the release of these vapors or gasses can cause respiratory or other health problems related to allergies, asthma, or other chemical-related issues. Thankfully, these issues along with allergens like dust and pet dander are kept to a minimum with interior painting, improving your home’s air quality.
Each home is unique in its imperfections and that is what often makes them special. Small imperfections add up eventually and these quaint marks can begin to make your home look unkempt.
Oftentimes, walls will have dents, scuffs, and dings from regular usage. Resurfacing and repainting your interior can remove these imperfections to give your home a pristine and refreshed look.
In a seller’s market, homeowners may need to move quickly after they sell their home, also quickly. One of the simplest and least expensive ways to get your home market-ready is by repainting. Both interior and exterior painting are a foolproof way to increase the overall value of your home.
Additionally, a professional paint job communicates to potential buyers that you’ve taken good care of your home. If your home has been on the market for a while, a paint update to neutral colors can move your home off the market faster, sometimes even over your asking price.
Not planning on selling your home soon? Not to worry, a high-quality professional paint job with the right contractor can last up to 7 years. It’s no wonder that so many make the smart investment to paint their homes.
The key to a long-lasting painting of your interior is a finding skilled contractor to prepare your surfaces correctly before completing the project. Finding a local professional that you trust and have confidence that they can meet your home’s needs is paramount.
Our Mission at Bruno Painting has been to uphold and care for surfaces and relationships. Our painting division consists of some of the most skilled professionals in all of Rhode Island. We look forward to the pleasure of helping you make your home, not only look beautiful but also provide a healthy environment for you and your family for years to come. Reach out to get an estimate for your painting, carpentry, and remodeling needs!
Realtors and homeowners alike will tell you that a bathroom or a kitchen remodel are two of the most effective ways to increase your home’s market value and attractiveness. Your investment in updating either your kitchen or your bathroom (or both) goes well beyond just the monetary value.
If remodeling your kitchen or bathroom is something you’ve dreamed of, hiring a carpentry-focused company is a smart move to make so the project, not only meets your standards, but is also completed using the ideal materials and techniques for the best possible finish. Here are a few important questions to ask when you are searching for a contractor for any home remodel.
For homeowners interested in full bathroom or kitchen remodels, a carpenter is the key hire to making sure your newly renovated rooms are completely functional and maximized to their highest potential. Carpenters shape the structure that defines bathroom and kitchen spaces. They build the framework upon which all other components, like electrical, vents, piping, and insulation, will be implemented.
General Contractors will tell you that the first hire they make when working on a new project is subcontracting a carpenter. You can skip the costly step of hiring a contractor yourself, and, instead, work with a company who has their own in-house, on-staff carpenters already on their team who are poised and ready to give you the best results for your carpentry project.
Having experience in remodeling bathrooms, kitchens, and other areas of the house, both interior and exterior, carpenters can create unique and beautiful spaces. With their keen eye on detail along with their experience working with the wood and other materials used in your home, carpenters make spaces come to life and really can transform any space. By utilizing the potential of your space, carpenters can deliver amazing results in little time, all while staying within your budget.
In some cases, skilled homeowners can tackle certain parts of home projects. For the most part, however, homeowners do not possess the skills necessary to renovate a kitchen or bathroom space to their own high standards. In fact, we’ve been called in more times than we can count to redo the space renovated by a homeowner on a well-intentioned DIY project.
When it comes to flooring, walls, tile, and other bigger parts of a remodel, professionals should be in charge. The reasoning behind this is that both bathrooms and kitchens, if something goes wrong with the plumbing specifically, are prone to water damage like wood rot, mold, and other potential health hazards. Professionals, especially carpenters, know signs and symptoms to look for in the remodeling process to prevent damage from developing into larger problems. Experienced carpenters are also trained to identify any existing issues when they remove wood or other materials to find some of these unwanted conditions.
The most beautiful part of a remodel is that you can make a kitchen or a bathroom look and function exactly the way you want. Among the infinite bathroom and kitchen projects are: Adding storage, creating a new pantry, or having a second sink installed to stop those fights over who brushes their teeth first; custom designing a large, uniquely-shaped island for large family gatherings; and putting a tub in where there was only a shower to make your home more appealing to young families. The list of projects and the ability to think of them and design them, goes on and on. Thankfully, contractors can help make these important decisions so you get exactly what you want, with a quality finish that only experienced carpenters can deliver.
Finding a quality company means finding one that offers a warranty on the work they do. A strong warranty is essential to your peace of mind.
At Bruno Painting, before hiring any carpenter, we ensure they have years of experience in siding replacement, window and trim repair, and installation to provide only the highest quality work on every project and remodel. To Uphold & Care for Surfaces and Relationships has been our mission since 2004.
Bathroom and kitchen remodels are some of our favorite projects as they give us the opportunity to demonstrate our carpentry, finishing, and painting skills demonstrating our commitment to our mission. Our experienced paint and carpentry teams work closely with plumbing and electrical experts to offer you quality service that exceeds expectations. Tell us about your next bathroom or kitchen remodel ideas, and let our carpenters take your home renovation project to the next level.
With the lingering warm days ahead of us and the remnants of summer still in the air, boosting your home’s curb appeal with a fresh coat of paint is a great way to wrap up this summer. While homeowners typically schedule exterior painting projects in Spring and Summer, Fall is still a good time of year to schedule your home’s facelift in Newport and surrounding cities, here in Rhode Island.
Few homeowners understand the extent of care and work professional contractors put into prepping their customers’ homes before the paint hits the brush. Thankfully, professional painters do take their time in the steps before painting to ensure the results are both long-lasting and smooth. We’ve detailed 8 essential tips to ensure your painters are focused on your exterior surface prep work for your enjoyment and home protection for years to come.
During the consultation and the planning stages of a home exterior paint project, a professional painter will take care to plan your project to perfection. The first step in this process is scheduling the painting project for days and times during the day when the weather and sun are most cooperative.
Strong winds and rain can shorten painting windows and leave your home exposed to the elements, effectively ruining your paint finish. High humidity and extreme temperatures can also influence how your paint dries and its eventual look and performance. Professional contractors know how to plan around these types of weather patterns and will ensure that your home stays safe and the best results occur throughout the entire project.
During the consultation and inspection, repairs identified will need to be taken care of before any painting begins. These sorts of repairs can include exposed wood, loose gutters and shingles, wood rot, leaking windows, damaged siding, and doors that stick. Having skilled carpenters ready and available to make these repairs provides the home or building owner with the valuable gift of ensuring the foundation is healthy for the protective coat of paint goes on. A professional painter has a keen eye to find these issues and make repairs before they become larger issues.
Once repairs have been addressed, cleaning should begin soon after. Professional contractors turn to pressure washing to cover areas that can safely and effectively be cleaned. If pressure washing doesn’t suit your home’s needs, a soft washing method or air blasting can be used. The goal in this process is to remove dirt, loose paint, and signs of mildew before advancing in your exterior project.
After your home is clean and dry, an inspection for loosened paint is conducted. Loose and flaking paint is removed with high-quality scraping tools. This stage in the project may take longer depending on how your home was cleaned. If a pressure washer wasn’t used, this step is essential to ensure your home is properly prepared.
The caulk on the exterior of a house is exposed to the sun and elements while it protects the seals around your windows and other areas. Over time, the caulk can crack and cause leaks. Any area of your home that has been caulked will need to be inspected and possibly recaulked to ensure continual protection. This includes doors, windowsills, and trim.
Once all the necessary repairs and cleaning are complete, the area will need to be prepped for painting. Protecting your landscaping should be a priority to your contractor. Using plastic wrap, tape, and other materials, your lights, plants, porch, sidewalks, and driveway will all be protected.
Depending on the number of painters in your contractor’s painting team, many of these steps can be completed simultaneously to save time between stages. It is, however, very important that your home is repaired, dried, and prepped before moving past this point. One last final inspection of each of these steps should be conducted by your contractor before priming begins.
Professional painters do not always agree about primer and its usefulness. Some professional painters believe using a primer helps your paint to adhere to your surfaces giving you better coverage that lasts longer. Other painting contractors forego the step of using a primer and, instead, paint two coats of your high-quality paint onto the surface.
Whichever way you prefer, with primer or using two coats of paint, be sure you and your painter agree and understand the best process for your home and its materials. The main and really the only consideration is the quality of the finish and its longevity.
The most crucial part of painting is allowing adequate time for your paint to dry in between coats and after the final coat. Most of the time, avoiding direct sunlight can be important, so professional contractors start with western facing sides of your building in the morning and eastern facing sides in the afternoon. However, sometimes it is useful to paint in direct sunlight, but as professional painting contractors, we know when or when to not paint in direct sunlight.
Beginning with the top of your home and working to the ground, high-quality brushes and rollers specific to your siding and paint base are used for even application. After the larger areas of your home are painted, window frames and trim are painted to ensure that your window panes dry properly. Finally, the foundation of your home is painted, if necessary.
No home project is complete until our clients are satisfied. Since 2004, our mission at Bruno Painting is Upholding and Caring for Surfaces and Relationships. We take great pride in the work we do for homeowners in the Newport area and in Rhode Island.
We’re excited to hear about your next project. Reach out and let us know about your home’s unique exterior painting project.
This past June we had the privilege to work on a beautiful, blue-shingled home in Middleton. The homeowners were looking to update their home’s exterior with a fresh coat of paint. During the initial consultation and estimate, our team of professionals noticed that this home required some special attention to the windows, specifically deteriorating wood.
When wood deterioration is bad enough, it’s called ‘wood rot.’ If left untreated, wood rot can spread and cause even more damage to a home. Before painting the exterior of this beautiful home, we repaired and, in some cases replaced, the rotted wood.
Below is our case study for this blue house, detailing how we were able to get rid of the wood degeneration, give the exterior a fresh coat of paint, and deliver a great, long-lasting finish for our clients.
At the initial meeting with our clients, we needed to determine the extent of the damage and whether it was caused by weather, which is not uncommon for homes in Portsmouth and Newport. Living on the classic coast, many home exteriors are exposed to quite a bit of moisture and cold temperatures that erode paint and the underlying materials over time, including wooden window frames and other areas of the exterior of a home.
Any pieces of wood that seem spongy or soft are at the beginning or intermediate stages of rot. Other signs of decay include paint chipping, wood splintering, discoloration, or paint peeling. Before further irreparable damage occurs, contact a professional painting contractor and carpenter to treat these areas to protect the rest of your home from further damage.
How do you know whether the wood will need to be repaired vs replaced? The standard is if there is more than ten percent of damage to the wood, it needs to be replaced. In some cases, if the rot is caught early enough, it can be repaired using epoxy products and paint.
In this particular case, the damage was extensive enough in some places that the wood needed to be replaced. Our carpentry team made all the necessary repairs before our painters came in to finish the job.
When we removed the rotted frames and sills, our carpentry division took care to pull these boards out without causing damage to the house or windows themselves. Once the old frame and sills were removed, all leftover debris or wood pulp was removed and the area was cleaned.
The pieces of the old frame and sill were measured as a reference for the new boards to be put in place. Measurements were also taken of the sheathing where the frame and sill used to sit to ensure that the new pieces would fit securely.
If your home does not have standard fittings and features (and depending on what type of window or home you have), you’ll need a contractor more skilled than the average handyman to help with standout features like mitered corners and fastening sites. Our master carpenter, Chris, and his team did a fantastic job making sure the windows fit perfectly in our client’s home.
Once the wood frames and sills were removed, our carpentry division inspected the sheathing underneath and made necessary repairs. Repairs that may need to be done on sheathing include using caulk to fill in any smaller cracks and an expanding foam insulation to not only fill larger gaps but to also hold the new boards tightly in place.
Once the new pieces were cut, our painters stepped in to apply a few coats of paint to protect these new pieces of wood from exposure to moisture and water. Once the new window frames were ready, our carpentry division installed them into the sheathing and secured those pieces in place with nails. The final step in installing these new frames and sills is caulking any seams to keep out unwanted moisture, bugs, and other enemies of wood.
After the frames and sills were installed and inspected for quality, our painters finished the project with a fresh coat of exterior paint. Our team stripped and sanded the old paint to prepare the surface and to prevent unaffected parts of the frames from being exposed to moisture. The entire window trim was repainted with two coats of the highest quality paint to guard against all types of weather conditions.
In each step of this process, our teams took extra time and care to ensure that every surface had a high-quality finish. Our client is thrilled with the work we did and the care and effort we put into their home.
Since 2004, our mission at Bruno Painting is Upholding & Caring for Surfaces and Relationships. We enjoyed every step of this process on this project and take pride in knowing that the hard work and dedication we put into this home will be enjoyed by this family for decades to come.
Call or email our office for a free estimate to see what we can do for your home!
When Rhode Island residents aren’t out exploring the beautiful attractions and taking in the sites of the coast, we are entertaining family, friends, and others at our home. It’s no wonder why so many have been taking time to focus on home improvement projects during this break from normalcy. If you’ve also thought about hiring someone to do home improvement projects, take a look at these six carpentry projects that are worth the time and monetary investment for your home.
It has been said that ‘wasting time on the deck is time well spent.’ If this is true, then deck updates will be put to good use. From just repairing or staining to a complete overhaul of your deck, you can create an outdoor space that will bring years of enjoyment.
If your deck is already in great shape and you are looking for a more sophisticated look, you may want to consider having a carpenter build a pergola. The shade and design of a professionally built pergola can take your backyard space to the next level.
Your kitchen is an integral part of your home, so it needs to function well and facilitate traffic flow. Kitchen remodels are not only one of the most satisfying home projects, they also are one of the most sought after by homebuyers when homes are on the market. The importance of a well-crafted kitchen project cannot be overstated. Master carpenters know how to make the most of any space and create storage that maximizes a kitchen’s potential.
Having all four seasons is just one of the many reasons why we love living in Rhode Island. With the weather, however, comes all the different gear you and your family need to be ready for whatever mother nature decides to bring us. Cue the mudroom. If your entryway or landing space has any room, consider having a contractor construct a mudroom. The added storage alone makes it an easy decision. Not only will you be able to store all those winter gloves and hats in a way that would make Marie Kondo happy, but you’ll also be able to keep the rest of your home clean and tidy.
If your family is growing, you may have been considering adding onto your home. Or maybe you have been waiting for the perfect time to turn your porch into a three- or four-season room. Whatever the addition may be, the added square footage to your home brings benefits to your comfort and will likely add value to your home. Having a contractor who can make your addition fit seamlessly with the rest of your home is vital for continuity. Look for the right contractor who can produce a quality build and make it aesthetically pleasing as well.
Siding is one of the most important layers of protection for your home. Reshingling or replacing siding that has signs of wear and tear can prevent larger issues, such as wood rot or mold. Additionally, if you already have wood rot or mold, we recommend calling a contractor as soon as possible to take care of the problem. Preventing these common issues is important and finding a contractor who can replace your siding, as well as make any further adjustments to your exterior, is an essential step to prevent any future damage.
A bathroom remodel is often at the top of many homeowners’ wish lists for home improvements. As with kitchen remodels, updated bathrooms also top the list for homebuyers. Making this space adapt to your needs and desires can make all the difference in your home. If your bathroom has an outdated feel, a skilled carpenter can lay tile, put up or take down a new tub and shower area, add new cabinetry, and replace old vanities and sinks.
Any home updates that require woodwork require a skilled carpenter. Skilled carpenters have experience and expertise with different types of wood and materials to create cabinets, tables, shelving, and other room furnishings. With the right knowledge, a master carpenter can custom make any of these furnishings to your specifications.
At Bruno Painting, we are proud of our carpentry and remodeling division of skilled and master carpenters who have refined their skills and produce incredible results. Our carpenters work ahead of our painting division to ensure that your home gets the quality work it deserves.
Email Bruno Painting the details of your next wish list project. Or call us for a free interior or exterior painting and carpentry estimate.
