Bob Childe Painting

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They are local and do really good work. He was on time and the work was done in a timely fashion. He cleaned up before he left and I found no issues with the work he did.

I hired Bob Childe to paint the outside of my one-story Craftsman house and detached garage, and he did an absolutely outstanding job. But rather than tell the story from ?start to finish,? I?d prefer to tell it in terms of the personal and professional qualities that distinguish Bob from nearly every other ?contractor? I?ve hired. Why tell it this way? Because to me, this is more important than the work itself, as it determines what work actually gets done and how. Realistically, there are a lot of people out there who can do the physical work of painting your house, or anything else you might need done, for that matter. But most people just don?t have the whole package?the flexibility, the social skills, the attention to detail, the professionalism, the judgment, etc. Bob does. And one last thing, in case you think this lengthy write-up is overkill for simply hiring a painter. Getting your house painted is a BIG DEAL in terms of time, money, the appearance of your house, its impact on the neighborhood, the difficulty of getting it right, etc. And more importantly, stuff you didn?t anticipate WILL come up--guaranteed. That?s when you?ll experience the difference between a first-rate professional and someone who isn?t, and kick yourself if you hired the latter. I know; I?ve worked with both types of people. So again, here?s what makes Bob such a pleasure to work with. Flexibility?There were a number of times during the painting process that I needed things to change: the start date, certain colors, which colors went where, etc. Every time I needed to make a change, Bob was patient and accommodating. When I needed big changes about things that weren?t specified in the contract, or went beyond what was specified in the contract, I paid more, but fairly so. I never felt nickled and dimed for ?change orders,? in part because Bob didn?t charge me for a lot of changes he could have. In fact, when I made some changes that reduced the amount of prep work involved, and I asked him if he could knock some off the price, he did, quite a bit, actually. He absolutely did not have to do that. When I needed some help sanding the shingles, he gave me one of his guys for a bit to get it done. Like I said, he?s generous, fair, and flexible. And trust me, however decisive you think you are, you WILL change your mind during the painting process. You?ll want it to be this linear, rational, straightforward, and efficient thing. It should be this way. But it just isn?t. Accept that fact now, and hire someone who can deal with change capably. Responsiveness?This is a huge one, because it just sucks when you call up someone you hired to do something, and you need their input to move forward, and you end up getting their voice mail, and waiting 2 days to hear back from them. Bob ALWAYS answered his phone, and was always polite and helpful, even when he was out of town, and even when my questions were stupid and unnecessary. I NEVER got Bob?s voice mail, and I probably called Bob 15 or 20 times during the 4 weeks he painted my house. This alone would be reason enough to hire him. Technical Competence?Bob knows what he?s doing. I guess you?d probably take this for granted, but you shouldn?t, especially with painting, where there is a lot of very subtle but ultimately consequential judgment involved. Not everyone has a good eye. I spent $270 on a highly recommended color consultant, and at the end of the day, her recommendations were worthless. I spent $0 on Bob before we started painting, and got much better ideas, and without the attitude. There were a few times where I wanted to do something different than he did, and told him to change it. Most of the time, he was right, and we ended up changing it back. It?s never nice to be proven wrong, but it definitely gives you confidence in someone?s abilities. Communication Skills?Bob was very clear throughout the whole process about what, how, and when things would happen. He really ?holds your hand,? which is a lot nicer and more valuable than you think it is before you got started. He?s clear and direct, too. No B.S., no hidden agenda, no flattery to get the job, none of that. Just straightforward, honest communication?and with a sense of humor too, which I value. Value?I feel I got a heck of a lot for my money. How do I know this? Because I got a quote from another company (who shall remain unnamed, but I?ll say that they are the biggest painter of houses in the Bay Area), and they were literally exactly 3 times as much. 3 TIMES! And I saw the work they did on a house two doors on, which was nowhere near as good as Bob?s! And what is good work? Here?s an example: when I put up new shingles before we painted, some of the staples went a little deep, maybe an eighth of an inch. The staples are a quarter of an inch wide. These are not big blemishes. Bob?s crew spackled, sanded, painted, and repainted, every last one of those little holes, wherever they were, and the result of that kind of attention to detail is awesome. My standards are high, but even that exceeded my standards and expectations. Integrity?This might be the single most important quality, and people either have it or they don?t. A lot don?t; Bob does. The unfortunate reality is that if someone wants to take you for a ride, it?s pretty hard to stop them. There?s a million ways to cut corners, squeak out a fatter margin, game things to come out on top. Bob doesn?t do this, or at least not that I could tell. In fact, at the end of the job, after I wrote him the last check, I reached in my wallet to give him a cash tip. Before I could even get the money out, he refused it, emphatically. He said, ?Give it to your kids; or take your wife out and celebrate your beautiful new house.? I really tried to give him a tip but he simply wouldn?t accept it. What can you say about that? Bob describes himself as ?old school,? but I?d just call it honorable. And another thing, in case you?re cynical, he didn?t refuse the tip, and then say, ?Oh, by the way, can you write me a review on Angie?s List?? He never asked for any kind of review or recommendation, but said ?It all helps,? when I offered to write him one. Bottom line?Bob is the guy you want to hire. He is what you are looking for, even if you don?t yet know it. You don?t need to get another bid, wonder if you got the right guy, worry about how things will go when you hit the inevitable bumps in the road. Bob Childe is the one you want to paint your house.

I had 2 personal referrals to Bob Childe Painting (BCP). I was surprised when his bid came in lower than the two other paint contractors. One of the things that really helped me choose BCP was that Bob can help with picking colors. They were able to start work within a week of my accepting the bid (probably because it was January). Quickly responded to my calls. Bob was out of town, so they had a professional color consultant come in to help me pick colors. BCP had 1 painter for the 2 rooms. I would have appreciated at least 2 working on the job, as it took 3 days plus a few hours on the 4th day. Cesar was great though. Very professional and quiet. Cleaned up the area at the end of each day. He did a great job! The rooms look perfect. I was surprised that Cesar didn't really have any supervision. I would have expected the owner to want to look over what he had done, but considering he was out of town that was not possible. Regardless, the job was perfect as far as I can tell.