ASHLEY PAINTING

I had called him over the phone and explained that I need my FR/Kitchen, outside front trim, and shutters painted. We decided on a day and time to meet. He came earlier than was agreed and asked my son to call me. to see if he could go in to take a look at the room that need to be painted. I told my son and quot;no, he could not let him in as we agreed on a later time to meet. I was able to get home in ten minutes as I was not far away. He gave me a quote for $1,500.00 on his business card. My husband and I decided to purchase new shutters instead of painting the old ones. (I did not like the looks of some painted shutters I saw around town) I called and told him we decided to purchase new shutters and asked what the cost would be without them . He said $350.00, and that I should send him an email listing the scope of work we discussed. (My fault, I should not have even considered him for the job starting the first day. I figured it's just painting). I sent him an e-mail with his request and asked him when he would be able to start. His reply was, and quot;He decided not to do the Job as I might be difficult to work withand quot;. We think it's because we were very detailed in the e-mail regarding the work scope. Maybe he thought we would leave information out and it would be easier for him to say it was not included. If you would like a copy of the e-mail it's yours.

Greg came to for an estimate and he was by far the most within our budget. He used the good type paint and he supplied it as well. He came on time each day and when he couldn't come by on day, he made me aware. We added on things as we went and he took it in stride. AND he painted my door for free :)

I haven't reviewed this vendor for a while because I was conflicted about how to rate them -- the end result was good overall, but the experience less so. Let me start by saying they provided a very competitive quote (which came back to haunt me; details below); and the overall quality of their finished work was very good. They were professional in their work, very punctual, and worked very quickly, getting the job done in a very tight timeframe. I imagine for less complex jobs, they would be an outstanding choice. Some things to keep in mind, based on my experience, when using this vendor: - Be very clear (and have in writing) what colors will be used in which rooms. Even though I made a chart that I emailed in advance, and put labels on the doors of every room, a couple of rooms / trim ended up with the wrong colors and had to be painted again. Some of the discussions about the wrong colors got a bit heated, though the vendor later apologized in a professional way. - Be wary of the low price. Over the course of the week or so that the job took, I heard repeatedly that the vendor felt he had underbid the job (as if that were my fault); that I changed the job after the quote (despite providing the requirements in writing); and when I was writing the check for the final payment, I was pressured to add more to the check (I didn't). I also wasn't happy with the way the tip I gave was to be shared (I wasn't given the chance to give a portion of the tip directly to the other painter.) - These interactions, not the quality of the finished job, are the main reasons I would not use this vendor again for a complex job. However, I would use them for a more basic (smaller, one color) project, and I would expect they'd do a great job. - Finally, be sure to find out in advance the brand/quality of the paint used. I'm finding, six months later, that cleaning minor marks off the walls brings a lot of paint off. I'm guessing the low quote was in part reflected in the paint choice.