Selling? Looking for Small Investment for Big ROI?  Paint!

curb appeal, Jerry Enos

If you are considering putting a “For Sale” sign up on your front lawn this spring then you are probably thinking about ways to quickly add value to your house or, at the very least, how to make your home more attractive to buyers. If you have home renovations in mind (and a budget), but are wondering what will bring you the most bang-for-the-buck or, as real estate experts call it, ROI (return on investment) then here are some projects to tackle before that first open house.

 

While bathroom and kitchen renovations always have a great return on investment, some homeowners simply don’t have the time, money, or inclination to make major improvements before selling their home. Short of investing a large chunk of time and money before listing your home, here are some of the best ways to create curb appeal and make your home look move-in ready.

 

  • Paint – It may seem like a small change, but a fresh coat of paint can transform a home’s exterior or interior. In fact, painting or powerwashing all exterior entrances can deliver the first and last impression to potential buyers, and those impressions can make or break a deal. Add a pop of color to the front door or garage to make the curb appeal go through the roof! Paint interior rooms that are looking old or dated. You want your home to look move-in ready and well cared for. Paint can do just that. These small changes can mean this difference between a buyer considering your house or driving right on by the open house.
  • Landscaping – Real estate agents can not stress enough that a home needs to make a great first impression. Painting the exterior is one way, but completing landscaping is a small investment with a ROI that is priceless. If your property needs some serious work and doesn’t “show” well, then hiring a landscaper might be a good investment.
  • Declutter – This suggestion from realtors can come at no cost and can make your home look fresh and clean. Remove all the keepsakes and personal pictures so that home buyers can imagine their “stuff” in your home. Decluttering can be a pain but well worth the weekend time if it helps your home show better.

 

Jerry Enos Painting has been helping homeowners for years make their property look its best, whether it is getting it ready to sell or purely for the enjoyment of the homeowners themselves. For your painting needs, call us at 978-546-6843, or visit our website to find out more.

 

Exterior Painting – Why Use a Pro

Exterior painting, Interior painting, Jerry Enos

Have you ever set out on a “do-it-yourself project” such as painting and then abandoned the idea before the job is even halfway done? Or have you ever started a painting project only to realize that you didn’t have the right equipment (or for that matter skill level) to complete the job the right way? These are common hazards of homeowners thinking that painting the exterior of their home will be easy or a quick weekend project. Wondering why you should use a professional for exterior painting?

Professional Painters have the advantage because they…

  • Understand the Conditions of your Home: Many homeowners don’t realize that there are so many factors to consider when painting the exterior of a home. For example, how difficult is your home to paint? Is it a simple box shape with easy lines? Or perhaps your home is taller, older, or has intricate detailing, dormers, overhangs, or nooks and crannies that may need extra TLC. Some homes have sloping ground or the grade around the perimeter of the structure is graded awkwardly. Other homes need lots of prep work due to wood rot, mildew, peeling, cracking paint, or loose caulking. If your home has some tricky aspects, you may want to consider hiring a professional who knows how to deal with homes of all sizes, shapes, details, and prep work needed.
  • Have the Right Tools  Painters make it part of their business to have the right tools needed to handle every situation. The experts at Jerry Enos Painting can deal with any type of home because we have specialized equipment that a homeowner would not normally have at their disposal including: lifts, extension ladders, planks, scaffolding, an assortment of paint applicators, caulking, repair needs and, of course, cleaning items for all that prep work.
  • Have the Experience and Skills  While it may seem like operating a brush and roller are fairly simple jobs, this is not exactly true. Professional painters like our team members, understand where to look for issues, how to prep a difficult area, how much paint is adequate, the right conditions to paint in, how to cut-in properly, and a million other little tricks-of-the-trade that only come with years of experience and skill.
  • Save you Time  One of the questions to consider when deciding to go it alone painting or hiring a pro is, “How much is your time worth?”. Do you have several weekends to devote to prepping, cleaning, and painting the exterior of your home or would that time be better spent doing something else?

 

Professional painters, like the members of our team here at Jerry Enos have the skill, experience, understanding of your home’s special conditions, and the time to complete your exterior paint project right the first time! Call Jerry Enos at 978-546-6843, or visit our website to find out more.

Five Reasons Why it Makes Sense to Power Wash

Uncategorized

After a winter of harsh weather, spring is a great time to get out there and freshen up the exterior of your home, from siding surfaces to the walkways and entertaining areas. A power wash (or sometimes called pressure washing) makes sense since the equipment used is  designed with special pumps that have 50% more force than a regular garden hose, able to clean areas that are hard to reach or that have excessive dirt, grime, and mold. At Jerry Enos Painting we suggest power washing for several main reasons:

 

  1. Preventative Maintenance – Power washing stops the premature decay of a home’s siding, decking, or walkways. It prevents the mold, mildew, and harmful chemicals used during the de-icing of roads every winter from building up and harming your exterior surfaces. Without this annual cleaning, wood and siding may age faster and see premature damage due to dirty surfaces.
  2. Keeping the Family and Pets Safe – Power Washing is a safe way to wash away chemicals such as liquid deicers, rock salt, and fertilizer ingredients used around the property that have built up over the years. Power washing can also remove mold, mildew, and allergens that can make your family and pets sick. Removing mildew on walking surfaces can also prevent slips and falls as these areas can get slippery after rain or with morning dew.
  3. Curb Appeal – Ask any realtor and they will advise that freshening up the exterior of your home before selling is a smart investment. This should include the landscaping, painting, décor, windows, hardscape, and completing a thorough power wash of all these areas should be top on the list.
  4. Home Value – Studies completed by Consumer Reports suggest that cleaning, painting, and overall tidying up a home can increase the home’s value by 2-5%. This is critical when it comes time to sell.
  5. Environmentally Friendly – Power washing is environmentally friendly. There are no chemicals used in power washing and the amount of water is 75% less than if a homeowner used a garden hose.

 

Do you need a power wash for your exterior surfaces such as your home, deck, walkways, or business? Call Jerry Enos at 978-546-6843, or visit our website to find out more.

 

Prepping Your Deck for Spring Entertaining

Decks, Jerry Enos

Finally Mother Nature has begun to cooperate by providing the northeast with some much needed warmer weather and sunnier days after a winter of back-to-back Nor’easters. For all of us hibernating in front of the fireplace, it is time to start thinking about getting outdoors and prepping for outdoor entertaining. That means more than just firing up the grill, and buying some tiki torches. It means examining the deck and hardscapes for damage, power washing, and making your deck look like new again through refinishing. At Jerry Enos Painting we can help your deck and patio area be “entertainment-ready.” Here are some tips.

 

  • Visual Inspection – After a winter of heavy, wet snow and wind, it is a good idea to complete a thorough inspection on the wood on your deck, regardless of whether it is natural redwood, cedar, or pressure treated. Check the entire structure, including the underdeck, for rot, mildew, or nails that have popped out. Look for softspots, splinters or discoloration of the wood. Check closely that there is no rot around supports.
  • Pressure Wash – Nothing brings back the new look of a deck like a pressure washing. Pressure washing can actually rejuvenate wood, concrete, vinyl, brick, and other surfaces by removing entire layers of built-up dirt and particulates, oil, gum, and other gunk. Stripping away the grunge to reveal the unsullied surface below actually protects that surface from future rot and UV damage.
  • Deck Refinishing – Once your deck has been inspected and cleaned thoroughly, it is time to refinish the wood to bring it back to its former glory. Our crew here at Jerry Enos can strip it, seal it, and protect it for another season of entertaining.

 

If you love to entertain outdoors and need some help getting your decking prepped for the spring season of grilling, call Jerry Enos at 978-546-6843, or visit our website to find out more

Dining Room Décor and Paint Choices

Decorating, Design, Jerry Enos

What is your entertaining style? Do you enjoy traditional Sunday afternoon family dinners or perhaps non-traditional, late night fondue and wine parties? Whether your style could be described as “tastefully elegant” or “comfortably laidback”, that distinguishing characteristic and entertaining style may help you when it comes time to paint and decorate your dining area. Here are some thoughts when it comes to choosing the right paint color and for your dining room decor.

  • Be Dramatic and Bold – If you have separate kitchen and dining room eating areas, then you may find that the dining room is left for the bigger holiday and family gatherings. This may mean that you don’t use the room nearly as much as the your everyday kitchen eating area. Given this, you might want to go a little more dramatic or bold in your color choices in the dining room since you won’t need to experience the room daily. Pick a color that is a stretch for you or that is just a bit dramatic. Have one wall be an accent wall that is a shade or two more brilliant or darker than the other walls.

 

  • Rely on your Personal Style of Entertaining – As we mentioned above, paint and decorate your dining area according to how you like to entertain. If you love having neighbors and friends over for comfy, home-cooked, relaxing meals, then make your dining area a place of relaxation. Choose a color that is soothing and brings out your personality. On the other hand, if you like more traditional meals, then decorate and paint the room in a traditional manner, such as using a chair railing to separate colors or choosing a neutral tone to match with whatever table settings you may be using.

 

  • Find Inspiration around you – Choosing a color for your dining room can be challenging, so look around your room or house for inspiration. Maybe there is a photograph or keepsake from a recent vacation that has a color you love. Or perhaps there is a fabric, style of furniture, or a piece of art or clothing that has a color that you are drawn to that would perk up your walls. Find inspiration around you so that your walls reflect you.

 

If you are challenged by choosing a color or décor for your dining area, call Jerry Enos Painting at 978-546-6843 or visit our website to see examples and find inspiration for your next project.

Garage Workshop Must-Haves – Epoxy Flooring!

Epoxy floors, Jerry Enos, Uncategorized

Do you love working in your garage, or as my grandfather would say, “tinkering”? If you are like him, maybe you spend your weekends repairing, building, or restoring things like furniture, appliances, or maybe even the family car. If you could have a dream workshop in your garage, what would you include? A workbench? Top-of-the-line tools? Or maybe you would want to design your garage workshop from the ground up so that everything had a place and clean up was a breeze.

 

If you were to layout your dream garage workshop, what components would it have? Here are a few of our suggestions for a dream garage workshop.

 

  • Workspace – Ideally for anyone who likes to tinker, there should be a workspace that has room for whatever your hobby or passion is. A flat work area in a corner would be a great addition to any garage workshop.

 

  • Storage – Every workshop has tools so a must-have would be proper storage for all equipment. A dream garage workshop would include a hanging or resting place for every tool, preferably not on the work table!

 

  • Lighting and Ventilation – Having the proper lighting and ventilation can aid in health, safety, and accuracy when it comes to power tools.

 

  • Durable and Easy-to-Clean Environment – Jerry Enos Painting suggests an epoxy flooring for your garage workshop. Not only is an epoxy flooring durable but easy to maintain and clean. Our innovative epoxy flooring styles, strong supplier support, and select team of highly skilled installers have earned us the reputation as the “go to” installers in the field for both commercial and residential clients.

 

If you are planning your dream garage workspace, call Jerry Enos Painting at 978-546-6843 or visit our website to find out more about our exceptional epoxy floor options and installation.

 

4 Common Exterior Painting Questions

Exterior painting, Jerry Enos

Once the weather warms up a bit more, our experienced painters at Jerry Enos Painting will be out in full force for the season working on the exteriors of homes in our region. Savvy homeowners know that there are questions they should consider before choosing a paint and a painting company. Here are some of the five most common things to consider when painting your exterior.

How often should I paint my home’s exterior?

There are many factors that determine how long your exterior paint should last including: the quality of paint used, the condition of the surface, climate and environmental factors, and the sun exposure on the home. Getting the longest life out of your exterior paint can mean regular cleanings, repairs to wood siding, and touch ups to areas that are showing wear and tear. With a little TLC your paint job can last many years.

Should You Hire Out for Exterior Painting or Should You Do-It-Yourself?

If you are a weekend warrior and feel up to the task then go for it, but if you feel like you don’t want to be on a ladder, or spend all of your free time painting, or have no idea how to paint then hiring a reputable, reliable, and experienced painting company is the best course of action. Jerry Enos Painting has been doing exterior and interior painting for over two decades in the North Shore region. Call our office and check our references for satisfied customers who can tell you about our exceptional customer service and skills.

What Should I look for in a Painting Company?

First, find out the reputation the company has. Are they reliable, well trained, and do the job the right way the first time. Remember, they will be painting your most valuable possession – your home. Then find out about insurance and licensing. Do some research online on Yelp, the Better Business Bureau, and other online review locations to find out what they are rated and what customers are saying about them.

What Should I ask the Painting Contractor?

While meeting a team member should give you a good “gut” feel for the company as a whole, there are some questions you may want to ask when interviewing painting companies. Find out what surface prep they do. Ask about the quality of paint being used. Ask what the clean up procedure is at the end of every day. Ask what is included in the estimate – is it labor or labor and materials? Request that they give you names of people in your area whom they have done work for so you can look at the quality yourself.

Call Jerry Enos Painting at 978-546-6843, or visit our website to find out more.

 

Spring Touch up Tips

Interior painting, Jerry Enos, Painting Challenges

As the calendar gets closer and closer to spring, many homeowners get into spring cleaning mode. For some this means cleaning out closets, while for others it means a full basement overhaul. While for still others it means touching up paint chips, scrapes, bubbles, and spots!  If you are like me, and are one of these people who notices these little flaws around your house, then spring is a great time to do some much needed touch ups.

Spring allows for warmer weather, which means that paint can adhere and cure better and windows can be left open so that any residual smell can be erased by a good spring breeze. No matter if you are touching up in hallways, bedrooms, main living areas, or all of the trim throughout the house, here are a few spring cleaning touch up tips.

 

  • Clean any area that you plan to touch up. It is no fun painting only to find a spider web or dirt and grime that has built up on the surface that you want to paint. Wipe down the area with a wet towel that is free of lint.
  • Confirm that you have the right paint colors. Hopefully you have extra paint in your garage or basement that is properly labelled. Make sure to mix it well and test the color first! Discard old paint and try to get a color match.
  • Make any necessary repairs that are needed to the surfaces you will be painting. Fill nail holes, smooth out surfaces, and sand raised portions of the walls. Do not paint over blemishes hoping the paint will hide a crack, bubble or peeling paint. This will just lead to a lack of adhesion and paint problems down the line.
  • Don’t forget to prime the area that you will be touching up. Primer is used to gain optimal paint adhesion and color blending.
  • After painting and allowing for proper drying time, check the wall to see if the touch up looks natural.

 

Do you need help with spring touch ups? Call Jerry Enos at 978-546-6843, or visit our website to find out more.

 

4 Steps to Choosing the Right Interior Color

Interior painting, Jerry Enos

Painting is one of the easiest and most cost-effective ways to transform the entire mood and look of a room. Most realtors and interior designers alike advise homeowners of the benefits of painting the interior of their home including: cleaning and refreshing the surfaces, altering the look of a dated room, and adding value to a home without the large price tag. Once you have decided that painting is the way to go, how do you choose the color that is right for your home? Here are 4 steps to choosing the right interior color for your home.

 

  • Get Some Color Inspiration – Look to items and colors around you that you are drawn to or make you happy. For example, there may be a piece of artwork, a swatch of fabric, a rug, or a keepsake that has a color in it that you love. Go from there and find a paint color that matches!  If you can not find something in your surroundings that inspires you, look online for rooms that you would like to emulate. Jerry Enos Painting has several inspiration ideas online that can help you get started.
  • Choose Some Color Options – Too many of us go nuts looking at swatch after swatch in the paint store. Choose several colors that you like and bring either the swatches or a small sample home with you. It is always best to apply a small bit to the walls in the room that you plan to paint. This way you can see how it would look in the light that is available – unlike a store that may have dim lighting or, worse yet, fluorescent lighting.
  • Choose a Sheen – Once you have decided on the color palette you would like to use, now it is time to consider sheen. The sheen of the paint can make a huge impact on how the color is seen. Glossy and semi-gloss reflect the light while matte and flat absorb the light. Be sure to take this into account when considering colors. Some people even test out the color they love in a few sheens to be sure they like the shine level. When choosing a sheen also consider what room is being painted. Rooms that get a lot of traffic and may have dirty or greasy hands touching the walls should go for higher gloss sheens as they are easier to clean.
  • Think Like a Designer – Bring together all the textures, patterns, and colors that you hope to use in the room you will be painting to confirm that they coordinate well. Try out accent colors that will pop and coordinate with neutrals that you choose for furnishings or décor. Most of all, have fun choosing your color!

 

If you need help choosing a color for your interior rooms, call Jerry Enos at 978-546-6843, or visit our website to find out more.

 

Bring your Vacations Home with Paint

Interior painting, Jerry Enos

Have you been on a vacation lately to a tropical island paradise or perhaps a cabin in the mountains where the colors seemed richer, crisper, and more relaxing? Maybe you were mesmerized by the depth of color at a white sandy beach, found the changing colors of the warm ocean waters calming, or fell in love with the greenery in a lush rainforest. Wouldn’t it be great if we could bottle just a little bit of these hard-earned vacations and bring them home with us?

 

Maybe you can. Think about how the colors of your environment made you feel while on vacation. Maybe it is possible to bring a tiny piece of vacation home by changing the paint colors of your home’s interior. Let the emotion or mood are you trying to inspire be your guide to choosing your colors. Here are some examples.

 

  • A Resort Vibe – Remember the colors that greeted you at your vacation resort? Did you feel calmed by the colors that mimicked a fiery sunset, energized by the vibrantly painted homes on the island, or perhaps soothed by the natural hues of sand and palm trees? You can recreate this color palette in your own home to bring a little bit of your vacation back to your everyday life.
  • Ocean Paradise – Many people feel a sense of serenity while visiting the ocean. Try  embracing that feeling at home with cool or vibrant blues, soft or deep greens, and all the variations in between on the walls of your bedroom or living room.
  • Old City Feel – Did you visit the old cities of Europe or the Caribbean and fall in love with the cobblestone, brick, and stone of the historical architecture. Bring a little of that home with greys, browns, and hues that have this neutral favorite in mind.
  • Bring the Nature In – Whether you visited the mountains, beaches, or grassy fields of your vacation destination, nature was probably a key ingredient to the sense of relaxation. Choose a color that matches the nature that surrounded you on vacation.

 

In addition to the color palette that made your vacation so memorable, the textures and patterns probably also resonated with you. Use those ideas to add accents to each room such as bamboo, wicker furniture, or even colorful cotton throw pillows. Call Jerry Enos Painting at 978-546-6843, or visit our website to find out more.