Outsourcing

I'm sloooooowly coming to the realization that I cannot, and probably should not, do it all myself. Jenn helps when she can, but since I let the general contractor go, I've been doing much of the work myself. As things stand with the permits, I need to finish the stairs before October. It will require a lot of detail work that needs to be nearly perfect since it will be the focal point of the main floor. I just don't think I could get a finish carpenter to do it right without costing me an arm, a leg, a first born, etc. I'm going to do the stairs this summer.

But, summer is the time of year to paint the exterior of the house. The trim, rafter tails, and overhang are bare wood that has been exposed to two winters now and probably shouldn't see a third. The trim must be painted this summer. But, I'll be too busy inside. Jenn doesn't like ladders (the roof is 26' above ground in some places), and besides she's pretty busy keeping with the yard. The pitch and height of the roof means it will be difficult and dangerous in parts. It needs to be done right away and it needs to be done right. We're going to need to outsource.

So, how do we pick a painting contractor? I did a quick Google Local search and it appears there are millions of house painters in Portland, which is a little strange since our metro area only has about 1.5 million people. The phonebook confirms a huge number of painters available.

So, we're going to have to pick a few, get some quotes, and pick one. Soon, 'cause summer doesn't last long.