A city of 52,655, priced one house at a time
Census QuickFacts gives Columbus, IN a population estimate of 52,655 for July 1, 2025 (V2025), against 50,474 in the Census of April 1, 2020. Those counts describe the size of the city. They say nothing about your walls or your siding, and painting is planned and priced one house at a time. The written proposal is where that planning shows, so this page reads a proposal the way you might at the kitchen table, line by line.
We don't quote any weather figures for Columbus here. Your painter plans outdoor days around the forecast and the product label, and you can ask how they decide.
The scope line: what gets painted
A proposal should name surfaces, not just rooms. "Living room" is vague. "Living room walls, ceiling, baseboards, window casings and the closet door, both sides" is a scope you can hold someone to. Outside, the same idea applies: body siding, trim boards, fascia, soffits, window sashes, entry doors, porch floor and railings, shutters. If a surface isn't written down, assume it isn't included.
Look for the items people forget until the crew has left: the inside face of the garage door, a basement stairwell, the backs of bedroom doors, radiator covers, the underside of a porch roof.
The preparation line
This is the line that separates bids. Look for verbs: wash, scrape, sand, feather, patch, caulk, spot-prime, fully prime. A proposal that says only "prep as needed" leaves the most important part of the job undefined. Our guide to drywall repair and surface preparation explains what each of those steps does and why it matters.
Ask how the crew will decide whether old paint is sound. A simple field test is pressing tape onto the surface and pulling it off: if paint lifts with it, that paint has to come off before anything goes over it.
The primer line
Primer isn't automatically a whole-house coat. Bare wood, patched drywall, water stains, glossy trim and big color changes usually need it; clean, sound walls being repainted in a similar color often don't. A useful proposal says where primer goes and what kind: stain-blocking over water marks, a bonding primer over slick enamel, a wood primer on new boards.
The coats-and-products line
"Two coats" means little without a product name and a sheen. Ask for the product line and the sheen for each surface. Flat on ceilings, a washable eggshell or satin on walls and semi-gloss on trim is a common pattern, though your rooms may call for something else. See paint sheens and finishes for how sheen trades off against hiding flaws and touching up.
Coverage on a label assumes a certain film thickness. Paint that is thinned too far or rolled out too thin covers more wall per gallon on paper and less in practice.
The older-paint line
Under EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule, anyone paid to do work that disturbs paint in homes, childcare facilities and preschools built before 1978 must hold RRP certification, firms included, even sole proprietorships, and their workers must be trained in lead-safe work practices. If your house was built before 1978, this part of the proposal should describe how the crew will contain dust and chips, protect floors and soil, and clean up at the end of each day. It's reasonable to ask whether the firm holds RRP certification.
Indiana's statement on contractors
Indiana's Business Owner's Guide says the only construction contractors the State of Indiana licenses are plumbers; licensing for other contractors is a local option. That is the State's wording, and this page doesn't add to it.
The schedule-and-people line
- Who will be on site, and who do you call with a question mid-job?
- What happens to furniture, outlet covers, hardware and curtains?
- How many working days, and in what order: ceilings, then walls, then trim?
- How will floors, shrubs and the driveway be protected?
- What does the final walk-through cover, and how are touch-ups handled?
Comparing two proposals
Lay two proposals side by side and compare them line against line. When one is noticeably cheaper, it's usually because a line is shorter: fewer surfaces, lighter preparation, one coat instead of two, or a lower product class. Our pricing guide explains how those differences add up. Ask the painter to fill in whatever is missing, in writing, before you agree to a start date.