Peeling paint makes a different job
Repainting a house whose paint is still sound is mostly washing, light scraping and new coats. Repainting a house whose paint is curling off in sheets is a preparation project with painting at the end. On a house built before 1978, that preparation also brings Iowa's lead-safe rules into play, and they shape both the method and the price.
How much is failing
The first driver is the share of the surface that's failing. A few peeling patches under eaves and on window trim are one job. Paint lifting across whole walls is another. Painters often walk the house and note where it's loose, cracked or down to bare wood. The more of it there is, the more scraping, sanding and priming, and that time dominates the cost.
Iowa's lead-safe rules for exterior work
Iowa's lead-safe renovation rules for pre-1978 homes treat exterior work as minor repair only when it disturbs less than 20 square feet of exterior painted or finished surface per renovation; larger jobs need a Lead-Safe Renovator and lead-safe work practices.
Ask the painter which side of that line your job falls on; scraping a whole house covers far more surface than touching up a few patches. Lead-safe practice on the outside of a house means plastic sheeting on the ground, closing nearby windows and doors, misting while scraping and careful daily cleanup. Each of those adds time and material compared with ordinary prep.
The prerenovation notice
Iowa's Prerenovation Notification Rule (641 IAC Chapter 69) requires any contractor or landlord working on residential properties built before 1978 to notify residents that lead-based paint disturbed by remodeling, renovation or repainting is a potential hazard, using the Iowa pamphlet "Lead Poisoning: How to Protect Iowa Families." Expect to receive that pamphlet before the work starts. It's part of the job, not an upsell.
Station figures behind the damage
NOAA's engineering weather data for Moline/Quad City, near Davenport lists a 50-year basic wind speed of 90 mph (3-second gust at 33 feet), a 100-year rainfall rate of 3.3 inches per hour and about 61 freeze-thaw cycles in an average year. Those are the Moline/Quad City station's figures, quoted as NOAA gives them; they are not readings taken in Davenport.
Water that gets behind paint and freezes is a common reason paint lifts. That's why a sound proposal finds the water path, at open joints, failed caulk or an overflowing gutter, and deals with it, rather than just covering the damage.
Wood repair
Long-peeling paint often leaves soft sills, split clapboards and rotten trim ends. Those need cutting out and replacing, or consolidating and filling, before primer. Repair is usually priced as found, since the extent isn't known until the paint is off. Ask how it will be charged and whether you'll be shown the damage before repair begins.
Primer and coats
Bare wood exposed by scraping takes a primer, sometimes over large areas. Then come the finish coats, usually two. On an exterior with a lot of bare wood, primer can be a significant share of material and labor.
Height and access
A two-storey wall, a steep gable or a slope beside the house may need scaffolding or lifts rather than ladders. Lead-safe containment around scaffolding is more involved too.
Scheduling
Prep on a peeling house takes days before color goes on, and rain can stall it. A proposal should give a realistic duration and say how weather delays are handled.
What to compare between proposals
- How much scraping and sanding is planned, and how it will be contained.
- Whether a Lead-Safe Renovator will be on the job.
- How wood repair will be priced.
- Primer type and coverage, and the number of finish coats.
Our exterior painting page and pricing guide explain more.