Why a second storey changes the price
A two-storey exterior is not simply twice a single-storey one. Every surface above the first floor has to be reached safely, and the way it's reached shapes the schedule, the crew size and the equipment bill. This guide walks through the things that move the price of this particular job, so you can read two proposals side by side and see where they differ. We don't quote prices; nobody can price a house without seeing it.
Getting up there: ladders, staging and lifts
Access is often the single biggest difference between bids on a tall house:
- Extension ladders are quick to move but slow for wide walls, because the painter can only reach an arm's width at a time.
- Ladder jacks and planks let two painters work a long wall from one setup.
- Scaffolding is slower to put up and take down but makes careful preparation much easier on high trim, gables and eaves.
- A lift can be fastest where the ground is firm and level and there's room to drive it in; landscaping, fences and slopes can rule it out.
Ask each painter how they plan to reach the upper walls and why. A bid that seems low may assume ladders where scaffolding would give better prep.
Measuring what's actually being painted
Painters price walls by area, and a two-storey house has more of it than its footprint suggests. Gables, dormers and bump-outs add more. Then there's everything that isn't flat wall:
- fascia and soffits around the full roofline;
- window and door casings, sills and shutters;
- corner boards, frieze boards and band boards between the floors;
- railings, posts and the front door.
Trim is brushed by hand and costs more for its size than the walls. Ask that walls and trim be listed separately.
Condition and preparation
On any repaint, prep is where the time goes. On a tall wall it takes longer still, because every scrape and sand happens from a ladder or plank:
- washing off dirt and chalk;
- scraping loose paint and feathering the edges;
- replacing failed caulk around windows and trim;
- filling holes and priming bare wood;
- repairing or replacing rotten boards before painting.
Wood repair is often priced separately, sometimes as an allowance. Ask what's included and how extra rot found during the job will be handled.
Coats, primer and product class
Two topcoats over spot-primed repairs is common; a full primer coat may be needed over bare or chalky surfaces or for a big color change. Better exterior paints cost more per can, but labor is most of the bill, so the product is usually a smaller share of the price than the work. Ask what product is planned for walls and for trim, and whether the sheen differs. Our paint sheens guide explains the choices.
The weather days
NOAA's engineering weather data for Beale AFB/Marysville, near Yuba City lists a 50-year basic wind speed of 85 mph (3-second gust at 33 feet), a 100-year rainfall rate of 1.5 inches per hour and about 10 freeze-thaw cycles in an average year. Those are design figures, not a forecast, but they're a reminder that a tall exterior can lose days to rain and wind. Spray work on an upper wall stops in wind; fresh paint can't take rain. A proposal should say how lost days are handled and whether the price changes.
Older paint on a tall house
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. On a two-storey exterior that means plastic sheeting below the work area, containment of chips falling from height, and careful daily cleanup. That containment takes time and materials, and it shows up in the price. If your home was built before 1978, ask whether the firm holds RRP certification; it's the only credential question this page suggests.
CSLB on when a license is required
CSLB says a license is generally required when the total cost of labor and materials on a project is $1,000 or more, or when the project needs a building permit or uses additional workers. The card below shows the statement with its source.
Comparing two proposals
- Does each list the same walls, trim and extras?
- How will each reach the upper floor?
- What prep is included, and how is wood repair priced?
- How many coats, with what products?
- How are rain and wind days handled?
Our pricing guide and exterior painting page cover the rest.