I truly don’t like to paint.  I have done plenty of it through the years, however, from kid’s bedrooms, to bathrooms, ceilings and garages; I just find it tedious, although it is enjoyable to stand back and view the finished product.  I’m really particular about how it looks and I appreciate what it takes to achieve an appealing result. There’s also the matter of simply “finding” time to do it, with the requirements of my career and so many other things to get done.

So finding a reliable painter is a special — and extremely rare — treat. Dave is a recently discovered treasure in this regard.  I hired him upon a friend’s referral, which is the ideal way to discover new things, from restaurants, to business consultants, to painters. 

Dave has done excellent, detailed work and I’ve been quite pleased with that. If he didn’t, I expect there wouldn’t have been a referral in the first place.  But it’s these other things that stand out about Dave, including:

• his response to my initial call, which was followed by a visit to my home the very next day;
• arrival with a note pad in hand, which he used to jot down all of the things we reviewed;
• clarifying the extent and scope of work in various areas;
• evaluating my expectations for the completed job;
• a clear proposal for a time and materials approach, along with a high-side estimate of the time he thought the job would take;
• review of completed work, and associated costs, about halfway through; we compared lists and checked off everything that had been accomplished.
• pointing out several other things needing attention which he noted during the course of the work, which I was comfortable adding to his scope;
• calls the evening before each visit, to confirm time of arrival and planned work for the coming day;
• continual evaluation of my satisfaction with the progress.

Do you suppose that I’m satisfied?  Furthermore, do you think that I’m likely to also refer Dave to others?  Is it just about the work, or is it about more than fresh paint?