Windows need painted on my two-storey house. DIY with an extendable ladder or hire a painter?

Wolff

I moved into my house last year. The paintwork on the wooden windows is in awful condition and hasn't been maintained. I'd originally planned to just paint them myself, but as I live in a two-storey house, this includes the upstairs windows too which would require an extendable ladder to access. I can't think this is the safest DIY task for an amateur.

Part of me wants the experience of doing it myself and save the money. The other part of me can't be bothered painting windows and doesn't want to risk falling off a ladder.

Has anyone had experience of this before? What would you recommend? Only quote I've received for 3 large windows, 3 small and a patio door is £400.

tacpot12

Using ladders does need a bit of thought about how to use them safely, and some equipment. Trying to work at the top of a ladder is also uncomfortable and the longer the job will take, the more likely it is that you will have an accident. For quick jobs, I have a set of extending ladders, and have the safety equipment to use them. For long jobs, I get someone else to do the work. 

As the woodwork will need repainting every could of years, if you are expecting to remain in the property for a long time, and are young and fit, I would look into the idea of buying an access tower, providing you have the space to store at home. You can do a calculation to show you whether it will worthwhile. One alternative is to save up to have the windows repainted. If you saved about £16/month for 25 months, you would have £400 to get the windows repainted.  You might also save a greater amount and look to replace the windows with UPVC windows that don't need painting. 

BTW: I won't go up a ladder unless it is strapped to the wall at the the bottom, and I won't work on a ladder unless it is also strapped at the top. I have a ratchet strap and fit a Petzl Coeur Hangers to the wall with DeWalt M10 Snake fixings - these need an powerful impact driver to drive them into the brickwork. I have a safety harness and scaffold hooks to attach myself to the ladder. 

stuart45

I paint mine using tower scaff. It takes a fair bit of work being Geogian pane style. Also to do them properly treating any rot, filling and replacing putty would cost a lot in labour. Painters will often just gloss over the lot if the price is too cheap.
I wouldn't really want to spend all day on a ladder.

helensbiggestfan

I once had this issue.   I compromised, got a painter to do the top half and did the lower section myself.  

neilmcl

To do a proper job, ie, sand, prime, multiple coats, you're going to spending a fair bit of time up on the ladder. Personally, for £400 I'd let the professional do it. Also, do you have the ladders? A good set of multiple section extension ladders aren't cheap in the first place and I wouldn't go anywhere near those telescopic, inspection ladders for this kind of job.

TELLIT01

At the quoted price I would let the professional do it.  However people have been climbing ladders for many centuries and most of the climbers haven't suffered death or serious injury.  Used properly, a ladder is not a dangerous environment.  The extending ladder I now have was purchased in the 1960s by my late father and in 60 years of use nobody fell off it.

shinytop

Don't do with a ladder.  You'll be working one-handed (you'll be holding on with the other).  If you want to DIY hire a scaffold tower for about £100.  While you're up there you can clear and check gutters.

FreeBear

shinytop said: Don't do with a ladder.  You'll be working one-handed (you'll be holding on with the other).  If you want to DIY hire a scaffold tower for about £100.  While you're up there you can clear and check gutters.

Yup, scaffold towers are well worth having (bought one myself). For gutters and the very top of windows, a 7m tower would probably be needed - Mine is specified as a 5m jobbie, but the maximum safe platform height is about 3.8m. Not quite high enough for me to get to the gutters. Also no good for working over a bay roof - For that, proper scaffolding is required.

maisie_cat

The £300 I spent on a scaffold tower paid for itself several times over when I painted our house. It really depends if you are time or cash rich, or like me don't trust tradesmen.

Homer_home

tacpot12 said:

Using ladders does need a bit of thought about how to use them safely, and some equipment. Trying to work at the top of a ladder is also uncomfortable and the longer the job will take, the more likely it is that you will have an accident. For quick jobs, I have a set of extending ladders, and have the safety equipment to use them. For long jobs, I get someone else to do the work. 

As the woodwork will need repainting every could of years, if you are expecting to remain in the property for a long time, and are young and fit, I would look into the idea of buying an access tower, providing you have the space to store at home. You can do a calculation to show you whether it will worthwhile. One alternative is to save up to have the windows repainted. If you saved about £16/month for 25 months, you would have £400 to get the windows repainted.  You might also save a greater amount and look to replace the windows with UPVC windows that don't need painting. 

BTW: I won't go up a ladder unless it is strapped to the wall at the the bottom, and I won't work on a ladder unless it is also strapped at the top. I have a ratchet strap and fit a Petzl Coeur Hangers to the wall with DeWalt M10 Snake fixings - these need an powerful impact driver to drive them into the brickwork. I have a safety harness and scaffold hooks to attach myself to the ladder. 

Who rescues you when you fall off the ladder and you are dangling there ? (You only have 15 mins to be rescued as your circulation is cut off to your limbs and I'm guessing you have never tried pulling yourself back up with quickly going dead limbs and of course you never fall straight down so you normally bash yourself on the side of the house)

Do they (if you have someone) also have a safety harness which they are of course wearing ready just in case you fall off?

Jeepers_Creepers

Wolff said:

The paintwork on the wooden windows is in awful condition and hasn't been maintained. 
Only quote I've received for 3 large windows, 3 small and a patio door is £400.

£400 isn't at all bad for what will be a pretty labour-intensive job and materials. Since your windows are in 'awful' condition, I'd make sure that the work the painter intends to do has been very clearly explained to you, and is detailed in his quote; how much preparation, treatment, filling, priming, and how many top coats - and of which paint.

As a DIYer, you will be up and down these ladders like a (insert suitable euphemism/double-entendre), and I think you'll very quickly become fed up of this job as you increasingly suffer calf-aches, ball-aches (I'm mean of your feet) and more. 

I think I'd be inclined to leave the DIYing for a more instantly-rewarding job like clearing a blockage from your gutter - I think jobs like this will be more cost-effective.

(In a previous house which had wooden windows 2 storeys up, I remember getting the usual number of quotes. One was more than twice the cost, but the person emphasised that scaffolding would be required. Fair do's, I thought, that's your call. But then he added that, should I choose a cheaper quote from someone using just a ladder, I would be responsible should that person subsequently fall. 'off was my (imagined) reply.)