Is it worth painting my house myself, or should I just hire someone?

Painting your house yourself can save 50-70% on costs, but the decision depends on your home's size, height, and your comfort with ladder work. For a typical New Brunswick bungalow, you're looking at $8,000-$15,000 for professional exterior painting versus $2,500-$4,500 in materials if you do it yourself.

The math changes with your home's complexity. Single-story homes with minimal trim work are excellent DIY candidates, especially the common post-war bungalows found throughout Moncton, Fredericton, and Saint John. However, two-story homes, Victorian-era houses with intricate trim, or homes with steep rooflines quickly become challenging and potentially dangerous for DIY work.

New Brunswick's climate demands quality preparation and paint selection. Our freeze-thaw cycles are brutal on exterior finishes, so proper scraping, priming, and using high-quality acrylic latex paint rated for Canadian climates is non-negotiable. Coastal areas like Saint John, Shediac, and Bathurst face additional challenges from salt air, requiring marine-grade paints and stainless steel or galvanized fasteners for any repairs.

Timing is critical in our short renovation season. You have roughly May through September for exterior work, and painting requires several consecutive dry days. Professional crews can complete most homes in 3-5 days, while DIY projects often stretch over multiple weekends, increasing weather risk.

Consider the ladder safety factor seriously. WorkSafeNB statistics show falls are a leading cause of serious injuries in construction work. If your home requires extension ladders or scaffolding, professional painters have the proper equipment and insurance coverage. Many homeowners underestimate the physical demands of scraping, priming, and painting for 8-10 hours daily.

For interior painting, the DIY case is much stronger. You can work year-round, there's no ladder risk, and the prep work is typically less intensive. Professional interior painting runs $3-$6 per square foot, while DIY costs about $1-$2 per square foot in materials.

Your best next step: Get quotes from 2-3 local painters for comparison, even if you're leaning toward DIY. This gives you a realistic timeline and helps you understand what's involved. If the quotes seem reasonable for your budget and timeline, hiring professionals often provides better long-term value through proper preparation, quality materials, and warranty coverage.