Gotta Stand Behind my Work

How much is quality work worth? How much would it be worth, if the person doing the work came back two years AFTER completing the job to make sure all was still good? That was our recent experience with Chad of Precision Painting and Improvements. Simply Amazing. 

Our house at Tilghman Island on the Chesapeake Bay was built in 1890. It had several owners over the decades and eventually fell into disrepair. The Russo family bought the house in the 1980s. Some friends urged them to tear it down. Instead, they rebuilt it from the inside out and made it into the loving place it remains to this day. 

We’ve owned The Bayhouse since 2011. As with all old homes, it has its quirks. We had the house repainted in the same color scheme a couple of years after moving in, and over time, completed various repairs and renovations.

In 2022, the house needed repainting again, plus some new repairs. A couple of the windows had issues with wood rotting and water leaking in if there was a severe rainstorm. Caulking was an issue on several windows as well. 

Our neighbors Jim and Veronica had recently repainted their home. They did some of it themselves and hired out other parts. The house looked nice and I asked him who they used. “Chad. Chad Swartz. Also, as a bonus, he lives here on Tilghman.” he said and gave me his number. 

I called Chad and we spoke on the phone. He later stopped by and looked at the house. We also let him know we planned to change the color of the house from a tan to a light blue.  He gave us his estimate, but let us know it would be a couple of months before he could get to us. 

I liked his approach at once. He was all business and there was no sense of any BS. We agreed to his estimate, which included repairing the framing and trim around several windows, replacing or repairing some of the house trim, and replacing some of the roof fascia. He did add the caveat that if he found more damage, the price could go higher. 

Two months later, perhaps one week after his original time estimate, Chad and his team started work. They repaired the windows, replaced the trim in several locations, sanded and primed as appropriate and then painted the house. We were at the Bay for some of it, but often in Virginia. Chad kept us informed via phone and text. There was some added work they did at no charge. There were also a couple of areas in need of greater help and we agreed to the increased cost. When we were on Tilghman, we spoke often. Additionally, several neighbors told us how hard Chad and the Crew were working. 

Eventually, they finished. It was like the house was new – it looked fresh and they had done a beautiful job. Cathy was happy, I was happy, and several neighbors talked about how nice the house looked. 

About a year later, I received a text from Chad. He was coming by the house to see if there were any issues and wanted to make sure that was OK. I said sure. A few days later, he texted again – all looked good. 

Fast forward another year to this past September and I received a similar text from Chad. He was planning to reseal the windows and look for any needed touch ups. I of course said yes. I also asked him to look at an area on the roof fascia that we’d seen some peeling paint.

Chad visited the house. He wasn’t sure why the paint was peeling on the fascia, but stripped it down and repainted it. He also resealed some of the windows and did other minor touch ups. He used the leftover paint he had left us from the original job to do all required work.

When he called to let me know they finished, I asked what the charge would be. His answer: “No charge. Let me know if you have any future issues. I’ve gotta stand behind my work.”

I’ve gotta stand behind my work – What a wonderful idea. It should always be that way, but we know it’s not. When we find someone like Chad, we are thankful, and a little amazed there are still craftsmen who stand behind what they do.

I bet you all can guess who I will call when the house eventually requires a new paint job, or I need some repair work done on the house. 

Thank you Chad for all you have done, and all you continue to do. 

Addendum:

You can Find Chad and Precision Painting and Improvements on Facebook and Google at:

• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/precisionp410
• Google: https://g.co/kgs/LmJcRci
• You can also reach him directly on the phone at: 410.490.6178.