# Zoom Consultations for Your House - Link: https://www.oldhouseguy.com/exterior-color-consulting/ - Published: 2018-05-16T20:58:01-04:00 - Author: Mike Lysiak ### **We offer intensive Zoom consultations for Exterior House Colors, Restorations, New House Plans Review, and Make-overs to qualified homeowners.** Please carefully read this page before completing the form at the bottom of the page to request a consultation. Understanding the information in the links will save time and cost to you during a zoom call. ## Homeowners Beware: Can You Trust Your Contractor? Your contractor may possess skills and passion for old homes, but that does not automatically guarantee they have the expertise or qualifications. Traditional architecture is something today’s architects are no longer taught unless they are specialized in historic preservation. [See my credentials here. ](https://www.oldhouseguy.com/about-us/) There is a video out there about Spring Break called **Girls Gone Wild**. Someday I will make a similar **video called, “Contractors, Architects, and Homeowners Gone Wild**” **Just because a homeowner spends a lot of money on a project and does a lot of work doesn’t mean what they did was right or that the house will look good.** Homeowners are immune to the abundance of bad design everywhere including that of their own home. **They try to fix their home by buying and buying: New light fixtures, new door color, new landscaping etc. They don’t realize these are merely distractions** [from the fundamental problem they and their contractors have created. ](https://www.oldhouseguy.com/window-boxes-for-curb-appeal/) They finally convince themselves their house looks good. Ignorant neighbors will joyfully compliment them too. Unfortunately this only looks good to the UNTRAINED eye.  Just because 100 people on Houzz say something look great does not mean that it is. They are merely educating themselves by constantly looking at bad design.** My goal is to train your eyes to not only see the difference but to understand why.** [[ **The following is an excerpt by [Steve Mouzon’ book ](https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0071416323/kenroginskihisto) that explains what people do to their old and new homes.** > **_. . . historic homes consist of misshapen pieces of modern or Disneyland interpreted > traditional architecture stitched together with no clear vision of what the result > should be. The same is for current construction stitched together with semi-traditional > pieces or architecture._** > **_Most people probably can’t explain exactly what is wrong with this sort of > building because there are just enough traditional pieces thrown in to make it > look vaguely traditional at first glance just as Frankenstein looked vaguely human > at first._** It is important to maintain your house correctly. You are merely a steward of many homeowners. Remember, future homeowners will scrutinize the work done on your house. Understanding architectural design and old house restoration services is the key to ensuring a successful outcome. [WINDOWS: ](https://www.oldhouseguy.com/windows/) If you are unfortunate enough to have purchased a house from rabid homeowners that replaced your original windows with white plastic, your house is considered damaged. Your option is to [paint according to this link ](https://www.oldhouseguy.com/white-replacement-window/) or have replica windows made. If YOU replaced your windows with such then you have no place here for future homeowners will curse your grave. ## Avoid Paint Color Placement Mistakes As you probably know by now, choosing exterior historic paint colors for your house is not easy. **Most important! The appearance of good ****paint colors for your house means NOTHING unless there is good**** **[**COLOR PLACEMENT ** ](https://www.oldhouseguy.com/accenting-victorian-house-colors/)**.** I can’t stress this enough! There are certain structural features on a house which need to be displayed correctly to give your home the appearance it was designed to have. To accomplish this, ** the paint colors you choose must be placed on your house in the right locations to work together with the form and structure of the building.** **This is where most people fail** when having their house painted. Seriously 95 percent of houses have color placement wrong. See the comparisons in [**my portfolio ** ](https://www.oldhouseguy.com/portfolio/). They may have chosen the most beautiful exterior house color schemes that work very well together, but if placement of these colors on the house do not follow the architectural form of the building, **it will make it look off balance.** **Beauty is NOT in the eyes of the beholder but shapes in architecture such as rectangular windows. These shapes are what affects our inner senses and the correct color placement allows these shapes to be recognized and enjoyed. ** [**Curb appeal info. ** ](https://www.oldhouseguy.com/aesthetics-the-solution/)( I plan to write a book on this for there is a lot of important information.) ### Professional Color Consultants & Decorators I have seen the work of many professional color consultants and decorators. The colors are really nice but there are way too many colors as if to impress, and those color are in the wrong places. This color pro is a decorator are rarely has training in architecture. **The result is an 8 color Victorian circus house with beautiful colors.** **_Most architectural errors are realized by our subconscious mind, but few of us have the time to really notice any disharmony._** ## Our Virtual: Paint Color, Restoration, Curb Appeal, & New House Plans, Consulting Service We offer our services to qualified homeowners. **This service is EXCLUSIVELY for homeowners and business owners that demonstrate pride in ownership and a respect for historic architecture **(providing your home is historic). ** We promise to teach you and guide you to make your house look like the best house on the block. We will also [review your new construction elevation drawings ](https://www.oldhouseguy.com/new-historic-house/) before you finalize them. ** If your house does not currently have the ability for the best curb appeal we must decline your project but will happily explain what needs to be done. ![historic paint colors, paint color consulting](https://www.oldhouseguy.com/blog/ wp-content/uploads/2013/09/exterior-house-colors.gif) See your house is different colors. _**FIRST** _– If you have not already, please review [my portfolio page. ](https://www.oldhouseguy.com/portfolio/) You will notice that the renderings are of the full front of the house. I no longer offer that service. Don’t worry, that is good. A full front rendering (that was suitable for framing) would take me several hours of setup with a cost to you of $500-800 depending on the house. The current hourly rate is considerably less costly. The difference with the new service is that we will render only a portion of your house showing you various colors on your monitor instead of through email. This way **I explain what to do and why so you understand the logic behind it all.**  This is a very intense consult therefore** it is recorded for you to replay at home.** This works better for us both. Once setup is done I will show you various color combinations you like. I will always provide suggestions and my honest opinion. ## **What to expect during a Zoom consultation** **Rates are $160 an hour.****_ __(usually 1 hour is enough but additional time is charged in 15 minute increments. I will invoice you after for payment by check or PayPal.)_ _ _I am respectful of the time and your cost so** I will send links to my custom made color charts and about 30 pages of information in advance that will answer a lot of your questions**. This includes links to archived paint brochures. It would be good to review the website before also. I will need a good quality photo. Please see instructions below. The meeting will begin with a critique and then **for the next 20 minutes** (if our meeting is about paint colors) or so depending on the details of the house I will be correcting the color placement errors and then outlining each feature before I can show you colors on your house. Due to time limits I will focus only on a small section of the house where you can get the best idea of how the color will appear together.  I work fast but keep in mind that the more color placement correction and the more details that need to be outlined, will take up more time. Adding [shutters ](https://www.oldhouseguy.com/all-about-shutters/), curtains, architectural changes too. If your paint is peeling or dirty in the photo, this will alter how the paint color appears . I can graphically install new siding and do some fixes if needed but it will take more time. If your siding is natural or stained wood, I would need to do the same. I will always provide suggestions and my honest opinion. At the end I will send you a video of our meeting. [⌊dirty wood siding⌉⌊dirty wood siding⌉[ [⌊dirty shingle siding⌉⌊dirty shingle siding⌉[ Dirty siding – Dirty siding painted – Dirty siding graphically resided and painted. ## Learn About Color Placement & Do it Yourself Try doing it on your own. There is only one book I can recommend. [Victorian Exterior Decoration by Roger Moss. ](https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0805023135/kenroginskihisto) I recommend trying this as a first step before contacting me. This way I will have more time to write a book on Paint Color Placement. [⌊historic house paint⌉⌊historic house paint⌉[ Also you really should check our [Resources Page ](https://www.oldhouseguy.com/old-house-resources/) and also [online issues of The Old House Journal. ](https://books.google.com/books/about/Old_House_Journal.html?id=j44OIXEumk8C) [[ [[ Sample of our custom paint color chart. [⌊house colors⌉⌊house colors⌉[ To save time only section of a house is rendered but lots of colors are shown. ### **Complete the form at the bottom of the page to get started.** **IMPORTANT !!! ****Photograph Guidelines:** The photograph you submit will have a dramatic impact on the finished project. Please read our guidelines before submitting the form. If you would like a quote I would need to see a large sized image over 2 megs to do so. **If the photo is bad I will NOT be able to notify you before.** [Click here to read Photo guidelines ](https://www.oldhouseguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Photo-Info.pdf) Additionally, if the current paint is dirty or peeling, that will show in the result and will not allow the color to be represent correctly. In this case I can add new clean siding but this is extra work that will take extra time. **Please check your photos for size and clarity before contacting me. Pride of ownership must be demonstrated – please no trash cans in front of the house or junk on the porch. (Those undergoing restoration excused) I am sorry but I am extremely busy and do not have the time to respond to homes lacking pride of ownership. Thanks!** ### ALSO – I REPLY TO ALL – except solicitors. If you do not hear from me within 2 business days, check your spam and try again. ### Our Policy – this may NOT be for you. We reply to ALL inquiries. We will provide a home assessment on what you can do to get the best possible curb appeal for your house. **Your house is our priority– not your money. ** Our guiding principal is to improve the aesthetic and historic integrity of every house. Sometimes this might not align with what the homeowner desires.  We will try to educate and guide the homeowner to understand this perspective. **We will be completely honest as we critique your house which may not be what you would like to hear.** Our standards will assure the best possible curb appeal. ** If the homeowner’s desires is detrimental to the integrity of the house, we will decline such projects. Your house is our priority, the homeowner is our second.** To insure the best possible appearance, I do not work on houses with [plastic replacement windows ](https://www.oldhouseguy.com/window-designs/). Additionally an enclosed porch will disfigure the architecture of the house. [This article about porch enclosures ](https://www.oldhouseguy.com/window-boxes-for-curb-appeal/) will explain the problem. There are many reasons but one is that I cannot promise good curb appeal. If you prefer to keep your bright white plastic windows, then this link will help you with [house color ](https://www.oldhouseguy.com/white-replacement-window/). **Please read both the above links to fully understand the importance.** A previous homeowner may have replaced your original [windows ](https://www.oldhouseguy.com/windows/) but a reproduction can be installed. If your house is delipidated and your plans are for a restoration I will be happy to assist. There should be pride-of-ownership. Trash cans are fine for pickup but should not be stored in view or have pink flamingos all over the lawn. You get the idea. (sorry, but there are many people that do not know better or just don’t care) If you would like to save me some time and take this challenge on your own, I unfortunately don’t know of anyone I can refer you to. In your search please be sure that the person has historic preservation and Classical architectural background – both are a must. Many people can choose great colors but the placement is what is important– even for a new contemporary style house.**  ****[Here is your one and only resource to do it yourself. ](https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0805023135/kenroginskihisto)** ### What They are Saying About US [Check out our reviews. ](https://www.houzz.com/pro/oldhouseguy/old-house-guy-llc) [⌊paint color certified⌉⌊paint color certified⌉[ ## Get Started Here "*" indicates required fields URL This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. ### Your Contact Information Name* First Last Email* Enter Email Confirm Email How Did You Find Us? ### Project Information What year was your home built?* What state or country is the home located in?* When do you plan on painting?* (I recommend at least 30 days for ample time to test the colors on your house and live with them a bit.) Is this a rush order?* (Less than 3 weeks) Yes No Are you interested in Historic Colors?* Yes No Maybe How authentic would you like it?* Somewhat Authentic Historically Accurate What level of detail would you like? (if you have a Victorian) Painted Lady - every detail accented within reason. No pastels. Simple & elegantly accented (traditional) No Accenting Who chose your current house colors?* Yourself Prior owner Other What colors do you like? What colors do you dislike? Are your window sashes paintable?* If you are not sure - please find out BEFORE contacting me. Yes No If you don't have your original windows, who replaced them? (you, previous owner) Please explain Why?* If your current siding is Vinyl, how soon do you plan to restore the wood beneath the vinyl? ### Your Questions and Comments Questions - Comments - Explanations ### Submit Your Files **Instructions ** Send us up to two high quality photos (2 megs minimum) of your house with your questions. Photo info link above Additional photos can be submitted later. Some users have had issues uploading files using Chrome. If you have a problem, please submit your questions without the file upload and we will get back to you **If you do not hear from us in two business days, please contact us again.**I reply to all except solicitations. Photos Drop files here or Accepted file types: jpg, jpeg, gif, png, zip, psd, pdf, Max. file size: 256 MB, Max. files: 2. **Don't forget to hit the Submit button and be sure you get your confirmation email. Additional pics can be sent later** Newsletter Yes, I'd love to receive your newsletter.