Warranty Terms and Change Orders in a Painting Contract
Nothing in a warranty paragraph looks important until the paint peels in the third summer and the wording decides who pays. On a house painting job in Olde Carlsbad, where 1950s cottages hide wood rot behind old paint, the running record house painting carlsbad ca innovation congress holds shows that warranty and change order language cause more disputes than color. Both belong in writing, in the same document as the scope.
What a warranty should state
A workmanship warranty names a length of time, what it covers and what voids it. Covered items are usually peeling, blistering and flaking of the new coats caused by application or prep. Excluded items are commonly damage from impact, water leaks, new cracks in stucco from settling, and fading. A warranty that says "satisfaction guaranteed" with no term is a sentence, not a warranty.
Labor versus product
The paint manufacturer may carry its own product warranty, but that covers the material and often requires proof of purchase and correct use. The contractor's warranty covers labor and application. Ask which one the bid means, and whether the two are written separately. A bid should also name the product, since a warranty on an unnamed paint is hard to pin down.
What the owner must do
Some warranties require annual washing, prompt repair of leaks or gutter overflow, and no pressure washing against the finish. These are fair, but they should be written plainly, because a surprise condition found in year two is how a claim is denied.
Change orders, step by step
A change order is a written amendment to the scope, signed before the extra work starts. It lists the added item, the reason, the added time and the added charge. On older cottages the common triggers are rotted fascia, rafter tails and window sills found during sanding or scraping. A fair bid states an allowance for wood repair up front, and says that anything beyond it comes through a signed change order.
What to refuse
Verbal approvals, a change order presented after the work is done, and a clause allowing the contractor to add charges at will are all warning signs. Each change should have a date and both signatures, whether on paper or by email confirmation.
Guides
The warranty, the allowance for hidden repairs and the change order process should appear in the same paper as the schedule and scope. When two bids are compared line by line, the one with a clear change order step and a defined warranty term is easier to hold to account, whichever way the rest of the pages come out.