Cost to paint LA house exterior?

$7K–$18K for 2,000 sqft single-story.

Cabinet repaint cost?

$3.5K–$7K for a 25-door kitchen.

Bay exterior paint cost?

$10K–$25K for 2,000 sqft. Fog-belt prep is the variable.

Cabinet painting in SF?

$4K–$9K. Shop-spray finish for the cleanest result.

California Interior & Exterior Painting.

LA painting — interior, exterior, cabinet refinish. Sherwin-Williams + Benjamin Moore systems, 5-year workmanship warranty.

Bay painting — exterior prep is the work in fog-belt cities. Power-wash, scrape, prime, two top coats, warrantied.

Los Angeles

$3 – $9 / sqft interior; $4 – $11 / sqft exterior

Walls only bottom; full surface incl. trim top.

Timeline — 3–5 days interior; 5–10 days exterior.

Los Angeles Interior & Exterior Painting →

San Francisco Bay Area

$4 – $11 / sqft interior; $5 – $14 / sqft exterior

Bay labor + weather windows lift cost.

Timeline — 4–6 days interior; 7–12 days exterior.

San Francisco Bay Area Interior & Exterior Painting →

Scope — what we deliver.

Surface prep
Repair + caulk
Prime
Two finish coats
Cleanup + warranty

Permits look different in LA vs the Bay.

Los Angeles — permit notes

No permit.
Lead-safe RRP on pre-1978 homes.
HPOZ color review possible.

Bay Area — permit notes

No permit.
Lead-safe RRP on pre-1978 homes.
Historic district color review (SF, Berkeley).

How we think about interior & exterior painting.

Interior remodels live or die in the rough-in. The work nobody sees — venting, framing corrections, blocking, electrical layout, plumbing slope — is what makes a kitchen feel solid in year 10. We refuse to skip a wall opening if it lets us actually inspect what's behind it.

We sequence trades around moisture and dust, not the other way around. Tile + waterproofing get their own dry day. Cabinets get installed against a perfectly plumb, perfectly painted wall — never the reverse. Floors go in after cabinets so the dishwasher doesn't trap them.

The detail that separates a $40K kitchen from a $120K kitchen is rarely the cabinet brand. It's the alignment: drawer-to-drawer reveals, perfectly equal panel returns, integrated lighting, hidden hinges, soft-closing everything. We obsess over alignment because that's what the eye reads as quality.

The schedule, written out.

Week 0
Measure + design intent
Laser site survey, photo as-builts, plumbing + electrical investigation, scope-of-work + budget tier alignment.
Week 1–3
Design + selections
Plans, elevations, cabinet shop drawings, tile + stone + appliance + plumbing selections locked.
Week 3–6
Permits + procurement
City permit for structural / MEP work, lead times locked on cabinets, stone slabs reserved.
Week 6–8
Demo + rough
Selective demo, framing changes, plumbing + electrical rough-in, HVAC adjustments, inspections.
Week 8–10
Drywall + paint primer
Insulation where opened, drywall, level-5 finish where appropriate, primer coat.
Week 10–12
Tile + cabinets
Waterproofing, tile, cabinet installation, counter template the day cabinets are level.
Week 12–14
Stone + plumbing + appliance
Stone install, plumbing trim, appliances installed and tested, lighting trim.
Week 14–16
Punch + close-out
Touch-up paint, hardware, deep clean, owner walk, warranty registration, manuals binder.

Materials & assemblies.

Component	Default spec	Why
Cabinet boxes	¾" plywood, all-plywood or full-overlay framed, soft-close hardware, dovetail drawers	Particle-board boxes save 10–18% and fail in year 6 at the sink base.
Countertops	Quartz (Caesarstone, Cambria, Silestone) or natural stone with proper sealing	Quartz wins on durability; natural stone wins on character.
Plumbing supply	Type-L copper or PEX-A home-run manifold	PEX-A with a manifold is faster, freeze-tolerant, and easier to repair.
Waterproofing (showers)	Schluter-Kerdi or equivalent sheet membrane over cement board	Liquid-applied membranes work, but sheet is more forgiving on a 14-day install schedule.
Underlayment + flooring	Engineered hardwood ≥ 4mm wear layer, or porcelain tile rated PEI 4+	Solid hardwood + radiant + slab = cupping; engineered is the right choice in CA climates.
Range hood	External-vented, sized at 100 CFM per linear foot of cooktop	Recirculating hoods don't move grease or moisture — never spec them on a gas range.

Hidden costs we flag up front.

Line item	Range	When it hits
Knob-and-tube or aluminum rewire	$8K–$28K	homes built pre-1970, opened walls reveal it
Galvanized supply replacement	$6K–$24K	low pressure + rusty water tells you before demo
Asbestos / lead abatement	$2K–$12K	popcorn ceilings + pre-1978 paint disturbed
Subfloor replacement	$3K–$14K	moisture damage at sink, dishwasher, or exterior wall
HVAC re-balance	$1.5K–$6K	new layout changes register count or duct geometry

cheaper alternatives

What we'd consider — and what we wouldn't.

Cabinet refacing
30–45% cheaper, but boxes still date the kitchen and you can't change the layout.
IKEA + third-party fronts (Semihandmade etc.)
Good budget play under $50K total, but limited depth + lead times can derail the schedule.
Big-box installer
Cheaper labor, but subs rotate weekly — punch lists never close cleanly.

pitfalls — takeover-job patterns

Mistakes to avoid.

Demoing before permits are in hand — a stop-work order resets the schedule by 4–8 weeks
Locking finishes after demo starts — every selection change becomes a change order
Skipping a moisture meter on the subfloor — laying new flooring over 18%+ moisture guarantees a callback
Under-spec'ing the range hood — California gas-cooktop ventilation requirements are stricter than most installers think

Interior & Exterior Painting — Los Angeles.

Interior & Exterior Painting — Bay Area.

In short.

Cost to paint LA house exterior?: $7K–$18K for 2,000 sqft single-story.
Cabinet repaint cost?: $3.5K–$7K for a 25-door kitchen.
Bay exterior paint cost?: $10K–$25K for 2,000 sqft. Fog-belt prep is the variable.
Cabinet painting in SF?: $4K–$9K. Shop-spray finish for the cleanest result.

More we build.

Got a interior & exterior painting project in mind?

Send us the address. We'll pull local zoning, setbacks, and interior & exterior painting feasibility before you spend on drawings.

Start a project →