Cost to Paint a 3 Bedroom House in Australia [2024 Guide]
As a professional house painter with over 10 years of experience giving makeovers to Australian homes, the question I get asked most often is, “How much will it cost to paint my 3-bedroom house?”. It’s a fair question. While a lot depends on the specifics of the job, based on my many years in the business, I can give a reasonable ballpark estimate. For painting the interior and exterior of a standard 3-bedroom house, you’re typically looking at a cost between $6,500 and $9,800.
Of course, every house and every painting job comes with its own unique challenges. Things like multiple stories, dated surfaces that require extra prep, custom colours, and specialty finishes can all impact the cost. The existing paint’s condition also plays a role – if it’s flaking or peeling, that’ll require additional work. We also factor in expenses like equipment rental when necessary.
Cost to Paint a 3 Bedroom House Interior
For a single-story 3-bedroom house requiring a refresh of just the walls, costs typically range from $2,500 on the lower end up to $3,800 on average. I base this ballpark estimate off calculating the necessary person-hours for proper prep work, priming, painting, and clean up.
Now for multi-level homes, the range increases considering the challenges of stairs, railings and working at heights. For a double-storey 3-bedroom home, budget between $3,000 to $6,000. Ceilings and skirting boards also drive up the price. Same with rooms needing drywall repairs or excessive patching – that can tack on hours of labour and increase the pricing.
Factors Affecting the Cost
Having painted the interiors of countless Australian homes over 10 years, I can tell you there are three main things that shape the final cost of any interior paint job:
- First up is access. For starters, vaulted ceilings in modern homes or intricate trimwork make getting to all the nooks and crannies challenging. Be prepared for the hassle of tall ladders or scaffolding rentals. I also have to mask off floors, furniture and fixtures carefully, which all eats up prep time before brushes ever touch the walls.
- Second is complexity. Things like built-in shelving, kitchen cabinets, multiple doors and windows all add hours to the job. My crew needs to tape off areas precisely, cut in all the edges by hand trim, then roll the open wall sections. More detailed work compared to a completely blank wall space. We may even need to remove hardware like switchplates. It’s tedious!
- Lastly is specialty finishes. These days everyone fancies themselves an interior designer. I’m often asked to do accent walls with complex textures or patterns like Venetian plaster. Or finicky faux treatments. While I enjoy the creativity, be aware custom stenciling, rag rolling and glazing steps up the rate significantly for the extra effort and products needed.
Average Cost Breakdown
- Ceilings: Ceilings often account for about 20% of the total interior painting price tag because of the extra effort it takes. First, taping off and covering the floors with drop cloths is crucial. Then, moving ladders constantly to cut-in edges and reach the centres of the ceiling without missing any patches takes skill and time. Ceiling surfaces tend to be textured or repaired unevenly, requiring touch-ups and multiple coats for smooth, even results.
- Walls: After ceilings, interior wall space makes up the bulk of materials and labour hours – I’d estimate 50% or more of the total price. Prepping properly (filling holes, sanding, etc.) before applying two finish coats gets the colour even and does the paint job last. Most underestimate the amount of paint needed to cover walls in a flowing, professional manner!
- Skirting boards: Skirting and trim may only make up 10% of paint costs, but they impact the overall polished look. We have to carefully cut all edges by hand without taping off. It takes finesse. Then doors, jambs, and frames account for another 10-15% for sanding, priming, painting the front and back, and removing hardware for a professional finish.
I share these percentages so you understand where the hours go. Too often cheaper bids result in skipping crucial steps that sacrifice quality and longevity.
So when comparing estimates, look past the bottom line and make sure proper prep and protection is included at each stage! Going with the most affordable quote often leads to redo’s and bigger expenses down the road.
Exterior Painting Cost for a 3 Bedroom House
In terms of dollar ranges, for exterior painting on a single-story 3, bedroom home, expect to invest $4,000 to $6,000. Double that for double-story construction, putting most two-level 3-bedroom homes in the $6,000 to $10,000 range.
What raises costs? Additional heights like dormers, gables and vaulted spaces. Also, special textures requiring skilled techniques drive up pricing fast.
Some homeowners choose to just focus on high visibility areas like the front elevation. But as a professional painter with decades of experience transforming Australian homes, I always recommend doing the ENTIRE exterior all at once rather than piecemeal. Why?
There are economies of scale – buying enough paint for the whole house nets product discounts from the supplier with bulk ordering. The painter gains efficiencies by prepping/painting everything in one fell swoop rather than remobilising multiple times. Those cost savings are passed on to clients with bundled pricing.
Remember, properly painting a house exterior takes TIME, not just money! Proper pressure washing, scraping, caulking, priming, and painting demand patience across every surface. Budget a week or more where ladders, lifts and tarps will dominate your yard. Be sure to ask about protections for vegetation and landscaping as well – quality painters safeguard your outdoor property too
How Long Does it Take to Paint a 3 Bedroom House?
So, how long should you expect the whole painting project to take from start to finish? That’s always an important planning consideration for homeowners and affects things like moving logistics, travel plans and more!
Let me give you an idea of realistic timeframes given the hundreds of 3 bedroom homes I’ve tackled in my 10+ years… My team usually schedules 3-5 business days depending on square footage, whether it’s single or multi-level, the amount of detail work needed for the trim and built-ins, etc.
We aim to have the ceiling and wall prep and priming done on day one, then follow up with cutting-in edges/rolling and often 2 coats to ensure proper coverage. If there’s a lot of patching or texture repairs required that can also impact the timeline just due to drying times.
The exteriors take me 2-4 days depending on factors like weather, accessibility, multiple stories or rooflines, as well as the amount of sanding and scraping required to prep properly for painting.
The rule of thumb is it’s faster to remove and replace old, flaking paint rather than trying to salvage it! For most standard 3 bedroom single story houses though, I’d say 2 full business days for the exterior work once all the wash/scrape/patching/priming is done.
That means you’re generally looking at 2-3 full business days to knock out the interior and another 2 to 4 days for exterior work concurrently – so for both a complete top-to-bottom paint job, budget 4-7 business days for a typical 3 bedroom home based on my teams’ experience. But there are always extenuating circumstances, which we inform you of upfront so you can plan accordingly!
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