Richfield grew up fast after World War II, and its housing still shows it. About 48% of Richfield's housing units were built between 1940 and 1959, and the median year built is 1959. Many of those homes are ramblers or Cape Cods of 800 to 1,000 square feet with two or three bedrooms. Houses like these have usually been painted several times already, so the next coat only lasts if the prep underneath is done right.
Oller Painting and Coatings is based right next door in Bloomington. We have finished more than 2,500 projects since 2014, every estimate is free, we never ask for a deposit, and our work carries a two-year warranty.
Our work in Richfield
On a story-and-a-half home in Richfield, the siding up in the gables had failed. We repainted the exterior siding and trim and finished the house in navy. The before and after photos show the difference a full siding and trim repaint makes on this kind of house.
What we see in Richfield homes
Postwar age.
About 54% of Richfield homes were built before 1960, and about 76% before 1980.
The 1852 Bartholomew House is an older counterpoint to Richfield's postwar neighborhoods, with clapboards and a long painted porch. A house with comparable wood siding needs an inspection of board ends and porch edges before primer and finish paint are chosen.
Lead-safe rules apply to most of the city.
Federal rules require anyone paid to do work that disturbs painted surfaces in homes built before 1978 to be certified. The EPA estimates that about three-quarters of U.S. homes built before 1978 still contain some lead-based paint. In a city where most homes are that old, we plan every scrape and sand around those rules.
Point-of-sale inspections.
Under a 1989 ordinance, single-family and two-family homes in Richfield, including condominiums, that transfer title after October 1, 1990 must be inspected by the city and receive a Certificate of Housing Maintenance before closing. The inspector checks the condition of exterior paint or covering, and the city lists "bare wood or peeling paint" and "window glazing missing or deteriorated" among its common corrections.
Mostly single-family houses.
About 59% of Richfield's housing units are single-family detached homes.
Around 1950, Washburn Avenue was still a dirt road lined with brand-new one-story houses, each with lap siding, shuttered windows and a simple front entry. Many of Richfield's houses carry decades of paint today, so on a home like these we check the siding, shutters and window trim for loose layers before choosing primer and paint.
Richfield painting FAQs
I am selling my Richfield house and the city inspection flagged peeling paint. Can you help?
Yes. Peeling paint and bare wood are on Richfield's list of common point-of-sale corrections, and repairs must be finished and re-inspected before closing. We can scrape, prime and repaint the flagged areas and give you a written scope you can show the inspector. The city suggests calling its Inspections Division at 612-861-9882 to check whether any repair needs a permit.
My house was built in the 1950s. Does lead paint matter for a repaint?
It does. Any paid work that disturbs paint in a home built before 1978 falls under the EPA renovation, repair and painting rule. We will talk through containment and cleanup with you before work starts.
Only the siding up in my gables is peeling. Do I need to paint the whole house?
Not always. On a story-and-a-half, we look at every side and give you options, from repairing and repainting the worst areas to a full exterior repaint like the navy job above.
Do you paint ramblers and Cape Cods?
Yes. Ramblers and Cape Cods are some of the most common homes in Richfield. Tell us what is bothering you about yours, inside or out, and we will price it on site.