Painting the outside of a house costs $3,000 to $10,000 for an average 2,000 square foot home in 2026, by national published figures. In Detroit the real question is often smaller than that. Many houses here are brick, so the job is the trim, windows, porch, dormers and gables, not four full walls.
Price ranges on this page are national figures published by HomeGuide for 2026. They are not our quotes. Local labor, paint prices and the condition of your own surfaces move the number up or down. Last checked October 2026.
How much does it cost to paint the exterior of a house?
It costs $1.50 to $5.00 per square foot to paint the exterior of a house, by the national figures, or $3,000 to $10,000 for an average 2,000 square foot home.
| Home size | Paintable area assumed | National range |
|---|---|---|
| 1,000 sq ft | 800 sq ft | $1,200 to $4,000 |
| 1,500 sq ft | 1,200 sq ft | $1,800 to $6,000 |
| 2,000 sq ft | 1,700 sq ft | $2,600 to $8,500 |
| 2,500 sq ft | 2,100 sq ft | $3,200 to $10,500 |
| 3,000 sq ft | 2,500 sq ft | $3,800 to $12,500 |
These figures assume the walls are painted. On a Detroit brick bungalow or colonial, the painted area is much smaller, but it is all detail work: window sashes, sills, soffits, fascia, porch posts and railings. Detail work takes more hours per square foot than open siding.
How much does it cost to paint a two-storey house outside?
HomeGuide's main exterior page gives no figure by number of floors. Its vinyl siding page lists $1,500 to $7,900 for a two-story house of 1,500 to 2,500 square feet, and its brick page lists $2.50 to $3.50 per square foot for a two-story house.
Height adds cost because of ladders, staging and slower work. The aluminum siding page says multi-story access can add up to 50%. Detroit has many tall houses: foursquares, colonials and two flats with third floor dormers. We price those after seeing how the high areas can be reached.
How much does it cost to paint a small single-storey ranch?
For a one-story house, the published figures are $1,000 to $3,600 on the vinyl siding page for 1,000 to 1,500 square feet, and $1.50 to $2.50 per square foot on the brick page for a ranch.
By size alone, the main exterior table gives $1,200 to $4,000 for a 1,000 square foot house and $1,800 to $6,000 for 1,500 square feet. A ranch is the simplest exterior to paint. Everything can be reached from a short ladder, which keeps labor down.
How much does it cost to paint just the trim, shutters and front door?
Exterior trim costs $1 to $4 per linear foot, or $1,000 to $2,500 in total, by the national figures. Shutters cost $50 to $100 per pair and a front door $125 to $225.
- Eaves, fascia and soffit: $2 to $6 per linear foot.
- Exterior window frame: $40 to $150 per window.
- Back or side door: $100 to $175.
- Garage door: $150 to $550.
- Gutters and downspouts: $1.25 to $2.70 per linear foot.
- Porch or deck railing: $2 to $8 per linear foot.
This is the most common exterior job on brick houses in Detroit and the suburbs around it. Old wood windows with many small panes take the longest. Scraping and glazing them is slow, careful work.
Does the exterior price include power washing, scraping and caulking?
It should. Washing, scraping loose paint, spot priming and caulking are part of a normal exterior paint job. Our quotes include surface prep, and the written quote lists it.
Some painters list them as extras. For reference, the national figure for pressure washing a house is $170 to $360. No published figure exists for caulking labor on its own, or for scraping a whole house, because both depend on how much has failed. Ask every painter to write the prep steps into the quote.
How much more does it cost if the old paint is peeling?
Peeling paint adds cost because the loose paint has to come off before new paint goes on. No single national price is published for scraping a house. The nearest figures are $1.50 to $5.00 per linear foot for removing paint from trim and $2 to $8 per square foot for removing paint from aluminum siding.
On a house built before 1978, peeling paint may contain lead. Scraping then has to follow lead-safe rules, with plastic on the ground, no open-flame burning and careful clean-up. That adds time. See our page on lead paint rules in Michigan.
How much does it cost to paint vinyl siding, brick or stucco?
It costs $1 to $3 per square foot to paint vinyl siding, $1.50 to $4.50 for brick and $1.00 to $5.50 for stucco, going by HomeGuide's own page for each material.
| Wall type | Per square foot | Average house |
|---|---|---|
| Vinyl siding | $1 to $3 | $1,500 to $5,000 |
| Aluminum siding | $1 to $4 | $1,500 to $7,000 |
| Brick | $1.50 to $4.50 | $2,000 to $8,000 |
| Stucco | $1.00 to $5.50 | $2,400 to $8,100 |
| Wood siding | $1.50 to $5.00 | no table published |
HomeGuide's main exterior page lists slightly different per-foot figures for the same materials, for example $2.50 to $5.00 for brick. In Detroit the walls we are asked about most are wood clapboard, aluminum siding and brick. Stucco is uncommon here outside Tudor gables and some 1920s houses.
Spray or roll outside: is there a cost or quality difference?
Spraying is faster on large open walls, and brushing or rolling gives more control on trim and rough wood. A good exterior job often uses both: sprayed on, then brushed or rolled in while wet so the paint is worked into the surface.
Spraying needs more masking of windows, brick, roofs, cars and the neighbor's house, which on tight Detroit lots can use up the time saved. Quality comes from prep and film thickness, not from the tool. No national figure is published for the price difference, so ask how each painter plans to apply the paint and why.
A free estimate with a written quote is the only way to get a real price for your job. Call or text (313) 251-3869.