Exterior painting costs $1.50 to $5.00 per square foot, or $3,000 to $10,000 for an average 2,000 square foot house, by national figures published for 2026. In Detroit the answer depends first on what the house is made of. A brick house needs only its trim painted. A frame house needs every wall done.
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?
Nationally, it costs $3,000 to $10,000 to paint the exterior of a house of about 2,000 square feet. HomeGuide's table by house size is below. It shows the paintable wall area it assumes for each size.
| House 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 |
That table assumes siding on every wall. Many Detroit homes are brick with painted wood or aluminum trim, so the painted area is much smaller and the work is mostly detail: windows, fascia, soffits, porches and gables. We measure what actually gets paint.
How much does it cost to paint a two-story house outside?
A two-story house costs more per square foot than a low one, because of ladders, staging and slower work at height. HomeGuide's main exterior page gives no figure by number of floors.
Its page on vinyl siding does: $1,500 to $7,900 for a two-story house of 1,500 to 2,500 square feet, and $3,200 to $13,100 for three floors. Its brick page lists $2.50 to $3.50 per square foot for a two-story house. Detroit foursquares and colonials are tall, with high gables and dormers, so access is a real part of our quote.
How much does it cost to paint a small single-story ranch?
A single-story ranch is the least costly house to paint, because every wall can be reached from a short ladder. HomeGuide's vinyl siding page lists $1,000 to $3,600 for a one-story home of 1,000 to 1,500 square feet, and its brick page lists $1.50 to $2.50 per square foot for a one-story house.
Many ranches in the Detroit area are brick below with a little siding in the gables. On those the job is the trim, the gable ends, the garage door and the front door, and it is priced by those items.
How much does it cost to paint just the trim, shutters and front door?
Exterior trim costs $1 to $4 per linear foot to paint, or $1,000 to $2,500 for a house, by the national figures. Shutters are listed at $50 to $100 per pair and a front door at $125 to $225.
| Item | National figure |
|---|---|
| Exterior trim | $1 to $4 per linear foot |
| Eaves, fascia and soffit | $2 to $6 per linear foot |
| Shutters | $50 to $100 per pair |
| Front door | $125 to $225 |
| Garage door | $150 to $550 |
| Exterior window frame | $40 to $150 per window |
This is the most common exterior job we see on brick houses in Detroit. Old wood windows and deep cornices take time, and peeling sills need scraping and priming before any finish coat.
Does the exterior price include power washing, scraping and caulking?
It should, and with us it does. Washing, scraping loose paint, spot priming and caulking are part of the quote. Ask every painter to write those steps down, because a price that leaves them out is not the same job.
Where they are charged as an extra, HomeGuide lists pressure washing a house at $170 to $360. It publishes no labor price for caulking alone. A wash matters in Detroit, where road grit and soot settle on walls and paint will not stick to a dirty surface.
How much more does it cost if the old paint is peeling?
Peeling paint adds cost because all of it has to come off back to a sound edge before new paint goes on. No published figure exists for scraping a whole house, so that part is priced after we see it.
For single items HomeGuide lists trim paint removal at $1.50 to $5.00 per linear foot. On a Detroit house built before 1978 the peeling paint may contain lead, and it must then be scraped with lead-safe methods and the chips collected. That adds setup and clean-up time.
How much does it cost to paint vinyl siding, brick or stucco?
The cost to paint vinyl siding is $1 to $3 per square foot, brick is $1.50 to $4.50 and stucco is $1.00 to $5.50, by the page HomeGuide publishes for each one.
| 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 figure published |
HomeGuide's main exterior page gives slightly different numbers for the same walls, such as $2.50 to $5.00 for brick. We show the figures from each siding's own page.
Spray or roll outside: is there a cost or quality difference?
Spraying or rolling gives a good result when the prep is right, and neither is always cheaper. Spraying is faster on big open walls but needs far more masking. Brushing and rolling is slower and wastes less paint.
On rough wood and stucco, many painters spray and then roll the wet paint in so it gets into the grain. In tight Detroit side yards, with a neighbor's house and car a few feet away, brush and roller is often the safer method. Ask the painter which method the quote assumes and why.
How long does an exterior paint job last here?
By the national figures an exterior paint job lasts 5 to 10 years on average. HomeGuide lists 3 to 7 years on wood siding, 5 to 10 years on aluminum and 5 to 7 years on stucco.
Freeze and thaw is what wears paint out in Michigan. Water gets behind a cracked film, freezes and lifts it. Good prep, primer on bare wood and sound caulk make more difference to the life of the job than the color coat.
A free estimate with a written quote is the only way to get a real price for your job. Call or text (313) 209-8467.