Greece

Greece stretches from the Ridge up to the lake, and the closer a house sits to the water, the harder its exterior works. Wind-driven rain finds the joints, and paint on the north and west elevations gives out years before the rest of the house.

So exteriors here start with repair, not color: fascia and soffits checked, soft sills and porch boards replaced, joints and window perimeters caulked, bare wood primed. Then finish coats go on inside the temperature range the product specifies, not whenever the crew happens to be free.

Inside, our Greece work is mostly whole-house repaints and kitchen or bath remodeling on the town's large stock of split levels and colonials, with the same crew handling the carpentry and the paint.