Should You Greet Your Neighbors When Painting the Exterior? What Happens If You Don’t? Cases Where You Should Greet Them Yourself and Things to Keep in Mind!

 

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When performing exterior wall painting, there may be a distinct odor and machine noise can also resonate.

Because of this,

many people might be thinking,

“Should I greet the neighbors?”

In this article, we will explain in detail whether you should greet your neighbors when carrying out exterior wall painting.

What impact does exterior wall painting have on the surroundings?

First, let’s take a closer look at the impact of exterior wall painting on the surroundings.

Noise

Exterior wall painting involves various tasks beyond just painting.

For example,

・Scaffolding installation
・High-pressure washing

When installing scaffolding, large sounds are produced as metal plates are hammered into place.

Additionally, scaffolding may be set up to surround the entire house, which can result in prolonged loud noises.

When performing exterior wall painting, the walls are first cleaned thoroughly.

This often involves using a high-pressure washer, which is equipped with an engine and produces significant noise.

Although the noise is less than that of scaffolding installation, it can still be challenging to work without making any noise at all.

 

Furthermore, exterior wall painting requires workers to collaborate closely.

During this process, they often give instructions or check on each other loudly, which can disturb the surrounding area.

That said, these vocal communications are essential for ensuring the work progresses smoothly and for safety, so it is impossible to eliminate them completely.

Odor

The paint used for exterior wall painting does not have a pleasant smell.

In particular, oil-based paints emit a solvent odor, which can be unpleasant for some people.

That said, it is common to use water-based paint for exterior walls of houses, so while it can reduce odors compared to oil-based paint, achieving a completely odorless result is quite difficult, which may cause inconvenience to those nearby.

 

Material Splashing

When carrying out exterior wall work, we perform a process called protection to prevent color splashes and other material splashes.

Thanks to this protection, we can prevent splashes of materials and paint, but in some cases, water from a high-pressure washer may still splash.

 

What should you do about greetings when painting the exterior walls?

So, should you greet your neighbors when painting the exterior walls?

Here, we will look at the thoughts of those who greeted and those who did not.

 

Thoughts of Those Who Greeted

Some people have the following thoughts:

・I want to avoid trouble with the painting contractor and neighbors
・I don’t want to be seen as inconsiderate by the neighborhood
・Because a neighboring house greeted us when they painted their exterior walls before

Many people who went to greet their neighbors had such thoughts.

Indeed, since the work is being done by the exterior painting contractor and the target is their own home, if they cause any inconvenience, the attention will naturally turn to them.

It seems that many people want to avoid such situations and therefore make the rounds to greet their neighbors.

 

Thoughts of Those Who Did Not Greet

There are also a certain number of people who did not greet their neighbors when painting the exterior walls.

The reasons include:

・The contractor told us that they would greet the neighbors, so it was unnecessary for us to do so
・I thought greeting might make them feel awkward
・There were no houses adjacent to my home

These are common reasons.

When hearing “I did not greet,” it might seem like they did not feel the need to greet, but it appears that many people thought about it but did not do so for various reasons.

 

No Need to Greet Neighbors When Painting the Exterior Walls! What’s the Reason?

Generally speaking, there is no need to greet neighbors when painting the exterior walls.

Let’s take a closer look at the reasons for this.

 

It is generally done by the contractor

Greetings during exterior wall painting are typically done by the contractor.

This is because neighboring residents often want to know:

・What time will the construction take place?
・Will there be any road closures?
・Can I hang my laundry as usual?
・What about the issue of materials scattering?

Even if the client for the exterior painting goes to greet them, they may not be able to explain these details specifically.

For this reason, it is perfectly fine to leave the greetings before construction to the contractor.

Some may feel that “it seems rude to ask the contractor to handle the greetings,”
but for the contractor, greetings are part of their sales activities, so it is actually appreciated.

 

Do I have to prepare a small gift myself?

In most cases, the contractor will prepare the small gifts.

Typically, as part of their sales activities, they bring items like towels with their company name on them, but the small gifts do not need to be expensive, so it can be said that the client does not need to prepare them.

Cases where you should greet yourself and things to keep in mind

As such, greetings to the neighbors are generally handled by the contractor, so the client does not need to stress about it.

However, some may want to greet as a matter of courtesy.

In such cases, casually greeting the neighbors can be one method.

This way, you can start the construction pleasantly without damaging the trust with the neighbors.

That said,

“What should I say?”

Many may be wondering this.

So, I will explain in detail what to keep in mind when you decide to greet the neighbors yourself.

No need for greeting cards

When you greet the neighbors yourself, generally, greeting cards are not necessary.

This is typically prepared by the contractor, and the greeting cards usually include:

・Contractor’s name
・Date and time
・Important notes
・Request regarding the construction

It is generally something that the client cannot create themselves.

 

Informing that the contractor will come to greet

When greeting, it is recommended to inform that the contractor will come to greet later.

As explained earlier, neighboring residents are eager to know how long the construction will last and what precautions are necessary,

so simply reporting,

“We will be doing exterior wall painting,”

may not convey the information they want to know.

For this reason, by saying, “I believe the contractor will come later,” you can show courtesy to the residents and also help ease their concerns.

 

It’s good to greet the houses in front, back, and on the sides lightly

If you have any time before the exterior work begins, it’s a good idea to greet the houses in front, back, and on the sides lightly.

Of course, it’s not mandatory, but by informing them of the construction and simply saying, “We apologize for the inconvenience, and thank you for your understanding,” you can prevent potential troubles.

Especially if you have close neighbors, greeting them is one way to go about it.

 

Conclusion

Many people struggle with how to greet neighbors during exterior wall painting.

Basically, the greetings during construction are mostly done by the contractor, so there’s no need to worry.

If you are still anxious, it’s a good idea to ask about greetings to surrounding residents during the planning stage.

 

However, going to greet is never a bad thing, so if you have the time, I recommend visiting the surrounding residents to say hello.

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