The urgent ones
Bare wood or bare substrate anywhere. Once the coating is gone, water gets into the material itself. On wood that becomes rot, and rot becomes carpentry rather than painting. This one does not wait.
Failed caulk at joints and penetrations. Open joints around trim, windows, and anywhere two materials meet are the entry points. Paint does not fail in the middle of a wall. It fails at the joints, the end grain, the south-facing fascia, and anywhere water was allowed to sit.
Soft trim or fascia. Press a fingernail into the fascia board and the sill under a window. If it gives, you have a repair, not a repaint.
The ones that mean you have a year or two
Chalking. Run a hand down a sunny wall. A powdery residue means the binder has broken down under UV. The coating is at the end of its service life but is still protecting the wall.
Fading that is uneven between elevations. Your west and south walls will always go first in Austin. When one elevation is visibly a different shade from the others, that is the coating telling you how much longer it has.
Hairline cracking in stucco. Central Texas clay moves and stucco reports it. Fine cracking is normal and treatable during prep; widening cracks are worth having looked at sooner.
The one everybody ignores
It has simply been long enough. Exteriors in Central Texas typically need repainting every five to eight years, sooner on elevations taking direct west or south sun. If you cannot remember the last time, the answer is probably that it is due.
Interiors are different. They go on wear and taste rather than protection, though kitchens, baths and hallways take far more abuse than bedrooms and show it first.
Why annual inspections change this
Our program is specifically designed to offer the highest quality service possible. By using the finest painting products available on the market, we are able to offer a 5 year professional workmanship guarantee but the truly unique aspect of this program is the Annual Inspections.
For 5 years, APP. will schedule an annual appointment to inspect your home. Anything that needs touching up, we will gladly take care of it. Catching a failed caulk joint in year two is a touch-up. Finding it in year six is a carpentry bill.