A full exterior repaint in the Raleigh-Durham metro typically runs $3,800 to $8,200. That's a wide range on purpose — the same three-bedroom ranch and the same two-story colonial can land at opposite ends of it depending on siding condition, paint grade, and how much scraping and sanding the crew has to do before a drop of paint goes on. Here's what actually moves the number.
Size and stories set the baseline
Painters price by surface area, not square footage of living space, so a single-story ranch with a simple roofline costs less than a two-story home with the same footprint — there's more wall area, plus the crew needs ladders, scaffolding, or lift equipment to reach the second story safely. A compact one-story home (under about 1,800 sq ft) sits toward the lower end of the local range. A typical two-story home in the 2,200–3,200 sq ft class lands in the middle. Larger two-story homes, homes with a lot of gables and dormers, or anything with wraparound porches and detailed trim push toward the top.
Siding material common in the Triangle
What's under the paint matters as much as how big the house is. In Raleigh-Durham you'll mostly see four types:
- Vinyl siding — common in newer subdivisions. Paint adhesion is trickier (it needs a flexible, vinyl-safe formula), and many homeowners choose to re-side rather than paint aging vinyl, but painting is possible and cheaper than replacement.
- Fiber cement (Hardie board and similar) — very common on newer and remodeled homes in the metro, thanks in part to fiber cement siding being "engineered specifically for the North Carolina climate for maximum energy efficiency year-round"