DIY or Hire a Pro? The Honest Cost Breakdown Every Kiwi Homeowner Needs to Read

G'day folks, Brad here from Kiwi Painting Tips. After 15 years painting houses from Northland to Invercargill, I'm settling the DIY debate once and for all with real numbers, hidden costs, and stories that'll save you thousands (and possibly your marriage).

Quick answer: DIY painting costs $3,500-4,000 in materials plus 80-100 hours of your time. Professional painting costs $7,000-12,000 but includes guarantee, insurance, and your sanity. The real question isn't "what's cheaper?" but "what's your time worth?"

The Real Cost Breakdown: 150sqm Weatherboard House in NZ (2024 Prices)

DIY Painting: The Complete Shopping List

Item	Cost	The Reality
Quality exterior paint (not the cheap stuff)	$800-1,200	You'll need 40-50L for proper coverage
Primer (yes, you need it)	$300-400	Skipping this is why DIY jobs fail
Undercoat	$250	Essential for weatherboards
Decent brushes	$150	Cheap ones leave bristles in your paint
Roller frames and sleeves	$200	You'll go through more than you think
Extension poles	$80	Unless you fancy falling off a ladder
Drop sheets	$100	Paint on your deck costs more to fix
Sandpaper and blocks	$60	Prep is 80% of the job
Quality masking tape	$80	Cheap tape = bleeding edges
Paint trays and liners	$50
Ladder hire (4 weeks)	$400	You won't finish in a weekend
Cleaning products	$100	Turps, thinners, cleaners
Safety gear	$80	Don't paint in your All Blacks jersey
Filler and caulking	$150	Every house needs this
Scrapers and prep tools	$100	Old paint won't remove itself
TOTAL	$3,450-4,050	Plus 80-100 hours of your life

Professional Painting: What's Actually Included

Service	Auckland	Wellington	Christchurch	Regional NZ
Full exterior (150sqm)	$9,000-12,000	$8,500-11,000	$7,000-10,000	$6,500-9,000
Includes	All materials, labour, insurance, 5-7 year guarantee, proper prep, lead paint handling if needed

Brad's Reality Check: "Last month, a Tauranga bloke called me to finish his DIY job. He'd already spent more than my original quote and was only halfway done. Poor bugger had paint in his hair and his wife wasn't talking to him."

The Hidden Costs That Nobody Talks About

DIY Hidden Costs

Your time value: 80 hours × your hourly rate = ?
Mistakes: Wrong paint choice, colour disasters, poor coverage
Physical toll: Sore shoulders, bad back, potential injury
Relationship strain: Living in chaos for months
Shorter lifespan: DIY jobs typically last 2-3 years vs 7-10 professional

Professional Hidden Benefits

Bulk buying power: We pay 30-40% less for paint
No wastage: No garage full of half-empty tins
Speed: One week vs three months of weekends
Problem detection: We spot and fix issues before they become disasters
Tax deductible: If it's a rental property

Real Story: Two Neighbours, Two Choices, Two Very Different Outcomes

Last year in Karori, Wellington, two neighbours with identical 1960s weatherboard houses both needed painting.

House A: John the DIY Warrior

Software developer, smart bloke, watched every YouTube video. Started October 2023.

Materials: $3,800
Tool hire and purchases: $1,200
Redoing south wall (wrong paint): $400
Emergency scaffolding after ladder incident: $2,000
Professional rescue (me): $4,500
Total: $11,900 plus four months of weekends

House B: Sarah the Smart Cookie

Hired me straight away.

Full professional job: $9,500
Time taken: 8 days
Weekends at the beach: Priceless
Total: $9,500 and zero stress

Room-by-Room Cost Comparison

Bathroom Painting

DIY Cost	Professional Cost	Brad's Take
$200-400	$800-1,200	"Wrong paint in bathrooms = mould in 6 months. Seen it dozens of times in Christchurch's damp winters. That $400 saving becomes a $2,000 fix."

Kitchen Cabinets

DIY Cost	Professional Cost	Brad's Take
$300-500	$2,500-4,000	"Everyone thinks they can paint cabinets after Pinterest. One wrong brush stroke shows forever. Just redid a Ponsonby kitchen where DIY dropped the house value by $20K."

Full Interior (150sqm)

DIY Cost	Professional Cost	Brad's Take
$1,200-1,800	$4,000-6,000	"Professionals use 30% less paint because we know how to apply it properly. DIYers often need 3-4 coats."

When DIY Makes Sense (Even I Admit It)

✅ Perfect DIY Projects:

Single bedroom (weekend project, low stakes)
Fence painting (hard to stuff up, great practice)
Garden shed or garage (nobody cares if it's not perfect)
Feature wall (one wall, one colour, minimal risk)

✅ You Have These Conditions:

Genuine spare time (not sacrificing family time)
Physical fitness for the work
Someone experienced to guide you
Can afford to get it wrong
Interior work at ground level only

When You MUST Hire a Professional (No Exceptions)

🚫 Never DIY These:

Multi-storey homes (3 serious falls last year alone)
Heritage properties (lead paint requires certification)
Investment properties (tax deductible and adds value)
Pre-sale painting (DIY can decrease value)
Time-critical projects (new baby, in-laws visiting)
Coastal properties (special techniques needed)

Brad's Warning: "Hamilton bloke fell off DIY scaffolding last year. Six weeks in hospital. His 'savings' cost him his ACC levy, income, and nearly his mobility."

Regional Price Guide: What You'll Actually Pay Across NZ

Auckland

Professional: $30-40 per sqm
Reality: Highest prices but your time's worth more. If you earn $50+/hour, DIY is actually your most expensive option.

Wellington

Professional: $28-38 per sqm
Challenge: Add 20% time for wind delays. DIYers don't factor this and jobs stretch for months.

Christchurch

Professional: $25-35 per sqm
Opportunity: Post-rebuild competition means great value right now. Best time to hire a pro.

Queenstown

Professional: $30-40 per sqm
Warning: Tourist town = Auckland prices. No bargains here.

Regional NZ

Professional: $22-32 per sqm
Tip: Check insurance and references. Cheap isn't good if they disappear.

The 5-Minute Decision Framework

Calculate Your TRUE DIY Cost:

Materials (from table above): $________
Your hourly rate × 80 hours: $________
Tool hire/purchase: $________
Risk factor (10% for mistakes): $________
Total TRUE cost: $________

Compare to Professional Quote:

Is DIY saving you more than 50%?
Can you afford 3 months of weekends?
Can you handle potential failure?
Is your relationship chaos-proof?

If you answered "no" to any of these, hire a professional.

Final Reality Check: The Christchurch Couple

Best example from my files: Christchurch couple, 1970s two-storey. Got my quote, decided to DIY. Three months later:

Husband fell off scaffolding (minor injuries, major wake-up call)
Spent $5,000 on materials and equipment
Completed exactly one wall properly
Marriage hanging by a thread

I finished for my original quote. They said it was the best money ever spent, "not for the paint job, but for saving our marriage and our summer."

Brad's Bottom Line After 15 Years

Look, I make money when you hire me, so here's my honest take:

DIY if: It's small, you genuinely enjoy it, you have time to burn, and mistakes won't matter.

Hire a pro if: It's your family home, involves heights, needs doing quickly, or the cost difference is less than 50% after factoring your time.

The most expensive paint job? The one you do twice.

Ready to Make a Decision?

Getting Quotes? Ask these questions:

Are you insured? (Get proof)
What's your guarantee period?
Is prep work included?
How do you handle weather delays?
Can I see local references?

Going DIY? Ask yourself:

Do I really have 80-100 hours?
Can my relationship survive this?
What's my backup plan?
Is saving $3,000 worth three months of chaos?

Got a specific situation? Drop it in the comments and I'll give you my honest take. No sales pitch, just straight advice from someone who's seen every painting scenario in New Zealand.

First consultation is always free if you're in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, or anywhere between. Even if you don't hire me, you'll know what a proper quote looks like.

Check out more straight-talking paint advice at kiwipaintingtips.co.nz

Cheers, Brad

P.S. - That time with the roses? They actually won "Most Original Garden Feature" at the local show. Sometimes mistakes make the best stories.