Colonial Revival
The most common silhouette on many streets. Symmetry is everything: shutters that read as a matched set, consistent trim color, and windows painted so the muntins stay crisp.
Grosse Pointe, MichiganPainting the Pointes.
In more than 37 years of painting, Bob Guiffre has painted homes across Grosse Pointe and Metro Detroit. Here’s how we think about the houses that give the Pointes their character.
Where we work
All five Pointes — and beyond.
- City of Grosse Pointe
- Grosse Pointe Park
- Grosse Pointe Farms
- Grosse Pointe Woods
- Grosse Pointe Shores
- Metro Detroit
We paint homes throughout the five Grosse Pointes and across Metro Detroit. If your home is outside the Pointes, tell us where it is in your estimate request.
Architecture
Every style asks for something different.
The Pointes hold more than a century of American residential architecture. Here’s what each of the common styles asks of a painter.
Tudor Revival
Stucco, brick and dark half-timbering. The timbers should read as one confident color, cut cleanly against the field, and the stucco needs a finish suited to masonry.
Georgian & brick
Brick bodies with painted cornices, dentils, windows and doors. On these houses the paint is all detail — exactly where careful brushwork shows.
French Eclectic
Steep roofs, turrets, arched openings and casements. Softer palettes, and patient work around every curve and leaded or divided light.
Craftsman & bungalow
Exposed rafter tails, brackets, deep porches and tapered columns. Many edges, much handwork, and room for a richer, layered palette.
Mid-century & ranch
Long horizontal lines and big windows. Restrained color and razor-straight edges keep these homes looking sharp and intentional.
Older homes
What older houses need from paint.
Much of the housing here was built long before today’s paints existed. That history shapes the work.
Original wood windows
Old sashes need sound glazing, careful scraping and paint that seals the wood without gluing the window shut.
Plaster walls
Hairline cracks are normal and repaired as part of prep. Loose or bulging plaster is a bigger repair that comes first.
Layers of old paint
Many older homes have oil-based paint under newer coats. Knowing what’s there decides how it has to be prepared.
Old-growth wood trim
Dense original trim takes paint beautifully when it’s properly cleaned, sanded and primed — and fights back when it isn’t.
Near the water
Homes close to Lake St. Clair can see more wind and moisture, which makes thorough prep and the right product even more important.
A short season
Michigan’s exterior painting window is short. Planning ahead gives a project the best weather.
FAQ
Local questions.
What areas do you serve?
All five Grosse Pointes — Grosse Pointe, Grosse Pointe Park, Grosse Pointe Farms, Grosse Pointe Woods and Grosse Pointe Shores — and homes across Metro Detroit. If you’re not sure whether you’re in our area, just tell us where the home is in your estimate request.
Do older homes need a different approach?
Often, yes. Plaster walls, original wood trim and windows, and layers of old paint — sometimes oil-based — all change how surfaces should be prepared. Our guide to painting an older Grosse Pointe home explains what to expect.
My older home has plaster walls with cracks. Can they be painted?
Usually, yes. Hairline cracks are common in older plaster and are repaired as part of preparation. Plaster that is loose, bulging or separating from the lath is a bigger repair that has to be addressed before painting. We’ll point out what we see when we walk the rooms with you.
Painting in the Pointes?
Tell us a little about the project and we’ll be in touch to talk it through and set a time to see it.