I respectfully disagree.

For me, contractors requires my checking in during the day, and so much more driving. My DIY only requires the trip to the hardware store for supplies.

On supplies, my experience has been that the contractors are also less green. I've observed contractors discard left-over paint, and slightly used dropcloths. For our DIY, we recycle left-over paint by using it in other parts of the house, and we recycle things like old shower curtains and vinyl tablecloths for dropcloths.

I think this could be true for somethings, but painting? Come on, it is simplest DIY thing. Bad example.

I have to say that I think painting is one of the most DIY projects. Granted ceilings are tricky but do-able and unless I had a space requiring scaffolding, I would never pay someone to paint for me. If you are talking green you have to factor in the gas the contractor uses to get to your house, electricity if they are using sprayers etc.

I'd have to disagree as well, I doubt very much that hiring a contractor is ever more "sustainable" than going DIY. Most contractors I've worked with ( I do some professional project management for my day job) are very wasteful. Aside from their "core tools", they know that the next job will pay for anything that is even remotely disposable to be replaced, so re-use is a minor concern. Also consider the fact that most contractors will be getting the cheapest supplies they can to keep costs down, and that usually means disposable.

There are other factors that might make it the right choice though. Particularly for jobs that require specialized tools or skills, but painting? A good paintbrush will last a lifetime if taken care of, and even roller covers can go for a few years at least. Surely no one is going to paint once _ever_. I doubt very much that the pros actually get enough of an improvement in coverage to make a difference that matters, unless you are doing a VERY big project, like many thousands of square feet. And even that benefit will be lost if you are using many different kinds of paint and they have to drain and clean their sprayers often. Speaking of sprayers, consider also the extra masking that requires, which will be thrown away when the job is done.

You also have to consider what your time is worth to you. That's usually the deciding factor for me when the question of "DIY or hire a guy" comes up. If it's some fairly onerous task that I'm not particularly interested in, I will usually hire it out if a pro can get it done for less than about $50 of my time. Meaning, if it would take me 2 hours to get it done, but a pro is willing to do it for less than $100 (regardless of how long it will take the pro) I'll hire it out. Of course, that goes out the window if it's something simple or something I enjoy doing.

I disagree too, when I painted my house I got almost all my supplies at a garage sale except for a brush the foam thing that goes on the roller, tape, and the paint. Painters would have been a lot more wasteful.

Sounds to me like your friends, just like the rest of us, really wanted to find a way to justify hiring someone to paint for them. Painting is one of those things that everyone hates and everyone hates even more that it's so easily DIY. As everyone here has pointed out, their reasoning is thin at best. Good for them, for hiring out. I wish I could do the same. But don't try to rationalize it, just enjoy it!

Confession: I love painting!
Unlike my job, I can see real progress when I paint, and it goes fast!

It's definitely true that buying a lot of tools you will only use once is not a very green option.

You can combat this by several methods: borrowing tools from friends, buying used tools and then reselling on craigslist (or giving away free!), or even joining a small coop of people interesting in sharing tools and equipment.

If you're going to need, say, a power washer and a power-sprayer for the outside of the house, probably going to be better to hire out than buy your own.

I don't know about the green factor but painting is one of the few things I now leave to professionals. I hate preparing and spackling the walls and I need tons of masking tape when I do it myself. The contractors I hired did an incredible job at smoothing all walls, used no tape at all and painted so evenly that I cannot see roller strokes in any kind of light. The room looks new, not just freshly painted. I will do tiles, electrical work, flooring, regrading backyard, build a patio, take down trees, build or transform furniture anytime but I'm not going to paint anything myself anymore. Next project: the staircase. The contractors will do it.

It really depends on the contractor you use. IF you do REFERENCES you can find a great one who will do a better job than you. The DIY paint jobs I do always look DIY. Unless I want, "Oh, you did this yourself," everytime I invite people over, I hire a pro. Usually the thing I like about DIY is that it's a showcase of my tallent and not an indicator of how cheap I am.

I did have to buy a lot of new materials when I started painting, but as I was gradually painting my entire interior (have been in my house 7 years and it's just time!), it has made sense for me to go at my own pace. I've also told pretty much all of my friends that when it comes time for them to paint, they can use all my stuff. So maybe it wasn't completely un-green to buy those tools if they're going to be used and re-used by many families. :)

The only thing I have left is my stairway that goes all the way up to the 2nd floor. I'm painting as high as I can reach for the time being, and saving my money to hire someone for the rest LOL.