Painting Setback

So… we got a quote today for $600 for painting the dining room and hallway. It includes materials/supplies. Also, he said if it was in good shape it would be $300, but because they have to mud/sand/etc. several areas that’s where the other $300 comes in. Also, because the color is red, they have to prime it and then put two coats over it. Basically, because of the ‘prep’ work it’s a 2-day job. While I know they would do a good job and I really liked him, that is way more than I want to spend. That dining room is SMALL and there’s very little walls in there with the big entryway, other doorway, wainscoting, two large almost-floor-to-ceiling windows, etc. It’s just not seeming worth it. I’m going to talk to Austin tonight but it seems like we may need to either:

A: Do the prep work ourselves
B: Have other people come out Thursday to quote it
C: See if we can get him to throw in the half-bathroom (which doesn’t require any ‘prepping’ –nor did the hallway.

Even so, I don’t know if I would want to pay $600 for a dining room, small hallway, and half bath (assuming he would even go for that).

SIGH.