Andy Barresse, owner of Halo Painting Company in Somerville, grew up in the business. As a teenager, he worked for his uncle's painting and wallpapering company. “He treated me like a son and was a great mentor,” Andy says. “I learned from his expertise and saw how he made people happy just by making their homes the way they wanted. I thought: I can do the same thing and make people happy all the time.”
Andy founded A. Barresse Custom Interiors in the early 1990s when he was just 23. It was a business grounded in the skills learned from his uncle and steered with the discipline he honed serving in the U.S. Army. He took pride in the fact that his children, Andrew, Heather, and Kylie, would ride along with him on jobs from time to time — adventures that Andy later discovered had great meaning for them.
As Andy formed trusted relationships with homeowners, they started asking if he could do “odds and ends” work that they couldn’t find anyone else to do. “It was all little things — like watching the house when a client was away, cleaning their gutters, power washing, and turning off the water — that a regular painter normally wouldn’t do,” he says. “My kids called it the ‘Home Guardian Business.’ They would draw cartoons and write stories about how our guy with a shield would come and protect their homes.”
Three years ago, a devastating loss changed the course of Andy’s business: his beloved 6-month-old granddaughter, Rosalie, died of leukemia. Not long after, his children started asking about the “home guardian” work he did for clients. They had an idea: Launch a family home maintenance business based on Andy’s “guardian” work and name it “Halo” as a tribute to Rosalie, their baby “angel.”
“Our mission: We take care of your home, like a guardian angel,” Andy says. They launched Halo Home Maintenance, and Andy changed his business name to Halo Painting this past year to reflect the new family brand.
Andy likens the maintenance business to the routine service checks people do for their cars. Each season, a Halo maintenance expert arrives with a checklist to inspect homes for potential problems. “We also do things like check the wear and tear of their gutters, roof, and siding; check the electrical outlets; pull out stoves and refrigerators to clean coils; clean dryer vents; check for fire hazards and insects, and show homeowners where to shut off the water if there is a leak,” he says. While they inspect the property, they also clean — everything from the gutters and windows to power washing the house. If a problem is found, Andy gives homeowners referrals to trusted licensed professionals like plumbers and electricians who he has worked with over the years.
In addition to serving current homeowners, they also work with real estate agents to help stage properties and with new homeowners to get their property in shape for move-in.
Tips & Trends for Home Painting
If you’re looking to rejuvenate your home with paint, Andy says preparation — fixing imperfections and sanding the walls until they are smooth — and having the right tools for the job on hand before you start is key.
With decades of experience in painting home interiors and exteriors, Andy has seen many trends come and go. Currently, white-and-gray and white-on-white-on-white with three different sheens are popular styles. “People are flowing the gray-and-white color scheme in all rooms on a level, with white ceilings, white trim and a light French gray or ‘greige,’ which is a blend of beige and gray,” he says. “The best rooms for the all-white scheme are those with features like ornate trim, crown molding, raised paneling, a chair rail or beadboard. Use flat paint on the ceiling, semi-gloss on the trim and matte on the walls. In the right room, it’s a great look.”
To learn more visit halopaintingcompany.com.