Block Painting Puzzle - Solution
The Puzzle:
In a block of three connected streets, there are exactly 30 houses.
10 houses on Green Street. 10 houses on Orange Street. 10 houses on Violet Street.
The housing commission controls who will currently live in any house. They make sure that for any street in the block, the owners reside in sequence in alphabetical order.
Every house on every street WANTS to have their house repainted to a different color. That said everyone will have their house repainted right away if somehow it is possible.
Home owners must be present to supervise the work to see to it everything is done correctly.
Five people want their violet houses to be painted red.
* Mick, Brian, Keith, Bill, Ronnie, and Taylor all live on Green Street and want their house painted black.
* Linda, Bonnie, Susan, and Francine all live on Green Street and want their house painted violet.
* Syd, Roger, David, Richard, and Nick all live on Violet Street and want their house painted pink.
* Chris, Pat, and Terry all live on Violet Street and want their house painted white.
* Aaron and Zimri on Violet Street want their house painted red.
Joe does not live on the block. He will paint any 6-10 houses any color for $20,000 total, any 1-5 houses any color for $15,000 total.
Larry does not live on the block. He will paint any 1-10 houses only white for $2,500 each.
Tom does not live on the block. He will paint any 1-10 houses only red for $2,000 each.
The block has only one local store selling paint. They have plenty of paint in every color. Sufficient paint to do one house will cost $3,000. No, you cannot order paint online or elsewhere. That will take too long to be delivered. You need the paint immediately to begin the work right away.
John has enough green paint in his garage to do one house. The paint is a bit old, but still works. He is willing to sell it all for $1,000.
Matthew and Rick who live on Orange Street are seasoned painters always working together, always charging $2000 total per house (paint not included), and can finish painting all houses on time this month including their own. They hate the color red and refuse to paint any house in red or have their own house painted red.
5 people on Orange Street are rich and each are willing to pay the full costs to paint their own house and two others as gifts regardless who does it, regardless of the color, method, or price.
Everyone on Green Street and Violet Street has houses painted yellow and will pay at most $5,000 for their house to be painted their favorite color, but refuse to pay or assist in any way helping the painting actions for another house. They keep to themselves.
One of the persons on Orange Street is an accountant who does the taxes for everyone on the block, but he works only in April, which was 3 months ago.
Only the rich people have swimming pools. All of them will be home having swimming pool parties sometime each summer. They are the only ones on the block to afford monthly vacations to foreign lands that they do every summer.
All swimming pool cleaners work year-round maintaining all block swimming pools regardless if home owner is present or not. They are paid on the first of every month, except for one month where they don’t get paid at all. On the next month, they get paid double to make up for the loss. They have to be paid asap for that because pool cleaning supplies are on sale in bulk in August.
Hank and Joeseph do not live on Green Street, nor Violet Street. They are patriots and are the only ones willing to have their house painted red, white or blue. (Choice of 3 different colors, all 3 their favorites).
Everyone on Green Street and Violet Street are musicians and will be performing in continuous concerts in other states from June 15 to August 9.
Five people who live in brown houses are poor, meaning able to pay at most $2,000 to get each of their houses painted.
Who lives on Orange Street.
What lives on Orange Street.
Where lives on Orange Street.
When lives on Orange Street.
Why lives on Orange Street.
I don’t know and I don’t care do not live on the block.
Who got their houses painted? Explain how or why not.
What color did each owner want/get?
What was their original house color?
Who did the paint work?
Explain in detail how everyone was paid. While you are at it, show all the facts on everybody on all 3 streets including their income class and profession if known.
Put unknown in boxes that are unknown.
Which 5 have swimming pools?
Our Solution:
Solution
| Street | Pos | Name | Profession | IncomeClass | SwimPool | CurrentHouseColor | DesiredHouseColor | GotPainted | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green | 1 | Bill | Musician | middle | no | yellow | black | no | Not at home concert performing |
| Green | 2 | Bonnie | Musician | middle | no | yellow | violet | no | Not at home concert performing |
| Green | 3 | Brian | Musician | middle | no | yellow | black | no | Not at home concert performing |
| Green | 4 | Francine | Musician | middle | no | yellow | violet | no | Not at home concert performing |
| Green | 5 | Keith | Musician | middle | no | yellow | black | no | Not at home concert performing |
| Green | 6 | Linda | Musician | middle | no | yellow | violet | no | Not at home concert performing |
| Green | 7 | Mick | Musician | middle | no | yellow | black | no | Not at home concert performing |
| Green | 8 | Ronnie | Musician | middle | no | yellow | black | no | Not at home concert performing |
| Green | 9 | Susan | Musician | middle | no | yellow | violet | no | Not at home concert performing |
| Green | 10 | Taylor | Musician | middle | no | yellow | black | no | Not at home concert performing |
| Orange | 1 | Hank | Unknown Patriots* | poor | no | brown | red | yes | Paid Tom $2,000 |
| Orange | 2 | Joeseph | Unknown Patriots* | poor | no | brown | red | yes | Paid Tom $,2000 |
| Orange | 3 | John | Accountant | poor | no | brown | green | yes | Paid Matthew and Rick $2,000. Sold them green paint for $1,000. |
| Orange | 4 | Matthew | Painter | poor | no | brown | white | yes | Paid Larry $2,000 + $500 from John* |
| Orange | 5 | Rick | Painter | poor | no | brown | white | yes | Paid Larry $2,000 + $500 from John* |
| Orange | 6 | What | Unknown | rich | yes | violet | red | no | Not at home on vacation |
| Orange | 7 | When | Unknown | rich | yes | violet | red | no | Not at home on vacation |
| Orange | 8 | Where | Unknown | rich | yes | violet | red | no | Not at home on vacation |
| Orange | 9 | Who | Unknown | rich | yes | violet | red | no | Not at home on vacation |
| Orange | 10 | Why | Unknown | rich | yes | violet | red | no | Not at home on vacation |
| Violet | 1 | Aaron | Musician | middle | no | yellow | red | no | Not at home concert performing |
| Violet | 2 | Chris | Musician | middle | no | yellow | white | no | Not at home concert performing |
| Violet | 3 | David | Musician | middle | no | yellow | pink | no | Not at home concert performing |
| Violet | 4 | Nick | Musician | middle | no | yellow | pink | no | Not at home concert performing |
| Violet | 5 | Pat | Musician | middle | no | yellow | white | no | Not at home concert performing |
| Violet | 6 | Richard | Musician | middle | no | yellow | pink | no | Not at home concert performing |
| Violet | 7 | Roger | Musician | middle | no | yellow | pink | no | Not at home concert performing |
| Violet | 8 | Syd | Musician | middle | no | yellow | pink | no | Not at home concert performing |
| Violet | 9 | Terry | Musician | middle | no | yellow | white | no | Not at home concert performing |
| Violet | 10 | Zimri | Musician | middle | no | yellow | red | no | Not at home concert performing |
*
The two painters got $2,000 for painting the accountant’s house, but they had to give back $1,000 to buy the green paint from the accountant. That means by selling his green paint, the accountant got his house painted for $1,000 which is still within his budget. The two painters split the $1,000 they got from John so each could afford an extra $500 to have their houses painted. At $2,500 total and not tolerating red, their only option was to go to Larry
to have it done in white.
Patriots is not a profession. We don’t know what work they do. We just know they are patriots and making a special note for that.