How to Solve Paint House I I I Leetcode Problem - Interview Coder Guide
Get Monthly InterviewCoder for $99 $25!
First 100 customers only
24
:
00
:
00
Used by 87,000+ developers who passed their interviews

How to Solve Paint House I I I Problem

Master the Paint House I I I LeetCode problem with undetectable real-time assistance. Get instant solutions and explanations during your coding interviews.

Interview Coder generates complete solutions and debugging hints that you can use while explaining your approach, so you stay calm and in control.

undetectable
real-time
works on major platforms
Hard#1583
LeetCode Problem

Paint House III

There is a row of m houses in a small city, each house must be painted with one of the n colors (labeled from 1 to n), some houses that have been painted last summer should not be painted again. A nei...

ArrayDynamic Programming

Interview Coder will help you solve this problem in real-time during your interview

✨ Get instant solutions, explanations, and code generation

Problem Breakdown

Understanding the Paint House I I I Problem

Let's break down this LeetCode problem and understand what makes it challenging in interview settings.

Problem Statement

There is a row of m houses in a small city, each house must be painted with one of the n colors (labeled from 1 to n), some houses that have been painted last summer should not be painted again. A neighborhood is a maximal group of continuous houses that are painted with the same color. For example: houses = [1,2,2,3,3,2,1,1] contains 5 neighborhoods [{1}, {2,2}, {3,3}, {2}, {1,1}]. Given an array houses, an m x n matrix cost and an integer target where: houses[i]: is the color of the house i, and 0 if the house is not painted yet. cost[i][j]: is the cost of paint the house i with the color j + 1. Return the minimum cost of painting all the remaining houses in such a way that there are exactly target neighborhoods. If it is not possible, return -1.

HardProblem #1583
LeetCode

Paint House III

Related Topics
ArrayDynamic Programming
How Interview Coder Helps

Get real-time assistance for Paint House III problems during coding interviews. Interview Coder provides instant solutions and explanations.

Examples

Example 1
INPUT
houses = [0,0,0,0,0], cost = [[1,10],[10,1],[10,1],[1,10],[5,1]], m = 5, n = 2, target = 3
OUTPUT
9
EXPLANATION

Paint houses of this way [1,2,2,1,1] This array contains target = 3 neighborhoods, [{1}, {2,2}, {1,1}]. Cost of paint all houses (1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 5) = 9.

Example 2
INPUT
houses = [0,2,1,2,0], cost = [[1,10],[10,1],[10,1],[1,10],[5,1]], m = 5, n = 2, target = 3
OUTPUT
11
EXPLANATION

Some houses are already painted, Paint the houses of this way [2,2,1,2,2] This array contains target = 3 neighborhoods, [{2,2}, {1}, {2,2}]. Cost of paint the first and last house (10 + 1) = 11.

Example 3
INPUT
houses = [3,1,2,3], cost = [[1,1,1],[1,1,1],[1,1,1],[1,1,1]], m = 4, n = 3, target = 3
OUTPUT
-1
EXPLANATION

Houses are already painted with a total of 4 neighborhoods [{3},{1},{2},{3}] different of target = 3.

Constraints

m == houses.length == cost.length
n == cost[i].length
1 <= m <= 100
1 <= n <= 20
1 <= target <= m
0 <= houses[i] <= n
1 <= cost[i][j] <= 104

How Interview Coder Helps with Leetcode Problems

Trust anchors reduce friction for conversion. Reinforce undetectability claims, platform compatibility, user counts, and the free trial to remove perceived risk.

87,000+
developers use Interview Coder
and early launch metrics showed rapid adoption
95%
success rate
of users pass their interviews
100%
undetectable
native desktop architecture
Real-time
assistance
instant solutions during interviews

See Interview Coder in Action

Watch how Interview Coder helps solve LeetCode problems during live interviews

Play

Undetectability Checklist

Run compatibility test before interviews
Use recommended Zoom version settings
Enable advanced screen capture options
Verify native desktop architecture
Test with screen recording software

Platform Compatibility

Zoom
Supported
Google Meet
Supported
HackerRank
Supported
CodeSignal
Supported
CoderPad
Supported
Teams
Supported

User results and traction

More than 87,000 developers use Interview Coder and early launch metrics showed rapid adoption. Social proof signals that this approach helps real candidates land offers across a range of companies.

Undetectability and technical details

Our native desktop architecture avoids common detection vectors used by browser extensions. We provide a clear checklist so you can run basic checks and confirm the app will be invisible during live interviews.

Platform compatibility and limitations

We work with Zoom, HackerRank, CodeSignal, CoderPad and other web based platforms, with a known list of app version caveats. Check the compatibility note and request a browser link if a specific desktop app is unsupported.

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about solving Paint House I I I and using Interview Coder during coding interviews.

Interview Coder generates complete solutions instantly with proper complexity analysis, letting you focus on explaining your approach and demonstrating problem-solving skills rather than getting stuck on implementation details during high-pressure situations.

Interview Coder - AI Interview Assistant Logo

Ready to Get Started?

Download Interview Coder now and join thousands of developers who have aced their coding interviews