- Looking to complete some painting works on a residence, building or home?
- Wanting to improve the visual persona of the property?
- Is it time for a face-lift to bring life back into your investment?
The First item on your checklist is to call a painting company to get quotes, right? Not quite…
Painting is considered to be simple, anyone can pick up a paintbrush or roller and apply multiple coats of paint to a surface. However, like a sword, it requires certain precision and skill to create a flawless finish. The task must be performed by a skilled warrior because everyone will see the outcome of the job for a long time. A skilled painter can bring a new life to an old building and give the correct start of life for your new home. Our team of painters are bringing new life to all buildings in all shapes, foundations and colours across the Melbourne area.
Now you know that you should find skilled painters to complete your job. To start, you should google what you need to get done, for instance, “render repair“. You will encounter a range of sites offering similar services.
It is time to take a cup of tea, a notepad and a pen.
Before any work is awarded, (yes Award in both terms of being given and honoured), or paint is laid to any surface, you must know your scope and what your end goal is. Having all the information in hand before calling is the key to any quality operation. But which information, right?
Developing a scope of works is the first step to any project. Ask yourself the following questions:
- What is our anticipated budget?
- What is our objective?
- Preventive Maintenance
- Wall Painting
- Rendering Repair
- Interior or Exterior Painting
- Solid Plaster Repair
- Building Maintenance
- What is the most important item that needs addressing?
- Do you have photos of the property in hand?
- Many times a picture helps to save time before a site visit.
That is just the tip of the iceberg.
Task 1:
What foundations are you looking to have works done one?
Traditional painters look at the whole picture, step back and see exactly what you want to do.
- What foundation am I working with?
- Is this job external works or internal works?
- Would you like the body of the building painted?
- Do you want to include the windows, doors, eves, fasciers or other features?
- Would you like to coat other previously painted surfaces like downpipes, powder coating etc?
- What kind of painter do you need?
Anything is paintable, as long as the area is correct prepared and correct products are applied. But the basic principle is finding exactly what you are interested in having done.
Task 2:
Does your foundation need any work?
Painting restoration is a large market in Melbourne, a city that is under continuous growth with a rich history. Before starting, we have many foundational forms to discuss, like your car require a service building require too.
A professional painter can determine what other areas may be addressed before the starting of any work. Many times a simple paint job by itself will not cure a problem or potential issue.
Potential or current issues can be seen in most foundations but luckily most can be addressed in one way or another.
- Is your property covered in a form of render or stucco?
- Can you see any areas where there are cracks, bubbling or peeling?
- What about weatherboard? Are you slats showing water damage, splitting or movement?
- How about brick and blue board?
- Do you see separation in your expansion joins?
- Movement in the brick foundations?
All of the above are foundational items that should be addressed or reviewed when developing your scope.
Each can be repaired or fixed to guarantee the longevity of your property. However, you must ensure that the painters you call specialize in areas such as restoration and maintenances. Painting is a broad topic and not every painter will specialize in this category of the industry.
Task 3:
Which costs inside a painting job are forgotten when writing a scope and a budget plan?
External costs must be taken into consideration, they may be seen as totally unrelated to the job, however, they will impact the scope and affect the budget of your project. Some examples are:
- Council permits
- Parking permits
- Heritage overlays
- Power tagging or shutdowns
- Traffic management
- Work hours
Another item that must be addressed carefully is the access to execute the job, although it is up to each individual contractor to decide how they would address or attack your job. EMP equipment, abseiling or swing stage are examples and they all come with their own requirements. Even though is up to the contractor to decide how they will access your job, you should talk to them to decide if what they chose is the best option for your time constraints and budget.
These items are points that should be handled and discussed as they can affect dramatically the budget of the job!
Paint Melbourne has a professional team of painters and we know from experience that preparation and planning is the key to success. Having a clear scope of works, a clear direction of the restoration/maintenance and the requirements for the painting job is the best way to start your hunting. Preparation will ensure that all the painters contacted will have the same outline to quote your project and you are less likely to have surprises mid-project.
We hope you enjoyed our article and please feel free to contact us with any questions, consultation request or quotations interest