Tips for Hiring Local Painters in Green Point

By Painters Green Point | Atlantic Seaboard Painting Specialists

Hiring a painter in Green Point carries a couple of risks that do not exist inland. The building may be someone else's responsibility, the work may be at a height that requires certification, and the coastal conditions mean a job done badly will look fine for about eighteen months before it fails. Here is how to reduce that risk.

Always Get at Least 3 Quotes

Three quotes is the standard advice and it is right, but only if they are quoting the same scope. Most confusing quote comparisons in this suburb are not price differences at all - they are scope differences that have not been made visible.

• Give every painter the same written brief so the quotes are genuinely comparable
• Insist on itemisation by elevation, not one figure for the building - this matters enormously on a coastal property where faces differ
• Require the access method to be stated and priced, since on a block it is often the largest single item
• Require the preparation scope in writing: washing method, crack repair, rust treatment, primer
• Require product name and number of coats, not 'quality paint'
• Ask what is excluded - exclusions are where the cheap quote hides

If one quote is dramatically lower, do not assume it is a bargain. Ask what it leaves out. It is nearly always preparation or access, both of which you will pay for later at a higher price.

Ask These Questions Before You Hire

• Do you have a letter of good standing from the Compensation Fund? COIDA cover matters. If someone is injured on your property without it, the exposure can find its way to you.
• What public liability cover do you carry, and for how much? Relevant on any block where dropped equipment could cause serious damage below.
• How will you reach the facade, and can I see the fall protection plan? Work at height on a Green Point block is governed by the Construction Regulations. Certification for the access method is not optional.
• How will you remove salt before coating? The answer should involve fresh water. If they have not considered chlorides, they have not worked this coastline.
• What system are you specifying, and why this one for this wall? A good painter will differentiate between the weather side and the sheltered side without being prompted.
• Can I see a comparable job and speak to that client? Comparable matters - block experience does not transfer from house experience.
• What is the guarantee, what voids it, and is it in writing?
• What is the payment schedule? A modest deposit for materials is normal. A large upfront payment is not.

Red Flags to Watch Out For

• Quoting without a site visit, or from photographs - impossible to specify a coastal building responsibly this way
• A single lump sum with no breakdown of preparation, access or product
• A large upfront deposit, or pressure to pay in cash for a discount
• No COIDA letter, no public liability cover, or evasiveness when asked
• Proposing to paint over active rust, damp or mould rather than treating it
• A discount that expires today - urgency is a sales tactic, not a pricing method
• No written guarantee, or one that is verbal only
• Vagueness about how they will reach the upper floors of a block
• No traceable business details, or reviews that all appear within the same short window

If you are a trustee rather than a homeowner, add one more: ask for the quote in a format you can put in front of owners, with a condition survey and expected coating life. See body corporate painting for what that should look like.