Strata Painting in Footscray
Footscray and the surrounding inner west have seen concentrated apartment development around the station and along the river, alongside an older stock of mid-century walk-up blocks and a growing number of townhouse complexes on subdivided industrial and residential land. Many of the newer schemes are investor-heavy and cost-focused; many of the older ones have deferred maintenance for a long time. Both situations call for the same thing, which is a scope that separates what genuinely needs doing now from what is cosmetic, and a price the committee can defend to owners.
Deferred maintenance is the common case
On Footscray's older walk-up stock we frequently find buildings that have gone well past a normal repaint cycle. That changes the job. Coating failure is widespread rather than localised, steelwork has been corroding for years, and render defects have had time to admit water.
The important thing on a deferred building is not to price it as though it were a straightforward repaint. It needs a condition assessment first, a fixed price for known work and a provisional sum with a stated rate for what cannot be seen until access is up. Anything else produces a number that moves after the committee has approved it.
Cost-focused committees
Where a scheme is investor-heavy, the committee is usually working to the smallest defensible spend. We split scopes on that basis — what will cost more if left, and what is appearance only. It is a legitimate way to run a building and it deserves a quote written to support it rather than one that assumes everyone wants the full job.
New development around the station
The recent apartment stock near Footscray station is reaching first-cycle territory. As elsewhere, the answer is usually targeted rather than comprehensive: sealants, exposed steel, balcony soffits and the exposed elevation.
Townhouse complexes
Small complexes across the inner west are a large part of our work. The recurring issue is the common property boundary — which fences, walls, garage doors and driveways are the owners corporation's responsibility and which are the individual lot's. We settle that with the strata manager before pricing so the quote does not include work the owners corporation cannot fund.
Access
Inner west streets are generally more workable than the inner city, with better vehicle access and less permit pressure. On most Footscray buildings scaffold or an elevated work platform is straightforward, which keeps access cost lower than an equivalent building closer to town.
Common Questions
Our building has not been painted in twenty years. How do we approach it?
With a condition assessment before a price. On a long-deferred building the coating failure and corrosion are widespread rather than localised and much of the extent is not visible from the ground. The right structure is a fixed price for the known work plus a provisional sum at a stated rate for what is found once access is up.
Which parts of our townhouse complex are the owners corporation's responsibility?
It varies by scheme and it is set by the plan of subdivision, so it is a question for your strata manager rather than for us. We settle it with them before pricing, because a quote that includes work outside the common property boundary is a quote the owners corporation cannot lawfully fund.
Is access cheaper out here than in the city?
Generally yes. Wider streets, better vehicle access and much lighter permit pressure mean scaffold or an elevated work platform is usually straightforward. On a like-for-like building the access component of the price is meaningfully lower than it would be in the CBD or Southbank.
Other Areas We Serve
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