Painting on Kensington’s Earl’s Court fringe

Terraces and mansion blocks

The Earl’s Court Square appraisal describes mid-to-late Victorian terraces, semi-detached houses and mansion blocks. Stock brick, stucco, stone and timber windows appear together, with later red-brick houses and flats contrasting with earlier stucco fronts. That mix makes a material-by-material schedule more useful than a general instruction to paint the exterior.

Sources: RBKC: Earl’s Court Square appraisal

Resolve the flat’s working arrangements

Ask the managing agent about deliveries, lift use and protection of communal floors. Identify the entrance door and window faces separately from interior rooms, and establish whether a building specification applies. Include restrictions before a programme is discussed. If the flat is occupied, record which rooms must be usable and where belongings may be moved.

Give preparation room in the quotation

Photograph cracks, old lining paper, staining and lifting paint. Describe what you know about earlier repairs without assuming a surface problem is purely decorative. Stripping can reveal further work, so agree how newly exposed defects will be assessed. Distinguish making good for decoration from substantial plaster repairs and repairs to the building itself.

Windows, doors and final details

Count each sash and identify the painted faces. Include putty condition and problems with opening, so that painting is not confused with an overhaul. For internal doors and trim, specify colour and sheen with the walls. Finish the brief with hardware protection, access to fittings and the information you want recorded for later touch-ups.

• Room list and extent of woodwork
• Building-manager instructions
• Photographs of defects and earlier repairs
• Window schedule and access to each face