When painting a townhouse and housing complex, we paint it for a property manager or directly for the board of directors. The board of directors is elected by the condo owners and is ultimately accountable to them. When the customer is a large group of people, keeping them all happy is more than just making their home look nice.
Right from the start, we set expectations with realistic timelines and do our best to keep them. In a project of that size, managing the experience of the residents is as important as running the project. Budgets and specifications are both important but not as important as respecting the residents daily routines.
Communication with the Townhouse Owners and Representatives
When it’s time to work on a unit, paint a door, or prep the railing, we don’t like to surprise anyone. Regular communication prevents the small issues from getting bigger and makes the painting project go smoother.
Ecopainting has been successful at this type of commercial painting by implementing clear systems and operating procedures.
- Personnel. Every single one of the painters are our own employees. If the painter is wearing our uniform you can be sure that they are hired and trained by us. We don’t have subcontractors do the painting for us.
- Safety. Painters climb ladders, use aerial platforms and work with chemicals. Safety training will make sure that they go home safe to their families every night. Proof of WSIB insurance and Safety Certificates keeps the peace of mind.
- Specifications. Our proposals are detailed and describe exactly what gets painted and what doesn’t. We provide Technical Data Sheets of all the paints and coatings that we use on your property.
- Standards. Ecopainting is a longtime member of the PDCA. All our work complies with PDCA standards and follow manufacturer recommendations.
- Communication. We will set up regular communication meetings with the Townhouse complex representative. Any possible issues that might come up are addressed and resolved at the meetings.
Painting Housing Complex in Cabbagetown Toronto was interesting work for our Painters
Painting a large Housing Complex is an interesting job. Some painting companies love working for property managers and condo building boards.These are usually large projects. Weather permitting, crews can stay busy for a long periods of time. Going to work at the same location daily offers the kind of predictability that most painters are not accustomed to. For the same reason, the logistics of job management are much easier. On the other hand, not all contractors have the ability to carry out such large projects. Weather, job difficulties, products or just the sheer size alone will scare some contractors away.
In 2013 we were awarded the contract to provide painting services for the Spruce Court Co-ops in Cabbagetown. This was an important project for Ecopainting, considering it is one of the oldest housing developments in the city .
How old is it? When it was built, monthly rent rates started from $14.50!
Spruce Court Apartments in Cabbagetown was built in 1913. Located at the corner of Sumach and Spruce Streets, they don’t look much different today from the pictures in the archives.
They were designed by A.S. Mathers and built by the Toronto Housing Commission. They were to be the first public housing project in Toronto. Lawrence Solomon wrote in Toronto Sprawls, A History:
Spruce Court was constructed to remedy the deplorable housing conditions of the Ward, a working-class and immigrant neighbourhood consisting of a series of slums. The new houses, built by the Toronto Housing Commission, were solid, well-ventilated and bright, with pleasant detailing throughout. Each “cottage flat” (or what is now called a duplex), had separate entrances, gas stoves and electric fixtures.
Sprucing up the Townhouses
Spruce Court is now a resident owned co-op complex. During the following two months, our painters felt like honourary guests in this historic housing complex. It was our intention to not interfere with the daily routine of the community. And yet, with our prep and paint we managed to “spruce up” Spruce Court. The courtyards and grounds we were working on, looked eerily similar to the black and white pictures of the original apartments. We added new colours and modern paints but the real colour of Spruce Court was already there. We just spruced it up.
The best compliment a painting contractor can receive is being asked to come back for more work. Like most of our clients, condo boards and property managers call us back for more work. Better yet some of them refer us to their friends and colleagues.
“Thank you Karon. I had a chance to go and see and the finished product looks great. I have been amazed at how little disruption there was for the residents, considering all the painting that was going on every day. I think it is a testament to the quality of work of you and your staff. Thanks!”
Marion C. (about her rental property painted by Ecopainting)
Ecopainting has all the experience necessary to paint townhouse and co-op complexes. Get in touch with us and we will be happy to provide you with a complimentary Project Estimate and Proposal. As usual, our proposals are very detailed and leave nothing to the imagination. Our phone number is 416 733-7767