Getting ready to paint? Don’t wait!

Are you planning to paint your community or property this calendar year? It pays to get your bid together as early as possible. Here’s why:

Many homeowner associations (HOAs) and property managers wait until the year they plan to paint to get the project started. A typical association will start asking for bids in March and April, then award projects in May or June. Unfortunately, by that time painting schedules are typically booked out until the end of August. That can be frustrating for everyone, especially since many communities prefer to have painting complete as early in the summer as possible.

Instead, aim to have your colors chosen and your specifications drawn up at least six months before you want painting work to take place. The earlier you start, the more choices you’ll have for when the work can be completed.

One of the best ways to start the bidding process is to take advantage of the free services offered by property service representatives who work for paint companies. They’ll be happy to visit your property, drop specifications, and do job walks with all the contractors that are bidding on the project. This will help you make an “apples to apples” comparison of everyone who’s bidding on your job, while saving you a lot of time and legwork.

A property services rep can also help you out if your HOA hasn’t finalized color selections yet. For example, they can use photos of existing buildings to create digital color renderings. That way, you can see what your unique property might look like in different color combinations.

Starting early also gives you an advantage when it comes to dry rot inspections. If the HOA takes responsibility for dry rot inspection and repair, your contractor will have time to bundle them together with your painting quote, potentially saving you time and money. If individual homeowners are responsible for dry rot issues, your contractor can perform inspections as a courtesy to your residents. Not only will each of your residents will know what repairs (if any) need to be performed before painting begins, they’ll be more likely to complete them on time.

In a perfect world, HOAs that want painting completed this summer would have started this process in October or November of 2016, but don’t worry if you didn’t. There’s still time to get things moving for this year — if you don’t wait until March!

Still hoping to get painting done by this summer? CalPro can streamline the process by providing all the services you need — from construction and pre-paint repairs to interior and exterior painting. Contact us today to learn how we can expedite your job!