Condo Painting serving Bridgewater and Metro West MA.

Condominiums are a substantial share of housing here. In the town Assessor's January 2016 data, reported in the 2017 Housing Production Plan, they were the second most common housing type after single-family homes, with 950 units or 10.8% of the total. The newer Census estimates place 17.7% of all units in buildings of five or more, including 611 units in buildings of 50 or more.

A condo paint job can have two different clients: the owner, who controls the inside of the unit, and the association, which typically controls the exterior, hallways and anything shared. Settle which side a surface falls on before anything else, because the master deed and bylaws decide it, not the painter.

Inside a unit

Painting inside a unit resembles painting a house, with a few extra steps. Associations can require contractors to register with management, show a certificate of insurance, use a particular entrance or elevator, and park in guest spaces only. Work hours may be tighter than the town allows. Bring the association's contractor rules to the free on-site visit so the estimate reflects them.

Shared walls and corridors mean dust control matters more: drywall sanding is kept inside the unit, and doors to the hallway stay closed. In a building from before 1978, find out whether lead paint is present before any sanding; the lead-safe page covers what changes if it is.

Census figures show 24.4% of occupied homes in town are rented. For an owner who rents a unit out, a repaint between tenants fits the vacancy gap more easily when the new color stays in the same family as the old one.

Common areas for associations

One point of contact on the board or at management, a written schedule shared with residents, and color samples approved before work starts keep a common-area project from turning into a stream of individual complaints.

• Hallways and stairwells: scuff-resistant wall finishes, enamel on handrails and doors, and staging so one exit always stays usable
• Lobbies and mailrooms: timed to avoid the busiest hours the board identifies
• Exterior trim, doors and railings: phased building by building, with written notice to residents
• Utility rooms and garages: coatings suited to concrete block and masonry

Insurance and paperwork

Associations carry a master insurance policy and commonly ask every contractor for a certificate of insurance naming the association, and sometimes the management company, as certificate holder or additional insured. AJ is licensed and insured and can supply a certificate for the job. Unit owners generally hold an HO-6 policy for their interiors; check whether the master policy covers the unit only to the bare walls or includes finishes.

Two-families, townhouses and small associations

Not every condo is in a large building. The Census counts 8.8% of local units in two- to four-unit buildings and 7.5% as attached single-family homes, and condominium ownership can apply to any of those building types. In small complexes the line between unit and common area can blur: a deck, an entry door or a run of siding may belong to the owner in one complex and the association in another. The deck staining page and the exterior painting page cover those surfaces.