Condo Painting serving Saugus and Metro West MA.

Nearly 30% of Saugus housing is in multi-unit buildings, according to Census estimates: 1,318 units sit in buildings with two to four units, and 2,050 are in buildings with five or more, including 564 in buildings of fifty units or larger. The Census counts structures, not legal ownership, so those figures blend rentals with condominiums. Whether a particular building is a condo, and what each owner is responsible for, is written in its master deed.

Painting a condo is rarely just a painting decision. Somebody has to approve the scope, someone else may hold the budget, and the residents have to keep using the building while the work happens.

Old two-families as small associations

The Massachusetts Historical Commission's 1985 town survey describes plain 2½-story gable-front two-family houses as exceptionally numerous in the 1870–1915 building period, and it records that much of East Saugus's housing from those years was multifamily, at a time when that village had become an extension of Lynn focused on shoe production. Neither the survey nor the Census says how many of these buildings are condominiums today.

If your building is one of them, converted into two or three units, there may be no manager at all. The owners are the board, and the exterior job is something they decide together. Shared elements in these buildings can include stacked porches, a common front stair and the entire siding envelope, and each of those needs its own access and prep plan in the written scope. Our East Saugus neighborhood page has more on that part of town.

Unit or common element: reading the master deed

Chapter 183A of the Massachusetts General Laws sets the framework, and each building's master deed fills in the specifics. Interior wall and ceiling surfaces are typically part of the unit. Exterior walls, roofs, structural parts and shared halls are typically common elements, and porches or decks assigned to one unit may be limited common elements whose upkeep the deed assigns to either the owner or the association.

Under the statute, common expenses are assessed by each unit's percentage interest. That is why a quote for an association should break out siding, trim, porches and hallways separately: owners and boards can see exactly what falls on the common budget.

Hallways, stairwells and larger buildings

In the 1,181 units in buildings of twenty or more, a property manager may coordinate with a single contractor contact and want a written schedule approved by the board before work starts.

• Work is phased by floor or wing so each resident keeps a clear path to their door and the exits
• Notices go up in advance with dates, areas affected and wet-paint times
• Low-odor waterborne coatings reduce smell in enclosed corridors
• Scuff-prone walls take a washable eggshell; doors, frames and railings a durable semi-gloss
• Daily cleanup leaves halls usable every evening

Insurance and lead documents

A board or manager may ask for a certificate of insurance naming the association, and sometimes the management company, as certificate holder before any work starts. AJ Painting is licensed and insured; tell us the certificate wording your manager needs when you request the estimate.

Of 11,402 local housing units, 8,202 were built in 1979 or earlier. In multifamily housing built before 1978, EPA's lead renovation rule reaches common areas as well as units: the contractor must notify residents in affected units or post informational signs describing the work, and follow containment and cleanup practices. Our lead-safe painting page covers those steps.

Painting inside your own unit

Renters hold 28.5% of occupied homes in town. If you rent your unit out, repainting while it sits empty between leases is the simplest timing. Whether you live there or not, check the association's rules for work hours, elevator or hallway protection and parking for a work vehicle before scheduling. The interior painting page covers walls, ceilings and trim inside the unit, and cabinet painting covers the kitchen.