Condo Painting throughout Somerville, MA.

Somerville's housing is overwhelmingly multi-unit. Census figures put 28.2% of units in two-unit buildings, 27.0% in buildings of three or four units, and 29.9% in buildings of five or more, including 10.1% in buildings of fifty or more. The census does not count condominiums directly, so these numbers describe building size, not ownership. Still, they explain why a condo here can be anything from one floor of an old two-family to an apartment in a large new complex.

The size of the building decides who you deal with. In a two- or three-unit condo, the association is the owners themselves, deciding together with no manager. In a large building, a board and a management company set the rules, and the contractor works through them.

Inside your unit

The master deed and bylaws say where your unit ends and the common elements begin. Interior walls and ceilings are typically the owner's, but entry doors, windows, porches and the stair you share with a neighbor may be common or limited common areas that need association approval to change.

In a building from 1939 or earlier, as 59.0% of the city's housing units are, a unit can have original plaster, old trim and paint layers that predate the 1978 lead ban. Disturbing that paint in a pre-1978 home falls under the federal RRP rule, which requires certified renovators and contained work. That applies inside one unit as much as in a hallway. Our lead-safe painting page explains the requirements, and interior painting in Somerville covers plaster and trim repair.

• Walls, ceilings, trim and doors within the unit
• Kitchen cabinets (cabinet painting in Somerville)
• Repaints before a sale or between renters
• Porches assigned to your unit, with association sign-off where required

Shared halls, stairs and entries

A shared stairwell may be the main way in and out for every unit, so it cannot simply be closed for a week. The work is split into stages that leave a usable path, with wet sections marked and every owner told the dates ahead of time. Treads, risers and handrails are the most worn surfaces and need a harder-wearing finish than walls.

In a small association, a short written agreement among owners covering colors, scope, schedule and the payment split is worth having before anyone signs an estimate. In a managed building, the manager usually controls access, keys and any elevator reservations.

Certificates of insurance and board decisions

An association or manager may ask for a certificate of insurance naming the association before work starts in common areas. AJ Painting is licensed and insured; sending the required holder and additional-insured wording with your estimate request lets the certificate be ready before the start date.

An estimate itemized by area, such as front stair, rear stair, entry and exterior body and trim, lets owners see what they are voting on and phase the work across budget years if needed. Painting needs no building permit in Somerville, so for interior common areas the approvals that matter are the association's own.

Exteriors and historic designation

If the building is one of the more than 350 properties the Historic Preservation Commission counted in Local Historic Districts in 2014, visible exterior changes to design, materials or appearance go to the Commission, while routine in-kind maintenance does not. A board considering new colors on a designated building should ask the Commission first. The exterior painting page covers the review in detail.

Owners in Union Square, Winter Hill, Assembly Square and elsewhere in the city can schedule a free on-site visit with the board, the manager, or just the owners who share the building.