Strata Painting in Southbank
Southbank has one of the highest apartment densities in Australia, and almost all of it is strata. The stock ranges from 1990s mid-rise conversions through to very tall recent towers, which means the painting problem varies enormously street to street — an older Southbank building may be facing its second or third full external cycle while a neighbouring tower has not yet had its first. Committees here are often large, decisions run through professional strata managers, and residents include a high proportion of tenants and short-stay occupants, which makes the resident communication side of a repaint harder than in an owner-occupied block.
Two very different building generations
Southbank's older stock — the 1990s and early 2000s mid-rise — is now well into repeat repaint territory. On these buildings the interesting question is usually what previous coatings have been applied, how well they adhered, and whether the current system can be recoated or has to come off. We test adhesion across several elevations rather than assuming either answer, because full removal is a very large cost to apply where it is not needed.
Newer towers face a different issue. The first external cycle on a modern facade is often less about the coating and more about sealant joints, exposed steel and balcony soffits, and a full repaint may not be the right spend at all.
Density and disruption
Southbank buildings are tall, tightly spaced and busy at street level. Access setup takes longer, street or footpath occupation may need a permit, and hoarding is often required. These are real line items and we price them rather than absorbing them into a rate.
Residents who are not owners
A high tenant and short-stay proportion changes the communication plan. Notices addressed to owners do not reach the people whose balcony access is affected. We work with building management to notify at the apartment rather than the owner, use signage in lifts and lobbies, and confirm balcony access the day before rather than relying on a notice issued a fortnight earlier.
Common property that gets hard use
Ground floor lobbies in Southbank towers take very heavy traffic. Specifying a corridor-grade washable finish in a lobby is a false economy; these are the surfaces worth putting a higher durability system on. We flag where the extra cost earns itself back and where it does not.
Getting a decision through a large scheme
Larger Southbank schemes mean more owners, longer approval timelines and more scrutiny on the quote. We build the documentation for that environment — comparable scopes, separated provisional sums, and attendance at the meeting to answer questions directly.
Common Questions
Our building was painted about fifteen years ago. Can it be recoated?
Often yes, and that is much the cheaper outcome, so it is worth testing properly. We check adhesion at multiple points across the building. Where the existing system is sound it becomes the substrate; where it is failing across a whole elevation it has to come off first, and that is a materially different price.
How do you reach tenants rather than owners?
Through building management and at the apartment door rather than through the owners register. We use lift and lobby signage, notify per apartment, and confirm balcony access the day before. Relying on a notice issued to owners a fortnight ahead does not work in a building with high tenant turnover.
Will street access or a permit be needed?
Frequently in Southbank, given how tight the street frontages are. Where footpath occupation, hoarding or a permit is required we identify it at quote stage and price it as its own line rather than leaving it to appear later as a variation.
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