Painting & decorating
Planning decoration for period properties
A period decorating specification begins with the address and the existing fabric. Establish the relevant controls, then describe the preparation and finish in enough detail for the owner, council and decorator to discuss the same proposal.
Start with the building and its local context
Use the National Heritage List to check listing, and the council’s map for conservation boundaries. Historic England explains that a listing normally covers the whole building, including its interior, unless parts are expressly excluded. The list description is a starting point for discussion, not a complete room-by-room specification.
RBKC publishes separate appraisals for Holland Park, Ladbroke, Pembridge, Kensington, Chelsea and Norland. Westminster provides its own conservation maps and guidance for Mayfair. Read the document that applies to the property; a postcode or the appearance of the house next door is not a substitute for locating the address.
Separate maintenance from a proposed change
Listed building consent is required for alterations affecting special architectural or historic interest. Give the local planning authority a description of the actual operation: what will be retained, what preparation is proposed, and whether colour, texture or materials will change. Establish the answer before treating work as routine maintenance.
Conservation designation and listing are different controls. Article 4 directions can remove particular permitted-development rights. RBKC’s Norland guidance, for example, identifies exterior colour controls affecting specified stucco terraces on Queensdale Road. That does not create a blanket colour rule for every conservation area or every house in the neighbourhood.
Choose a coating for the material actually present
Historic England advises that lime render and stucco may need moisture-permeable coatings such as limewash. It also cautions that earlier decorative layers can be significant. Establish the substrate and the existing paint before specifying a product or removing a finish.
Create a surface schedule with separate entries for plaster, stucco, exposed masonry, timber and metal. Record known repairs and any area needing investigation. If material identification is uncertain, make that a question to resolve before pricing a complete paint system; the age of the house alone does not identify every repair or coating.
A sample should record more than a colour name. Include the product, sheen, preparation and intended location, together with any agreed limitations on disturbance. Retain the reference with the quotation and the relevant permission correspondence.
Resolve the access permission separately
GOV.UK states that scaffold on the highway, including the pavement, needs a licence. The builder or scaffolding contractor obtains it, and the owner should check that it remains valid. RBKC and Westminster provide their own highway or temporary-structure licensing routes.
In the access brief, identify the entrance to remain usable, the public route, any lower-ground opening and the proposed material storage. Keep scaffold arrangements, delivery access and parking as distinct decisions. Confirm responsibility for applications and any owner or building-manager agreement before fixing the programme.
Read the guidance for your area
Your next step
Tell us what needs decorating.
Share the rooms, surface condition and full postcode. Photographs and a short description help us understand the work before discussing a quotation.