What to record before an exterior repaint assessment in Hobart

Make an elevation map before a defect list

Start with a simple sketch of the outside of the house. Label the street side, rear and side elevations in a way someone unfamiliar with the property can follow. If you know their compass directions, add those too, but a clear location description matters more than a perfect drawing. Mark doors, main windows, verandahs and attached structures. Then number your broad photographs to match the sketch. The assessor should be able to connect a close view with the right wall without guessing from a cropped image.

Photograph from stable ground positions on your own property or another place where you have permission. Do not climb onto roofs, lean from windows or enter a neighbour's accessway to complete the record. Mark hidden areas as not viewed. A brief that openly identifies gaps is more useful than one that appears complete but relies on guesses. The painter can then allow for appropriate access when assessing high fascias, eaves and other areas that cannot be judged properly from your photographs.

List materials without guessing from their shape

Horizontal boards are a shape, not a reliable material identification. Timber, fibre cement and other cladding products can have similar profiles once painted. Likewise, a rendered-looking wall may include several different substrates around an extension or a repair. Use available building records, invoices or product information to identify materials where possible. If all you know is that it looks like weatherboard, write 'horizontal cladding, material unconfirmed'. That wording prevents a quote being built on an assumption that later changes the preparation method.

Separate the main wall material from trim, eaves, window frames, doors, gutters and exposed metalwork. A single elevation can need several coating systems even when everything ends in the same colour. Note which surfaces are currently painted, factory finished, clear coated or bare. Do not assume a coating suitable for one will suit the others. Ask the painter to explain how each material will be identified and how compatibility with the existing finish will be assessed before a final product schedule is approved.

Record patterns rather than diagnosing the cause

Describe visible changes plainly: a brown line below a window, a flaking patch near the bottom board, a crack continuing through a corner or a dark area behind a downpipe. Include a broad photo showing context and a closer photo only where it can be taken safely without touching the surface. Avoid labelling every mark as mould, every stain as a leak or every crack as structural movement. Similar appearances can have different causes, and the repair decision depends on identifying the actual one.

Add when you first noticed the change and whether it has altered. If you have older photos, retain the dates rather than replacing them with a single current image. A repeated stain after rain is useful information, but it does not locate the entry point by itself. If water appears close to electrical equipment or another immediate hazard, keep clear and arrange appropriate professional help. Do not investigate behind fittings, remove cladding or make a hole to improve the photograph for a painting enquiry.

Keep a short moisture history

Write down the circumstances in which a damp-looking area appears. Does it follow wind-driven rain, remain through dry weather or occur near a room where condensation is frequently noticed? Record observations rather than a theory about what the building is doing. Note any known gutter, plumbing, window or roofing repair and whether the visible mark changed afterwards. This gives the painter and relevant repair trade a shared starting point. It also helps avoid a repaint being treated as the solution to an unresolved water problem.

Do not use a household moisture reading as a pass or fail for painting. Interpretation depends on the instrument, substrate, location and coating system, and hidden moisture may not be represented by a convenient surface measurement. Ask who will assess readiness and what the selected product requires. If a repair has recently been completed, record its completion date and ask what confirmation is needed before coating resumes. A dry-looking afternoon is not a substitute for that assessment, particularly on sheltered elevations that behave differently from the front wall.

Leave unknown old coatings undisturbed

Do not sand, scrape, cut or pressure-wash an unknown old coating to help a painter quote. Keep the existing layers intact and arrange a competent hazard assessment where their composition is uncertain. The Australian Government's Lead Alert guide describes the risks of disturbing lead-containing paint. A photograph, estimated building age and any previous assessment report can inform the discussion, but none of those alone certifies what is present in a particular layer.

Cladding and eaves of uncertain composition need the same restraint. The Asbestos and Silica Safety and Eradication Agency's homeowner guidance advises against disturbing suspected asbestos materials and against high-pressure cleaning. Tell the assessor what you know, identify the areas on the elevation map and leave sampling or material identification to a suitable professional. Keep hazard assessment, any specialist work and the ordinary painting scope clearly separated so that a price comparison does not accidentally exclude an essential preliminary task.

Show the junctions that control the scope

Junctions between materials deserve their own photographs because they often decide where painting ends and another task begins. Examples include a window meeting a rendered wall, a timber fascia beside metal guttering and the lower edge of cladding above paving. Record visible gaps, previous sealant and any nearby staining without probing them. Ask which joints are intended to move, drain or remain open. A paint finish should not be specified as a way to close every visible gap around a building.

List attachments that affect access to those junctions: awnings, downpipes, cables, garden structures and fixed screens. Do not detach them for the survey. Ask who is responsible if something must be removed and refitted, including any trade-specific work. Where a repair will change the edge of the painted area, coordinate that before coating. A new flashing, replacement board or window repair may need its own preparation and finishing detail, and the quote should show whether that follow-on painting is included.

Separate cosmetic preparation from building repairs

A painting quote should explain the boundary between routine surface preparation and repairs that require further assessment. Local filling of a sound surface is different from replacing deteriorated timber or investigating a recurring crack. Ask for the uncertain areas to be listed with the next decision needed, rather than folded into an undefined preparation allowance. If another trade must complete work first, identify who appoints them and how the painter will know that the area is ready to return to the programme.

Avoid asking for a firm topcoat price while withholding known repair history. A previous patch that has failed twice is important information even if it is small. Supply any report you already have and ask the painter which assumptions remain provisional until closer access is available. This does not require agreeing to unspecified additional work. It means that discoveries have a clear process: describe the issue, explain the proposed response and obtain agreement before changing the scope. That makes later decisions easier to follow.

A mixed exterior survey example

Hypothetical example: a homeowner describes the property as a weatherboard repaint. The elevation map shows original horizontal boards on the front, a later rendered extension at the rear and painted metal balustrades beside the entry. A stain beneath one rear window reappears after rain, while a sheltered side wall has several older patches. The homeowner records each area separately instead of treating the whole house as one material. Ground-level photos are sufficient to explain the layout; the upper eaves remain marked as uninspected.

The resulting assessment can separate the front-wall coating system, rear render preparation and metalwork treatment. The window stain is referred for investigation before repainting that section. The painter requests closer access to assess the eaves and reviews the old patches for compatibility. The useful outcome is a clearer sequence and fewer hidden assumptions. It is not an instant diagnosis from photographs. The household can compare proposals because each one now refers to the same elevations, materials and unresolved questions.

Turn the survey into an itemised assessment brief

For each elevation, create a short entry with the location, known material, existing finish, visible condition and access limitation. Add a column for the decision required. An entry might say 'rear wall below kitchen window, render, painted, recurring brown stain after rain, cause assessment before coating'. Another might say 'front door, timber according to invoice, clear finish, proposed colour change, product compatibility review'. These descriptions let the assessor respond to specific questions instead of giving a generic whole-house preparation statement.

Include the surfaces you are not asking to paint. Roofs, fences, decks and detached garages are easy to include in a conversation and exclude from a quote without anyone noticing. State whether those items are excluded or require a separate proposal. Keep colour choices distinct from condition findings so that a discussion about a darker finish does not obscure a pending repair. The exterior painting service page gives an overview of the work; the survey provides the property-specific information needed to define it.

Gather previous invoices and reports before the assessment visit, but distinguish a recorded product from an assumption based on a container found in the shed. A leftover tin may belong to the fence rather than the wall. If a past invoice names a surface and system, copy that information with its date. If the relationship is uncertain, label it as uncertain. Similarly, a repaired window on one elevation does not establish that all windows were repaired. Precise records let the assessor use reliable history while still checking the actual surface, rather than treating any old document as proof of current condition.

Keep the record through preparation and handover

Keep the original survey rather than overwriting it as work progresses. Add dated notes showing which questions were resolved, which repairs were completed and which areas were excluded. Where the specification changes after closer inspection, record the reason and the agreed change. This provides a useful history for future maintenance or another repaint. It also prevents an old photograph of a known defect being confused with a new problem after the job has finished.

At handover, ask for the final surface and product schedule to use the same elevation names as your original map. That makes it possible to connect a coating with the part of the house where it was applied. Retain any specialist assessment or repair documentation separately but alongside the painting record. The aim is a clear account of what was assessed, what was done and what still needs attention. A tidy new finish should not erase the distinction between completed painting and an unresolved building issue.