House painting in Titirangi

Modernist houses and pole houses

Heritage New Zealand records that a distinctive artistic community grew up in Titirangi after the Second World War, drawn by the setting and cheap land. Experimental and modernist houses followed in the 1950s and 60s, then pole houses in the 1970s on sites once thought too steep or unstable to build on.

Those houses bring their own painting questions. Pole houses stand high off steep ground, so access is planned before anything else. Modernist houses often have large areas of glass, flat or low roofs, and timber such as horizontal cedar boards that may have been stained rather than painted. The first job on a quote is to find out what is already on the timber, because a paint and a stain need different prep.

• Stained or oiled cedar: check the existing finish before choosing a paint system.
• Pole houses: height and ground conditions planned before the quote is fixed.
• Big glazed walls: masking time is a real line item.

Painting in the bush

The Waitakere Ranges Heritage Area Act names low-density living in regenerating forest as one of the area’s heritage features, and council’s heritage guide describes buildings that merge into the bush. On steep slopes it notes that housing is generally pole houses rather than suburban development.

Living in the trees is hard on paint. Walls under canopy stay damp and grow mould and lichen; leaf litter collects on ledges and in gutters. A repaint here starts with a gentle wash and mould treatment, then waits for the timber to dry, which can take longer than on an open section.

The same council guide lists colour and reflectivity among the things that can make a building dominate its bush surroundings. It is guidance rather than a rule, but worth knowing when choosing a colour. Choosing exterior colours has more on picking colours that suit a setting.