Each week, we are asked to bid about 20 properties that want to have their buildings painted and we currently have about 500 bids that have not been let and are still pending. We check in with a board member or property manager about once each month to see if there is any news on our bid, and having their property painted. Sometimes they need us to attend a board or homeowner meeting, where we can answer questions, or other times they need help with photo renderings so they can choose colors and get a better idea of what their property will look like when its finished. Here is a short story about one particular bid we did for a Homeowner Association back in 2011 and each time we check in with the property manager, we are told “they have a very conservative treasurer” that talks the board into going “One More Year” before painting. So the story goes…Our bid to paint their property was for $105,000 but each year costs increase and it gets more expensive to paint. So that “very conservative treasurer” thought they were doing a good thing by holding on to their reserves and not voting to spend any money on maintenance. The only problem is that for the 6 years that their bank account was increasing, they started to develop wood rot. The wood rot has been gradual over these past 6 years and I just spoke to the property manager who told me about this story and she said now they must special assess for $400,000 in repairs to fix all the rotten wood. Then to add on top of the $400,000, they are going to have to add another $120,000 to paint it. So as you can see, if they followed their Annual Reserve Study recommendations, they should have painted twice. Once back in 2011 and then painted again now in 2017. That would have kept the property looking fresh and at a total cost of about $225,000 for both paint jobs. Instead, they deferred the painting maintenance and now they must spend about $520,000. Both amounts are a lot of money but I’d rather opt for the $225k version instead of the $520k version. Wouldn’t you???!!! If it’s been 6 years since your last paint job, don’t be that “conservative treasurer”. Instead, you can be the “proactive treasurer” and VOTE FOR the paint job that will PROTECT YOUR PROPERTY. We are booked for the next couple months and are now scheduling for late spring and summer. Call us now and plan ahead, so you don’t get that very painful bill to replace your rotten wood. If you think your project is too large and overwhelming you or too complicated to handle, give us a call. We can do it! Sincerely, Greg Lewis