VANCOUVER BC’S PREMIER RESIDENTIAL PAINTING COMPANY
VANCOUVER BC’S PREMIER RESIDENTIAL PAINTING COMPANY
We are one of a handful of painting companies approved by the Vancouver Heritage Foundation (VHF), and we have painted more than 100 heritage homes across the city, including several completed as part of the VHF’s True Colours Grant. Heritage and character homes carry decades of paint history, original wood and stucco that need patient handling, and, in many cases, a heritage designation that governs what colours and finishes are appropriate. We bring all of that context to every project, whether your home is in solid shape or needs substantial restoration work.
The True Colours Grant is a Vancouver Heritage Foundation program that supports homeowners painting the original exterior cladding of a heritage-registered building in historically accurate colours. A heritage consultant determines the building’s original or an authentic alternative colour scheme for its era and style, and eligible projects can receive a grant toward the cost of the work. We have carried out several True Colours projects, so we already understand how the program works, what documentation it expects, and how to apply a scheme that satisfies both the homeowner and the Foundation.
Being VHF-approved means we have demonstrated to the Foundation that we understand heritage materials, period-appropriate application methods, and the care these homes require, so owners of Vancouver’s older properties can hire us with that assurance already in place.
A modern repaint and a heritage repaint are not the same job, even when the surface looks similar from the street.
Older wood, stucco, and masonry were built to let moisture move through them, and sealing that surface with the wrong modern product traps water behind the paint film instead of letting it escape. That trapped moisture is what eventually shows up as bubbling, peeling, or soft wood underneath a coating that looked fine on application day. We choose coatings suited to the substrate in front of us rather than defaulting to whatever goes on fastest, because a heritage exterior needs to keep breathing the way it was designed to.
Craftsman, Tudor Revival, Arts and Crafts, and Spanish Colonial Revival homes each carry a colour language specific to their era, from the warm earth tones and dark timber contrast of a Tudor Revival to the natural, low-contrast palettes typical of a Craftsman bungalow. Painting a character home in a scheme lifted from a new-construction colour deck flattens exactly the detail that makes the house distinctive. We work with owners to choose a scheme that respects the home’s original style, whether that means restoring a historically documented palette or selecting an authentic alternative in the same spirit.
Every heritage project starts with an assessment of the home’s current condition and the scope agreed to in the quote. From there, our process typically includes:
We perform the work agreed to in the quote based on your expectations, budget, and the specific condition of the home, so the project runs smoothly from the first walkthrough to the final coat.
We approach every heritage home painting project with the same care and attention to detail, whether the home is a straightforward repaint or a more complex restoration. Take a look at some of our completed heritage home painting projects below.
It comes down to prep and materials. Heritage homes often carry old paint layers that need to be handled correctly, wood and stucco that need to breathe rather than be sealed with the wrong coating, and a colour scheme that should reflect the home’s original style rather than a generic modern palette.
If your home is on the Heritage Register, or you simply want the work done with an understanding of period-correct materials and colour, choosing a VHF-approved contractor gives you that assurance. We are one of the few painting companies in Vancouver with that approval.
If your home is municipally designated as a heritage property, an exterior colour change can require a Heritage Alteration Permit, since colour is considered part of the protected heritage character. We can help you plan the timeline around that step where it applies.
If lead paint is suspected or has already been tested, we employ specific methodologies to prevent lead dust from getting out.
Yes. We look at the home’s style era, whether Craftsman, Tudor Revival, Arts and Crafts, or Spanish Colonial Revival, and either help restore a documented original scheme or select an authentic alternative that suits the home’s architecture.
