Dicky Beach, Sunshine Coast
Exterior painting in Dicky Beach, house by house or complex by complex.
Almost a quarter of homes here are townhouses. The rest are houses on streets that sold after the war. Different jobs, same salt off the surf.
- Since 1985
- /Family-run, locally owned
- /Fully insured
- /Dulux + Taubmans accredited
- /Lead & asbestos qualified
Local context
What this work looks like in Dicky Beach.
Dicky Beach is a small strip between Tooway Creek and Buderim Street, named for the SS Dicky, which ran aground here in 1893. It's more built up than people expect. At the 2021 Census, 23 percent of occupied homes in Dicky Beach were townhouses or semi-detached, against 65.3 percent separate houses, and the suburb has two retirement villages as well. So our quotes here split between family homes and complexes, where a committee and a row of neighbours are part of the job.
What we watch for
Conditions that change the job here.
The beach is patrolled by the Dicky Beach surf club and faces straight onto the open sea, so houses near the foreshore take salt on their seaward walls. Those walls get washed harder and a heavier system. Further back toward Coonowrin Street, a standard exterior system does well. Lots here sold from 1947, after the wartime army camps came out, so the older houses are worth an asbestos test on fibro eaves and a lead test on paint that could pre-date 1970. On complexes, gutters, garage doors and fences are often common property, so the committee decides those too.
How it runs
What to expect.
On a complex we start with the committee and a site walk, then write the scope building by building. Residents get a notice with the dates and what we'll need from them, like moving pot plants or keeping a window shut. People are often home through the day in a complex like this, so the noisy prep stays in sensible hours and each building is tidied before we move on. On a single house we walk it with you, mark which walls face the sea, and quote them apart from the sheltered ones. Most single houses take five to ten working days.
Usually included
- Townhouse and villa complexes, scoped building by building
- Committee colour approval and resident notices before work starts
- Heavier system on seaward walls near the foreshore
- Asbestos test on older eaves and lead test on pre-1970 paint
- Garage doors, fences and gutters on the complex scope where they're common property
Complexes and houses
A Dicky Beach quote starts with who owns the wall.
Complexes need a committee
Close to a quarter of homes here were townhouses or semi-detached in 2021. On those the committee approves colours and scope, and we price each building on its own line.
Residents need notice
People are often home through the day in a complex. They get their dates in writing, the noisy prep stays in sensible hours, and each building is tidied before we move on.
The foreshore takes salt
Houses near the patrolled beach face open surf. Their seaward walls get washed harder and a heavier system, while the streets further back do well on the standard one.
How a Dicky Beach job runs
Agree it, tell everyone, then paint.
01
Walk it with the owner or committee.
We note which walls face the sea, which buildings share a roofline, and what counts as common property, then write the scope up building by building.
02
Test what's old.
Fibro from before 1990 and paint from before 1970 are tested first. The results go into the scope, and into the complex’s file afterwards.
03
Notify, then prepare.
Residents get their dates. Walls are washed, loose paint scraped back, gaps filled and bare metal primed, one building at a time.
04
Finish and sign off.
Two coats, then a walk around each building with the owner or the committee rep. Touch-ups happen before we move along the row.
For agents and property managers
Dicky Beach rentals, documented.
Nearly three in ten Dicky Beach homes were rented at the 2021 Census. We take access through the property manager, give tenants their dates in writing, and send the before and after photos with the invoice.
Common questions
What people ask before booking.
We're on the committee of a Dicky Beach complex. How do you quote it?
Building by building, in writing. We walk the site with the committee or strata manager, match the colours to the original scheme or a new one the owners have voted on, and list each building’s walls, trims, doors and fences. That lets the committee stage the job over two budgets if it wants to.
Will painters need to get into residents' courtyards?
Sometimes, yes. Exterior work stays outside, but courtyards and some balconies are the only way to reach certain walls. Each resident gets a written notice with the dates and what we’ll need, and we knock before we start on their unit.
Do the houses near the Dicky Beach surf club need a heavier paint system?
On the walls facing the sea, yes. Dicky Beach faces the open surf, so we wash those walls harder and build a heavier system, and Dulux recommends washing coastal paintwork every six months after that. A house a few streets back toward Coonowrin Street usually does well on a standard system.
Is there anything to test on an older Dicky Beach house?
Often, yes. Lots here sold from 1947, so the older houses can have fibro eaves and many coats of paint. Fibro from before 1990 gets an asbestos test, and paint that could pre-date 1970 gets a lead test, before anyone sands. Both results come back before we finalise the scope.
What's the best month to start an exterior near the beach?
Late winter or early spring, if you can. At Sunshine Coast Airport, September averages 51.1 mm of rain over about five rain days, and August 70.4 mm. Coastal mornings can be damp, and Dulux warns that dew on a drying coat can damage it, so the seaward walls start once they’ve dried off.