Exterior painting in Drachten, with an eye for colour

Drachten grew strongly after Philips arrived around 1950, and you can see that in the housing stock: many terraced and semi-detached homes from the decades after, with large frames and parapets of wood or panel material. That is different work from a building with glazing bars. Less painstaking work per window, more surface that has to be crisp.

We approach that like all our exterior painting: degreasing, sanding, repairing, priming, sealing, filling, two top coats. What else we do in and around the town you can read under your painter in Drachten. We work there for private customers and small businesses.

Drachten has something special in this area. In 1921 Theo van Doesburg made colour designs for a row of homes here, and the neighbourhood got the nickname Papegaaienbuurt (Parrot Quarter). A century later the bright colours are no standard, but it does show that colour on the facade was never an afterthought here.

The down-to-earth side is the counterpart: with a terraced home you have your neighbours to consider. A bold shade on one of six front doors is fine, anthracite on all the frames too, but it is good to do that with the street in mind. In our piece on choosing a colour for the facade you find the questions we ask then.

Many Drachten homes have red or orange brick, and with an older facade you would like something crisper next to it. Black is popular. We previously painted a terraced home of orange brick in high gloss RAL 9005, to be seen at the black home. Black on orange brick gives a lot of contrast, so also look at how it looks on the whole facade.

But to be honest: black heats up more in the sun than white, and wood feels that. A full south-facing facade therefore needs good preparation and some extra care at the joints. If you want to know whether it works for your house, Mohamed brings samples to the site visit.

In a row it is often smart to paint together. One scaffold that moves along, the same fascia board colour across the whole row and less setting up. We set that out in the quotes, and each owner keeps their own price and their own arrangements.

It can also be awkward, namely when one home is still in good order and the other has rot. Then you pay together for something only one of the two needs, or one waits unnecessarily for the other. That is why we first walk past all the facades. If you already have a quote from another painter, also look at comparing quotes.

Because we come from Mirns, a good first impression is handy, and that is why we ask for a few things in advance. Send photos of the front and rear facades, the fascia boards and the places where the sealant is open or the paint is coming off. State the year of construction, roughly the last paint job, and what you want to do with the colour.

Are your neighbours joining in? Let us know, with their address and the number of homes. Then we plan one site visit for all of you.

On a terraced home you pay relatively little for height and access, but you do pay for the large frames and, where relevant, the parapets. The market nationally cites from €35 per m2 for exterior painting, and from €50 per exterior frame. That is a market indication, not an MJA price. With us you get a fixed price after the site visit.

For older homes, 9 percent Dutch VAT applies to painting, for a building under two years old or a commercial building 21 percent. Own scaffolding, so no daily hire. Fascia boards and cladding are best included in the same round, which saves you a second set-up.

Drachten has a lot of employment, and alongside residential districts you also see many small commercial buildings here. Something different is at play there than with a home. You want the front to look well kept, customers to be able to keep coming and the planning to fit around your opening hours.

On commercial buildings 21 percent Dutch VAT applies, so the sums come out differently from at home. Cladding panels and Trespa can simply be painted after good pre-treatment, which often saves a lot compared with replacing. We did that on a home in Grou, among others. We also tackle frames, doors and fascia boards of a commercial building, and you get the same fixed quote as a private customer.

You tell us what you want, Mohamed comes by, you get a fixed quote with the agreed work and we walk through the work together at handover. We have a good name: 4.8 on Google from 25 reviews, Top Pro 2025 at Trustoo and a member of OnderhoudNL.

The guarantee period is always stated in the quote and terms. Curious what another colour does for your house? Send us a message with a photo of your facade, and we will start thinking along.