Painter Oudemirdum: wood among the trees

Oudemirdum lies in the wooded part of Gaasterland, not far from the Oudemirdumerklif. Many houses stand among tall trees. Wonderful to live in, but for a painter one thing counts above all: wood that stands in the shade stays damp for longer.

That is why here we do not only measure the number of m2, but also look at where the sun does not reach. We work from Mirns, and Oudemirdum belongs for us to the same part of Gaasterland as Balk. If your house stands on an open spot on the edge of the village, the story below applies less: there the wind is the bigger enemy again.

Damp likes to sit where it cannot get away: in a corner joint, under a sill or behind a barge board just under the branches. Leaves in the gutter make that worse, because then the water runs along the fascia board instead of away.

A house that faces the sun gets cracks in the paint. A house under trees more often gets green growth and wood that goes soft without looking terrible. At recognising wood rot you can see how to check that yourself, with nothing more than a screwdriver.

At the site visit we first walk round the house and look at the undersides of doors, sills, corner joints and the roof edge. Where the paint is coming off or a joint is open, we probe. If the wood gives, it has to come out back to sound wood.

Then the choice is whether to splice in a piece, repair with the two-component product from Repair Care, or replace. That depends on how deep it goes. At repair or replace you can read how we make that call.

For a first estimate, take photos of every wall, including from a bit further away, so we can see the trees and the setting. Then close-ups of what you notice: flaking paint, green edges, a sill that looks soft.

Add roughly how old the house is and when it was last painted, if you know. That saves a lot of questions. It is no problem if you do not know, because a house shows during the site visit what it needs. A photo of the roof with the trees above it is handy too, because then we see where leaves and branches touch the gutter and the roof edge.

Nationally, as a market guide, a spot of wood rot starts from €50, replacing fascia boards from €55 per running metre and exterior painting from €35 per m2. Those are not MJA prices, because we only give those after the site visit, as one fixed price.

How many spots there are, you only know once it has been probed. That is why the site visit is extra important here. Access counts too: between trees and shrubs, scaffolding cannot always stand in the easiest place. How the repair works out in practice, you can read at the cost of repairing wood rot.

With a few simple habits you keep your paint looking good for longer. Clean the gutters after leaf fall, prune branches that rub against the wall and wash the woodwork once a year. That gives green growth less chance to take hold.

More tips are at preventing wood rot. For example, we restored a house that had had no maintenance for ten years and turned out to have a lot of wood rot. That can be repaired, but it is nicer to catch it earlier. A yearly walk along the sills and the roof edge takes you a quarter of an hour.

Not sure whether a spot is soft, or do you see something you cannot place? Send a photo to 06 3006 0558 and you will hear what we think. We are a member of OnderhoudNL, have 4.8 from 25 reviews on Google and also say honestly when nothing needs doing yet.

Want to make an enquiry straight away? Then fill in the quote form, and we will plan the site visit afterwards.