Painter Stiens: from new-build to older home

Stiens lies on a terp north of Leeuwarden, on the clay land towards the Wadden coast. Since 2014 it has been part of the municipality of Leeuwarden. Around the old centre the village has grown with streets from much later periods.

That shapes the question. With a young home or a house just completed, it is about crisp walls, not rotten thresholds.

In the old centre and on the farms around it you also simply meet woodwork with the familiar problems. You can come to us for that too, for frames, doors and barge boards. This page is mostly about how to finish a young home beautifully.

New-build is usually delivered ready for wallpaper or ready for paint, and those are not the same. Paint-ready is smoother and can be painted straight away. Wallpaper-ready needs extra work for a crisp result, or lining paper (renovlies) or glass fibre wallpaper over the wall. Small cracks can still appear in the first years, and that plays a part in your choice.

What to check at handover you can read under preparing walls in new-build. One of our customers had glass fibre wallpaper applied and painted in a new-build apartment of 150 m2.

Painting on a well-finished wall is the simplest choice. If the wall is less crisp, or you expect some settlement in the house, glass fibre wallpaper with wall paint is sturdier and hides small cracks. You can also repaint it later.

In the move-in ready new-build you can see how hallways, bedrooms and the living room look after our work. Frames, doors and skirting can be included straight away, so that everything is right in one go before you move. If you choose a colour on the wall, we are happy to think along about what suits your frames and floor.

This is often overlooked. On painting work on a home that is two years old or older after first occupation, 9 percent applies. If the home is younger, it is 21 percent. A different rate may apply to wallpaper and carpentry, and we list that item by item on the quote.

So sometimes it can pay to put exterior work off for a while. On Dutch VAT on painting work you can see exactly how this works. A new house with a job that is urgent, of course you simply do straight away.

Send the floor plan if you have it, so we can estimate the surface area properly. Give the handover date and whether the walls are wallpaper-ready or paint-ready. Photos per room help, including corners and places where hairline cracks are already showing.

Also mention your moving date, so we know which way to work back from. During the site visit we look at the surface and discuss colours and finish. After that you get a quote with the agreed work.

The surface area, the finish and the condition of the wall make the difference. A national market indication is walls from €15 per m2, ceilings from €18 per m2 and applying lining paper (renovlies) or glass fibre from €15 per m2.

Those are not MJA prices, because with us you get a fixed price after the site visit. Also look at what is and isn't in the quote, such as the preparation and the skirting. That often matters more than the price per metre.

An empty home is also quicker to work in than a lived-in house, because nothing has to be moved aside. So if you can plan the site visit before you move, that is good for both sides. If you have a business space at home, the Dutch VAT is split and we list that separately on the quote.

MJA Allround Bouw is based in Mirns and works throughout Friesland. Customers often mention that we respond quickly, mask neatly and think along on colours. We are a member of OnderhoudNL and a recognised training company, and Google gives us a 4.8 from 25 reviews.

Have you just received the keys to a house in Stiens, or are they on their way? Fill in the quote request, or call Mohamed on 06 3006 0558. The sooner you call, the easier it is to schedule. A single room or an attic is welcome too.