Painting a listed building: ask the municipality first

Ordinary maintenance is usually allowed without a permit. That generally includes painting over in the same colour, as long as you do not affect the appearance or the historic value. If you want a different colour, replace wood with a different profile or strip old layers drastically, it can be a change that needs a permit.

The line is not always sharp, and it differs per property. So the honest answer is: call or email your municipality before you decide anything. Near us that is often De Fryske Marren or Súdwest-Fryslân. That one phone call prevents you from having to reverse the colour afterwards.

It matters what status your property has. For a national monument, the protection is set out in national rules and you apply for the permit through your municipality. Whether your property is on the list, you look up in the national monuments register of the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands.

A municipal monument falls under the municipality's own rules, and those differ. If your home is not a monument but is in a protected town or village conservation area, as in Sloten or Hindeloopen, rules can apply to the exterior too. If you are buying a property, ask for its status before you make plans.

The more concrete your question, the more useful the answer. Ask, for example:

• Is this property protected, and which parts fall under it?
• Is painting over in the current colour maintenance?
• May I choose a different colour, and if so within which limits?
• May damaged wood be repaired or replaced, and what must new wood meet?
• Is a particular paint system required?

Keep the answer in writing. Give it to us, and we will carry the agreements over into the quote. Deciding whether something is allowed is not for us: that lies with the municipality, and the responsibility as owner lies with you.

On a listed building the old wood itself is often part of the value. That is why repair suits better than replacing here. We find soft wood with a screwdriver, remove only what is really rotten and repair back to sound wood with Repair Care. If that is not enough, we let in a piece that matches the existing profile.

That work takes patience, but it saves original parts. You can read how to make the choice at repairing or replacing. A tall window frame with glazing bars is treated differently from a modern glazed front, because every glazing bar and glazing bead needs separate attention.

A historic property often has a thick build-up of old paint, and it may contain lead. According to OnderhoudNL, white lead has been banned indoors since 1939 and outdoors since 2009. If in doubt, do not sand dry, because then the dust ends up in your garden and your lungs.

On old paint and lead we explain how to deal with it. Stripping to bare wood is not always necessary: if the old coat is still sound, it can often stay after degreasing and light sanding. That is also the least intrusive route for the property itself.

Besides the usual list, send us the documents specific to your listed building:

• The status of the property and the municipality's answer
• Any permit, with its conditions
• Photos of facades, glazing bars, doors and ornaments
• The current colour, or a colour code if you have one
• What you know about earlier paint jobs

During the site visit we look at whether the requested paint system is feasible. If the municipality demands something we have no experience with ourselves, we say so beforehand. That is better for you and for the property.

Usually it is not the paint but the time. Many profiles, glazing bars and glazing beads cost more handwork than a flat facade, and repairing is slower than replacing. Height, ornaments and the condition of the old paint build-up count too.

As a national market guide you can think of at least €50 each for an exterior window frame and €50 per spot for wood rot, but on a listed building the real price is often higher because of that handwork. With us you get a fixed price after the site visit. Ask your municipality or the National Restoration Fund whether a scheme exists for your property, because that changes every year.

We are a painting and maintenance company from Mirns, not a restoration architect. We are members of OnderhoudNL, a recognised training company and used to old homes: in Langweer we repaired a 1930s house back to sound wood, finished in cream white and antique green. That is not a listed building, but the work on old wood is comparable.

What you can expect from us is clear communication and a quote stating paint type, colour code and method. You can also show that paper to the municipality. Mohamed will tell you honestly at the site visit if a job suits a specialist restoration painter better.

First ask the municipality what applies and put the answer on record. After that we are happy to look together at the best approach. Send your photos and the municipality's reply via the quote form or by WhatsApp to 06 3006 0558.

In doubt between colours that are allowed? Then first read the difference between RAL 9010 and cream white, because on an old property it matters more than you think.