Planning the work
Conservation & exterior finishes
Before choosing an exterior colour, establish what the building is and what the proposal changes. A conservation-area address, a listed building and an Article 4 direction raise related but separate questions.
Check the address against the right documents
Use RBKC's designation information and the relevant conservation-area appraisal, then check listing and any address-specific Article 4 direction. The council's register includes directions affecting parts of Earl's Court; they should not be reduced to a single rule for SW5. A current property-specific check matters more than an assumption based on the street's appearance.
Sources: RBKC: check if your building is listed; RBKC: conservation areas; RBKC: conservation-area Article 4 directions; RBKC: checking planning constraints
Distinguish matching maintenance from a changed treatment
Historic England explains that repainting previously decorated surfaces to match the paint type, texture, finish and colour may not affect a listed building's special interest and may therefore not need listed-building consent. That is not permission for every repaint: changed finishes, newly coated surfaces or intrusive preparation require assessment, and planning controls must also be checked.
Read colour as part of the whole elevation
The Philbeach appraisal describes the relationship between pale brick, stucco dressings, painted timber and ironwork. Nevern Square's appraisal identifies painting original brickwork as harmful to its architectural character. Use the relevant appraisal and any existing approval to inform the scheme; neither a generic white facade nor a contrasting feature colour is an automatic local standard.
Sources: RBKC: Nevern Square appraisal; RBKC: Philbeach appraisal
Specify the method as well as the colour
A proposed finish should identify the surface, its current coating, the preparation and any repair. Retain useful photographs and provide a sample where required. Window frames, front doors, porch mouldings and railings may need different treatments, and a colour match alone does not establish that a change of coating or removal method is appropriate.
Put required consents ahead of the painting programme
Where the work needs planning or listed-building consent, including conservation-area considerations, it is handled through our sister company, Hampstead Chartered Surveyors & Building Consultancy. Agree that professional appointment and the evidence needed for the proposal. The decorating programme must allow for the decision and any conditions; submitting an application does not authorise work.
Sources: Hampstead Chartered Surveyors & Building Consultancy; RBKC: check if your building is listed
Arrange an Earl's Court repaint
A room, a staircase,
a whole elevation.
Start with the part of the property you want to change. Add who occupies it, when it can be released and whether a managing agent or freeholder needs to approve the work.
Tell us what you have in mind
Please include the SW5 address, the rooms or exterior elements and your proposed timing.