Battery Hill Condos four-building exterior painting project in St. John

How We Priced a 4-Building Condo Painting Project in St. John

Commercial painting estimate work for a condominium complex becomes more complicated when the property includes multiple buildings, different substrates, detailed preparation requirements, and a multi-year construction plan.

For Battery Hill Condos in Cruz Bay, St. John, we prepared a detailed estimate for exterior cleaning and painting across four buildings with approximately 9,270 square feet of exterior surface area. The project included both concrete and wood construction, multiple elevations, windows, doors, fascia, trim, and other painted surfaces.

Four Buildings, Four Different Scopes

The first step was breaking the property into individual buildings and elevations rather than pricing the entire complex as one lump sum.

The project included:

  • Building A: 3-story concrete, approximately 3,240 SF
  • Building B: 3-story concrete, approximately 3,240 SF
  • Building C: 2-story concrete, approximately 2,160 SF
  • Building D: 1-story wood, approximately 630 SF

The total documented surface area was 9,270 SF.

This building-by-building approach made it possible to identify the cost of each elevation and create a practical phased budget.

Preparation Was a Major Part of the Estimate

The scope wasn’t simply to apply two coats of paint.

The requested preparation included:

  • Pressure washing the surfaces
  • Patching cracks, blisters, and openings
  • Scraping and sanding loose paint
  • Preparing wood surfaces for proper adhesion
  • Removing deteriorated caulk
  • Re-caulking windows and doors
  • Sealing building penetrations
  • Spot-priming bare wood and patched concrete
  • Applying two finish coats

For a project in a coastal environment, preparation is especially important because existing paint failure and moisture intrusion can affect the new coating system.

The project documentation specifically noted that water bubbles can appear beneath the existing paint after heavy rain, making surface preparation and proper repairs an important estimating consideration.

Different Surfaces Require Different Considerations

Battery Hill included concrete exteriors as well as wood fascia, trim, lattice, doors, and windows.

The specified field color was Behr Dynasty Casual Khaki, N300-3, while the trim color was still listed as TBD in the original scope.

Because the project contained different substrates, the estimate considered the appropriate labor and material requirements rather than applying one blanket painting allowance.

We Priced Every Building by Elevation

One of the most important parts of this commercial painting estimate was separating each building into front, rear, left, and right elevations.

For example, Building A was estimated at:

  • Front: approximately $5,515
  • Rear: approximately $5,493
  • Left: approximately $6,448
  • Right: approximately $6,276

Its base first-year building total, including the applicable GRT, was approximately $24,918.

Building B was approximately $25,391, Building C approximately $16,896, and Building D approximately $5,893 based on the elevation-level proposal. The underlying cost summary produced a $71,778.70 total base bid for the overall estimating scope.

This level of breakdown gives a contractor or property owner a much clearer picture of where the money is going than a single project-wide square-foot price.

Labor and Materials Were Separated

The estimate also separated labor and material costs.

The base-bid cost summary showed approximately:

  • Labor: $35,733
  • Materials: $22,643
  • Overhead and profit: incorporated into the estimate
  • GRT: 5%
  • Total base bid: approximately $71,779

The trade breakdown also identified exterior painting, power washing joint sealants, and general requirements as separate cost components.

That separation helps contractors review whether the labor production, material quantities, and preparation allowances are realistic before submitting a bid.

The Project Required Multi-Year Pricing

Battery Hill’s association planned to spread the painting work over multiple years instead of completing every elevation at once.

The estimating workbook therefore included four years of pricing. Each elevation could be assigned to the year in which it would be completed, allowing the association to prioritize the areas most in need while staying within its annual budget.

The estimate increased future-year pricing to account for expected cost changes. The overall cost summary showed approximately:

  • Year 1: $71,779
  • Year 2: $76,226
  • Year 3: $81,561
  • Year 4: $87,268

This type of phased pricing is useful when a property owner knows the entire project needs to be completed but cannot fund the full scope in a single year.

Why Detailed Painting Takeoffs Matter

A project like Battery Hill demonstrates why an accurate commercial painting estimate requires more than multiplying surface area by a painting unit cost.

The estimator needs to understand:

  • Building dimensions
  • Individual elevations
  • Surface types
  • Existing paint conditions
  • Preparation requirements
  • Caulking and repairs
  • Windows and doors
  • Labor requirements
  • Material costs
  • Project-specific conditions
  • Phased construction requirements

Our team prepared the Battery Hill estimate with these factors organized into a detailed, elevation-by-elevation cost structure.

For contractors bidding similar projects, accurate quantities and realistic labor costs can make the difference between a competitive bid and a project that becomes difficult to execute profitably.

If you need detailed quantities for painting scopes, our construction takeoff services can help organize the scope before pricing.

We also provide general contractor estimating services for contractors who need labor, material, and project-level cost breakdowns.

A good estimate doesn’t just tell you what a project costs it shows you where the cost comes from.