Colonel Light Gardens · SA 5041
Australia’s most complete 1920s garden suburb deserves a painter who knows the heritage standards before quoting.
AJ Blunt Painting has worked on character homes across Adelaide’s inner south since 1982, and our office is on Belair Road at Hawthorn — a few minutes from your street. We know which surfaces here can be repainted without approval, and which ones should never be painted at all.
24-Hour Quote Turnaround
Professional Project Management
5-Year Workmanship Warranty
43 Years Painting Experience
Master Painters Gold Award 2023, 2024 & 2025
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A selection of homes we have painted across Adelaide’s inner south, all a short drive from Colonel Light Gardens.
Painting services
We know a repaint is disruptive, so we plan it around you rather than around our calendar. Most projects start with a free site visit at a time that suits, and the written proposal follows within 24 hours.
From there you get a clear plan: which elevations we start on, how long each stage takes, what needs to be moved and when, and a realistic allowance for weather. On heritage work in this suburb we also flag anything the State Heritage Area standards affect before you commit to a scope.
Our office is on Belair Road at Hawthorn, a few minutes away, which is why we can usually get to you quickly and come back promptly if anything needs attention.
Why us
No subcontractors. The team that quotes your job is the team that turns up to do it. You will not meet someone at the quote and then find strangers on your property a month later.
Local know-how
Planned by the State Government from land bought in 1915 and named in 1921, this is described by the Department for Environment and Water as Australia’s most complete example of an early 1900s garden suburb. It entered the South Australian Heritage Register on 4 May 2000, and the current heritage standards were published on 28 April 2021.
Most of the housing went up between 1921 and 1939, with the majority built under the Thousand Homes Scheme. The standards describe face brick and/or stone construction with brick or stone quoins, predominantly unpainted; gable or hipped roofs clad in galvanised corrugated sheeting; and timber-framed open verandahs on masonry pillars or timber posts, with double or triple sash or casement timber windows.
That description tells you where a repaint here actually happens. It is rarely the walls. It is the timber, the verandahs, the window joinery, the eaves and the roof — and a painter who proposes coating your face brick is proposing something the standards do not support.
One practical note on access: bungalow roofs here are pitched at 22 to 25 degrees, while the Tudor-style homes exceed 40 degrees. That difference changes the staging and safety requirements, and an honest quote reflects it.
What catches people out
These come from the published heritage standards for the State Heritage Area and from four decades of painting Adelaide’s character housing.
The heritage standards are explicit: painting unpainted external surfaces of existing buildings is not supported, and original face brick or stone walls should stay unpainted and unrendered. Removing paint from face brick or stone is classed as development in its own right.
What we do: We tell you this before you spend money, even though it means quoting a smaller job. If your brickwork is stained or patchy, there are cleaning and repointing options that keep the heritage fabric intact.
A suburb largely built in the 1920s means most original paintwork pre-dates the phase-out of lead in household paint. Dry-sanding or power-sanding it spreads contaminated dust through your garden, your soil and your home.
What we do: Lead-safe preparation as standard on older paintwork — containment, wet methods, proper waste handling. We will walk you through what that means on your particular house.
The standards list acceptable roofing as corrugated galvanised or Colorbond sheeting in dark red, dark green, or light or dark grey. A Zincalume finish is not supported, and nor is square or rectangular profile steel sheeting.
What we do: If you are considering a roof repaint, we work to colours that sit inside those standards and keep the streetscape consistent.
Garden suburb bungalows carry a lot of exposed timber — verandah posts, brackets, window joinery, fascias and gable detailing. After a century of Adelaide summers, some of it needs repair rather than paint, and painting over failing timber just hides the problem for a season.
What we do: We assess and repair timber before any coating goes on, and we say so in the quote rather than discovering it halfway through.
Residential painting
Whether you are refreshing one room or repainting the whole exterior, the aim is the same: a finish that suits the age of the house and lasts.
Inside, we handle full repaints, ceilings, timber joinery and the detailed trim work these homes carry. We can advise on colours that sit comfortably with original features rather than fighting them, and we work room by room so you keep a functioning kitchen and bedroom throughout.
Outside, the work is mostly timber and iron: verandah posts and beams, window joinery, eaves, fascias and gable detail. We assess timber condition at the quoting stage and price any repair visibly, so the number does not move once we start. Where the roof needs attention we work to the colours the heritage standards accept.
Commercial painting
We also paint commercial premises, community buildings and multi-unit property across Adelaide’s inner south.
Commercial work is a scheduling problem as much as a painting one, so we plan around your trading hours and can work evenings or weekends where the site needs it. Safe work method statements, licensing and public liability cover are provided as a matter of course, and we confirm the schedule in writing before anyone mobilises.
We specialise in restoring the character of Adelaide’s heritage homes and buildings, preserving what makes them worth keeping while bringing the paintwork back to standard.
Get your project started without delay. We provide fast, accurate written quotes within 24 hours of the site visit, so you can plan with confidence.
From the first consultation to the final coat, every detail is handled with care and precision, delivered on time and to the agreed budget.
Wherever you’re up to
Some people are years away from painting and just want to know what they’re allowed to do. Others have three quotes on the kitchen bench. We’re useful at every stage.
Fair question, and the answer surprises most owners. Under the heritage standards, repainting an already-painted exterior surface is not classed as development — you do not need approval. But painting a surface that has never been painted is not supported, and stripping paint off face brick or stone is classed as development. Browse our completed heritage work, no obligation.
See our heritage workBecause they are almost never quoting the same job. One painter has allowed for proper preparation on 100-year-old timber and lead-safe practice on pre-1970 paint; another has allowed for two coats and a quick sand. Our proposals list every surface, product, primer and number of coats, so you can actually compare.
Get a detailed quoteCall us and we’ll arrange a free site visit, usually within a few days. You get a written proposal within 24 hours, a clear start date, and a 5-year workmanship warranty from the day you sign off. We’re a short drive away on Belair Road.
Call 0403 584 491Client feedback
“We just had our house painted by AJ Blunt. We were very happy with their service and professionalism. They did a great job overall and our house looks fantastic. We will definitely use them again.”Verified customerGoogle review
“I’ve dealt with house painters previously and none have been as professional and nice to deal with as Tyron and the AJ Blunt team. Adelaide’s best house painters!”Verified customerGoogle review
“Rotting timber was replaced or repaired outside, doors and windows were painted, chimney render repaired and painted, front fence painted. We’re very happy customers.”Verified customerGoogle review
Fast free quote
Request a quick quote by filling out the form below. We respond to every enquiry within 24 hours, and the written proposal lists every surface, product and number of coats — so you can compare it properly against anyone else’s.
Prefer to talk? Call 0403 584 491 and speak directly to our team.
Our process
We start with a detailed conversation about your needs, your vision and the specific requirements of the property. You speak directly with our team, not a call centre.
Preparation decides how long a paint job lasts. Every surface is cleaned, filled, sanded and primed, and your furniture, floors and fittings are protected throughout.
Dulux and Haymes paints applied at the correct film thickness for the surface and its exposure, by tradespeople who take their time.
Before we pack up, you walk through the finished job with us. Anything needing attention is done then and there, and your 5-year warranty starts that day.
Heritage painting
Heritage is not a sideline for us. AJ Blunt Painting is one of the painting companies listed on South Australia’s Heritage Database, and period property has been our specialty since 1982.
On a garden suburb home that means period-appropriate colour schemes, breathable systems where masonry has already been painted, and careful preparation of the timber fretwork, verandah detailing and window joinery that give these houses their character. It also means lead-safe practice — SA Health advises assuming buildings built before the mid-1970s contain lead-based paint, which covers essentially all of the original stock here.
And it means telling you when the right answer is to leave a surface alone.
Specialist services
Beyond standard interior and exterior work, we cover the jobs that usually get quoted separately — often more economically when done in the same visit, while access equipment is already on site.
Also nearby
We paint right across Adelaide’s inner south, and our Hawthorn office sits in the middle of it.
Book a free site visit and we’ll walk the property with you, flag anything the heritage standards affect, and send a detailed written proposal within 24 hours. No pressure, no obligation.
Colonel Light Gardens is a State Heritage Area, declared in 2000 and administered by Heritage South Australia with the City of Mitcham. Under the published heritage standards, repainting an already-painted exterior surface is not classed as development, so it does not need approval. Painting a previously unpainted brick or stone surface is not supported, and removing paint from face brick or stone is classed as development. AJ Blunt Painting has worked on Adelaide character homes since 1982 and quotes to those standards.
Answers
Generally no, if you are repainting a surface that is already painted. The heritage standards for the State Heritage Area class exterior painting as “not development”. However, painting a previously unpainted surface is not supported, and removing paint from face brick or stone is classed as development. Conservation repairs beyond minor work can also be development, so it is worth checking with the City of Mitcham or a Heritage SA heritage officer before you start.
The heritage standards say original face brick or stone walls on dwellings should remain unpainted and unrendered, so painting them is not supported. We will tell you this up front. If the brickwork looks tired, cleaning, repointing or attention to the painted elements around it usually achieves what the owner actually wanted.
Quite possibly. SA Health advises assuming that buildings constructed before the mid-1970s contain lead-based paint, and most of the suburb was built in the 1920s. We treat older paintwork as lead-containing and prepare it accordingly, using containment and wet methods rather than dry sanding.
The published standards list corrugated galvanised or Colorbond sheeting in dark red, dark green, or light or dark grey as acceptable. Zincalume finishes and square or rectangular profile sheeting are not supported, and roof tiles are not supported where the original building did not have them.
We respond to every enquiry within 24 hours and can usually arrange a free site visit within a few days. Our office is on Belair Road at Hawthorn, a few minutes away, so getting to you is straightforward.
Yes. AJ Blunt Painting holds South Australian building work contractor licence BLD 21766 and carries public liability insurance. We are happy to provide a certificate of currency before work starts.
From the blog
Two guides worth reading if you are planning a repaint.
Colonel Light Gardens is a State Heritage Area, so the brief starts well before colour. What character homeowners should know before any work begins.
Read the article →
Face brick defines the streetscape here, and the heritage standards don’t support painting it. The pros, cons and costs of painting brick, explained.
Read the article →When you choose AJ Blunt Painting you are dealing with people who care about the result. Our team is approachable and we keep you informed from the first site visit to the final walkthrough. It’s your space — it should be painted the way you want it.
Or email info@ajbluntpaint.com.au · Licensed BLD 21766 · Fully insured · 5-year workmanship warranty
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