Condo and townhome decks, doors and trim in Middleton

What association rules tend to say about decks, doors and trim

Exterior rules are where associations get specific. Many require approval before an owner changes anything visible from outside, including the color of a deck, a front door or the trim around it. Some handle exterior wood themselves on a set cycle and bill everyone through the dues; others leave decks and doors to each owner but keep a list of allowed colors so the row stays consistent.

Start with the declaration and the written rules, then look for an architectural or exterior change form if your association uses one. Those forms usually ask for the surface, the type of finish and the exact color, so it's worth settling all three before you submit, and booking once the approval comes back in writing.

Matching a color off the approved list

An approved list names a specific color, usually from one paint or stain maker, so bring us that name and number. For paint, we work with premium paint from Sherwin-Williams and Behr, and if the association's paint color comes from a different brand, the quote is built around that brand instead. Nobody has to eyeball a match.

Stain is harder to match than paint. A semitransparent stain lets the wood show through, so one color looks different on new boards, weathered boards and a neighbor's deck that was done three summers ago. If the rules call for a solid or a semitransparent finish, that counts for as much as the color name. How the two behave over time is the subject of our solid vs semi-transparent deck stain comparison.

Balconies, shared decks and railings: whose job is it

Wisconsin's condominium law has a term for the gray area. A limited common element is a common element that the declaration or the plat reserves for the exclusive use of one or more owners, but fewer than all of them. A balcony or deck that only your unit opens onto may be one, which can mean the association owns it while you use it, and the declaration decides who keeps it up.

Townhome associations vary even more. Some own the deck structures and leave the stain to each owner; some hand everything past the back door to the owner. If two units share a deck or a run of railing, agree with your neighbor and the board before anyone stains half of it. Once it's clear the upkeep is yours to order, we'll stain the deck boards, stairs and railings like any other deck. Get the answer in writing, too: a short email from the manager confirming the deck is yours to maintain saves an argument later if the board or the manager changes.

Painting one front door in a row of townhomes

A front door is often the one exterior surface a townhome owner gets to choose, within limits. Some associations allow any door color from a short list; others require every door in the row to match. Check before you fall for a color, and check again if a neighbor tells you the rules changed.

One door is a small job, but it gets the full treatment: cleaned, sanded where the old finish has lifted, primed on any bare spots, and painted with the hardware removed or masked. If your door is the only one changing, the casing and trim around it usually stay in the row's color unless the rules say otherwise. For the frame itself, see painting exterior trim.

Shade and damp ground near Pheasant Branch

The Wisconsin DNR says Pheasant Branch Creek drains the city of Middleton and Madison's west side on its way into Lake Mendota, with the 311-acre Pheasant Branch Marsh near its mouth. Middleton's conservancy lands include the Pheasant Branch Conservancy and the creek corridor around it.

Units near the conservancy, beside a wooded lot or in a wet low spot often have decks that stay damp long after rain or a heavy dew. The National Park Service notes that mildew thrives where it's damp and shaded, so those decks need a careful cleaning and a fully dry day before stain goes on. A row that runs from open sun into the trees may need its shaded end looked at more often than the rest.

Planning around the board's calendar and dry weather

Associations often run their own exterior projects, like roof work, gutters or a row-wide trim repaint. Ask what's planned before you book, so a freshly stained deck isn't under a roofer's ladder a month later and a new door color doesn't get painted over in a building update.

Then the forecast gets its say. Stain needs dry wood and a dry stretch after it goes on, so we schedule exterior work around dry weather, and a wet week simply moves the start. Most decks, doors and trim take one to three days. The written quote is the price, no extra charge if the job takes longer than expected.

Send us your association's rules and a photo to get started, or see everything we offer in Middleton.

More in Middleton

• Painting in Middleton
• Cabinet refinishing in Middleton
• Interior painting in Middleton
• Decks and exterior, the full service page

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• Decks and exterior in Cross Plains

Helpful guides

• Solid or semi-transparent deck stain: how each one wears
• Painting exterior trim: caulk, rot checks and timing