A town of owners and renters
Of 11,055 households, around 60% own their home and 39% rent, split between social landlords at 21.5% and private landlords at 17.4%. For owners we spend time on colour, painting tester pots in several places and suggesting finishes such as Little Greene Intelligent Matt Emulsion that wear well.
For rented homes the priorities change: stain-blocking old marks with Zinsser, filling fixings and repainting quickly in colours that are easy to touch in. About 1,925 households rent privately, and a changeover often includes woodwork and doors as well as walls.
Mostly post-war walls
Council Tax records put the median Haverhill home in the 1973 to 1982 band, and nearly nine in ten were built from 1955 onwards. Walls in houses of that age are usually sound, so preparation is mainly filling, sanding and removing old paper.
Textured ceilings can be skimmed by our plasterers before we paint, and our Haverhill plastering page explains how. Flats, about 12% of homes, need some planning around shared stairs and parking.
Haverhill at a glance
- 21 milesby road from our Landbeach base, about 37 minutesOSRM routing
- 11,055householdsCensus 2021
- 60%of homes are owner-occupiedCensus 2021
- 17%of homes are privately rentedCensus 2021
- 6%of properties were built before 1919VOA Council Tax stock
- 12%are flatsCensus 2021
How we approach interior decorating
In a typical Haverhill terrace we'd start upstairs, filling ceiling cracks and stripping any old paper on the landing, then work down so the hall is finished last. Mirka dust-free sanders keep dust contained. Bare timber is primed with Zinsser, walls get two coats, and doors and skirtings are finished in satin or eggshell. The full method, products and FAQs are on our interior decorating page.