Aethos

Consultancy · we advise

A second pair of eyes,
before you spend.

Help choosing colours and palettes, a practical assessment before decorating repairs, and an honest review of a specification. Fifteen years of renovating commercial and domestic properties, put to work on your decision.

Ask about a consultation See what we advise on

A clear starting point

Know what you are booking.

Start with a short enquiry. I confirm the scope, duration, fee and available dates in writing before you decide. An enquiry is not a paid booking.

A colour consultation for your rooms

Format
At your property, with a photo review available for an initial discussion.
Agreed scope
The rooms, surfaces, fixed furnishings and questions you want to resolve are agreed before booking.
What you receive
Written colour references, recommended sheens and guidance for checking samples in your own light.
Quotation basis
Quoted for the agreed rooms, visit and written guidance. Travel and any samples are itemised where applicable.
Duration and delivery
Visit length and the date for written guidance are agreed in the quotation, before you book.
Discuss this consultation

A repairs and preparation advice visit

Format
A visual visit to accessible surfaces, or an initial review of clear photographs.
Agreed scope
The visible coating problems, preparation options and any questions needing another trade.
What you receive
Written observations, a proposed preparation sequence and questions or referrals where further investigation is needed.
Quotation basis
Quoted for the number of areas, access and written advice. Specialist investigations and repair work are separate.
Duration and delivery
The visit length and delivery date for notes are agreed before booking. Hidden defects cannot be assessed from photographs alone.
Discuss this consultation

Property visits cover St Andrews, East Neuk, Fife, Dundee and Angus, subject to travel and availability. Remote consultancy depends on whether your question can reasonably be answered from the information supplied. Payment and cancellation terms are provided with the quotation.

Hand painted colour sample boards in greens, stone and blue grey propped against a panelled wall beside a sash window, with a fan deck and notebook on the sill
Illustrative colour study, not a client consultation photograph.

Most expensive mistakes
are made before work starts.

A colour chosen from a small chip under shop lighting. A crack filled without asking why it opened. A modern paint rolled over a wall that needed to breathe. None of these look like mistakes on the day. They show up months later, when putting them right costs far more.

Consultancy is for the moment before that decision. I come and look, explain what I see in plain English and put it in writing. What you do with the advice is entirely up to you.

What we advise on

Three kinds of advice, one way of working.

Colour and palette consultation

Choosing colours in the room they will live in, under the light that room actually gets, alongside the floors, fabrics and furniture you are keeping.

For a single room that has never felt right, a whole home you want to connect, or a period property where the colours need to respect the architecture.

Ask about this

What I look at

  • Orientation and how daylight changes through the day
  • Fixed elements such as flooring, stone, tiles and joinery
  • How rooms read from one to the next along a hallway
  • Sheen levels for walls, ceilings and woodwork
  • Where a colour will be seen in shadow and where in full light

You leave with

  • A written palette with colour references for each surface
  • Recommended finishes and sheens, surface by surface
  • Guidance on painting sample boards properly before you commit
  • A room by room schedule you can hand to any decorator

Repairs and alterations advice

Before you fill, sand or repaint, find out why the surface failed and what it really needs. Cracks, flaking paint, blown plaster, tired sashes and stained ceilings all have a cause.

For homeowners planning alterations, facing a repair they are unsure about, or tired of painting over the same problem every year.

Ask about this

What I look at

  • Cracking, flaking and peeling, and what is behind them
  • Signs of damp, condensation and salts on walls and ceilings
  • Plaster, timber and render condition and suitable repair methods
  • Existing coatings and whether they are compatible with what comes next
  • Which parts suit a careful DIY repair and which need a specialist trade

You leave with

  • Plain English observations on visible condition and likely causes, with limits recorded
  • A recommended order of repairs and preparation
  • Material and product guidance matched to each surface
  • Clear notes on anything that needs another trade first

Second opinion and specification review

A practical review of a decorating quotation, specification or finish that has not lasted. Written observations help you compare preparation and materials, without certifying another contractor’s work.

For anyone comparing quotations, checking a proposed paint system, or trying to understand why a recent job has already started to fail.

Ask about this

What I look at

  • Whether preparation has been properly allowed for
  • Primer, undercoat and finish compatibility for each substrate
  • Suitability of products for coastal exposure and older buildings
  • The likely causes of early failure on existing work

You leave with

  • Written notes on the strengths and gaps of the proposal
  • Questions worth asking before you sign anything
  • A clearer view of what a sound specification should include

How a consultation works

Clear advice,
written down.

Every consultation is quoted in advance, once I understand what you need. You are under no obligation to book any work with Aethos afterwards.

  1. 1

    Tell me what is on your mind

    A short enquiry with photographs if you have them. I read every one myself and reply with the most useful way to help.

  2. 2

    A visit or a photo review

    Most colour and repair questions are best answered in the room itself. Simple questions can often be answered from good photographs.

  3. 3

    Written notes you keep

    You receive clear written guidance, so the advice does not rely on anyone remembering a conversation.

  4. 4

    You decide what happens next

    Do the work yourself, give the notes to another trade, or ask Aethos to carry it out. There is no obligation either way.

Ways to consult

In the room, on screen or alongside your project.

At your property

Time in the rooms that matter, looking at light, surfaces and condition in person. Best for colour, repairs and period homes.

Photo and video review

Send clear photographs or a short video walk through. Useful for a first opinion or a single, well defined question.

Alongside your project

Check ins at key moments while you or another trade carry out the work, such as before priming or before the final coat.

Prefer to learn it yourself?

Advice for one decision.
Education for every one after.

If you would rather understand the materials and methods for yourself, the education sessions teach what I would otherwise tell you on site.

Explore education sessions Ask about a consultation