Interior painting in Onex: the canton's garden city, its cooperatives and its village, as seen by CFC craftsmen
Azzo, an interior painting company based in Satigny, has been working in Onex since 2018. Two plasterer-painters with a CFC and more than 25 years' experience each. Our approach is adapted to the unique nature of Onex: a flat in the Cité Nouvelle, a cooperative dwelling around the Place du Marché d'Onex or a house in Onex-Village can't be painted using the same methods or the same people.
Onex, the canton's most successful garden city: urban planning, uses and requirements in a class of their own
Onex is more than just an urban commune: it's a town planning project, conceived in the 1960s as a modern garden city, which has retained this strong identity. It also has more co-operative housing than anywhere else in the canton, and a well-preserved historic village. Here's how we're adapting our work to these three realities.
Cité Nouvelle d'Onex: painting in an emblematic modernist urban complex
The Cité Nouvelle d'Onex, designed in the 1960s by the architects Addor and Honegger around the Place du Marché-d'Onex and the Place Duchêne, is one of the canton's most successful modernist urban projects. Towers, blocks, planted esplanades, integrated public facilities: everything has been designed as a coherent whole. This ambition is reflected in the flats, with standardised layouts and specific buildings that need to be familiarised with in order to work properly.
What this means in practical terms:
- Recurring blueprints The same plans are often used for flats in the same building. This means we can quickly provide an estimate of the time and materials required after visiting a single show flat - useful for property managers renovating several successive lots.
- Original finishes to be preserved or not Some owners retain period features such as tiling, earthenware and sanitaryware, while others completely modernise. Our role is to respect the choice without imposing a single approach - a Cité Nouvelle flat can be treated in a heritage spirit or completely contemporary.
- Limited ventilation through original windows The wooden windows in non-renovated flats do not open wide. We systematically use very low VOC, odourless paints, and plan for back-up mechanical ventilation if necessary.
Coopératives d'habitation onésiennes: a decision-making process that changes everything
Onex has one of the highest densities of housing cooperatives in the canton. This legal status radically changes the way in which a painting project is prepared. In a traditional PPE, you are the owner of your plot and have sole control over the interior work. In a cooperative, members occupy their homes in accordance with internal rules, and certain decisions (work in communal areas, alterations to original features, choice of colours visible from the outside) may be taken by the committee or the members' meeting.
How we work with Onesian cooperatives :
- Quotation adapted to governance Specifications: we draw up specifications in a format that can be presented at a meeting if required - details of items, technical justification, samples of finishes, comparison of options.
- Identifying what is free to decide The interior paintwork on the walls and ceilings of your home remains your choice in almost all cases. During the visit, we identify the elements that require the committee's approval (original woodwork, landing doors on the corridor side, bay windows).
- Coordinated work on common areas : stairwells, halls, floor landings - we present the detailed estimate to the committee, provide the samples requested, and plan the work in consultation with the caretaker to limit inconvenience to residents.
- Member turnover When a member leaves their home, some cooperatives provide a standardised refurbishment service. We offer a reproducible package that simplifies management for the cooperative and the departure for the member.
Onex-Village, Pré-Longet, Belle-Cour, Cressy: detached houses and recently built residences
On the outskirts of the town, Onex retains a much more traditional residential fabric. Onex-Village, around the church and castle, is home to a heritage of detached houses and small old buildings. Pré-Longet, Belle-Cour and the Cressy sector, on the other hand, are home to more recent residences - detached houses built in the 1980s, contemporary buildings and semi-detached villas. The expectations of homeowners here are very different from those in Cité Nouvelle.
Our approach in these sectors :
- Diagnosis adapted to the era of the building Whether it's an old house in Onex-Village with lime render and original woodwork, an 80s bungalow with plasterboard and interior rendering, or a recent villa with a meticulous finish, each surface requires its own preparation and its own product.
- Top-of-the-range finishes for demanding residential applications On the villas in the Cressy and Belle-Cour sectors, we apply both traditional wall paints and decorative finishes (waxed concrete, stucco marmorino) depending on the interior design choices.
- Working on an occupied site For example, for a family in Pré-Longet or a retired person in Onex-Village, we organise the work so that you can stay in your own home - odour-free paintwork, work carried out room by room, cleaning at the end of each day.
The projects we regularly carry out in Onex
Four construction site configurations regularly return to the commune. Each has its own rhythm and its own specific characteristics.
Flat refurbishment in Cité Nouvelle
On a 3- or 4-room Cité Nouvelle-type property (between 60 and 90 m²): 4 to 6 working days for a complete refresh - preparation, undercoat, two coats of finish, treatment of holes, cleaning. If more extensive renovation is required (colour changes, decorative finishes), allow 7 to 10 days. Before and after photos can be supplied to the control room on request.
Common parts of buildings and cooperatives
Stairwells, halls, corridors, floor landings: these projects are decided by the cooperative committee or the PPE assembly. We present a detailed estimate with samples and options, plan the work from top to bottom to preserve the use of the lifts, and work schedules that are compatible with the lives of the residents. Duration varies depending on the surface area, generally 10 to 25 days for a complete building.
Restoration when a member or tenant moves on
For a change of member in a cooperative or a change of tenant in a rental building: rapid intervention over 3 to 5 working days, white matt washable on walls and ceilings, repair of holes and marks, final cleaning. Standard package adaptable to the actual condition observed during the visit. Before and after photos for the cooperative's report.
Renovating a house or villa in Onex-Village or Cressy
For a 100 to 180 m² house with top-of-the-range finishes and careful preparation: 8 to 14 working days. We'll help you choose the right colours using professional colour charts brought to the site, coordinate the work with other tradesmen if several trades are involved, and deliver a clean site on completion.
Why shareholders, owners and Onesian committees call us
Three tangible differences that our customers in Onès have confirmed to us site after site.
An understanding of how cooperatives work
Working with a housing cooperative doesn't work the same way as with a traditional PPE or an individual owner. The pace at which decisions are taken, the documents to be provided, the way in which estimates are presented, the communication with the members affected: everything changes. We are used to this framework and adapt our proposal so that it can be discussed and approved by the committee or the general meeting.
A reproducible package for standardised refurbishments
When a cooperative or housing association entrusts us with a number of refurbishments of similar properties over the course of a year, we work within an annual pricing framework: defined unit price, guaranteed turnaround time, identical report format. This simplifies administrative management for the partner and makes budgets predictable.
Two craftsmen on each site, no subcontracting
Aureliano or Harald - one of the two founders of Azzo - oversees each Onésian project. This continuity of contact is particularly important in a cooperative, where you often speak to a volunteer committee who appreciate having a stable, reliable point of contact who can be reached from quotation to handover.
A step-by-step guide to a painting project in Onex
Five clear stages, adapted to the nature of the property and its manager.
- First exchange and technical inspection Appointments in Onex, diagnosis of the building (Cité Nouvelle, cooperative, old house, new villa), measurements, colour advice if required.
- Item-by-item estimates preparation, supplies, application, cleaning - format adapted depending on whether the quote is to be read by a private individual, a management company or a cooperative committee.
- Validation and planning The date will be confirmed in writing, with time slots defined according to site constraints, and communication with the concierge or caretaker if necessary.
- Work carried out by CFC craftsmen Aureliano or Harald on the site, cleaning up at the end of each day, regular progress reviews with you or with the cooperative referent.
- Joint acceptance visit room by room, validation of finishes, list of rework if necessary, signature of acceptance report, photo report if requested.
Our customers say it best
Your interior painting project in Onex starts with a visit
Flat in the Cité Nouvelle in need of refurbishment? Cooperative housing to be refurbished after rotation? House to renovate in Onex-Village or Cressy? Building hall to be repainted for your committee? Every situation in Onex has its own logic - we go out of our way to understand it.
Contact Azzo for a no-obligation technical visit and a detailed quotation.