Commercial repair planning
Water-Damaged Trim Found at a Larkspur Unit Turnover: What to Authorize During the Vacancy
For owners and managers: sort trim damage found at a Larkspur unit turnover, confirm who authorizes, hand off other trades and match the building's finish.
A turnover can be the first time anyone looks closely at a unit's trim: a swollen baseboard where an appliance stood, a bathroom door casing with an opened joint, shoe molding darkened along one wall. The vacancy gives you access. It does not tell you where the water came from, whether it has stopped, or whether the damage ends at the trim. Use it to decide what goes in the turnover order now and what waits for another provider.
Map the empty unit before anything comes off the wall
Walk the unit with a floor sketch. For each finding, record the room, the wall, the piece (baseboard, shoe molding, door casing or closet trim), its approximate run and what the finish shows: stain, swelling, an open joint or lifting paint. Photograph each spot wide and close, and note any water you can see. Do not pull trim, cut a test opening or force a door to check it.
What stays unknown matters as much. The water may have come from a fixture in this unit, the unit above, a shared line or somewhere else, and a stain near a bathroom does not identify the bathroom. You also cannot see the wall backing, the floor edge, or whether the damage stops where the trim does. If a corridor or a neighboring unit shows related marks, record them as a separate area.
Confirm who signs, assign the trades, then sort the findings
Before an order goes out, confirm who can authorize work in this unit: the owner, a property manager acting for the owner, an association for shared elements, or a combination. Confirm who approves a change if opening reveals more and who accepts the finished unit.
The source belongs to a plumber, roofer or other qualified provider, who should leave a written finding. Drying and moisture checks, where needed, belong to a water mitigation provider. If anyone suspects mold, an appropriate specialist should evaluate it. Flooring, door units and anything structural have their own providers. The wood scope covers affected trim and its finish after those handoffs; the trade-by-stage guide sets out the sequence.
| Finding at the walk-through | Settle first | Place in the turnover order |
|---|---|---|
| Stained or swollen baseboard on one wall | The source provider's written finding and any moisture record | Wood scope, once those records are in the unit file |
| Opened joint in a bathroom or kitchen door casing | Whether the door still closes normally, without forcing it | Casing in the wood scope; any door-unit question to a door specialist |
| Trim along a damaged floor covering | Who replaces the flooring and who resets the trim | One written sequence: flooring first, then trim |
| Marks continuing into a corridor or toward another unit | Who controls that space and can authorize work there | A separate scope and authorization, outside this unit's order |
| Anything someone suspects may be mold | Evaluation by an appropriate specialist | Hold trim work in that area until the specialist's handoff |
Write the unit scope to the building's trim standard
An order that says "replace damaged trim" leaves the real decisions to whoever arrives. Ask for a written scope that names the unit, room, wall and each piece with its approximate run; who opens the unit and where materials may be staged; protection for floors and fixtures; and exclusions such as source work, flooring, door units, wall assemblies and anything structural. If tools and materials will pass through shared corridors or an elevator, decide who tells residents and how shared areas are protected.
In a multi-unit building, the finish standard belongs to the building, not just the room. Record the trim profile and dimensions, plus the paint product, color and sheen used in other units. If the profile is no longer available, agree on a substitute and where the transition falls, such as a full wall, before ordering. New trim beside aged paint may not blend perfectly, so decide in writing whether painting stops at the repaired run or continues to a natural break.
Name the stopping point too. If removing trim shows damage in the wall backing, the floor edge or toward the next unit, the contractor pauses, documents what is exposed and waits for a written revision from the authorizing party. The concealed-damage guide covers that conversation.
Close the unit file so the next turnover starts informed
At closeout, file the source provider's finding, any drying or specialist handoff, the approved scope and revisions, photos of anything opened, the profile, paint and sheen used, what another provider still owes, and any permit or inspection record that applies. Fresh paint records what was finished, not what sits behind it. The closeout checklist offers a general list.
Larkspur's owner-approval and permit steps
Larkspur's permit process page says the city's eTRAKiT portal handles building permits, planning applications and inspections, and that there is no over-the-counter plan review or permit issuance. It also says commercial projects require the owner's approval and refers applicants to an agent authorization. The page does not say whether a given trim repair needs a permit or how your building's project would be classified. Describe the defined work, including anything beyond the trim, and ask the Building Division how its process applies; if a permit question comes up, raise it early in the vacancy. The Building Division page lists the city's construction hours, which matter when neighbors are home, and says final building permits and other property records can be researched online.
Turnover questions managers raise
Can we paint over a stained baseboard before the next move-in? Paint covers the stain, not the question. Until the source and the condition behind the trim are documented, record the finding and hold that area, or authorize a limited, documented review.
What if the source is in the unit above? The source provider will need access to that unit, which the owner or manager arranges. Keep trim work in the vacant unit on hold until the source finding is in the file, and keep the two scopes apart.
To ask about a defined trim scope in a vacant unit, contact the San Francisco territory team with the Larkspur address, your sorting table and who can authorize the work. The team will confirm property fit, component, access and availability.