Featuring: Melanie Fahr, Best Painting By Fahr"I’ve been a resident and worked in the community of Ladner for over 40 years. It’s a great, family-oriented community where everybody knows everybody.”
From long-term care worker to cleaning company owner to painting pro, Melanie Fahr's path to running Best Painting By Fahr is a story of family, flexibility, and finding a passion for paint. Now carrying on the business her father built — with her son by her side — Melanie has brushed up on every kind of project imaginable, bringing decades of community roots and a commitment to a flawless finish to every project she takes on. We spoke with her to learn more about the local business, what clients can expect, and why she loves calling Ladner home.
Tell us a little about your professional background and how you started in the business.
Before starting my painting business, I worked in long-term care for 20 years, including 16 years at Augustine House as a care aide. After raising my older boys and then welcoming my younger son and daughter, I realized I wanted a career with less shift work, especially considering the littles. I wanted more flexibility and a better work-life balance for my family.So, I started a cleaning company, which I successfully operated for several years. Around that same time, my dad was getting ready to retire from his painting business. I saw an opportunity to continue what he had built, so I joined him. We worked together for about two years, taking on all kinds of painting projects, including car dealerships, commercial spaces, and residential work. When my dad officially retired, I took over the company full-time and eventually brought my son on board. Today, we work together as a family-run business, which is something I’m very proud of.
What kinds of painting services do you offer?
We offer both interior and exterior painting services for residential and commercial clients. We do homes, businesses, fences, railings, cabinets, concrete surfaces, and more!One of our ongoing commercial clients is Open Road Auto Group; we do their showrooms, offices, hallways, service areas, and exteriors. We’ve also handled specialty projects, such as painting mechanical hoists in automotive shops.On the residential side, our projects range from full-home repaints to smaller custom jobs like kitchen cabinets. We recently finished painting the hull of a float home, and we’ve also helped homeowners prepare properties for sale through complete interior repainting. Honestly, we paint everything!A large portion of our business comes through referrals, social media, and word-of-mouth recommendations. We’re fortunate to stay very busy thanks to the support of our clients and local community.
What can a client expect?
We start every project with a walk-through so we can give an estimate. We’re not always the lowest quote, or at least we’ve heard that from a few people, but I feel our pricing is competitive and reflects the value of our work, our reliability, and our attention to detail. We always give our clients our deal on paint, because we get a good discount — contractor pricing — pretty much everywhere, so passing that along helps them get high-quality materials at a lower cost than retail. We focus heavily on quality, preparation, and professionalism. That means we do all the prep work, painting, and all the clean up. We never leave a mess! Everything looks perfect when we leave.
What keeps you committed to the business?
The family aspect is a big part of it, but I also just really enjoy painting. After my dad retired, I was doing things on my own for a little while; then my middle son said, "Mom, I’d like to give painting a shot." And I said, "Okay, let's see if you can paint." Fortunately, he had a real talent for painting. Working together has been really rewarding and we both take pride in what we do. Seeing the transformation of a space and knowing our clients are happy with the final result keeps us motivated every day.
And finally, what’s your favourite part of living and working in South Delta?
I love what a tight-knit community it is. I’ve lived and worked in Ladner for over 40 years, and it truly feels like everyone knows and supports one another. As I was saying, a lot of our work comes through referrals and word-of-mouth recommendations, as well as through socials, like the Ladner’s Landing or Tsawwassen Loop Facebook community groups. South Delta is a really connected, family-oriented community. That community spirit is definitely my favourite part!
Connect with Best Painting By Fahr on Facebook and Instagram, and keep an eye out for their website, which is coming soon! Sign up for our e-newsletter to receive customized South Delta real estate reports, community news, and more business + lifestyle features like these. Interested in being featured or know someone we should feature? Please get in touch.
