About Under The Sun Construction
Started With a Van and a Reputation to Build
Under The Sun Construction is a family-run painting company founded by Shawn Armes, serving homeowners and businesses throughout Portland Metro and Southwest Washington.
What started with side jobs and an old van has grown into a crew of employees built around doing good work and standing behind it.
It Started With His Brothers, and a Van
It Started With His Brothers, and a Van
Shawn Armes started painting when he was about 14 years old, working alongside his brothers.
It stuck.
Over the years, he picked up other work here and there, but painting was always the main thing. Eventually, he started taking painting jobs of his own on the side.
As those jobs came in, Shawn invested back into the work. First came his own tools. Then came his first van.
It wasn’t a great van, he’ll admit.
But it was his.
Eventually, that van became a better van. Side jobs became steady work. And the thing Shawn had been doing since he was a teenager became a business of his own.
In May 2020, Under The Sun Construction officially began.
There wasn’t a big launch or some grand plan to build a painting empire.
There was a painter who knew the trade, had work coming in, and was ready to put his own name and reputation behind the job.
Under The Sun
Under The Sun
The company almost had a very different name.
When Shawn was getting started, his faith was important to him, and he considered calling the business something like Lord’s Painting or Lord’s Construction.
His pastors encouraged him to think twice.
They knew the contracting world. Their concern wasn’t his faith, but what could happen when he put it front and center in the company name. Some people might test it. Others might try to take advantage of it.
Shawn took their advice.
He chose Under The Sun Construction instead, and the name stuck.
His Brother Taught Him.
His Son Worked Beside Him.
His Brother Taught Him.
His Son Worked Beside Him.
Family isn’t just part of the story behind Under The Sun Construction. It’s been part of the actual work.
One of Shawn’s brothers helped teach him to paint when he was young.
Today, that same brother works with Under The Sun Construction as his foreman, helping lead the crew and bringing years of experience to the projects they take on.
Shawn’s son also worked beside him for several years, learning the trade before eventually heading down his own career path.
There’s something fitting about that.
Shawn learned the work alongside family, built a business around the trade he learned as a teenager, and eventually had the opportunity to pass some of that knowledge on to the next generation.
That family connection is still part of Under The Sun today, even as the company and crew have grown.
A Good, Honest Job
A Good, Honest Job
Ask Shawn what matters most about the work and you won’t get a complicated mission statement.
Do a good job.
Do right by the property.
Do right by the person paying you to work on it.
And make sure the work you’re putting your name on is something you’re willing to stand behind.
Painting is one of those trades where shortcuts can hide surprisingly well for a while. Prep can be skipped. Problems can be painted over. A job can look fine when the crew leaves and start telling a very different story months later.
That’s not the kind of business Shawn wanted to build.
For him, the work underneath the paint matters just as much as what you see when the project is finished.
And his approach to integrity is considerably less complicated than most corporate values statements:
“I just do a good, honest job — and I assume there are cameras and audio everywhere, so I try to watch my P’s and Q’s.”
— Shawn Armes
There’s a serious idea hiding inside the joke.
Do the work like someone is watching, even when nobody is.
That’s a pretty good way to run a painting company.
The People Wearing Our Name
As Under The Sun Construction grew, Shawn had a choice about how to build the company.
He chose to build a crew.
The painters working on Under The Sun projects are employees of the company, not subcontractors brought in to handle a job after it’s sold.
That matters to Shawn because the person preparing a wall, spraying a cabinet, or painting the exterior of a customer’s property is representing Under The Sun Construction whether Shawn happens to be standing beside them at that moment or not.
Having an employed crew gives the company more control over how people are trained, how customers and their property are treated, and the standard of work expected on every project.
His brother helps lead that crew as foreman, and Shawn stays involved in the quality of the work carrying the Under The Sun name.
It’s not just about knowing how to paint. It’s about knowing who you’re trusting to do it.
Most of our Business Started with a Referral. Don’t Just Take Our Word for It.
From That First Van to Today
Under The Sun Construction looks different today than it did when Shawn was taking side jobs and buying his first tools.
The company now provides residential and commercial painting for customers throughout Portland Metro, Vancouver, and Southwest Washington.
That includes:
Let’s Talk About Your Project
Whether you’re thinking about repainting a room, changing the exterior of your home, updating your cabinets, or tackling a commercial property, you don’t need to have every detail figured out before you call.
Tell us what you’re thinking.
We’ll take a look, talk through what the project needs, answer your questions, and give you an honest estimate for the work.
No pressure. No surprises.
Just a conversation about your project and whether we’re the right crew for it.
