STREAMLINED SIMPLICITY & ELEGANCE
Art Deco was the height of sophistication in the 1930s, following European trends in a reaction against the ornately decorated house styles of the Victorian and Edwardian eras, with clean lines, graceful curves, uncluttered surfaces and minimal decoration. Houses presented a smooth façade to the street with parapet walls concealing a flat or low slope roof. Stucco cladding was popular to give a sleek exterior, but weatherboards and brick were also used. Rounded corners and curved walls were common features, often with a wide bank of casement windows following the curve, or curving steps leading up to a shallow entrance porch. Decorative elements were simple geometric details – chevrons, zigzags, sunbursts or three horizontal or vertical bands to highlight the façade. Leadlight feature windows were usually in clear glass of varying patterns and textures rather than the coloured glass of previous eras.
After the 1931 Napier earthquakes many homes and commercial buildings in the area were rebuilt in Art Deco style. Typical layouts included a central hallway, a separate dining room and relatively small kitchen, and the kitchen, bathroom and laundry at the rear with a back porch. Heating was from open fires with concrete chimney and a tiled surround, although built-in electric or gas heaters were also used.
The flat or very low slope roofs were not visible from the street. Some parapet walls extended around the sides of the house, with a low pitched “butterfly” roof draining to a central gutter. Other parapet walls stepped down at the sides following the roof line. While this structure may have presented an elegant façade it created significant problems with weatherproofing and drainage. However the lack of eaves, and often a lack of external facing boards on window frames – for the streamlined style – gave little weather protection. Consequently many Art Deco homes suffered major water damage and other problems over the years.
DEALING WITH PREVIOUS RENOVATIONS & CHANGES
Very few Art Deco homes remain in their original state today, and most renovation projects will have to deal with modifications that have already been made over the years. In many cases these changes – reflecting the techniques, materials and fashions of the 1960s, 70s or 80s – will not be adding value to the performance, the charm or the liveability of the home. Some may be the result of dodgy if well-intentioned DIY projects and not up to basic standards.
Today’s methods and technologies can solve such messy problems – but the renovation process will need a careful review of any earlier changes and conversion work:
Resurfacing of low pitched or flat roofs or installation of modern waterproof membranes
Repair of parapet walls due to lack of weathertightness resulting in rot or corrosion of flashings
Minimal / inadequate insulation under low pitched or flat roofs or in narrow underfloor spaces
Replacement of original windows with aluminium framed windows – often with frames that are not consistent with the Art Deco style, or single glazed
Recladding or repair of original external stucco or weatherboards
Replacement of internal wall linings and ceilings
Replacement of original native timber flooring
Extensions to the rear areas of the home that are inconsistent with the style of the front facade
WHAT YOU MIGHT FIND IN YOUR ART DECO HOUSE – & RECOMMENDATIONS...
FOUNDATIONS & FLOORS
Precast concrete piles
FIX – Re-pile; add moisture barrier
Continuous perimeter foundation walls of reinforced concrete may have cracked and deteriorated
FIX – ????????????????
Missing or undersized piles and joists
FIX – ????????????????
Lack of adequate waterproofing between the foundations and the timber floor structures
FIX – ????????????????
Sagging joists or bouncy floors
FIX – ????????????????
Uneven floors
FIX – ????????????????
Rising damp
FIX – ????????????????
Lack of ground clearance, poor or no subfloor access
FIX – ????????????????
Poor subfloor ventilation – perimeter foundation walls may have minimal ventilation from wire mesh or concrete grilles, these may have deteriorated or become blocked
FIX – ????????????????
Lack of underfloor insulation
FIX – ????????????????
FRAMING, INTERNAL WALLS & CEILINGS
Original framing timbers may have been treated with creosote (pre 1940s)
FIX – Retain if sound; treat for borer if needed
Undersized framing
FIX – ????????
Internal linings – plasterboard, hardboard or asbestos-cement sheeting for kitchens and bathrooms
FIX – ????????
Ceilings: Plasterboard or Tongue-and-groove timber in service areas
FIX – ????????
No insulation in walls
FIX – ????????
Retrofitted insulation may include urea-formaldehyde foam
FIX – ????????
Walls no longer square or out of plumb
FIX – ????????
Draughts and gaps – no airtightness
FIX – ????????
Dampness – mould and rot, mustiness and smells
FIX – ????????
Bakelite, brass or porcelain power outlets, light switches and door handles
FIX – ????????
Borer
FIX – ????????
Rodent nests
FIX – ????????
CLADDING
No waterproofing layers or building membrane
FIX – ????????
Cement-based plaster coating – installed over:
● Asbestos-cement sheets
● Wire mesh
● Timber boards or sarking
● Plasterboard or felt coated in bitumen
FIX – ????????
Cracking due to the cladding not allowing for movement – water getting into the wall framing and interiors
FIX – ????????
Plaster coating over reinforced concrete external walls – full height to the parapet and continuous with the foundations
FIX – ????????
Reinforced concrete chimneys on external wallsReinforced concrete chimneys on external walls
FIX – ????????
Lead-based paint on external cladding, windows and doors
FIX – ????????
Corrosion of parapet and roof flashings
FIX – ????????
Rot in external timber cladding and wall framing, especially where the wall framing meets the concrete foundation
FIX – ????????
No insulation in walls
FIX – ????????
Retrofitted insulation may include urea-formaldehyde foam
FIX – ????????
Mould, rising damp, musty smells
FIX – ????????
Borer
FIX – ????????
WINDOWS
Single glazing
FIX – ????????
Lack of facing boards or adequate weather protection to window frames
FIX – ????????
Curved feature walls with multiple narrow side-hinged windows set around the curve
FIX – ????????
Lead paint on sashes and frames
FIX – ????????
Inadequate sealing and flashings
FIX – ????????
Lack of eaves or shading from sun
FIX – ????????
Window or door frames warping, rotting, sticking or out of plumb due to cracking or moisture – windows or doors not opening or closing smoothly
FIX – ????????
Retrofitted windows in aluminium frames / single glazed and inconsistent with Art Deco style
FIX – ????????
ROOFS
Lack of weathertightness from inadequate or failed flashings around parapet walls
FIX – ????????
Low-pitched or flat roofs with inadequate drainage – water ponding across lower roof areas
FIX – ????????
Lack of eaves – no weather protection or sun shelter
FIX – ????????
Roof claddings:
● Corrugated iron with lead-head nails
● On flat or very low-pitched roofs – waterproof membrane laid over timber boards / sarking
● Flat sheet metal roofing (copper or zinc) with welded joints laid over timber boards
● Bitumen-impregnated roofing felt laid over timber boards
FIX – ????????
Deterioration of early claddings or roof repairs – water penetration and rot of the roof structures
FIX – ????????
Folded flashings against the parapet wall and a capping flashing over the parapet – corrosion or deterioration of flashings
FIX – ????????
Aggregate or stone chip coating on the top surface of the roofing membrane
FIX – ????????
Asphalt applied to roof outlets, junctions and penetrations / pipes through the roof
FIX – ????????
No insulation – or inadequate / compromised retrofitted insulation
FIX – ????????
No roofing underlay
FIX – ????????
Inadequate ventilation or moisture control in ceiling space – condensation and mould across ceilings and walls
FIX – ????????
Leaks and historical roofing repairs
FIX – ????????
Flat or skillion roof on side add-on or rear lean-to areas
FIX – ????????
Shallow “butterfly” roof structure with central gutter
FIX – ????????
Undersized roof framing structures
FIX – ????????
VENTILATION
No ventilation system except draughts and opening windows
FIX – Add balanced MVHR system with low-VOC ducting
Stuffy interiors – smells and mould
FIX – ????????
