CLASSICS FROM THE LATE 19TH & EARLY 20TH CENTURIES
Heavily influenced by Victorian and Edwardian house styles from Britain, these wooden homes are characterised by their symmetrical facades, bay windows and verandahs, and a wide range of graceful decorative details. Villas are predominantly single-storey, although some are 2-storey in the city centres, hilly suburbs and more affluent suburbs.
Interiors feature high ceilings, beautiful native timber floors, a standardised layout with a central hallway, and sometimes stained glass and pressed metal decorative ceilings. Heating was originally from open fires – brick chimneys with a cast iron fireplace for burning coal, set in a tiled or timber panelled surround – and coal ranges in the kitchen. Service areas were in the rear, often in a lean-to with a lower sloping roof. Villas always faced the street, often giving poor orientation to sun and site.
DEALING WITH PREVIOUS RENOVATIONS & CHANGES
Very few villas still remain today in their original state, and most villa 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:
Conversions in the 1920s and 30s for bathrooms and plumbing – often including further lean-to extensions on the back of the house
Rewiring for lighting, power, cooking and hot water services (1920s onwards)
Replacement of the original timber or brick pile foundations with concrete (1950s onwards)
Replacement of the original wall linings – wallpaper on scrim or sacking over timber boards, or tongue-and-groove timber in the kitchen and service areas – with plasterboard (1960s onwards)
Replacement of original sash windows with often inappropriate 1960s or 70s window styles
Conversion of larger homes into flats (1960s onwards)
Addition of minimal insulation in the roof cavity (1970s onwards)
WHAT YOU MIGHT FIND IN YOUR VILLA – & RECOMMENDATIONS...
FOUNDATIONS & FLOORS
Missing or inadequate piles and joists
FIX – Re-pile; add moisture barrier
Sagging joists or bouncy floors
FIX – ????????????????
Uneven floors
FIX – ????????????????
Rising Damp
FIX – ????????????????
Cracked Masonary
FIX – ????????????????
Foundation mortar may contain lime or asbestos
FIX – ????????????????
Lack of ground clearance and poor subfloor ventilation
FIX – ????????????????
Lack of underfloor insulation
FIX – ????????????????
Sagging verandahs and porches
FIX – ????????????????
FRAMING, INTERNAL WALLS & CEILINGS
Untreated native timber framing and boards – match lining, tongue-and-groove
FIX – Retain if sound; treat for borer if needed
Hessian or scrim
FIX – ????????
Retrofitted plasterboard or hardboard
FIX – ????????
Pressed metal wall or ceiling panels (zinc, steel)
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 – ????????
Asbestos
FIX – ????????
Borer
FIX – ????????
Rodent nests
FIX – ????????
CLADDING
No waterproofing layers or building membrane
FIX – ????????
Timber weatherboards with lead-based paint
FIX – ????????
Rot in external timber cladding
FIX – ????????
No insulation in walls
FIX – ????????
Retrofitted insulation may include urea-formaldehyde foam
FIX – ????????
Corrugated iron on walls adjacent to the boundary for fire protection in inner city areas
FIX – ????????
Narrow site access to walls on side boundaries
FIX – ????????
Lead paint
FIX – ????????
Borer
FIX – ????????
WINDOWS
Original double-hung sash windows – single glazed
FIX – ????????
Bay windows
FIX – ????????
Lead paint on sashes and frames
FIX – ????????
Inadequate sealing and flashings
FIX – ????????
ROOFS
Corrugated iron with lead nails / coatings
FIX – ????????
Inadequate insulation
FIX – ????????
No roofing underlay
FIX – ????????
Inadequate moisture control in ceiling space
FIX – ????????
Leaks and historical roofing repairs
FIX – ????????
Skillion roof on rear lean-to areas
FIX – ????????
Over-complicated roof structure with central gutter
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 – ????????
