Heritage verandah

[anna]

My husband and I have recently bought a 1880's house in Albury, NSW, it's heritage listed. We love it but it has a few problems. Main one is damp and the fact the house is so close to the ground. Arcicentre has assessed it and recommended we increase subfloor ventilation and replace the concrete verandah with a wood one. Also rip up slabs that have been laid in 2 rooms and replace with floor boards. (Lots of work for us!)

Does anyone have details of old verandahs, were they originally wood? Is it OK to use brushbox? Any tips? We're new, keen and eager to learn. The first thing we've learnt is how everything takes 3 times the time to do than we expect!

[simon c]

Hi Anna,

Try these websites:

http://www.oldhouses.com.au/

http://www.heritagepaints.com.au/ (mainly about using the tradtional colours for decorating)

Simon

[adrian]

How close is the house to the ground? If they replaced floor boards with slabs it sounds pretty close. It's a lovely situation for termites and rot which is probably why they did it.
You could get a few builders in to give you quotes. You will get some ideas from them what is required then you can decide whether to do it yourself.

[jackiew]

and remember that you want your verandah to slope away from the house. I know of a nice renovation nearby where their new verandah is only inches above the ground and as they haven't sloped it at all ( no room to slope it ) when it rains water puddles next to the house. eventually they are going to have a nice rot problem.

[seriph1]

hi and welcome to the forum

There are a wide range of publications available for those wishing to reinstate their homes to a fair facsimile of the original. To help fellow members advise well, please post some pics of the home, or email them to me at [email protected] and I will resize them for the site.

Archicentre advised you correctly that sub-floor ventilation is critical and that removing the concrete from the front will really help - I would start with that one if you intend to do it in stages, as you will get the greatest transformation from that job....something I know I would want as a new owner. Also, your “street appeal” with escalate markedly from doing the veranda.

Please detail if the original posts are still in place and what the roofing material is made from. Also, does the veranda have cast iron lace or other decorative brackets? All these things will help determine the best course of action to recommend if you’re wanting to do a full renovation of the veranda.

Brush box is an OK timber to use, though Jarrah would be better I feel. Most Victorian verandas were painted or stained, so if you paint, use a quality outdoor paving paint – if staining, use a high quality UV protective stained lacquer – Intergrain is excellent, but there are others.

The floor must be raked, as mentioned – If you grab a spirit level, you will see the bubble has two sets of lines – the inner set is used to make something level – the outer line is used by plumbers/etc. to ensure the fall of a surface has adequate runoff – in other words when you build your bearers and joists to fix the veranda floor to, use the outer line on your level, so that the floor slopes away from the house enough.

If this is your first Victorian home and first project, have fun, take your time and get the details right! In my opinion, it is most important not to skimp on the things that are seen from the street in a period home. Too often, the street appeal of an otherwise stunning period home is ruined by: the wrong lacework; 100mm posts instead of 125 or 150mm; aluminium windows and modern doors, and; inappropriate paint finishes. All the things needed to make your home absolutely stunning are readily available from salvage yards and reproduction places. If you wish to have a conversation regarding the various places to get stuff and what books, magazines to buy, I am happy to help.

Have fun!!!



ps. We live in an 1880's too - in Kilmore, Vic.

[anna]

Thanks guys, wow! What great and detailed advice. We appreciate it heaps. Some very good points thankyou and handy websites. I've struggled finding details on how to restore our place so having some tips and this forum is excellent.

Good tip on gettting a builder's quote so we know what we're in for as I think we are very naive about costs and time so far.

Steve, thanks for your helpful and detailed reply. I've read quite a few of your answers on other posts and you're a really helpful person. Thnks for helping us beginners! I've emailed a photo for the site, would appreciate any ideas people have.

Thanks all. I can see I'll be a frequent visitor to this site!

[seriph1]

youre most welcome - did you know you have a fellow addict in Albury who has just posted again this evening?

Look for the thread entitled: Plaster and lathe walls - the guy's nick is: Namtrak, good bloke from all I have read - maybe you can trade ideas too!