Who doesn’t love the character and charm of old buildings? From sandstone cottages to art deco villas, heritage buildings are a thing of beauty and something to relish in the Australian urban landscape. It’s no secret, however, that they can come with a bit of work, including upgrading and maintenance. Heritage buildings have a few council regulations and restrictions when it comes to upgrades and maintenance, so it’s super important that you know what you’re doing before you start work.
Maintenance
Heritage-listed buildings possess historic and aesthetic values that are considered special. That’s why we want to preserve them for future generations to enjoy. When talking about upgrades and maintenance on heritage buildings, many people assume that the regulations render it impossible to make any changes to these buildings at all.
This is untrue. In fact, it’s encouraged to maintain heritage buildings as much as possible. You just have to be aware of which qualities of the building to maintain. Hiring an expert for your heritage building upgrades and maintenance is key to getting this right. A specialist in this field like JD Refurb Constructions will know the ins and outs of local regulations around heritage buildings and will make sure the work is within these boundaries.
Upgrades: renovations and extensions
Renovations and extensions are possible for heritage buildings. There are, however, tighter restrictions around this. For example, you can’t just go painting the façade of a heritage building pink, even if you’re Paris Hilton. Heritage colour schemes can be very specific, with all details of the building being considered such as doors, windows, ironwork and other decorative details.
When it comes to extensions, you have to take into account a few different factors. How big is this extension? How visible is it from the street? What materials are being used? There are a couple of good rules of thumb to go by when it comes to extensions. The first one is, if someone in your street has made a similar extension, you should be able to get approval fairly easily. The second is, approvals are easier for extensions at the back of the house than they are at the front. Keeping these in mind and talking to a specialist heritage building renovator will help clear up any questions in your mind about what you can and can’t do when it comes to heritage upgrades and maintenance.
While there are tighter restrictions around altering heritage buildings in Australia, the fact is that you can work on heritage buildings. You just need to pick the right expert for the job. JD Construction is your local professional in upgrading and maintaining heritage-listed buildings. They’ve had numerous heritage-listed building jobs that have resulted in success – in terms of council regulations, aesthetic appeal and structural integrity. Don’t trust an amateur with your heritage building: for the highest quality work, contact the team at JD Refurb Constructions.
