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Where is the cottage?
Layout of the cottage
History of the cottage
People of the cottage
Latest pictures
Contact me about the cottage ninetyers@yahoo.com.au
Where is the cottage?
Layout of the cottage
History of the cottage
People of the cottage
Latest pictures
Contact me about the cottage ninetyers@yahoo.com.au
The initial work on the property was the
repair and improvement of drainage which has been a major contributor
to the deterioration of the building. At the same time my investigation
of the fabric of the building gave me insight into when the various
parts of the building were built, how they were built and what
deterioratiion there had been. This enabled me to start to put together
a
Conservation Plan which would document all aspects of the cottage as it
stands and what I would do in the future.
After the drainage works I decided to work on the 'out buildings', the Laundry Shed and WC to give myself more time to evaluate the best way to proceed with work on the main cottage buildings. This also gave me experience at working with old buildings and the last year has been valuable time....not rushing in to do things I may later regret. The Laundry Shed and WC are not covered by the Glenelg Shire Heritage Overlay however they are part of the cottages almost 100 years of building work, starting around 1850 up to the 1940's when the WC was built....I wanted to preserve this history.
The accompanying pictures show the stages of work on these buildings and should be self evident. Raising the Laundry Shed was valuable training for when I have to raise the main timber cottage. Work on the WC came next and was straightforward with lifting the building sufficiently for me to break up most of the concrete floor and replace it before returning the building but slightly raised to prevent possible timber rot. Both buildings were lined, something they had not been before and the Laundry Shed received a floor and full insulation....there needs to be some concessions to modern standards while retaining outside appearance.
After the drainage works I decided to work on the 'out buildings', the Laundry Shed and WC to give myself more time to evaluate the best way to proceed with work on the main cottage buildings. This also gave me experience at working with old buildings and the last year has been valuable time....not rushing in to do things I may later regret. The Laundry Shed and WC are not covered by the Glenelg Shire Heritage Overlay however they are part of the cottages almost 100 years of building work, starting around 1850 up to the 1940's when the WC was built....I wanted to preserve this history.
The accompanying pictures show the stages of work on these buildings and should be self evident. Raising the Laundry Shed was valuable training for when I have to raise the main timber cottage. Work on the WC came next and was straightforward with lifting the building sufficiently for me to break up most of the concrete floor and replace it before returning the building but slightly raised to prevent possible timber rot. Both buildings were lined, something they had not been before and the Laundry Shed received a floor and full insulation....there needs to be some concessions to modern standards while retaining outside appearance.
Some of
the stages in rebuilding the Laundry Shed
Some of
the stages in rebuilding the WC
Also completed is the reconstruction of the
brick building NE room. With the roof downpipe on the NE corner of the
building and no maintenance to keep the underground pipe free of
debris all of the roof rainwater ended up under this room. Its floor
had long ago been replaced and the replacement was badly rotten. After
removing all the woodwork (except the window and door frames) the
ground level was lowered about 250mm, the plaster on the walls
was removed to about 150mm above the height of the rising damp that
affected all the walls (about half way up the walls). This also removed
the salts that affected the walls.The laborious task of removing the bottom row of bricks to install a dampcourse began. Of the several options available I decided coated aluminium sheet supplied in a 300mm wide roll the best option. The procedure I used, and has worked well, is to remove 2 or 3 bricks, cut a length of CD sufficient to do the whole length of wall, roll it up tight and insert it (see picture). I then mortared a brick back in & proceeded to remove another, rolling out the DC as I went. Because I was using lime mortar (1 hydrated lime: 3 builders sand) it was necessary to do only 8 or 900mm of wall at a time to allow the mortar to set (4 or 5 days depending on the weather) before proceeding; however starting at opposite corners I did 2 walls at a time.
The walls were replastered with the traditional 3 coat method, that is a 'scratch' coat followed by a 'leveling' coat (both of 1 hydrated lime: 3 builders sand) and a final coat of 1 'hardwall plaster': 1 'lime putty....soaked hydrated lime).
Second hand 6" x 2" hardwood floor joists were purchased and new 130mm Tasmanian hardwood T&G flooring used. The joists were supported on bluestone footings at both ends and in the centre.
Some of the stages in rebuilding the brick
section NE room
The bathroom was built about 1916 with floor joists sitting on what had been part of the back-yard bitumen surface. A lean-to roof covered the room.
The room was dug out approx. 350mm to provide a crawl space for plumbing and ventilation. The building was raised approx. 100mm and pushed 50mm back towards the brick section. Concrete stumps (made by me) supported the new stud walls on the west and north sides and brick foundations support the east and south walls, they also keep dirt out from getting under the building.
A new floor was laid and villaboard lining covered the walls ready for tiling. I found the Portuguese terracotta tiles at a local warehouse and they also had the glazed white wall tiles. The weatherboard lining boards are painted with liming white.
Work on repairing the chimney which required the building of scaffolding before the top section could be removed and rebuilt.
Work on the weatherboard section started by removing all flooring from the 3 rooms and digging out approximately 300mm over the entire area to give a ventilation space and to keep the new floor timberwork off the ground.
The next step was to raise the entire weatherboard section (10 x 3.7metres) as one using a lot of timber supports and 8 car jacks. The walls had dropped by different degrees with the south west corner the worse, it had to be raised 360mm.
After the building was raised new foundations had to be provided. The west wall is also the property boundary so a solid barrier was decided upon; its readymix concrete 300x400mm and runs the full length of the weatherboard section. Concrete stumps were then made for the east wall and for a central bearer. New hardwood 5”x3” (125x75mm) floor joists were then placed on the new bottom plates. The west wall exterior was also repaired.
With the major structural work on the cottage complete it was time to start repairing and cleaning the internal lining. The many gaps between boards had to be filled. All surfaces were then undercoated in preparation for final painting.
During 2007 the NW room received much the same treatment as the NE room
in terms of work done on damp course, floor and walls. The
original fireplace is covered until a decision is made on the type of fire to
use. The new
mantelpiece (in regency style) was made by my friend Paul and I in has
Melbourne workshop early in the year. The T&G ceiling was covered
with GYPROCK sheets and the cornice, also by GYPROCK from
their 'Classic' range and is Victorian in style. The walls are painted
'Pale Vellum' (half tint) and the ceiling and
cornice 'Lime White', both from DULUX 'Traditional Range'. The doors were
stripped of all paint and then received several coats of mat
polyurethane. The skirting boards are original and painted a cocktail
of colours to give a colour close to that of the doors.
Later in 2007 work
started on the front verandah. This consisted of giving the verandah
corner posts better foundations, replacing missing timbers and the use
of some steel brackets to tie the whole structure together. At the same
time a window was made for the west end and a new electric switchboard
and underground connection made. The front was then painted.
After the verandah and
front of the building were repaired work moved to the back of the
building and the porch/bathroom roof. The porch end covering is an extension of
the bathroom east wall
covering so they were both done at the same time. Because there is a
reasonable amount of traffic in the lane (particularly school children)
I felt it important to isolate the work area and prevent any accidents.
The barrier was built and it covered the bathroom and porch walls and
allowed work to be done on the bathroom foundations at the same time.
The porch roof north & west sides sat on the bathroom roof and relied on gravity to keep it there. In raising the roof I had to supply new supports near each corner. I found evidence there had been a finial on the end gable so I had a local wood-turner make one the same as on the portico roof. The bargeboards and weatherboards were repaired and painted before being reattached.
The porch roof north & west sides sat on the bathroom roof and relied on gravity to keep it there. In raising the roof I had to supply new supports near each corner. I found evidence there had been a finial on the end gable so I had a local wood-turner make one the same as on the portico roof. The bargeboards and weatherboards were repaired and painted before being reattached.
The bathroom was built about 1916 with floor joists sitting on what had been part of the back-yard bitumen surface. A lean-to roof covered the room.
The room was dug out approx. 350mm to provide a crawl space for plumbing and ventilation. The building was raised approx. 100mm and pushed 50mm back towards the brick section. Concrete stumps (made by me) supported the new stud walls on the west and north sides and brick foundations support the east and south walls, they also keep dirt out from getting under the building.
A new floor was laid and villaboard lining covered the walls ready for tiling. I found the Portuguese terracotta tiles at a local warehouse and they also had the glazed white wall tiles. The weatherboard lining boards are painted with liming white.
Work on repairing the chimney which required the building of scaffolding before the top section could be removed and rebuilt.
Work on the weatherboard section started by removing all flooring from the 3 rooms and digging out approximately 300mm over the entire area to give a ventilation space and to keep the new floor timberwork off the ground.
The next step was to raise the entire weatherboard section (10 x 3.7metres) as one using a lot of timber supports and 8 car jacks. The walls had dropped by different degrees with the south west corner the worse, it had to be raised 360mm.
After the building was raised new foundations had to be provided. The west wall is also the property boundary so a solid barrier was decided upon; its readymix concrete 300x400mm and runs the full length of the weatherboard section. Concrete stumps were then made for the east wall and for a central bearer. New hardwood 5”x3” (125x75mm) floor joists were then placed on the new bottom plates. The west wall exterior was also repaired.
With the major structural work on the cottage complete it was time to start repairing and cleaning the internal lining. The many gaps between boards had to be filled. All surfaces were then undercoated in preparation for final painting.
In
the kitchen the 'wet area' has a
compressed cement sheet floor to be covered with linoleum. All
power-point wiring and gas pipes were installed. Lighting wiring is
in conduit over the walls and ceiling. With all underfloor work
complete the floor could be laid. The hardwood boards were cut by
Heywood sawmill. As these boards are butt jointed I decided to lay
AIRCELL insulation under the boards to provide a barrier against
drafts and dirt ingress, there is also thermal insulation benefits.
