Heritage Restoration Newcastle

Heritage restoration for Newcastle assets: Heritage restoration to the architect's specification

• Masonry, stone, brick and render repaired and matched
• To the heritage architect's specification and conservation plan
• Mortar, render, stone and paint sampled and matched first
• Staged around occupants, footpaths and traffic, live sites stay live
• Newcastle East, Honeysuckle, Maitland and the Upper Hunter
• No strata, balcony or homeowner work

Yes, Perfect Remediation restores heritage buildings and structures in Newcastle and the Hunter for councils, government agencies, institutions, churches, asset owners and head contractors. We repair and match the fabric that stays: masonry, stone, brick, render, heritage steel and the concrete behind it, to the heritage architect's specification and the conservation management plan. Public, institutional and commercial work only: we do not take homeowner work, see below.

Call (02) 7912 3054 and ask for the Sydney team, or send the form with the architect's schedule of works.

Call (02) 7912 3054

What we restore

Hard cement mortar destroys soft brick, blocked flashings let water in, corroded steel inside the masonry cracks the face, and the wrong repair material traps moisture. We repair:

• Masonry, brick and sandstone: failed units replaced and matched from salvage or approved supply, stone indent repairs and lime mortar repointing.
• Facades and parapets: cracked or displaced masonry pinned and made safe, cornice repairs, rope access where scaffold is impractical.
• Render and finishes: failed render cut back and reinstated in a compatible mix, repainted in the specified colour.
• Heritage steel and ironwork: corroded lintels, beams, ties and balustrades treated, repaired or replaced like for like, failed coatings removed as part of the job.
• Concrete within heritage buildings: spalling and corroded reinforcement repaired to the engineer's specification and concealed so the streetscape reads original.
• Flashings and roof edges: copper and metal flashings made good and roof edges rectified, as at the Sofitel Sydney Wentworth.

The concrete method is on the structural concrete remediation Newcastle page; later buildings are covered on the facade remediation page.

Where this work happens in Newcastle

Newcastle East and the harbour foreshore carry the city's oldest brick and stone buildings, the Honeysuckle precinct carries converted rail and wharf buildings, and Hamilton and Cooks Hill carry interwar commercial streets and church buildings. Maitland, Morpeth and Singleton hold Victorian brick civic buildings, churches, halls and court houses, and the Upper Hunter towns hold rail and water assets from the same period. The Hunter's coal and port heritage runs from Carrington and Stockton along the Hunter Valley rail corridor, with heritage station buildings, workshops and bridges owned by government. Hunter Water and council owned pump stations, reservoirs and treatment buildings are part of the same stock. These are places we cover for councils, agencies, churches and head contractors.

To be plain about it: our published heritage jobs are in Sydney and the Hunter. The Hunter job is the Muswellbrook water treatment building, and we have no Newcastle heritage project on the site yet. Crews, propping and scaffold travel up the M1 from our Marrickville base, and Hunter work is booked as a block so the crew mobilises once and stays.

Our published heritage jobs are few. At the Sofitel Sydney Wentworth for Charlotte Place Holdings (Futuro Capital) we made good the heritage copper flashings, made safe and remediated damaged facade brickwork by qualified abseiling tradesmen, and re-used the heritage listed concrete pavers. At the Muswellbrook water treatment building in the Upper Hunter, cracks and delamination were grouted, chips rendered and the building repainted to heritage spec in the period correct 1939 colour; that job is published on the Perfect Contracting site. For steel and concrete repair inside masonry structures see the four Inner West Council bridges at Marrickville, concrete and steel work rather than heritage. References are available on request.

How we do it

The same sequence on any building:

• Survey with the heritage architect. Walk the building, agree each repair's extent, photograph and mark it up.
• Sample and match. Mortar, render, stone, brick and paint sampled and matched, signed off by the architect before the first repair.
• Gentle removal of failed material. Hand tools and low impact methods chosen for the substrate, no abrasive blasting on soft stone or brick, propping to the engineer's temporary works design where an arch or wall must be held.
• Repair to the specification. Repointing, indent repairs, unit replacement, render reinstatement, steel treatment and concrete repair as scheduled, nothing added or skipped.
• Staged and protected works. Hoarding, scaffold or rope access staged around occupants, footpaths and traffic; vibration, dust and noise controlled. Live sites stay live.
• Records and photos. Before, during and after photographs, condition notes and ITPs handed over.

Before you ask for a price

What to send for a price:

• The heritage architect's schedule of works or specification, and the conservation management plan extracts covering the fabric in question.
• Photos of the defects and the access, and any condition report.
• Access constraints: occupancy, footpaths, hours, permits, inductions.
• Approvals status: whether the heritage approval or exemption is in place. Your consultant obtains it; we work within it.

No schedule yet? Send the photos and name the heritage architect. We price against the specification, not a guess.

What we do not do

We do not take strata, owners corporation, apartment balcony, unit or homeowner work. We will point you elsewhere rather than waste your time. We are not heritage architects or conservation consultants; your consultant prepares the heritage impact statement and obtains approvals; we work to them. Heritage demolition, facade retention during demolition and salvage are Perfect Contracting's lane.

Common questions

Who specifies the repair?

The heritage architect, with the structural engineer where structure is involved. We price from the architect's schedule of works and repair to that specification and the conservation management plan. We do not prepare heritage impact statements or obtain heritage approvals; your consultant does, and we work within what is approved.

How do you match the existing material?

Sample and match. Mortar, render, brick, stone and paint are matched to samples from the building and signed off by the heritage architect before the repair starts. Salvage from the building is used first where the specification allows.

What records do you keep?

Photographs before, during and after each repair, condition notes, material approvals and ITPs, handed to the owner.

Have you done heritage work in Newcastle?

Not yet in Newcastle itself. Our published heritage jobs are in Sydney and at Muswellbrook in the Upper Hunter, and the crew travels from Marrickville with the same method, records and paperwork.

Related services and other areas

Heritage restorations is the national page and Heritage the sector page. See also facade remediation and structural concrete remediation Newcastle. Other areas: Heritage restoration Sydney and Heritage restoration Wollongong. For heritage demolition, facade retention and salvage see Perfect Contracting's demolition methodology page. All services: remediation services.

What happens next

Call (02) 7912 3054 or send the form with the architect's schedule, plan extracts, photos and access constraints. The Sydney team reads the specification, walks the building where it helps, and comes back with a method, programme and price.