Heritage Restoration Sydney

Heritage restoration for Sydney 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
• CBD, inner suburbs, campuses and rail across Sydney
• No strata, balcony or homeowner work

Yes, Perfect Remediation restores heritage buildings and structures across Sydney 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 Sydney page; later buildings are covered on the facade remediation page.

Where this work happens in Sydney

Sydney holds more heritage building stock than anywhere else in the state, and nearly all of it is in daily use. The CBD and the government precincts around Macquarie Street, Bridge Street and Circular Quay carry sandstone and brick public buildings, hotels and offices. The inner suburbs from Glebe and Newtown through Marrickville to Balmain, Paddington and Redfern carry brick and rendered civic buildings, halls, churches and warehouses. The universities at Camperdown, Kensington and Macquarie Park run heritage precincts inside working campuses. Government owned rail assets carry heritage station buildings on every line, and Sydney Water and council assets carry pump stations, reservoirs and treatment buildings of the same era. That is the ground we cover for councils, agencies, universities, churches, asset owners and head contractors, from the CBD to Parramatta and the Hills.

The crew, propping, scaffold and materials come out of our Marrickville base, so an estimator can walk the building with your heritage architect before the price goes in.

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.

Can the building stay in use while you work?

Usually, yes. Hoarding, scaffold and rope access are staged around occupants, footpaths and traffic so the building keeps operating, as the Sofitel Sydney Wentworth did through its facade and flashing works.

Related services and other areas

Heritage restorations is the national page and Heritage the sector page. See also facade remediation and structural concrete remediation Sydney. Other areas: Heritage restoration Wollongong and Heritage restoration Newcastle. 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.