Remediation and restoration of City fringe villa

Project details

Consents

We engaged an Architect and Engineer we have worked with on past projects to do the planning. We worked alongside the client, Architect and Engineer to work out room layout, window positions, sections of load bearing walls that required removal to achieve an open plan modern layout.

Engagement of Subcontractors and Project Management

We supplied and worked alongside our selected preferred subcontractors, such as Plumbers, Electricians, Plasterer etc. The house needed to be fully replumbed, rewired and replastered throughout.  

Site Establishment

Erection of temporary fencing, supply of amenities (portaloo), disconnection of house wiring and connection of site power and water, disconnection of drains/sewerage pipes and water pipes. Delivery of site skip. Installation of health and safety signage and procedures.

Releveling

Had an initial meeting with the client and Smart Lift to work through what was required to establish the site and the building preparation required before they started the structural repairs/lifting of the foundation. The original ring foundations concrete was mixed by hand, which is common for construction in this era, which meant the structural integrity was weak and unable to be lifted without being damaged. The house was releveled and a new ring foundation was formed below the existing. Internal piles were replaced or repacked to meet the NZ Building Code.

Demolition

The client did the bulk of demolition over the Christmas break, and we picked up the remaining demolition required. This included stripping all linings off the floors, walls and ceilings, exposing all framing members.

Building Work

We started from the sub floor framing, 90% of this framing required replacing due to rot and borer damage. We straightened all the floor framing and relined with chipboard sheet flooring. Some modifications of the subfloor was required in the bathroom area to allow for the level entry shower base. Wall framing, removed a load bearing wall in the lounge room/dining area of the house to create open plan living. This required a steel engineered beam to take the load of the roof and also required an additional pile to be installed to bear this load. We also added two additional timber French doors to this area, which required two new lintels to be installed. A new round window was added in the bathroom that required another lintel. When the walls linings were removed, due to the house originally having lath and plaster linings, the wall framing was not straight and required the walls in the entire house to be re-straightened, before plasterboard linings could be installed. The entire house was relined with new plasterboard on the walls and ceilings. 50% of the house was re-cladded with bevel back weatherboards, including new facings and scribers around windows and doors to match preexisting.

Interior Finishing

Complete house was re-skirted and re-architraved in colonial style trim work to retain the era of the house. Colonial plaster cornice and plaster roses were installed throughout. Hallway and bathroom were lined 1.2 metres high with v-groove paneling and dado rail. Winckelman tiles were hand laid on the bathroom floor piece by piece, in a complex pattern. The rest of the houses flooring was 180 x 20mm farmhouse oak, tongue and groove, which was distressed and made to give the illusion that it was old.

Fitout

The kitchen was sourced by the client, which was farmhouse style to give a classic look. Fitted with an engineered stone benchtop. The bathroom fittings and fixtures were all true to the era of the house.