The cottages of the inner west

Walk through Seddon or Yarraville and you will see row after row of timber cottages from the late 1800s and early 1900s. Single-fronted and double-fronted weatherboards with return verandahs, decorative fretwork and small front gardens. Many were built for people working in the factories, the docks and the railways of the inner west. Many sit inside heritage overlays.

Most of these cottages were stood on hardwood stumps when they were built. Some have since been reblocked once. A good number are still on what they started with.

What a heritage overlay means

Think of a heritage overlay as a rule in the planning scheme that guards how a street or building looks and feels. In Seddon and Yarraville, the controls are part of the Maribyrnong planning scheme. They mostly concern what can be seen from the street: facades, verandahs, roofs, fences and so on.

For reblocking, the good news is that most of the work is out of sight. New stumps sit behind the existing base boards, lattice or plinth, and the house looks the same from the street once the job is done. Even so, it is worth knowing where the line is.

When council may want a say

Each situation is different, so it is always best to check with council. In general, though, these are the kinds of changes that may need planning approval on a heritage property:

Raising the house above its current height, even slightly.
Replacing the front base cladding with something that looks different.
Altering the verandah, its posts or its floor.
Changing the front fence, steps or entry.

A like-for-like reblock, where the floor ends up at about the same height and everything visible from the street stays as it was, is often a different story. The building permit is a separate matter and is generally needed for reblocking regardless.

Keeping the character

When we reblock a heritage cottage, we try to disturb as little of the original fabric as we can. That usually means:

Leaving base boards in place wherever possible, or carefully removing and reinstating them.
Working from the side or back of the house rather than through the front.
Protecting verandah floors and steps while work goes on around them.
Matching the original floor height so the house sits as it always has.

What we often find under these cottages

Old cottages have usually had a long and varied life underneath. Common finds include:

Hardwood stumps rotted at the ground line, sometimes reduced to a thin core.
Bearers decayed where they sit on stumps, especially under kitchens and bathrooms.
A rear lean-to on lighter stumps that has sunk away from the main house.
Old repairs using bricks, pavers or offcuts.
Blocked vents behind later paths and garden beds.

Because of this, a heritage reblock often includes some framing repairs as well as new stumps.

Bluestone, brick and timber together

Not every cottage sat on timber alone. Some have a bluestone or brick footing under the front wall or chimney breast, with timber stumps everywhere else. Those masonry sections behave differently from the stumps: they are heavier, they sit lower and they often move less. When the timber stumps around them sink, the floor can end up with a hump near the fireplace or along the front wall. A good reblock takes account of those fixed points, and sometimes the masonry needs its own repair as well.

Living in the house while it is done

Owners of small cottages often worry about where they will go during the work. In most cases you can stay. The house is propped the whole time, the work happens underneath, and the disruption is mainly noise, a busy side path and a short break in services on the day the house comes down. Front rooms may be out of action for an afternoon if access is through the house.

Tight access

Seddon and Yarraville cottages are often built close to the boundary, with very little room down the side. Some have no side access at all. Reblocking is still possible, but materials and spoil may need to go through the house or out the back, and some work may need to be done by hand. We plan for that from the start.

Getting the order right

Many owners in these suburbs are renovating, often with a rear extension. Reblocking the original cottage before the extension is built means the new work can tie into a level, stable floor. Doing it afterwards is harder and can disturb finished work.

Before you start

If you own a heritage cottage that needs reblocking, the first step is an inspection. We take level readings, look under the floor and explain what the house needs. If any part of the job might touch on heritage controls, we flag it so you can check with council early.

Reblocking a Heritage Cottage in Seddon or Yarraville