Queenslander restorations: what to keep, what to replace

Queenslanders were built from good timber by people who knew what they were doing. After a hundred years, most of that timber is still worth saving. The trick is knowing which parts to repair, which to replace, and where to put your money first.

Usually worth keeping

VJ walls

Vertical-joint boards give a Queenslander much of its character. Loose or damaged boards can usually be refixed or replaced with matching profiles. Be careful with old paint, though. Layers on older homes often contain lead, so test before you sand.

Fretwork, brackets and balustrades

These decorative pieces are easy to repair. Where a section is missing or rotten, we trace the original and make a new one in the workshop so it matches the rest.

Timber windows and doors

Casements, sashes and French doors can almost always be repaired: new putty, a replaced sill, freed-up hinges. Repair is usually cheaper than good-quality replacements and keeps the original look.

Floors

Hoop pine and other original floors often come up beautifully with a careful sand and recoat, even under old carpet or lino.

Usually needs replacing

• Old wiring. Original wiring and old switchboards are a safety risk. Have a licensed electrician inspect early.
• Galvanised water pipes. They corrode from the inside and reduce water pressure.
• Rotten stumps. Timber stumps are commonly replaced with concrete or steel when the house is re-levelled.
• Asbestos sheeting. Often found in enclosed verandahs, bathrooms and eaves. Homes built before 1990 may contain asbestos, so test before any work and use licensed removalists.

Check the rules first

Many Queenslanders in Brisbane sit within Brisbane City Council’s character overlay, which generally applies to houses built before 1947. It mostly protects how the house looks from the street. Demolition and changes to the front are restricted, while work at the rear is often more flexible. Heritage-listed homes have stricter rules again. Ask your builder or a town planner before you commit to a design.

Where to spend first

When budget is limited, we suggest this order:

1. Structure. Stumps, bearers and joists. Nothing else matters if the house is moving.
2. Weatherproofing. Roof, gutters, flashings and windows that keep water out.
3. Services. Wiring and plumbing, while walls and floors are open.
4. Character details. Fretwork, verandahs, VJs and finishes.

Working in this order means you won’t pay to restore a beautiful verandah, only to pull it apart later to fix a stump.

Making new work fit in

Most restorations involve some new work too: a kitchen, a bathroom or an extension at the back. The best results come from respecting the original house without copying it badly. A few principles we follow:

• Match ceiling heights, floor levels and window proportions where the old and new meet.
• Reuse salvaged boards, doors and hardware in the new spaces where you can.
• Keep the old house readable. A modern extension that is clearly new often sits better than a fake old one.
• Choose materials that age well alongside a century-old house, such as timber, painted weatherboards and corrugated iron.

Plan it in stages

Most of our restoration clients don’t do everything at once. A written repair plan, with priorities and rough costs, lets you tackle the house over a few years without redoing work. We start every heritage project with a condition inspection for exactly this reason.