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I have two very old rimu/kauri Villas in Auckland. One I live in and the other is rented out. Polished floors and high ceilings.
What do I need to do regularly to keep it in tip top shape? How often do I need to paint the outside? What else do I need to know? Please advice.
Thanks.
Bling Bling The phone number of your local fire bug for when the maintence bills get to high.
Enigma, cant be worst than the new leaky houses. Old Villa are made of good quality hardwood that is now hard to get or are way too expensive to build.
Why, have you have bad experiences with old villas? My villas are 1920-30s.
Bling, just make sure that you do things such as painting the outside once it is needed and you won't go wrong. It is when you defer the maintenance on these old houses that they start to get away from you...
Yes I own 1/5 of one through an estate and the maintenance is horrific unless you do it your self and as I am in australia and house is In NZ with one elderly brother living in it and the other not far away and both well over seventy it is a nightmare. It would be a good candidate for a new TV show in Aus Renovate or Detonate and on economics most get Detonated. I have seen one here supposedly renovated (Owners are now sueing) at a cost of $400000.00 plus where a new home 25% larger than the supposedly renovated home, would have maxed at $350000.00 Another Option would be to give it to the local fire brigade for practise. Many Magazine & newspaper articles this side of tasman on how to save a $100000.00 on a renovation start with a bulldozer
Bling Bling. I do house mtce for a living. I own two rimu weather board clad villas in ChCh - 80 & 102 years old now - and rent both out having bought them in poor condition and lived in one while I did it up. Most of them have borer in the structural timbers (joists, studs, bearers) as they are close to the ground and borer prefer damp cold conditions. If you have to replace weatherboards check out the joists between the concrete rim foundation and the floor boards as they are often in poor condition on the rainy side. Bung 100 x 100mm H4s on their ends under any shonky bearers or floor joists and shove a wedge under squeaky floorboards or saggy/dropped joists or bearers. Generally nothing wrong with the roof timbers as the trusses are warm and dry from the heat in the roof space. In ChCh the original iron will last nearly a century if it's been painted every 10 years or so and some of the lower laps may have been replaced.
Get on the roof with a bag of 75mm twist-shank springhead nails, a cpl of tubes of silicon RTV, replace any popped nails and RTV the tops of any over-driven nails or ones where the lead heads are damaged. You can also RTV around any laps that are too fragile to nail.
Repair any leaking gutters and downpipes - water buggers the weatherboards and fascias, and leaky down pipes cause foundation collapse and eventual floor sagging etc.
Clear your stormwater drains and replace them yourself if they're cracked or full of roots etc. It's not hard - just saves gym fees.
Weatherboards: The northern and eastern aspects will suffer from cracking and the south and west from damp and water damage so replace any rotten weather boards pronto as they hide wet and dry rot damage to the studs and floor timbers. Buy a 150mm disc sander with decent 24 and 80 grit pads and get to work on the weatherboards. You must sand, prime and get the top coats on quickly as each stage deteriorates within a couple of weeks or so. If you allow the "red" colour in the sanded rimu to go grey then the cellulose has oxidised and the primer won't be as effective. Same with the primer - get the top coats on quickly as the primer won't handle the weather. Plastic bog is OK but it doesn't flex like a decent NoMoreGaps type of thing where you need it on the sunny aspects. Do one wall at a time as this progressive finish will help to keep your spirits up and Madame Bling Bling's too.
If the chimneys or other exterior brick need repointing (and most villas may have a perishing lime-based mortar)in them then rake out the old loose mortar and bung some new stuff in. A real drag this job and you'll lose more than you can stuff in.
Any internal gutters especially on parapet walls? Line with butynol and install supported 150 x 25mm duckboards to stop sudden heavy hail blocking them up and causing rain to flow inside.
Villas are great as they have character and style but they need time, love but not necesarily a lot of money. Retain features like ceiling roses, authentic stained/leadlight glass, tiled fireplaces (but dung out the chimneys and put a log-burner or gas fire in the space,) oiled kauri/rimu doors, rolled verandah roofs, picture rails, claw footed baths with modern showers into them.
Have fun and I hope this helps.
Thanks for the info guys, especially Longtak.
I will take Longtaks advice and go through it with a fine toothpick. The only problem is that I am no maintenance person. Will need alot of messing around to know what I am doing. Oh well, at least I am retired and have time to look around and do some repairs.
I really love villas. They have so much character and style. I dont like the new houses beening built these days. They feel more like a hospital or an office.
Again, many thanks.
I know what you mean, Bling Bling - it's like living in a motel.
I live in a kauri villa over 100 years old. Up in the attic there are hand-made nails. I love it, even though the design isn't too functional, with the long hallway and add-on plumbing. But it has a lot of character. In fact it is going to be photographed for an Australian homewares magazine.
Well Longtack, you seem better than a lot of tradesmen. It took me a long time to get the gully in the roof fixed (it leaked when the wind blew the rain in a certain direction). Everyone looked at it, and if they couldn't glue it they didn't want to know about it. But apart from replacing a few weatherboards here and there it has not cost much.
Don't mention gullies, Cap![V] I had exactly the same trouble after I first bought my villa.Quote:
quote:Originally posted by Capitalist
It took me a long time to get the gully in the roof fixed (it leaked when the wind blew the rain in a certain direction). Everyone looked at it, and if they couldn't glue it they didn't want to know about it.
Where do I locate the gully in the roof? Pardon my ignorance. You can tell from my post that I dont do much handy work around the house. I even have a guy that mows my law.
Normally referred to as a "valley" round these parts if we're talking about the same thing. The gully or gully-trap is the semi-open drain that the "grey" household water goes into.
Not all villas have a valley as the smaller/inferior ones have a simple pitched roof with gable or hip ends. You don't necessarily have a valley Bling2. Even the valuers and REINZ wallopers refer to "small villas" when I believe them to be "cottages."
Cap - I'll have a squiz at your wine cellar if I can get a visa to the N.I.[:p]
BB - If the roof (catchment) comprises two or more "peaks" then the water between the peaks has to be caught in the "valley" and taken into the stormwater system via a leakproof trough then into a rainhead (square bucket) with a downpipe coming out of the bottom into the s/w ater drain. The bigger the better and keep it clean as they're not cheap to replace as it may involve lifting the roofing iron. Commonly lined with continuous sheet rubber (butynol) nowadays and as long as the rusted iron or timber beneath it can support it I reckon its the best solution. It has no joins or gaps and is pretty tough.
Parapet walls normally found in turn-of-the century cottages have the dreaded internal gutters that do the same thing and have the same probs.
Where are you BB?
Thanks for the explanation Longtak.
I live in the eastern suburbs of Auckland. I think my roof needs a good paint or replaced. Who do I contact to give advice on the roof and the gullys? Do I call the roofing company or plumber?
Cap - your comment about tradesmen not being interested unless they can glue it is understandable. I apologise for sounding like the Auld Scots Git but I do spend a bit of time fixing up tradesmens thoughtless/unintelligent/untradesmanlike repairs and installations. It's systemic of the current boom and availability of work. A bit more unemployment wld help - I ruefully add - then we'd get better quality and less of the rip sh*it and bust stuff I see in mainly new housing.
I'm not a tradesman, and better for it I believe as my mind is a little more open and enquiring - arguable of course. If I'm nosey or out of my depth then I'll pick up the NZS3604, buy a book on it, call BRANZ, ask tradesman mates or get several opinions and pick the most sensible one. Much divergence there.
My niece recently spent squidzillions doing up a large villa in
Capville, somewhere close to town. I'm gagging to have a look at it.
Longtack should repair to Auckland instead of posting on internet chatrooms. I don't comment/write/read blogs and such things. What a farooking waste of time.
Gully is fixed now, but not before water nearly destroyed my antique piano. That needs restoration Longtack.
BLING BLING, contrary to perception, painting a roof is a waste of money. If you count the cost of paint against any small gain in the life of a roof, other than appearnces sake then you are wasting money.
ELECTROLYSIS is what kills the roof, surface rust second. The sheets rust out under the laps and under the lead head nails with white rust, not red rust. It is the electric reaction between the sheets that rusts first. At one stage aluminium roofs were thought to be the answer,until they found out it was worse than iron for that problem. Stack a few sheets of iron on the flat in the middle of summer outside. Pick them up a few weeks later, and you will notice that they are soaking wet between, with big white spots. This is because between the sheets creates a vaccum that sucks the moisture out the air, as is the case with leaky homes. The big white spots is white rust, created by electrical reaction. That is the reason that they put zink blocks on ships to stop the propellor eating out. Now todays roofs have long run iron, and they dont use leadhead nails for this very reason. The short answer to your question is look up the yellow pages fix or paint a roof if you feel it necessary, and never put it off to winter. macdunk
Thanks Macgregor.
Will get someon to check it out. Any recommendations on what kind of steel or tin roof I should put up if I need to replace it?
BB - Call or text me 0274 807425 What shape is it - like an old fashioned tent? - describe it.
Does it leak? If so where and how badly?
What colour is it? Dark, pale or rust-coloured? [:o)]
Any idea of what it's been painted with?
Is the paint flaking? Avoid deferring mtce until the paint flakes as it takes yonks to prepare it once it starts.
Is it corrigated iron? I'm assuming it is.
Any idea of the age of the iron?
Unless you're going to sell it soon'ish and can immediately realise the gain from re-roofing it now then repair/paint it as necessary.
There are plenty of shall we say "bad people" who pose as roof-painters, shamelessly willing to charge you $2-3000 for a $500 quick squirt, mininal-prep' job.
Call around and get several free assessments from roofers, plumbers, chippies, painters and witness the divergence of opinion, ask trusted friends, word of mouth referrals are pretty good.
For a roofer to replace it? Minimum $5k for zincalume or galv for 130m2 floor area in ChCh. Add 50% for coloursteel. Quotes can vary by double for the same job and right now roofers have plenty of nice clean work rather than replacing dusty old roofs and having to remove old iron. It takes 2-3 days for an average house.
Butt-outsky Freudian Slipper (if you're daring to tell me to belt-up.)
Does this antique piano play only antique songs or can we have a Bob Dylan singalong?;)
Longtack
I will try to answer your questions the best I can. The last time I did any maintenance was a putting a handle back on the door.
1. It doesnt leak.
2. Some minor rust on the roof.
3. Pale colour, looks like it needs a paint. It is easy to paint myself? Paint with spray or rollers?
4.I dont know if it is corrigated iron or not. The house is 1920s.
5. No idea of the age of the iron.
6. I am not looking to sell, I usually invest for long term. Abit like my share portofolio.
Again thanks for the advice. :)
Bling Bling done very little in home maintence for 10 years or so but at that time mates that were tradesman painters allways said if they were doing there own roof they would use brushes.
I find the biggest maintenance problems with my villa tend to relate to the various add-on's that have appeared over the years (3 according to council records). The integrety of the original structure is very much intact, even after 100 years.
Bling2 - I admire your persistance and I feel a bit silly doing this as Cap' implies but:
I've read Duncan's comments but don't agree that it's time to replace your roof or that iron roofs are inferior. If one's roof is over a few kms from the sea then many villas still have the original Lysaght (Oz) corrigated iron.
If the pitch of the roof is greater than 20 degrees then pay someone else to do it as it's fraught with high-end risks. Should take about 4-5 days for prep and two coats so I would imagine between $2000 -$3000 all up. Don't let anyone spray it or waterblast it unless they're absolutely trustworthy and competent. It should extend the roof life by 10 -15 years if it's done well. As Duncan says, most of the rusting occurs at the laps, so you may not see it. If you suspect that there is rust there just leave it alone except to give it a bit more paint at the edges, around the nail heads and where the lead edge ridgings meet the iron. Use an acrylic paint as they are more flexible and dry quickly. Even in badly rusted iron as long as its got a couple of decent coats of paint you'll extend the life of the roof.
Paint it nowbefore the minor rust gets worse. Brushing is the best but very labour intensive so I roll it diligently. Although it's a slower method the advantage is that you see just about everything and you just can't do that with an airless sprayer and you don't skip or scimp.
As with all painting the preparation is important.
* Wash it down with a stiffish broom, a garden hose and roof wash - Resene or similar. Get rid of lichen, moss, dirt, loose stuff. Dont use high pressure water as you may force it under the laps. Wire-brush te rusty bits just to shift the loose rust.
* Spot prime it with an anti-rust spirit-based paint - various grades available depending on how bad the rust is.
* Make a "crawler" (ladder with a thing that goes over the rige) to perch on and one for the paint tray/pot.
* Pick a low-wind, low humidity, moderate temp day. Not if the roof's wet and don't step onto wet paint - you stop when you hit the concrete!
* See if sme neighbourhood group want to do it for fund-raising.