For many of us, a state-of-the-art modern house with all the mod cons is where it’s at, and there’s a lot to be said for being warm and comfortable all year round. But there’s just something special about the classic Victorian villa, with her intricate detailing, glorious stained glass windows and solid rimu timber joinery, and in our view there just aren’t enough of them around anymore.
After the 2011 Christchurch earthquakes, an extraordinary number of these Victorian beauties were razed to the ground, with 150 years of colonial heritage essentially disappearing overnight. There are still a few to be found dotted around the city however, and if their facelifts are undertaken with care there’s a good chance they’ll be around for another century.
Along with their elegant aesthetic, Victorian villas come replete with their own quirks and foibles that new-house owners will never have to deal with, and as such they require a builder who understands how to work with them.
So if you’re the proud owner of a villa built prior to 1920, before you start planning your fancy new kitchen it’s vital that the basics are taken care of, and sadly this means all the boring stuff, most of which you’ll never see. It’s essential that the house is watertight before you embark on anything fancy, so be sure to hire an experienced builder to check over the roof, including flashings, spouting and eaves, as well as inspecting the walls and exterior joinery. Be aware that a brand new roof may well be on the cards here, as it may make more sense than spending big money on patch repairs.
Next up are the foundations, plumbing and electrical wiring. A shortage of power outlets (very common in older houses whose early inhabitants had no need to plug in a phone charger) may well be the least of your problems, and at the very least your old villa may require a new switchboard. It goes without saying that you need to use an experienced certified electrician for all of your electrical work, and care must be taken to ascertain where the old wiring is located before your renovations begin.
Modern power points and light fittings can jar with the interior of a character home, so it’s important to source hardware such as light switches that will fit with your house’s aesthetic. There are plenty of stockists to choose from in New Zealand, including Vintage Hardware and Early Settler in Christchurch. If you’re really keen to keep the character of your villa intact, then a visit to Musgroves in Wigram will supply you with everything you need, with fittings salvaged from villas that have been demolished over the last few decades.
Any renovation on your Victorian home will require at the very least a builder and electrician, and a larger project could involve the full range of tradies, from roofers, plasterers and plumbers to glaziers. Each one of these specialists needs to be comfortable with the fact that old villas are rarely straightforward to work on and that some relatively simple tasks may require them to think outside the square.
DCM Building is your one-stop shop when you’re looking to renovate your character home. We provide all the tradies, so that you’re not having to deal with multiple sub-contractors, and we specialise in working with older homes. Poor insulation and drafty tongue and groove walls are par for the course in Christchurch villas, and we promise we can keep you warm without losing that vitally important aesthetic.
Call Iain at DCM Building on 027 445 597 today, and put your gorgeous grande dame in the hands of professionals who will appreciate the heritage behind her, we promise she’ll thank you for it.