Sandstone care in Woollahra

The suburb of Woollahra is picturesque Victorian in character, with residential streets made up mostly of two-storey homes and low-rise unit blocks. Moncur Street and Queen Street are noted for an unusually high number of heritage-listed buildings, and Queen Street doubles as a gallery and shopping strip. All Saints Church on Ocean Street, designed by Blacket, is built mainly of dressed sandstone. Other landmarks include Waimea House from about 1858, Rosemont on Rosemont Avenue and Woollahra Public School, dating from 1877. Jersey Road and Edgecliff Road carry traffic along the edges. For our purposes, Woollahra's stone is sandstone footings, front steps, sills, garden walls and the shared paths and fences of small strata buildings.

The stone here is old and porous, and Hawkesbury sandstone weathers noticeably on carved and exposed elements. On Victorian houses and older unit blocks, the most common issue is moisture rising into sandstone footings and front steps, followed by salt bloom and a sandy, crumbling surface low on the wall. Narrow frontages shaded by street trees grow mould, lichen and green algae, and leaves leave tannin marks on steps. Many front steps have also been cleaned with high pressure or acid at some point, which leaves pale stripes or orange iron stains. In strata buildings, the shared front fence and entry path often get less attention than individual units, so problems build up for longer.

Woollahra Council administers the area, and the Woollahra Heritage Conservation Area is one of the three largest in the municipality, alongside Paddington and Watsons Bay, with its own chapter in the council's development control plan. That chapter is the place to start if you are planning restoration, repointing, stripping or replacement of stone. Many individual buildings are listed as well. Before significant work, confirm with Woollahra Council whether approval is needed. For strata buildings, the owners corporation decides on common property work, and an inspection report with photos usually helps a committee reach a decision. We apply conservation methods throughout, so the approach should not be in question.

From our Double Bay base, Woollahra is a drive of six minutes or so up the hill. Many terraces and small blocks have no side access, so our technicians bring equipment through the front, protect the hallway and doorways, and run hoses with care. Street parking can be limited, and we confirm where the van can sit when booking. For strata clients we can inspect with a committee member, provide a written scope and photographs, and schedule work for a time that suits residents. Wash water from front steps and footpaths is bunded and vacuumed before it reaches the gutter, which matters on the narrow streets where front gardens drain straight onto the footpath.