Our Work
Conserving and reinvigorating this amazing old building began with cleaning. Lots of cleaning, sorting, moving, dusting and more cleaning. The bones of the building are great but after 10 years of inactivity the elements have taken their toll. The gems found in this property were many. Heritage furniture, fittings and fixtures have made for hours of intrigue, research and maintenance works. It was just like in the movies, blowing off the dust and shooing away the rodents to discover the potential and value of this building and its contents.
01
Floor Boards
The original floorboards have a story to tell. With 170+ years of service, these floorboards deserve to be preserved. I began with a heat gun and followed up with heavy sanding until the floorboards were clean. The floor boards will be stained with the a heritage mix of pure gum turpentine and and linseed oil.
02
Skirting Boards
The gaps in the skirting boards are being filled, sanded and painted to conserve the heritage style design. Heritage dust was removed and the boards will receive a fresh coat of paint, retaining the heritage colours in most rooms. This work has also been successful in reducing the movement of mice through the house.
03
Windows
Original water glass, fly screens and fixtures are a stunning feature of this heritage building. All windows open and latches operated smoothly. Step one was to remove the dust. After gently cleaning the windows some will be sanded back and stained while others will receive a fresh coat of paint.
04
Roof Repairs
Luckily for me the previous owner had invested a lot in roof repairs 30 years ago. The original shingles are still underneath the corrugated iron making for a fascinating look see for all that are brave enough. To date I have plugged up some leaks to prevent further water damage. The intention is to fully restore the roof with the original materials wherever possible. Eventually the roof will be painted, but with so much roof, it will costly and time consuming project.
05
Painting
There are years of painting projects ahead of me. Everything could do with a lick of paint. The fences, the walls, all the sheds, the water tank, interior, exterior, roof, outside toilet, bathroom floor, kitchen floor and window frames. Heritage colours have been maintained throughout the Smelters' Home by the previous owner. It would be great to clean the stone walls on the exterior facing the main street. There are signs still painted on walls and fences that I will retain in the process of revamping the paintwork.
06
Smelters Home Garage Sale
This house was full of antiques and collectables. There's something here for every enthusiast; bottles, books, crockery, tools, appliances, furniture, linen, jugs, paintings, sewing machines and more. Some of the items are dated back to the 20th Century. There is a lot of sorting, cleaning, cataloging and displaying to do. The goal is to open this space as an ongoing Garage Sale by July 2024. There are some leaks to patch before I bring in the rest of the treasures. The space has already been cleared of the heritage spider webs, indoor vine and trailer loads of rubbish. Metal, wood, plumbing supplies, furniture and tools have been removed and sorted into piles.
07
Plastering
The interior of the building is plaster. It is in reasonably good condition, however there were a few glaring holes in the walls that required immediate attention. I learnt early on to be very gentle with repairs so as to not create more work. The first job is always to find what's causing the damage. This usually leads me back to the roof. It's all a process.
08
Barn and Stables
The Barn is a great space, it's temperate all year round. This space was full of stuff that is yet to be sorted. Many hours have already gone into clearing the space of cats and rubbish. Once cleared out this space will be available for functions, lessons or workshops. It will have a kitchen, electricity, water and parking. The roof has been replaced and the walls were repaired around 1986. This space was the 'shelter in place' for the the 1906 flood in Burra.
