Rose Bay has a large stock of apartment blocks from the Inter-War and post-war decades: three and four storey walk-ups in face brick or render, many with harbour glimpses, small balconies and tiled roofs. Most are strata, run by small committees with tight budgets.
These buildings are durable. They also reach an age where deferred maintenance gets expensive.
Face brick
Inter-War blocks often have decorative brickwork: patterned tapestry bricks, banding, and feature parapets. In Woollahra’s heritage areas, original face brick on Inter-War flat buildings must not be painted, rendered or coated. Even outside them, painting brick that was designed to be seen starts a repainting cycle forever.
Cleaning is the right maintenance. Low pressure, biocide for growth, dry brushing for efflorescence. More: efflorescence on brick.
Steel lintels and concrete
Rust streaks from above windows usually mean corroding steel lintels. Rust from balcony edges and soffits can mean concrete cancer. Both are structural repairs that get more expensive the longer they wait. Cleaning makes them visible; a good contractor photographs and reports them. More: concrete cancer and spalling.
Balconies
Small balconies drain through small outlets. When they block, water floods the apartment or runs down the building. Check them before summer. Balcony structure, railings and soffits are usually common property. More: balcony cleaning in strata.
Roofs and gutters
Terracotta roofs on Inter-War blocks are often original and brittle. Soft washing removes growth without walking the roof more than necessary. Gutters and box gutters are common property and should be cleaned at least twice a year. Gutter cleaning is the most searched exterior service in Sydney for good reason. More: gutter cleaning.
Windows
Under NSW’s model Common Property Memorandum, where adopted, owners clean their own windows except those they cannot safely reach. On a walk-up, upper fixed or awkward windows usually fall to the owners corporation. More: strata window cleaning responsibilities.
Common areas
Entry paths, stairwells, letterboxes and bin areas are what buyers and tenants see first. They are cheap to keep clean and make a large difference to presentation. Strata cleaning is searched around 390 times a month in Sydney; much of that is for exactly this.
Planning
A ten-year capital works plan should include façade cleaning every few years, gutter cleaning twice yearly, roof inspection annually, and balcony drain checks before summer. Getting quotes in winter, ahead of spring work, is easier. More: strata exterior cleaning guide.
What owners can do for the building
Report problems early. Rust stains, cracks, stiff windows, damp patches on ceilings and water on balconies that will not drain are all worth telling the managing agent about before they become a special levy.
Keep your balcony drain clear and do not wash balconies with a hose that sends water down onto the balcony below.
Do not paint, drill or fix things to common property walls without approval. Satellite dishes, air conditioning units and screens fixed to face brick leave permanent holes and stains.
Getting comparable quotes
Committees often struggle to compare quotes that describe different jobs. Write a short scope first: which elevations, which surfaces, gutters included or not, common areas included or not, photo report required. Then ask each contractor to quote against it. More: how to compare exterior cleaning quotes.
See the Rose Bay maintenance calendar and our strata pressure cleaning service.
