Sydney has many beautiful sandstone buildings. The Sydney basin is ringed by sandstone, in fact a large proportion of Sydney sits on sandstone. Many of these beautiful buildings were built in the 19th or early 20th centuries and now are in need of careful restoration. Helitec;itec are proud to offer our services for heritage & historical restorations.
Stonework and Masonry
Helitec employ qualified stonemasons who trained and honed their skills in the United Kingdom and Australia. We carefully select matching stones and use both modern and traditional methods to restore building façades to their former glory.
Windows and Doors
Older buildings unfortunately suffer the decay of time. Being an organic substance timber windows and doors will suffer from the elements; the rain, the wind, the constant heating and cooling leads to the organic material gradually breaking down, leaving the frame looking untidy and dishevelled.
Helitec seek out and employ the highest quality materials during the heritage & historical restoration, repair and replacement of heritage windows and doors. We guarantee your satisfaction with our workmanship on older style double hung or casement sash windows.
Arches & Lintels
Brick and stone around arches and windows are supported by arch bars and lintels which in older buildings are generally made from steel. In coastal areas of Sydney these arch bars and lintels are affected by corrosion because of salt air. Brickwork and stonework above your heritage window or door opening can become damaged due to lintel expansion. A rusting lintel will expand to around seven times its original thickness, and so will create a tell-tale bulge or crack.
If left unattended, faulty lintel and arch bar damage may result in deeper structural weakening, cracking of walls and arches, water penetration resulting in corrosion of wall ties can cause the structural integrity of your building becoming compromised.
Helitec are authorised Helifix installers and use modern methods of repair to reinstate the structural integrity of your heritage building. We use durable stainless steel components to restore the façade of your heritage building.
Retiling
Often flooring and wall substrates of heritage buildings need restoration before replacement tiles are laid. Helitec will diagnose and recommend the best way to replace your tiles. Weather you need a tessellated, heritage, marble bordered or pencilled retiling Helitec will guarantee your satisfaction and joy in the finish of your heritage building restoration.
Ceilings & Cornices
Helitec is able to offer a specialised custom made reproduction of your heritage ceiling producing a complete cornice or moulding from the smallest sample or we can create an entirely new and unique design according to your specifications.
We are able to restore your ceilings cornices, ceiling roses, panels corbels and arches. Helitec utilise quality manufacturers to ensure a sustainable replicated product that will stand the test of time and enhance the beauty of your heritage building.
Repointing and Tuckpointing
Repointing is the process of renewing mortar joints in brick and stone masonry construction. Over time, weathering and decay causes ugly holes and spalling in the mortar joints allowing the undesirable ingress of water. This can lead to the corrosion of wall ties and a complete failure of the masonry wall.
Tuckpointing is the raised white lines on the brick outlines on Federation period homes and buildings. It is also known as a way of using two contrasting colours of mortar in brickwork, one colour might match the bricks themselves, to give an artificial impression that there are very fine joints between the bricks. Our craftsmen can match your tuck pointing to ensure a successful historical & heritage restoration.
Underpinning and foundation subsidence
Older buildings in Sydney can suffer the effects of tree root damage and soil movement. When there is downward movement of the soil strata beneath a building, there is downward movement of the foundations, also known as subsidence. Broken downpipes and stormwater drains can also cause fine soil particles beneath foundations to be washed away by ground water causing instability. The most common indicator of foundation movement is cracking in a structure. Typically, subsidence related fractures are tapered diagonal cracks, often found around doors and openings.
Helitec can investigate and recommend the best method to reinstate the stability of your heritage & historical restoration building foundations. Our structural expects can advise on stabilisation methods saving you thousands of dollars. Contact us today for a free inspection and quote.
We can help with your Heritage & Historical Restorations project.
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TESTIMONIALS: HERITAGE RESTORATION CHATSWOOD
Hello Jerry,
Just a note to convey how impressed I am with your crew and the standard of their work. Tom and Mark in particular have been great to have here – great guys and they have gotten this work done to a higher standard than I expected and with much less impact than I expected. You have been very accomodating to our extra little bits and pieces that came up.
I originally thought this rip and replace job would be a quick 3 week exercise, and I now understand the detail that goes into it. My only fear is that my wife will miss the activity when you are finished and want to start another project!
I’ve already given your number to a mate of mine who runs scott carver for a heritage remediation/extension job they are doing in Stanmore.
More than happy to be a reference for a potential client, but if you do this standard of work all the time, you probably won’t need it! Thanks again.