House painters in Balwyn

Homes in Balwyn

Much of Balwyn was built between the two world wars and in the years just after. Typical homes include Californian bungalows, clinker and red brick houses with terracotta tiled roofs, and interwar designs, some with Tudor or Spanish Mission details. Many still have their timber windows, decorative gables and leadlight, which take careful hand-painting.

Balwyn is also known for knock-down rebuilds, so many streets now have large contemporary homes alongside the originals. These are often finished in render, with painted timber or metal details, and their big flat walls show any unevenness in strong light.

What to look for on a Balwyn repaint

• Interwar timber detail. Gables, verandah posts, eaves and window frames on homes built before 1970 may carry lead paint under newer coats. Test before anything is scraped or sanded.
• Clinker and face brick. Original face brick was meant to be seen. Painting it is hard to reverse and can trap moisture, so on most period homes the brick stays and the trims are repainted.
• Large areas of render. On new builds, cracks are filled and the render sealed so the top coats go on evenly and look uniform across a big facade.
• Old and new side by side. An interwar home usually suits a period palette. On a new build, large test patches on the render show how a colour reads in full sun.