# Forum Forum Help Desk Introduce Yourself  Fixing a 50's/60's home in Perth

## jk82

G'day everyone 
I'm Jen, from Perth. My family lives in a 1950's/60's 3x1, brick and tile home. It's been a rental for many years and so needs a bit of love. It has lots of features we love (wooden floorboards and detailed high ceilings) but lots we don't (the dysfunctional 50's kitchen, solid terrazo flooring in the bathroom, layers of flaking paint on verandah and remnants of the old bitchumen circular driveway in our front yard). I'm totally new to DIY so hoping to find lots of info on this site. Am especially interested in anyone who is renovating a similar era home with the same issues. 
Cheers  :Smilie:

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## OFG

G'day Jen, welcome to the forum. 
Have a look around, there's probably someone here who has done similar. 
When you're ready, start a thread and someone will be along to help.

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## toooldforthis

welcome aboard fellow perthite
one thing  

> solid terrazo flooring in the bathroom

  if in good condition I would seriously consider keeping it; costs a bomb to do that sort of work now and a lot of peope lurve it. maybe u will too in time?

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## mike_perth

Hi Jen 
Im here in Perth as well doing a 1940's/50's place in East Vic Park. 
Have done a fairly big extension and renovated the old section of the house. Have a few good contacts around the place drop me a line if you need anything I might have someone or somewhere to recomend. 
Mike 
P.S. Im 31 and hadnt renovated anything before starting this let alone built half a house so I know how it feels to be where you are but trust me nothings as bad as it may look/feel/think it might cost! Its all worth it.

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## jk82

> welcome aboard fellow perthite
> one thing 
> if in good condition I would seriously consider keeping it; costs a bomb to do that sort of work now and a lot of peope lurve it. maybe u will too in time?

  Hi Toooldforthis - I am considering it, as I've read it's so hardy and waterproof etc. I think with a buff or polish it might come up well. Unfortunately it is pink with a grey border around the outside (we have pink tiles and a pink bath underneath a their layer of white paint which is chipping).    

> Im here in Perth as well doing a 1940's/50's place in East Vic Park.  Have done a fairly big extension and renovated the old section of the house. Have a few good contacts around the place drop me a line if you need anything I might have someone or somewhere to recomend.  Mike  P.S. Im 31 and hadnt renovated anything before starting this let alone built half a house so I know how it feels to be where you are but trust me nothings as bad as it may look/feel/think it might cost! Its all worth it.

  
Thanks Mike - good to know! We are in that neighbourhood too, so those contacts may come in handy.  :Smilie:

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## David.Elliott

Our last addition/reno was a 1961 house in Melville WA.
We added 65m2, being 10m across the back of the house and 6.5m deep 
this made a 6.5 x 4.2 family room, a 3.6 x 6.5 master bedroom, ensuite bath and walk-in robe...
Wanted to keep as much of the add-ons same as existing so framed and made t&G floor for bedroom to match existing.
Family room was under a skillion roof we framed so no room for timber floor, used concrete and tiled.
With the existing back verandah we pulled up the concrete and framed a floor and more T&G to match existing, BUT when we did this we could not source
boards same size as already there, so I had to take some second hand boards we bought and I re-machined the tongue edge to match... 
I have Floor Cramps to lend out if anybody requires, they are really old, and are used to cramp up the new boards when laid, before nailing to make a really tight floor.
They fit onto the floor joists and you do about 10 or so rows of boards at a time... 
So please contact me if I can help at all, I have a history with the era

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## mike_perth

Jen 
If you are laying any floors during this renovation I would take David up on his very kind offer - Floor Cramps are worth their weight in gold (well maybe not quite as they are bl*&dy heavy!!) they are labour savers at their best - I was lent a set after a guy up the road took pity on me after seeing me lay Jarah flooring with a few chisels and a hammer to bend the boards into shape (sounds a little crazy but you need to do it to get the joints tight) and the cramps really saved a lot of time and sore muscles! 
As a further offer of tools to help people out I have a gyprock lifter - its a proffesional trade TiltaLift model not one of the cheap ebay ones. I bought it off a ceiling company that was going broke! Im happy to lend it out to fellow renovators ( i will re-sell it at some stage to get some of my money back but until then its yours to use) This is also nearly worth its weight in gold as ou can also use it to lift wall sheets as the tripod wheels fold flat allowing you to push it up against a wall - when doing this I add a bag of sand to the back wheel to prevent it tipping forward but it does mean you can sheet a wall on your own. Ive had 4.8m sheets on it when used as a ceiling lifter without any problems. 
Mike

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