A large share of the period housing in Northcote, Thornbury, Brunswick and Coburg sits inside heritage overlays. Owners sometimes assume that means restumping is tied up in red tape. In most cases it is not, but it helps to understand where the lines are.

What a heritage overlay does

A heritage overlay is a control in the council planning scheme. In Merri-bek and Darebin, overlays cover individual buildings and whole precincts: streets of Victorian, Edwardian and inter-war houses whose collective character the council wants to protect.

The overlay mostly controls what you can see from the street. It can require a planning permit for demolition, external alterations, new buildings and some changes to fences and front gardens. It generally does not control internal changes or routine repairs.

Where restumping fits

Restumping is normally treated as repair and maintenance. Swapping old stumps for new ones, with the house finishing at the same height and looking the same from the street, does not usually need a planning permit.

It does still need a building permit, the same as anywhere else. That is a separate process, run through a building surveyor, and it covers the structural side: footings, stumps and inspections.

When a planning permit may be needed

A few things can change that answer:

Changing the floor height. If the front of the house is raised or lowered noticeably, the verandah, steps and base cladding all change. That alters the streetscape and may need a permit.
Replacing original base boards or lattice. Many period homes have decorative timber or lattice skirting around the base. Removing it, or replacing it with a different material, can be an external alteration.
Rebuilding the verandah. Owners sometimes take the chance to rebuild a sagging verandah while the subfloor is open. If the design changes, that may need a permit.
Altering front steps or paths. Similar logic applies.

The safe approach is to plan the work so the street frontage is unchanged at the end. If you want to make visible changes, it is worth talking to the council or a heritage adviser first.

What we do before starting

Before we lodge a building permit for a house in Northcote, Brunswick or nearby, we check:

Whether the property is in a heritage overlay, and if so which one.
Whether the planned work changes anything visible from the street.
Whether the overlay has specific controls, such as paint colours or fences, that could be affected.

If everything stays the same externally, we proceed with the building permit. If something visible will change, we tell you before any work is booked.

Keeping the street face intact

On a typical heritage reblock, that means:

Setting the finished floor height at or very close to the original at the front.
Removing and reinstating original base boards, lattice or vent covers rather than replacing them.
Leaving the verandah structure alone, or repairing it like-for-like.
Working from the side and rear where possible, so the front garden is not disturbed.

Dealing with original fabric

Heritage houses often have original features inside that are worth protecting during a reblock: ornate ceiling roses, decorative cornices, lath-and-plaster walls and original timber floors. These are not usually controlled by the overlay, but they are part of what makes the house valuable.

We lift floors in small stages and agree a sensible level target. Trying to make a hundred-year-old floor perfectly flat can crack plaster and stress ceilings that have spent decades in a particular shape.

Timing and paperwork

On a heritage property, allow a little extra time at the front end. The overlay check is quick, but if anything visible is changing and a planning permit turns out to be needed, that process runs before the building permit and can take weeks or longer. Where nothing changes externally, the job usually runs on the same timeline as any other restump. Keep the permit documents and the surveyor's final inspection certificate with your property records; buyers' conveyancers and heritage advisers may ask for them later.

Questions to ask

If you are planning a reblock on a heritage house, ask your contractor:

Have you checked the overlay?
Will anything change from the street?
How will you protect original base boards and verandah details?
What level target are you aiming for, and why?

Good answers to those questions are a sign the job will be handled properly.

Get it checked

If your period home in Northcote, Thornbury, Brunswick or Coburg is moving, book a free subfloor inspection. We will look underneath, check the overlay and explain what the work involves.

Reblocking Under a Heritage Overlay in Northcote and Brunswick