Renovating Mid-Century Houses: Our tips and learnings

We adore Melbourne’s Mid-Century houses and feel fortunate to have helped many move into thoughtful new chapters for our clients. Renovating these homes is always a privilege and and a specialty of the practice as we have now completed many. Our approach is to deeply understand what makes each home special, while carefully improving comfort, performance and longevity for contemporary life.

We are often asked about our experiences renovating Mid-Century homes (generally built between 1945–1970), so we have gathered some of our key learnings and advice for those considering their own renovation. We also recommend reading our post, “FAQ: Do I Renovate or Rebuild”, as some Mid-Century homes can unfortunately be so poorly maintained or constructed that restoration may cost more than rebuilding.

Our top tips and learnings:

1. Research the history of your home

A good place to start is a document search at your local council as we have found that councils often have original or old drawings on file. If you have a heritage overlay on your home, council will also have a Statement of Significance which may include early photos or drawings. If you discover your home had an architect, look them up to understand more about their work. Occasionally the original Mid Century Architect my be a living architect and you can chat to them about your home. We were fortunate to speak to the elderly Harry Ernest before we embarked on the renovation project Ernest House, Brighton.

Original drawings can reveal what is authentic to the home and what may have been altered later, helping guide future decisions.

2. Read Heritage Victoria’s conservation advice

Heritage Victoria’s guide Achieving High Quality Building Conservation Outcomes is an excellent starting point for understanding the philosophy behind conserving significant homes and buildings.

3. Think carefully about what you love

We suggest starting with the emotional qualities that drew you to the home in the first place. This might be the dramatic roof forms, connection to the garden, warm timber linings, quirky mid century features or the feeling of light within the spaces.

Then consider the functional qualities that already work well for your life. Revisiting why you originally purchased the home often provides clarity about what should be protected and celebrated in the renovation.

4. Clarify what is not working

Separating issues into exterior, interior and services categories can help prioritise what needs attention. We often suggest identifying which elements feel essential to change, which are uncertain, and which may simply require reframing or acceptance. We have often found that some Mid Century kitchens and bed rooms are smaller than now ideal and an architect will help with how rooms could be consolidated or replanned to align with contemporary living. This process can become a very useful foundation for the project brief.

5. Respect original colours, textures and materials

Many Melbourne Mid-Century homes embraced warm timbers, natural materials and expressive colour palettes. While trends inevitably change, we encourage clients to think long term and resist overly fashionable interventions.

Historic photographs or examples of the architect’s other projects can offer clues if original finishes have been removed. We particularly admire the use of handmade brick, natural stone, Australian timbers and richly glazed tiles common to many Mid-Century homes.

6. Improve thermal comfort thoughtfully

Most Mid-Century homes perform poorly thermally, often with single glazing, no wall or floor insulation, and thin roof packages that look beautiful and slim but don’t fit a lot of insulation. Replacing your glazed doors and windows with high performance double glazing will make a big difference. If you need a new roof, pulling off the sheeting will give you an opportunity to add insulation and a technical vapor barrier under the roofing. We have found that high R value bulk wall insulation is slimmer than the similar product sold for ceilings. If space is really tight you can also look at rigid insulation boards but bear in mind that these can trap moisture in the home. An architect can help with other strategies to improve thermal performance.

7. Expect hidden surprises

Many of the mid century houses we have renovated have revealed some questionable structural techniques and roofs with no or not adequate drainage.

We regularly see very small or no gutters and roofs that are flat and rusted out. A new roof and drainage is a common requirement of mid century renovations.

We have also seen things like a single nail connecting roof rafters to beams/lintels and floor joists supported directly on to window frames. Unfortunately, these are often not visible until you start to demolish linings or parts of the house so keeping a contingency for 10-15% of your expected build budget aside for surprises is a good idea.

We hope these learnings help you begin planning and dreaming about your own fabulous Mid-Century renovation. Please feel free to share your discoveries with us, and reach out if we can assist with your project.