Members of
We build the timber decks, fences and extensions Barwon Heads’ planning rules actually ask for, and repair the interwar holiday houses along the estuary. The town is not growing outward, so the work is renovating, rebuilding and looking after what is here.
Barwon Heads has no new estates on the way. Council’s structure plan did not support spreading west, so the work comes from the houses already standing.
The design overlay over the residential areas asks for lightweight, natural and timber materials. It keeps front fences to 1 metre and at least half see-through, and lets a single house cover up to 40% of its block without a permit, provided its other conditions are met. That suits a carpenter: timber-clad extensions, low open front fences, and decks, which are among the jobs we have done most here.
In the 1920s and 1930s Barwon Heads became a resort, and well-off families from Melbourne and the Western District built holiday houses here. The Flinders heritage area records Victorian, Edwardian, Federation and interwar bungalows, with horizontal weatherboard and timber-framed windows. We repair boards and windows to match, and build additions that keep the roof pitch and proportions the heritage policy asks for.
The town sits on the west bank of the Barwon mouth below Lake Connewarre. A flood in 1952 lasted weeks, and levees went in through the 1950s. The SES flood guide names Sheepwash Road and River Parade as streets that start to flood when the river reaches 1.88 metres. On those streets we check stumps, subfloor timber and floor levels before planning an extension, and riverfront lots keep a 5 metre setback from the river boundary.
Responsible for a shopfront on Hall Street or a building by the jetty? The commercial side of our work is on the commercial carpentry page for Barwon Heads.
Decks and doors are the work we have done most in Barwon Heads, three jobs each, followed by what the overlay and the estuary bring.
Doors replaced and refitted, as often as decks in our Barwon Heads work.
Timber decks, which the overlay favours.
Rebuilding older decks on the holiday houses.
Low, open timber front fences to the 1 m rule.
Matching boards on interwar and earlier houses.
Timber-framed windows kept rather than replaced.
Additions that suit the Flinders heritage area.
Including holiday homes and Airbnb rentals, worked around bookings.
A call or a message. If it is a holiday house, photos help.
Heritage area, fence rules, river setback and flood level. In Barwon Heads at least one usually applies.
Itemised and free, with what is included and what is not.
The same crew from start to finish, and a check once it has been through a season.
Michael worked with our budget and we were so impressed by their diligence and workmanship. They did not cut corners but went the extra mile. So impressed we engaged them again at another property.
Beyond our expectations, and it was great to work with people who could turn our ideas into something better than we imagined. Couldn’t recommend them highly enough.
Prompt, great communication and a terrific job. Have used JF Maintenance for lots of work over the years and would recommend.
Barwon Heads was once called Point Flinders. It became a holiday resort in the 1920s and 1930s, and the first bridge across the river to Ocean Grove opened in 1927. In the late 1990s the town was the main filming location for SeaChange.
The 2021 census counted 4,353 residents and about a quarter of homes were holiday homes or short-stay rentals. The planning rules favour timber and keep the town compact, which is why the work here is decks, fences and careful repairs to houses, including interwar homes close to a century old.
Ocean Grove • Queenscliff • Bellarine
Barwon Heads borders Ocean Grove across the river, Connewarre to the west and Wallington to the north.
Tell us what needs doing, holiday house or home, and we will come back with a free estimate.