The Heritage Branch, Department of Planning, and Heritage Victoria websites contain technical notes on a number of different aspects relating to traditional building materials. 

Topics covered include building materials, typical maintenance requirements and possible solutions for maintenance. Notes are also available regarding heritage buildings and energy efficiency and sustainability, as well as heritage gardens and grounds.

Technical Notes: Heritage Branch, Department of Planning

Below are the titles of relevant technical notes available from the Heritage Branch, Department of Planning, website. To open individual documents, click on the relevant title below.

Preparing a Maintenance Plan

Inspection Schedule

Documenting Maintenance and Repair

Temporary Access

Rising Damp

Metalwork

Corrugated Roofing

Slating, Tiling and Roof Plumbing

Wood Preservation

Timber Repairs

Repair of Tongue and Groove Floorboards

Paint Finishes

Fire and Heritage  

Plaster Finishes

The following titles can be ordered in hard copy, at no charge

The Need for Old Stone Buildings to Breathe

 
Patching Old Floorboards

 
Removing Paint from Old Buildings

Basic Limewash

Heritage Gardens and Grounds is out of print.  Copies are held in the Heritage Office Library (02) 9873 8591.

In addition to the above, the Heritage Branch website contains a Technical Notes page covering a range of issues including growths on historic masonry, cracking of buildings, terracotta roof tiles and marble headstones. The titles of the technical notes available on the webpage are listed below.

Commercial Limewashes

Repointing Mortar Joints - Some Important Points

Treating Biological Growths on Historic Masonry

 
Cracking of Buildings Due to Shrink/Swell

 
Drought Related Cracking of Buildings

Salt Attack and Rising Damp: A Guide to Salt Damp in Historic and Older Buildings

The Heritage Council, 2008, in conjunction with Heritage Victoria, the South Australian Department for Environment and Heritage and Adelaide City Council have prepared the document Salt Attack and Rising Damp: A Guide to Salt Damp in Historic and Older Buildings.

This document provides sufficient information to understand the causes of salt attack and rising damp and how to diagnose and identify appropriate repairs for cases commonly seen in Australia. The document is free to download from the website below, or hard copies can be purchased for a fee of $25. To open the pdf document, click on the title below.

Salt Attack and Rising Damp: A Guide to Salt Damp in Historic and Older Buildings

Technical Notes: Heritage Victoria

Below are the titles of relevant technical notes available from the Heritage Victoria website. To open individual documents, click on the relevant title below.

Understanding and Maintaining your Historic Garden
Understanding and Maintaining your Historic Garden - references
Heritage and Sustainability - Policy Note

Illustrated Glossary of Australian Rural Fence Terms

The Heritage Council, in conjunction with Macquarie University, have prepared the Illustrated Glossary of Australian Rural Fence Terms with the purpose of recording and explaining the many terms which have been applied to rural fences in Australia. Each term listed has been defined, described and illustrated, where possible.

An excerpt of the executive summary is repeated below.

..Fences were built at Sydney Cove as early as 1788 and subsequently have been built in almost every environment in Australia. The physical remains of early fences provide tangible historical evidence of the sequence of land settlement, development of legislation, importation and local innovation of fencing technology, environmental changes, and the hopes and aspirations of settlers...

The glossary can be downloaded from the Publications & Forms page of the Heritage Branch website.

Bathurst City Library

In addition to the above online references, there are a range of books relating to maintenance and restoration of old houses.  The list of books below are available for loan from the Bathurst Library.

-  How to Restore the Old Aussie House
-  Colour Schemes for Old Australian Houses
-  Getting the Details Right:  Restoring Australian Houses 1890s-1920s
-  The Federation House:  A Restoration Guide
-  Australian House Styles
-  Caring for Old Houses
-  The Complete Australian Old House Catalogue

The above books are available for purchase at bookshops and restoration shops throughout Australia