Home truths

Architect and historian Stuart Harrison follows people as they bring their homes back to their former glories in Restoration Australia. He tells Danielle McGrane what to expect in season three and why restoration is a great option.

I nner-city houses, country cottages and Federation mansions are all brought back to life in the latest series of Restoration Australia.

The series kicks off with a bang with a 19th-century home at the iconic Millers Point area in Sydney, boasting Harbour and Opera House views.

It’s a very special location, but this home needs a lot of work.

“That’s the most expensive project that we’ve covered,” host Stuart Harrison said.

“This season we’ve got some small, modest projects – one is under $100,000 – but millions were spent on that one in Sydney.”

The architect and historian shows just how much work goes into restoring these homes, as he follows their transformation throughout the series.

“Some of these projects, particularly this season, have been going for years,” he said.

“Several we started shooting when I came on board with the show in 2016.”

Like so many building projects, the restorations often take longer than the owners expect. Harrison tends to have a good idea, when he sees the project, how long it’s going to take, but he’s also happy to be proven wrong.

“It’s often different to the sense that the homeowners have because people tend to look at the more optimistic side of things. This season there was a couple I thought might not finish but I was proven wrong,” he said.

Many of the projects this season are not only impressive, but Harrison says they’re quite relatable.

“A lot of them are 19thcentury houses that are being reworked,” he said.

“The second episode is up in Inverell in regional NSW. A great couple bought one of the most important old houses in town but also a convent that was attached to it with a very interesting history. They’ve done it for a relatively modest amount of money,” he said.

There’s also an impressive builder in country Victoria who’s using unique techniques to bring a home back to life.

“She’s building it using really authentic methods. It’s probably the purest restoration we’ve ever covered. She uses original lime water and stone work to rebuild this cottage,” he said.

“We’ve also got a big Baptist church being restored in Ballarat, there are lots of ups and downs with that one, and it’s one I thought might never finish.”

Harrison talks about all the projects fondly, but it often looks like the home owners have a mammoth task ahead of them. However, he says there are still advantages to restoring an original building.

“You don’t always have to spend an enormous amount of money to get a good heritage outcome and there are a lot of attainable projects this season,” he said.

“Also, retaining existing buildings is more sustainable. The greenest building is a building that’s already there. There’s an enormous amount of carbon in knocking [down] buildings, and building new buildings, and using all that energy so the most sustainable form of building practice is to rework existing buildings.”

While the show might focus on restoring the past, Harrison believes that this is really the way of the future when it comes to how we live.

“I think as the century goes on we’ll see more of that acknowledgement that it’s important not to knock things down and start again every time,” he said.

“And hopefully we’ll move away from that mentality.”

Stuart Harrison: You don’t always have to spend an enormous amount of money to get a good heritage outcome and there are a lot of attainable projects this season

Restoration Australia, Sunday, 7.40pm on ABC