Gollan House

The Story

Built in 1910 for the town's original doctor, Gollan House is a fine example of Federation-style double-brick architecture, noted for its ornate high ceilings, leadlight windows, blackwood staircase, and wraparound verandahs. This renovation project focused on modernising essential service areas — including the kitchen, laundry, and external decking — while meticulously preserving the home's heritage character. The property includes a stable and studio building, with the site spanning approximately 1,613m².

Heritage Construction

The project utilised high-quality joinery throughout, featuring 32mm Tasmanian Oak waterfall timber benchtops and custom shelving. We preserved the original structural integrity, repairing artisan plasterwork and maintaining the existing timber ceilings in the study to honour the home's history. A new Blackbutt deck was constructed to heritage requirements.

As a heritage-listed renovation, we operated under strict constraints including the mandatory reuse of original doors. Where reuse was impossible, we manufactured custom doors to match the original profiles exactly. Custom high-profile skirtings were also produced to meet specific heritage listing requirements. Upon demolition of the laundry floor, we discovered non-compliant previous renovation work which was removed and replaced with new timber floorboards to match the home's original flooring.

Innovation & Compliance

We lifted the exterior laundry floor to achieve the necessary step-downs, effectively removing the need for a complex performance solution. To meet modern safety standards while adhering to heritage requirements, we designed and installed custom timber balustrades that matched the original profiles.

The project required a high level of specialist carpentry to seamlessly blend new installations with the 115-year-old existing finishes. Despite challenges with subcontractor availability, we successfully sourced specialised trades capable of meeting the project's high-quality requirements.

Site Management

The site offered tight access for deliveries on a busy main road. Because the clients were living on-site throughout the majority of the build, we maintained a strict clean site policy, ensuring all work areas were tidy and organised at the end of each day. We implemented a digital QR code sign-in/sign-out record for all personnel, and specific dust-mitigation and restricted-access measures were enforced to protect the occupants.

The construction of the upstairs tiled deck required extreme care, as it sits directly above an interior room. We scheduled and executed these works rapidly between weather windows to ensure the heritage building remained watertight. Clear daily communication and project updates were facilitated through the WunderBuild project management platform.