Heritage and Character Housing - Townsville City Council

the verandah, the tendency for new owners is to build on a ‘deck’.This is often the first alteration along with modernising the kitchen orbathroom.Decks can be either roofed or unroofed. The solution for a compatibleroof design can be difficult, and is often dependant on the main roofand how the connection is made. Townsville's older houses werebuilt before families owned a car and as a result many carports wereadded to the front or side, or a garage was constructed in thebackyard.Decks, carports and garages should complement the original housedesign. They are best located at the side or rear of the house and notin front, thereby preserving street views of the house. Normally theroof form and pitch should match the main roof, although sometimesother shapes can fit.Over-decorationAny work should be preceded by research to find out what your placeoriginally looked like and how it has evolved over time. Parts one andtwo will assist you with this information.All kinds of reproduction fixtures and fittings from roof ventilators toiron lacework, are available from restoration shops and hardwarestores.Where houses are truncated it is a simple matter of completing the hip formof the roof to achieve extra floor area under.However, unless the fixtures and fittings were part of the originalhouse, don't be tempted to attach decorative pieces to the addition,or the original house. Similarly, attaching front porticos, pedimentsor elaborate staircases could be excessive change. Turning a simple