Homes in the north
Adelaide's northern suburbs grew in waves, and you can read that history in the walls. Elizabeth and parts of Salisbury were built as planned South Australian Housing Trust communities from the 1950s, so many streets are lined with solid brick and brick-veneer homes, some of them semi-detached. Modbury, Paralowie and Parafield Gardens filled out between the 1960s and the 1990s with brick-veneer family homes, and Golden Grove was laid out as a master-planned community from the mid-1980s.
Newer estates tell a different story. Mawson Lakes, Munno Para and the growth areas around Gawler are full of contemporary homes and townhouses where lightweight cladding, rendered-look panels and brick share the same facade. Gawler itself mixes these new streets with older stone cottages and villas in and around the historic town centre.
What northern homes usually need
For older brick and brick-veneer homes, the biggest comfort gains usually start in the roof. Ceiling insulation from those decades is often thin, patchy or compressed, if it's there at all, and the northern plains feel the full force of an Adelaide summer. A CSR Bradford ceiling top-up, plus underfloor insulation where there's a raised timber floor, is often the most practical first step.
Facades are the other common project. A 1970s or 80s brick front can take on a contemporary look with James Hardie Axon, Stria or Oblique boards on a gable, entry or upper storey, and extensions and granny flats are often clad in Linea weatherboards or lightweight panels to keep weight off the existing structure. On new builds we work with builders on wall wrap, insulation, cladding, Hardie Gravis AAC panels and eaves, priced to the plans and energy report.
Things we check on northern jobs
Newer estates often come with developer design guidelines or encumbrances that set out materials and colours for the street frontage, so it's worth checking yours before choosing a profile. On tight lots and boundary walls, the wall system has to suit the setback and its fire requirements, which is one reason Hardie Gravis AAC panels are popular for zero-lot walls.
Some older homes still have original fibre cement sheeting on eaves, wet areas or early extensions. Homes built or renovated before 1990 may contain asbestos, so if we see anything suspicious we stop and recommend testing before anything is cut or removed.
