House washing for terraces and cottages in Cooks Hill

How are Cooks Hill's Victorian terraces and timber cottages washed?

The suburb grew from coal mines, and Darby Street, first called Lake Macquarie Road, was one of the few public roads through the AA Company's mine land. The name was settled when Cooks Hill School opened in 1885. Much of the ground was low and swampy, and market gardens near Marketown often flooded through poor drainage into Cottage Creek. The 1989 earthquake did heavy damage here. In 2021, 51.2% of homes were semi-detached, terrace or townhouse dwellings, 31.0% were flats and only 17.4% were separate houses.

Timber cottages and terrace fronts get a soft wash at low pressure, which suits weatherboard, brick and render. Roof tile maker Monier says a roof shaded by trees gathers grime and leaf debris faster than an open one, so terrace roofs along the leafy streets can be added as a roof clean. Where a terrace row or unit block is strata titled, the owners corporation maintains the common property and arranges that part of the work.

Key figures

1885

Cooks Hill School opens, settling the suburb's name

51.2%

of homes were semi-detached, terrace or townhouse

31.0%

of homes were flats or apartments

Sources

• Wikipedia, Cooks Hill
• ABS 2021 Census QuickStats, Cooks Hill
• Monier (CSR), Roof Cleaning and Maintenance
• NSW Government, Strata repairs and maintenance
• NSW Spatial Services, Administrative Boundaries (postcode, council, distance, neighbours)