Soft washing for terraces and units on The Hill

How are The Hill's Victorian terraces and timber houses soft washed?

First known as Church Hill and then Prospect Hill, it was the site of the first town plan in 1823, and the first railway started here at the AA Company's A Pit. The suburb is the site of a historic convict prison block, and its heritage-listed places include Christ Church Cathedral and the Newcastle Reservoirs. The Boltons, a row of four timber houses in San Francisco style, were built in 1904.

Flats were 61.3% of homes in 2021, and terraces and other attached dwellings 24.4%. Timber houses and terrace facades get a soft wash using cleaning solution, never a high-pressure jet, and that suits weatherboard and old render alike. Where units sit in a strata scheme, the owners corporation handles common property, so stairs, courtyards and shared paths are pressure washed on its say-so.

Key figures

1823

the first town plan is laid out here

1904

The Boltons timber houses are built

61.3%

of homes were flats in 2021

Sources

• Wikipedia, The Hill, New South Wales
• ABS 2021 Census QuickStats, The Hill
• NSW Government, Strata repairs and maintenance
• NSW Spatial Services, Administrative Boundaries (postcode, council, distance, neighbours)