Hawthorn in a few facts
A suburb of flats
Many of Hawthorn's larger old houses were converted to rental flats, and pulling down old homes for new flats was a local issue by the 1970s. By 1981 over 45% of its housing was flats.
Flats and renters today
At the 2021 Census, 59.1% of occupied homes were flats or apartments, 24.3% separate houses and 16.1% townhouses or similar. 45.6% were rented.
Boom-era houses
Hawthorn grew fast in the 1880s land boom. The Grace Park Estate's tree-lined streets hold a fine collection of Victorian and Edwardian houses, and an active preservation area grew up around St James Park.
Heritage Overlays
The City of Boroondara says a Heritage Overlay doesn't stop you developing a property, but you need Council's planning permission before certain changes. It suggests a VicPlan Planning Property Report to see whether one applies.
Heating a period house
Victorian and Edwardian rooms are often tall, and Rinnai says higher ceilings demand more from a system. Make sure the installer sizes for the ceiling height, not just the floor area, and for a July night.
A multi-split can suit a period house well. The ACT Government guide describes it as one large outdoor compressor connected to several indoor units through piping, so you have one outdoor unit to place instead of several. That one spot still needs air around it and access for servicing.
If the house is in a Heritage Overlay, check Boroondara's permit guides or ask Council before anything changes on the outside.
In a Hawthorn flat
Owners corporation rules come first, and many Hawthorn flats are rented, so the rental provider decides too. Consumer Affairs Victoria lists heritage laws, owners corporation rules and lack of space for an outdoor compressor among the exemptions from the new rental standards.
Licence-checked installers near Hawthorn who do your kind of job see the request, and only the one who takes it gets your details. If nobody near Hawthorn takes the job within 48 hours, installers in other parts of Victoria may see it too.
What we'd do
What we'd do in Hawthorn
Before any quote, we'd find out what governs the outside of the building: the owners corporation rules for a flat, or the Heritage Overlay and its Statement of Significance for a house. Then we'd choose the outdoor unit's spot first, out of sight from the street where possible, and fit the system to it.
