Fibro walls and eaves: get them checked before drilling
SafeWork NSW says asbestos cement sheeting was common in building materials from the 1940s to the late 1980s, including wall sheeting, eaves and ceilings. You can't tell by looking: only a laboratory test confirms it, and until then it's treated as asbestos. If the pipe hole or the outdoor unit's brackets would go through suspect sheeting, the installer should stop and a licensed asbestos professional should deal with it. Don't drill, cut or sand it yourself, and never clean it with a pressure washer.
What's different about Revesby
Houses and townhouses
At the 2021 Census, 62.8% of Revesby homes were separate houses and 29.7% townhouses, semis or terraces. Only 6.7% were apartments.
Owners and renters
35.9% of homes were rented, 32.1% owned with a mortgage and 29.3% owned outright. Renters need the owner's say-so for any new unit.
Cooler nights than the city
At Bankstown Airport, in the same council area, January's mean maximum is 29.0 degrees and July's mean minimum 5.4, against 8.9 at Observatory Hill. A split that cools in summer will be heating on winter nights.
Down to the Georges River
Revesby is 22 km south-west of the CBD, with Revesby Heights and Picnic Point on the Georges River to its south. The ABCB map puts Canterbury-Bankstown in climate zone 5.
Splits or ducted in a small fibro house?
Many original Revesby houses are small, and the ACT Government guide says split systems suit houses under 180 m2 or homes needing heating and cooling in only a few rooms. Two or three splits can cover a small house, and each one needs its pipes run through a wall, so plan those routes with the cladding in mind. Ducted puts most of the work in the roof, so ask the installer how they'll check the roof space and ceiling materials first.
In a villa or townhouse in a strata scheme, the owners corporation has to approve a new reverse cycle unit. See apartments and strata.
What we'd do
Our take for Revesby
In an original fibro house, we'd tell every installer the age of the house when we first called, and we'd only go ahead once any suspect sheeting near the pipe route had been tested or avoided. We'd lean towards splits for a small house and size them for winter nights as well as summer days. We'd want an installer who's worked on plenty of post-war homes. Licence-checked local installers who do that kind of work see the jobs we're sent, and only the one who takes yours gets your contact details. After 48 hours without a taker near Revesby, installers elsewhere in NSW may see the job too.
