As alluded to in the previous news post more and more of Peter Bracey’s clients are having him strip the existing vinyl cladding which they were told would “last for a life time” by the salesman. Only to find out not too many years later that thin(0.05-1.00 mm) vinyl cladding breaks down under Australia’s extreme climate.

Vinyl cladding fades, goes chalky (white powder forms on it), warps (because it is so thin), peels off the home in strong winds, becomes brittle and subject to hail damage and knocks. The foam backing becomes a haven for vermin, and mildew forms because of the condensation that forms between the foam and the original cladding. Note: that is why vinyl cladding has drain holes along the bottom, they dont work, mildew and damp wall syndrome is still a problem.

Palliside is made and engineered in Australia by an Australian company and has been used as the premium cladding for over 35 years. Most Vinyl cladding is imported!

Peter Bracey only installs Australian made materials on your home, so you know your home will look like new for years and years to come!

“Perfection nothing less!” since 1969

Below are two photos of a before and after of a vinyl cladded house that Peter stripped and renovated with Palliside and other Australian made building materials.

Before

After

Damaged Vinyl

Before

After

The Sydney Morning Herald published an article several months ago on the rise of building companies going into liquidation and the next week the same directors rebirthing the business.

These companies are usually $2 companies and provide no Home Owners Warranty Insurance as specified under the NSW Home building act,1989. They leave a trail of home owners devastated, out of pocket with unfinished renovations and unpaid suppliers and tradesmen!

As from 1st of March 2015 the state government has made changes to the act. As was the case previously all contracts over $20,000 must be covered with Home Owners Warranty insurance. However now instead of a 5% deposit it has been raised to 10%.

Here are a few tips to ensure you are engaging a reputable builder for your home renovation.

1. Ask to see his company’s contractors license and check that it is current.
2. Check that the “builder” is the qualified builder, ask to see the name on the company’s supervisors licence. Many licenses are restricted to certain works (many cladding companies are restricted to only cladding) and that it is current (be wary if he is not the name on the license, he is obviously not suitable or does not have the qualifications to hold one)!
3. Ask if he has in place current Home Owners Warranty Insurance, he can not receive a deposit for work until he issues one for the project named in the contract.
4. An easy way to check if you are dealing with a Phoenix company is to request a copy of the building companies ABN by law it must be on the contract along with the companies building license, the first two numbers are the year the Company was formed, ie, 15 means 2015, 87 means 1987.
5. Do not under any circumstances pay progress payments until sufficient materials and or work has commenced.
6. Be wary of companies that advertise 40 years experience. That could mean all the staff have 40 years between them.
7. NSW Work Cover takes tradesmen’s safety very seriously make sure you contractor insulates power lines if work comes with in one metre of the lines, for example is he erecting scaffolding when working at heights? In other words ask him what safety measures he will be initiating.

If a workman is injured on your premises and the necessary safety steps, induction training and work method statements have not been undertaken you may be liable!

When you contract Peter Bracey’s building company for your renovation your can sleep soundly knowing that Passken Pty Ltd was started in 1987 (prior Peter was in partnership from 1969) and has $100000 paid up capital! The license is a full builders licence without any restrictions, current till 2017 and Peter is the qualified supervising builder with a full building licence current till November 2015, supervisors licenses are renewed each year, after completing continuing professional development courses to keep the builder up to date with current building practices.

Peter does not employ salesmen, he personally advises and quotes every job!

Peter has in place current Home Owners Warranty insurance through the Housing Industry Association of which he has been a member for over 20 years.

All NSW Work Cover requirements are rigorously adhered too!

Peter and all his tradesmen have completed the necessary asbestos handling and asbestos removal courses!

Peter Bracey does not need your money to finance your home improvement project. You still have 50% of the contract price outstanding till satisfactory completion of your home renovation!

Peter only installs Australian made and engineered materials, which have been proven for decades. No matter the quality of the materials used in your project, the most important piece of the jigsaw are the most highly qualified and competent tradesmen, some of whom have worked with Peter for over 30 years, Peter has nothing against younger tradesmen, but every home has its own uniqueness and nothing counts for experience.

“Perfection, nothing less.” Since 1969. To find out more, please contact us.

The two photos are an example of Palliside cladding and eave sheet used in new construction.
The patio ceiling is vaulted to allow light to enter the open plan home, highlites have also been added to the roof to enhance the light entering the stacker doors.

The white eave sheet lightens up the area giving it a warm glow and the best is that the clients built from new their Hampton’s style home with Palliside cladding and eave sheet and will never have to paint ever!

Saving them tens of thousands in maintenance costs over the life of their new home, just a hose down is all that is required to keep this cottage fresh and bright.

Peter Bracey also installed 6 metre stacker doors with stainless screens to take advantage of the open plan and the patio area views blending the outside with the interior of the home!

Western red cedar is indigenous to North America where it is used extensively as a cladding on homes in the form of a weatherboards and as shingles. However it does not seem to handle Australia’s climatic conditions, because the naturally occurring oils in the cedar dry out and the wood warps and rots.

I came across a mansard type western red cedar shingle roof at Collaroy Plateau that rotted out in 6 years and had to be re roofed with terracotta tiles. I have had to reclad many homes were western red cedar weatherboards have warped and rotted after as little as 7 years (there is one example of a home at Botany in my before and after photos). The cedar has to be stripped off the homes as the warping is so extensive that you cannot reclad over the cedar!

I had to reclad a home in Warilla / Wollongong just prior to Christmas 2014 (refer to the photos with this article) with Palliside UPVC weatherboards, which are Australian made and engineered for our climate they will not rot, warp, dent, power, fade, be effected by salt ,are cyclone rated (category C), so they will not be damaged by hail or blow of your home and under the BCA can we used as a primary cladding fixed directly on to the studs, unlike say vinyl cladding which requires a backing because it is only decorative.

Before

After

On this home I also replaced all the cedar windows with aluminium (because they had started to rot) in the brick and cedar cladded sections of the home. Note from the photos that we erected scaffolding to protect my tradesmen as required under OH&S. I do not take short cuts were safety or quality are concerned!

Before

After

The front left side upper floor was redesigned to take advantage of the extensive ocean views as the home was directly across the road from Warilla beach

Two 2700mm long sliding aluminium sliding doors were installed (the highlight window above the old doors was removed). You can see the photo of a section of the rotted timber sliding door and the tread has been replaced with Australian hardwood.

Before

After

By installing Palliside cladding, not only will your home be able to stand up to all elements, but will look like it’s been freshly painted for 50 years or more as it never needs painting. Contact Peter Bracey today for a quote.

Before

After

Peter Bracey performed the cladding renovation on this home for Mrs M  nine years ago after she and her son had a win in Lotto and decided to spend their winnings on renovating their home. Peter was passing on Saturday and decided to drop in, sadly Mrs m had passed on, however her son  Derek still lives in the home. He said his “Mum was just so happy she had you renovate the home and it gave her so much pleasure having such a lovely home.The neighbours all told her how lovely it always looked! I just give it a wash to get any  dust off with the pressure hose and it looks like it did the day you finished!”

Peter Bracey did a roof restoration ,new colorbond gutters,facia cover eave lining,new aluminium windows and Palliside UPVC weatherboard cladding over the old fibro.

You don’t keep a company’s doors open for 45 years with poor work and bad materials. It’s a commitment to excellence that has made Peter & Lesley Bracey Home Improvements the enduring success story that it is today. Specialising in exterior cladding and using only the finest Palliside cladding, Peter Bracey has built a business based on experience and quality–and you’ll see that experience and quality in every job done.

Continue reading →

For over 45 years, Peter Bracey has been honing his expertise in exterior cladding, protecting homes with superior craftsmanship and service. For someone with that level of experience, only the very finest materials will do. That’s why Paliside cladding is Peter’s material of choice for re-cladding the homes of New South Wales. But what makes Palliside cladding a better choice than popular materials like vinyl? Continue reading →

Before

After

Mr and Mrs M had just retired and Mr M was not in the best of health ,so they decided that they would eliminate all future maintenance on the house!

They had already gone part way down the road having installed aluminium windows, colorbond gutter, and a bullnose verandah on the front patio. All that needed to be done now, was colorbond facia covers to the timber facia boards that the gutters are attached too. The terracotta tile roof to be restored (broken tiles replaced, the roof cleaned, an anti-fungicide applied to the tiles to prevent the return of the lychee that had grown on the tiles over the last 60 years, the valleys replaced, that had rusted and finally the ridges repointed with Flexi-point). The fibro (asbestos) eaves to be clad with Icon eave sheet along with the cladding of the fibro walls with Australian made Palliside 7mm thick UPVC weatherboards.

Friends had recommended Peter Bracey to them as he had renovated their home years before and they we’re still enjoying a maintenance free and aesthetically improved home.

The M’s had always intended to renovate their home fully, but budget restraints restricted them to doing it in stages. Peter Bracey can plan the procedure for you so the renovation will not be such a big hit to the hip pocket at any one time or you can do the complete renovation all at once, the choice is yours.

The before and after photos reveal the various stages the M’s home progressed through to reach their dream home which is now maintenance free and only needs a periodic wash to keep it glistening, leisure time is truly leisure now!

It’s no surprise that Peter Bracey takes house cladding seriously. After all, he’s specialised in it for over 45 years, installing and re-cladding NSW houses to be durable and attractive for years to come. But did you know that house cladding can actually save you money? With quality products like Palliside cladding, you can make your house more energy efficient, saving money on your energy bills every single month! Continue reading →

Peter Bracey finds that more and more he is stripping old aluminium and vinyl cladding and replacing it with Palliside, Clients are now becoming more quality conscience and realise that you only get what you pay for and that when you renovate your home you want to do it only once! So only use quality materials and tradesmen!

The following photos demonstrate what happens when inferior material and trades are used!