Walk down almost any street in Kew, Hawthorn, Camberwell, or Balwyn and you’ll see why this part of Melbourne is so well loved: wide verandahs, original brickwork, and weatherboard homes that have barely changed in a hundred years. A lot of that character exists because the City of Boroondara protects it through its Heritage Overlay — and if your home falls within one of these zones, even a project as ordinary as repainting can come with a few extra steps that aren’t always obvious until you’re partway through planning one.

It’s Not as Restrictive as You Might Think

The first thing worth knowing is that having a Heritage Overlay on your property doesn’t mean every change needs council sign-off. Boroondara’s own guidance is clear that a planning permit is generally required for external alterations and additions — but not for repairs and routine maintenance. For most homeowners, repainting a wall that’s already painted, in a similar way to how it currently looks, sits comfortably in that routine maintenance category.

Where it gets more involved is when a project goes beyond a straightforward repaint. Council assesses heritage-related applications partly based on a property’s grading — listed as Significant, Contributory, or Non-contributory — which reflects how much that specific building contributes to the character of its surrounding precinct. A Significant-graded Victorian terrace and a Non-contributory infill home next door to it won’t necessarily be assessed the same way for the same type of works.

Where Painting Specifically Comes Into It

The detail that catches a lot of owners by surprise isn’t repainting itself — it’s painting something for the first time. Boroondara’s planning policy specifically discourages painting previously unpainted surfaces and rendering previously unrendered surfaces, along with sandblasting masonry, render, or timber. The reasoning makes sense once you think about it: original face brick or exposed render is part of what gives a heritage building its authentic appearance, and once it’s painted over, that’s very difficult to undo. Refreshing an already-painted surface is a different matter to changing the surface’s appearance for the first time.

This is the distinction worth understanding before you get quotes: “we’re repainting the house” and “we want to paint the brickwork that’s never been painted” are two different conversations with council, even though they might look similar from the footpath.

How to Check Before You Start

Boroondara makes this reasonably easy to check yourself before committing to a project:

• Use the council’s online Heritage Overlay and grading map to confirm whether your property is affected, and find its schedule number (for example, HO4).
• Look up that schedule for any specific controls — some schedules include particular restrictions around painting or materials for that precinct.
• Run through council’s “Do I need a planning permit?” tool for alterations, which walks through the right questions for your specific situation.
• If anything is unclear, Boroondara’s Urban Planning Department will take questions directly and can point you in the right direction before you’ve spent money on quotes or colour consultations.

A Few Practical Tips If You’re Repainting a Heritage Home

Once you know where you stand with council, a few things make a real difference to the result on an older property:

Match the era, not just the existing colour. A small paint scraping can often reveal the original colour scheme under later coats, which is a nice way to make a repaint feel authentic rather than just “freshly painted.”

Budget time for proper preparation. Older weatherboard, masonry, and render often have movement, moisture, or flaking issues that newer homes simply don’t — and skipping prep work tends to show up again within a year or two.

Choose a painter who’s worked on heritage properties before. Older substrates don’t always respond well to modern products and techniques, and a contractor who understands the difference between a 1920s rendered wall and a 1990s one will generally get a longer-lasting result.

This article is general information rather than planning advice — every property and precinct is different, so checking directly with Council (or a heritage consultant for anything beyond a standard repaint) is always the safest first step before booking a painter.

This article was contributed by Classico Painting, a Melbourne-based residential and commercial painting company with over 20 years’ experience, including heritage and period homes across Boroondara and Melbourne’s inner east. Find out more at classicopainting.com.au.