Period Home Painting Melbourne

Heritage Colour Schemes by Era

Each era of Melbourne housing had its own palette. The Heritage Council of Victoria's guide, What House is That?, sets out the traditional exterior colours for each style.

Victorian (1840 to 1901)

Victorian houses typically paired red or brown brick, or natural rendered walls, with darker, stronger trims. By the Late Victorian period (1875 to 1901), trim colours had become stronger and more vivid, and the era's palette included colours such as Deep Brunswick Green and Deep Indian Red.

Federation and Edwardian (1895 to the First World War)

Federation homes usually have red brickwork that was rarely painted, with timber weatherboards in cream. Gable battens were painted a dark colour, and other woodwork cream, brown or green. Edwardian houses often add cream-painted render to the base and gable ends, and verandahs with timber fretwork.

Californian bungalows (1910 to 1930)

Bungalows typically have red brick or light-painted timber walls, with trims in tones of brown or dark green, and stained shingles in the gable ends.

Interwar (1918 to 1939)

Interwar homes moved to lighter tones, and as more colours became available, schemes became increasingly varied.

The guide lists each traditional colour with its Australian Standard AS 2700 code, such as Deep Indian Red (R64), which is the most reliable way to match a heritage colour when ordering paint. See our exterior painting service for how we prepare and paint the outside.

Finding Your Home's Original Colours

The most accurate guide to a house's original colours is the house itself. A paint scrape, where layers of paint are carefully scraped back, can show the earlier colour schemes underneath. City of Port Phillip's heritage guidance notes that traditional schemes used a limited range of colours until the Second World War, broadly in two families: red and brown, and green.

If your home is in a heritage overlay, check whether paint controls apply before changing colours. Our Balwyn painters page explains when a permit is needed and what to know about lead in older paint, and our Camberwell heritage precincts page explains how to look up your home's overlay. Inside, period homes are painted with the same care. See our interior painting page.

How Much Does Period Home Painting Cost?

There's no flat rate, because every home is different. These are the things that move the price:

Detail: fretwork, brackets, gable battens and decorative trim take longer to prepare and paint.

Number of colours: a traditional scheme with separate wall, trim and accent colours means more cutting in.

Timber condition: old weatherboards, sills and sashes often need more preparation.

Approvals: homes in a heritage overlay may need a permit if paint controls apply.

Inside, outside or both: a whole-home repaint is quoted as one job.

We don't price a job until we've seen it. You'll get a free written quote that sets out what's included.

How a job works

1. Call or request a quote: tell us what you'd like painted.

2. Steve visits: he looks at the surfaces and talks through colours. Colour consultation is included.

3. Written quote: you get a free written quote that lists exactly what's included.

4. The painting: Steve is on the tools, and the space is cleaned up at the end of each day.