Barrack Heights Painters for 1960s Estate Homes

Painting in Barrack Heights, a suburb sold lot by lot in the 1960s

Barrack Heights is one of Shellharbour’s younger suburbs. Its residential estate was established in the 1960s, when lots were auctioned on small deposits and many families moved in through NSW Housing Commission homes. Sixty years on, a lot of those houses are on their second or third coat of life. WM Painting & Decorating is licensed and insured, with over 10 years of painting and decorating experience, and we price Barrack Heights jobs around the age of the house, the cladding it is made from and how close it sits to the coast and the bush.

This page covers the housing, the sea air, the flood-prone low ground and what we check before repainting an older home here. To book, call 0434 432 267 or use the contact page.

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Painting services in Barrack Heights and surrounding suburbs

Interior Painting

Tidy, practical repaints for 1960s and 1970s family homes, including ceilings, cornices, doors and wet areas.

Exterior Painting

Exterior systems for brick, render, weatherboard and fibro, prepared for sea air and a long-lasting finish.

Commercial Projects

Shops, clinics and offices around Shellharbour and Warilla, painted around trading hours.

Roof Coatings & Restoration

Roof recoating for tile and metal roofs, with cracked tiles, rust and gutters sorted before painting.

Decorating

Colour advice for refreshing a tired older home or lifting a rental ahead of a new tenancy.

Fifty-pound deposits and the first Barrack Heights owners

Shellharbour City Council’s local history database describes the Barrack Heights estate as established in the 1960s. The second subdivision went to auction on Saturday 27 January 1962, with 64 building lots, a deposit of 50 pounds, the balance over four years at 7% and water available on every site. The suburb name was only officially assigned on 4 July 1986, and is thought to come from the Dharawal word Berrich, meaning swamp.

That history shows in the housing. Streets laid out in the 1960s and 1970s are full of modest single-storey houses built for working families, often in brick or fibro cement sheeting, with simple eaves and aluminium windows. They have been through at least one repaint already, usually with whatever paint suited the budget at the time. When we quote, we check how many coats are on the walls, whether previous layers are flaking, and whether the substrate underneath is sound enough to hold a new coating.

Fibro, brick and asbestos: what to know before prep

Homes of this period are often clad in fibro cement sheets, and some of those sheets contain asbestos. The NSW asbestos site states that you cannot reliably tell by sight, that there is no known safe level of exposure, and that renovation work involving asbestos should use licensed professionals. We treat that advice as a rule.

Intact sheeting can usually be washed gently and repainted with a suitable sealer and acrylic system. If sheets are cracked, crumbling, mouldy to the point of breaking up or damaged by an old pressure washer, we stop and tell you before doing anything else. We do not sand, scrape aggressively or pressure wash material we cannot confirm is safe. Brick homes are different: the bricks themselves rarely need paint, but the eaves, fascias, window frames and any rendered feature panels do. Mixed-material houses get a separate prep plan for each surface.

Between Blackbutt Forest and the sea at Barrack Point

Barrack Heights sits between bushland and coast. Council’s database notes that the suburb adjoins Blackbutt Forest Reserve to the south, with Barrack Point to the east, Warilla and Mt Warrigal to the north and Oak Flats to the west. Houses near the eastern edge feel the salt, while those near the reserve get shade, leaf drop and extra moisture on the south and east walls.

We adjust the system for each situation. In salt zones we wash walls with fresh water, check fixings and metalwork for rust and use exterior paint suited to coastal conditions. Near the bush we clear gutters first, treat mould and algae, and repair timber around the base of the house that has soaked up moisture. A house with gum trees overhanging the roof and a sea-facing front can end up with two completely different weathering patterns, and the quote should reflect that.

Low ground, drainage and a planned detention basin

Parts of Shellharbour are flood-prone in heavy rain. Council’s June 2025 draft masterplan for the Jock Brown Sports Field on Gipps Crescent includes a detention basin, designed with the Elliot Lake and Little Lake Floodplain Risk Management Plan in mind, to relieve pressure on the area in heavy weather.

For painters, wet weather and drainage matter more than flood plans. If water pools against a wall or a fence line, paint will fail at the base no matter how good the product is. We look for splashback damage on lower walls, rising damp marks on garage walls, blocked downpipes and gutters that overflow onto the same patch every storm. Where we see these, we recommend fixes before repainting, or at least agree what is cosmetic and what is structural. Garage floors, laundries and outdoor entertaining areas also get the right coating for damp and traffic.

Rentals, resales and quick turnarounds

Some older homes here are rentals or are being prepared for sale, and the paint job has to fit a deadline. For rentals we offer scuff-resistant finishes in neutral colours and a written scope so you know exactly which rooms, ceilings and trims are included. For sale preparation we focus on first impressions: front doors, entries, exterior trim, lounge and kitchen walls.

For owner-occupiers who plan to stay, we prefer to talk through staging. You might do the exterior this year and the interior next, or tackle the bathroom and ceilings first because they show wear fastest. Our interior painting and exterior painting pages describe the process, and our colour consultation helps when you want to freshen a 1960s home without losing its character.

Eaves, carports and roofs that have not been touched since the build

On 1960s and 1970s houses the roof and eaves are often the most neglected part. Fascias and eaves linings hold old paint that has chalked or peeled, gutters have rusted at the joints and tiled roofs have lost their glaze. Carports and flat-roofed additions, common on estate houses of this age, tend to leak at the edges and stain the walls beneath them.

We start overhead. We clear and inspect gutters, fix loose or cracked tiles, treat rusty flashings and recoat the roof if it is sound enough to hold paint. Then we move down to the eaves, walls and trim, so drips and overspray never land on finished work. If the roof is past saving, we say so plainly. Painting a failing roof only hides the problem for a season or two. Our roof painting page explains the process step by step, and a quote visit lets us check the underside of the eaves and the roof space for water marks before you commit.

Lead paint in homes built before 1970

Barrack Heights houses from the earliest releases may carry lead in older paint layers. NSW LeadSmart says lead paint was used in most Australian homes built before 1970, that intact paint can be left alone or painted over and that wet scraping or wet sanding is the safest removal method. Heat guns and open flames are out. We follow the same rules and keep dust contained with drop sheets and plastic.

Nearby suburbs we also work in include Shellharbour, Kiama and Wollongong. We are not aware of a heritage precinct in Barrack Heights, so most owners are free to choose their own colours, though you should still check any strata or lease conditions. The full list is on our areas we serve page.

What Our Customers Say

    
 
 
         
   Lynn Thomson 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Quality job would highly recommend
  
 
        
   Matthew Jones 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Great all round performance from the crew. Great job quality, friendly and polite people to deal with , and very clean and tidy.
  
 
        
   Dylan Readman 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Was such an easy experience getting William to paint our  house
From start to finish the process was great!
We couldn’t recommend him more!
Thankyou!
  
 
        
   Lincoln Bell 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Couldn't recommend Will and his team enough. Quality was second to none, fair price and great communication.

If I could leave 6 stars I would!
  
 
        
   Aiden Menzies 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Appreciate William and the crew for coming out on short notice.

The high standard of work and communication was exactly what I was looking for after recently moving to the southern highlands.

Couldn’t recommend WMPainting & decorating enough for all your needs on your new or old homes

Thanks again Will
  
 
        
   Ian Town 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Will and his team painted the outside of our house in Bundanoon along with our fence and some interior touch-ups. We were very happy with the overall results. Will was easy to communicate with and we found his team friendly, punctual and most importantly, cleaned up well after themselves! Would definitely recommend to others.
  
 
        
   Fiona Saunders 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. I had will and his team paint my unit in Wollongong and I am very happy with there services
  
 
        
   M Griffin 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Good painter, nice service
  
 
        
   Taylah Chapman 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Done photography with the team, great to work with
  
 
        
   Beth Morris 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Very professional conduct, on time, yet friendly.
Fantastic paint job, we are very happy with the results! We will be using Will and Chris again!!

How We Work

Consultation and Color Selection: We help you choose the perfect colors and finishes.
Surface Preparation: We ensure surfaces are well-prepared for painting.
Clean and Efficient Process: Our team works neatly and swiftly to minimise disruption.
Professional Painting: Experienced painters deliver high-quality results.

Barrack Heights painting questions

Is my Barrack Heights fibro house safe to repaint?

Intact sheeting can usually be washed gently and repainted. If it is cracked or crumbling we stop and recommend testing, because older sheets may contain asbestos.

Do 1960s homes need special prep for lead paint?

Assume lead may be in older layers. We scrape wet, avoid heat guns, contain dust and dispose of waste carefully.

Why does the paint at the base of my walls keep peeling?

Splashback, pooling water or blocked gutters are common causes. We look for the source and recommend a fix before repainting.

Can you repaint a rental between tenants?

Yes. We can work to a written scope with durable, neutral finishes. Timing depends on our diary, so call early.

Is Barrack Heights a heritage area?

We are not aware of a heritage precinct here. A few individual properties could still have controls, so check with Shellharbour City Council if unsure.

Request your Barrack Heights painting quote

Tell us about your Barrack Heights property. You get a free quote, a fixed price in writing and a clear plan for the job.

Let Our Paintbrush Do The Talking

At WM Painting, we use only the best equipment and materials to ensure the highest quality workmanship. Our team is committed to delivering excellence in all of our services, and we won’t be satisfied until you are.