Skin Deep — A Facelift for some Coogee Duplex Townhouses

The Eastern Suburbs might have a reputation for superficiality sometimes, but as a recent Virtue Projects effort proves, sometimes beauty is more than skin deep.

The Coogee duplex townhouses had originally been clad in Western Red Cedar, but after 17 years of exposure, assisted by an East-West orientation, the cedar had started to fail and the properties were looking faded and tired.

While a facelift for duplex townhouses might sound relatively routine, owner Deb was having a bit of trouble finding someone to do the job.

“It wasn’t easy to find a company to do this job, I guess because Sydney is really busy with renovations and building right across the city,”

“When we found Virtue Projects they were great to deal with, they set a clear process, and they completed the work within the timeframe they set.”

This reliability, along with the professional but relaxed nature of the Virtue Projects team, was a pleasant relief to Deb and partner Tony.

“I liked the fact that they were relaxed. I remember mentioning it to Tony after I first met the Virtue Projects team. It was refreshing, and nice to deal with guys who were not too stitched up or formal.”

Deb also appreciated the fact that there was always someone from Virtue Projects on site to communicate with.

“For our project, Dave and Mick split it between them. Dave was the client liaison and on site more often, and Mick was here when he needed to be. It was good to work with a company where the two owners were visible on site a lot. That was impressive. I know that at the time they had another job they had a deadline for on the Northern Beaches, but there was never a time when we were wondering ‘where are they?’ If there were any problems or if we had any questions, then one of them would be on site.”

The professionalism of the younger members of the Virtue Projects team also impressed Deb.

“You know, some of the guys they had on site were young carpenters, including apprentices, but they were always well organised and did a professional, quality job.”

This quality outcome meant a stylishly executed treatment of cladding and painting on the Coogee duplexes, and a satisfied client.

“We were happy with the job!”

“There were always plenty of guys on site and they got the job done really quickly. They definitely met our expectations and more. They were really good to deal with.”