Gyprocker and plasterer in Moss Vale
We line and set walls and ceilings across Moss Vale, Sutton Forest and New Berrima. The region's weather station sits in this town, at 678m above sea level. It records nights at or below freezing in eight months of the year. Moss Vale is also the youngest and most mortgaged of the three Highlands towns. So there is real building here as well as repair, and both have to work around the cold.
Common gyprock problems in Moss Vale
Everything about working in Moss Vale comes back to two things. The town is high and cold, and it is still being added to. Between them they decide how most jobs here are planned.
The coldest ground on this site, measured here
The station here records 49.5 days a year at or below two degrees. Just over half of those are at or below freezing. The lowest it has measured is minus 6.3 degrees, in June 2006. On an average July day the temperature starts near six degrees and peaks near twelve. That is the whole argument for planning winter work differently up here.
Cold and dry, which is not the same as cold and damp
Moss Vale is the driest place we work, at 813.3mm of rain a year. The mean nine o'clock dew point in July is 3.1 degrees. Cold and dry is a different problem from cold and damp. A surface can skin over before the body of a joint has cured. It looks finished and it is not, which is how a joint fails later.
Six conservation areas in one town
Moss Vale has six heritage conservation areas, which is more than any town we work in. They take in Argyle Street North, East Street, Valetta Street and Throsby Park among others. That is a lot of ground for a town this size. On an older address it is worth knowing which side of a boundary the house sits.
A town built by a railway and a governor
The town was laid out in the 1860s on land subdivided from Throsby Park. The first land sales were in December 1863 and the railway arrived in 1867. Then in 1882 the government bought Hillview at Sutton Forest as the governors' country residence. Sixteen governors used it until 1957, and the district subdivided hard through the 1880s to be near it. That is where a lot of the Victorian and Federation housing came from.
A town still building, not only restoring
Moss Vale's median age is 45 and just under a third of homes carry a mortgage. Both figures are the highest of the three Highlands towns. Nearly nine in ten dwellings are detached houses, and many have four bedrooms or more. So the work here leans toward extensions and renovations rather than restoration alone.
Overland flow through the civic core
Whites Creek is Moss Vale's own catchment, and it runs through the Argyle Street civic core. The council flood study covers Whites Creek and Willow Creek within the town. The mechanism is overland flow rather than a river rising. Board that has been soaked gets replaced, because a cold cavity does not dry out quickly.
Why Moss Vale properties choose us
We sheet, coat and sand plasterboard across Moss Vale and the rest of the Wingecarribee Shire. The owner is on the job rather than running it from an office.
How a gyprock job runs in Moss Vale
You call or send the form, and the more you can tell us the better. For a repair, a photo of the ceiling or the wall usually settles the question before anyone drives out. For a new build or a renovation we quote from the plans. Suspended ceilings are always quoted from plans rather than from a description.
The owner is on site, and the ceilings go up first, then the walls, then the cornice. The sander runs with a bag on it and the rest is done by hand, so there is dust in the air. We clean up and take the offcuts and the empty bags away with us. The walls are left sanded and ready for the painter's primer coat, because we do not paint.
Moss Vale is the furthest south of the three Highlands towns we cover, and the run down is straightforward. Sutton Forest, Exeter and New Berrima are on the same trip. Six conservation areas in one town means boundaries matter more here than the age of a house. Two houses of the same vintage on the same street can sit either side of one. So on an older address we look the property up before quoting rather than guessing from the front elevation.
Gyprock and plasterboard in Moss Vale homes
Moss Vale's housing came in three pushes, and you can still see where each one stopped. The first was the 1860s town, on land cut out of the Throsby estate. The second was the vice regal decades, when the district subdivided to be near the governors' residence. The third was the twentieth century, including the cement works cottages at New Berrima in the late 1920s. Nearly nine in ten dwellings are detached and flats are barely three per cent.
What that means on the tools is that the wall build up changes by street rather than by suburb. A Victorian or Federation house has lath and plaster somewhere in it, usually behind a later lining. Newer work is modern board and behaves like modern board. Most Moss Vale houses are more than one of those at once.
The work here leans toward building rather than only repairing. Just under a third of these homes carry a mortgage, which is the highest share in the Highlands. That shows up as extensions, second bathrooms and garage conversions on houses with room to grow. Alongside it there is the older half of the town, where the job is matching what is already there. And through winter both kinds run slower, which is planned for rather than discovered.
Get a free quote in Moss Vale
Tell us what you need done in Moss Vale and we will get back to you with a price as soon as we can. There is no obligation to go ahead.
Services we provide in Moss Vale
New home builds
Renovations and extensions
Patio and alfresco ceilings
Suspended ceilings
Bulkhead ceilings
Soundproofing and acoustic walls
Fire rated walls and ceilings
Sagging ceilings
Wall repairs
Cornice
Water damage and wet areas
Commercial
Asbestos in older homes
Suburbs we service in Moss Vale and surrounds
Our service vehicles cover every suburb within the Wingecarribee Shire and the surrounding localities. If your suburb is not listed below, contact us to confirm coverage.
Frequently asked questions about Moss Vale
Do you service all suburbs in the Moss Vale area?
Yes. Our service vehicles cover every suburb within the Wingecarribee Shire and the surrounding localities, including the ones listed below. The service area runs from Helensburgh in the north to Nowra in the south, and west up the escarpment to the Southern Highlands. If your suburb is not shown on that list, contact us and we will confirm whether we cover it.
What are your service hours in Moss Vale?
Our service hours are Monday to Saturday, 7am to 5:30pm. Work in Moss Vale is booked in during those hours, and the phone is answered then too. Outside those hours you can leave a message or send the form on this page. If a ceiling is sagging and you are not sure it is safe, say so when you get in touch. A photo sent with it usually tells us more than a description.
How cold does it get in Moss Vale?
It gets cold enough to change the way we schedule work. The station here records 49.5 days a year at or below two degrees, and 25.3 at or below freezing. The lowest reading is minus 6.3 degrees, in June 2006. A July day here opens near six degrees and does not get far past twelve. Sub zero minimums have been recorded in eight months of the year, from April through to November.
Will winter hold up my job?
Yes, a little, and we would rather say so at the quote. Cold air and cold walls both slow a coat down, and Moss Vale is the coldest place we work. That means more time between coats, heat on site, or both. It does not mean the job cannot happen, and we work here right through winter. It means a July program is not a February program, and we price it that way.
Is my street in a conservation area?
No, not from the street, and that is the point. Moss Vale has six conservation areas, more than any town we work in, and the boundaries do not follow obvious lines. Two neighbours on the same street can fall on opposite sides of that line. The council's planning certificate for the address is what settles it, and we look one up before quoting on an older house.
We are adding on at the back. What do you need from us before you start?
The plans, and an honest answer about what is behind the existing walls. On an extension the new work is the easy half, and the join to the old house is where the skill goes. If the original is Victorian or Federation, there is often lath and plaster behind the lining. Knowing that before we quote is better than finding it on the first day. In winter we also allow more time, because up here the cold sets the pace.
Explore our other Wollongong service areas
Ready to get started?
Get a free quote for your job in Moss Vale, or call now and speak to someone who can help.