California Bungalow Restored After Melbourne Earthquake
- St Kilda, Melbourne, VIC
The Brief
This charming 80-year-old California Bungalow in St Kilda, Melbourne, faced a major crisis after the 2021 earthquake. The 5.9-magnitude quake left the veranda’s iconic brick arches sagging in the centre, with bricks hanging by a thread. The supporting columns were leaning dangerously, and the foundation had shifted significantly. Concerned for their safety, the homeowners resorted to using the back door to avoid the loose bricks of the arch entirely.
Builders advised the homeowners to demolish and rebuild the entire veranda, warning of steep costs and months of disruption. Determined to preserve the character of their beloved home, the owners sought a solution that avoided such upheaval while restoring safety and stability.

The Challenge
When Buildfix assessed the property, the extent of the damage was clear. Small, pre-existing cracks had widened, the bricks in the veranda’s arch had slipped, and the supporting columns were dangerously unstable. The foundation beneath the home had shifted significantly, leaving the structure vulnerable to further settlement and collapse.
The challenge required a combined approach: to stabilise the foundation and restore structural integrity to the delicate brickwork. This meant addressing the foundational instability with millimetre precision while reinforcing the fragile arches and columns without causing further damage. The solution also needed to preserve the bungalow’s historic charm while ensuring long-term stability and safety.

Our Solution
To resolve these issues, Buildfix implemented a meticulous, multi-step approach that combined two advanced techniques: GeoPoly™ GER60 resin injection for foundation stabilisation and HelicalBar™ reinforcement for the brickwork.
First, we secured the unstable brick arches with temporary steel props to prevent further movement during the repairs. Next, we injected our GeoPoly™ GER60 resin deep beneath the walls, stabilising the ground and carefully raising the foundation with millimetre precision. This realigned the walls, arches, and columns without placing additional stress on the fragile brickwork.
Using our HelicalBar™ system, we reinforced the arches and reconnected cracks in the walls, ensuring structural integrity without removing a single brick. Finally, we meticulously realigned the veranda’s arch, restoring its perfect curved surface and eliminating the sagging that had plagued the home. To complete the restoration, we matched the mortar seamlessly to preserve the bungalow’s original aesthetic.
The combination of these methods not only addressed the foundation issues but also provided the strength and stability needed to fully restore the arches and supporting structures, making the home look as though the earthquake had never happened.

The Outcome
Choosing Buildfix over a knockdown-and-rebuild saved the homeowners significant costs and months of disruption. The complete restoration was finished in just three days, with precision foundation raising narrowing the wall cracks and the HelicalBar™ system restoring the arches’ structural integrity.
The realignment of the arch was so precise that it looked as though the earthquake had never happened. The homeowners, who had been forced to use the back door for safety, were thrilled to once again use their front entrance with confidence.
“This looks much better than we ever expected,” they said. For Buildfix, there’s no greater reward than delivering a safe, secure, and beautifully restored home.
