I own a rental up in Newlands, on the Wellington hills, and every autumn I do the same walk-around before the weather turns. The first year I owned the place I skipped it — figured winter was winter — and by August I had a blocked spouting overflowing down the weatherboards, a slippery deck the tenant nearly came off, and a heat pump nobody had cleaned the filter on. Small stuff on its own, but it added up to about $2,200 in reactive callouts that winter. These days I spend one Saturday and maybe $400 in materials, and I don’t get the calls in July.
Newlands sits high enough to catch the full brunt of the southerly, and the exposed sections up there — much like the hill suburbs around Khandallah and Johnsonville — take a hammering from wind and driving rain that flatter, more sheltered parts of Wellington rarely see. What follows is the autumn checklist I run on every property before winter, roughly in the order it saves me money.
Why the exposed sections take the worst of it
Wind does most of the damage before the rain even arrives — it’s what drives leaves and grit into gutters, works at loose fence palings, and finds the one dead branch you meant to deal with last year. On a hill section the water also moves faster once it does come down, so a blockage or a bad fall-line shows up within one heavy downpour instead of slowly over a season. That’s the reason I run this as a checklist rather than fixing things as they fail — on an exposed section, “as they fail” tends to mean all at once, in the same storm.
Spouting first — it’s the cheapest job on the list
Blocked spouting is the single most common winter problem I deal with, and it’s also the cheapest to prevent. Wind blows leaves and grit into the gutters all through autumn, and the first big rain event finds every blockage at once. Overflowing spouting dumps water against the cladding and into the subfloor, and that’s how you end up with rot.
- Clear all spouting and check the downpipes actually run free — a DIY afternoon, or $150 to $350 including GST to get someone in.
- Check where downpipes discharge. If they’re dumping next to the foundations, extend them out onto the lawn or into a drain.
- Walk the section in the rain once and note where water pools. On the Newlands slopes water moves fast, so a small diversion channel can save a soggy lawn.
Decks and paths before the moss sets in
Decks, paths and steps get treacherous once mould and lichen take hold in the damp. On a rental that’s a genuine liability, so I don’t let it slide. A water-blast and a moss-and-mould treatment costs me $250 to $500 including GST for a standard deck and path, and it turns a slip hazard back into a safe surface.
If you’ve got a timber deck, autumn is also when I check the coating before the wet sets in. A worn deck left through winter can need full sanding and re-oiling in spring — a $600-plus job — instead of a $120 top-up coat now. That’s the honest trade-off: the top-up coat is cheap, the neglect isn’t. Wind-exposed sections dry out and weather faster than sheltered ones, so if you want the detail on what actually holds up out here, I’ve found landscaping a windy Wellington section: what actually survives a useful reality check.
Trees and fences before the first big blow
Winter in Wellington means gales, and gales find every weak branch and loose fence. I walk the boundary and look up. Any dead or overhanging limbs near the house, the power line or the neighbour’s roof get dealt with before the first big blow. A precautionary trim runs $200 to $600; a branch through a roof in a storm is an insurance excess plus weeks of hassle.
Same logic applies to fences. A leaning fence or a loose gate will not survive a proper northerly, and a fence that comes down onto a car is your problem, not the wind’s. Bang in a couple of extra battens or a new post now, at $100 to $300 in materials, rather than replacing a whole run later.
Healthy homes and rental compliance
If you’re a landlord, winter prep isn’t optional. The healthy homes standards cover heating, insulation, ventilation and drainage, and tenants are quick to raise issues once the cold hits. I make sure heat pumps are serviced, extractor fans work and the subfloor is dry before June. The requirements are set out on the government’s Building Performance site, and staying ahead of them is far cheaper than a Tenancy Tribunal case.
For owner-occupiers it’s the same jobs, just without the compliance paperwork — they simply make the house warmer and drier, which is the whole point of a Wellington winter anyway.
Autumn prep costs at a glance
| Job | DIY cost | Trade cost (incl. GST) |
|---|---|---|
| Clear spouting and downpipes | One afternoon | $150–$350 |
| Water-blast + moss/mould treatment (deck and paths) | — | $250–$500 |
| Deck top-up oil coat (before it’s needed) | $120 | — |
| Deck full sand and re-oil (if left too long) | — | $600+ |
| Precautionary tree trim | — | $200–$600 |
| Fence repair (extra battens or a post) | $100–$300 materials | — |
| Full DIY weekend, materials only | $300–$500 | — |
| Full tradie-assisted prep (spouting, wash, trim) | — | $600–$1,500 |
| What I paid the winter I skipped it (reactive callouts) | $2,200 | |
Questions I get asked about winter prep on Wellington sections
When should I prepare my Wellington section for winter? Do it in autumn, ideally through April and May before the first big southerly storms arrive. Clearing spouting, treating slippery surfaces and trimming risky branches ahead of time is far cheaper than reactive repairs once winter sets in.
How much does autumn section prep cost? A thorough do-it-yourself weekend runs around $300 to $500 in materials. If you bring in tradies for spouting, water-blasting and a precautionary tree trim, budget roughly $600 to $1,500 including GST depending on the size of the section.
Is it worth repairing a tired deck, or should I just replace it? If you catch it early, a $120 top-up coat before winter will carry a deck through another season. Leave it too long under wet leaves and moss, though, and you’re looking at a full sand and re-oil — $600 or more — which is really a repair by then, not a replacement, but it costs like one.
What are the main winter risks on an exposed hill section like Newlands? Blocked spouting causing water damage, slippery decks and paths from moss, wind bringing down branches or fences, and cold, damp conditions triggering healthy homes issues in rentals. All four are cheap to prevent and expensive to fix after the fact — my own $2,200 winter is the proof.
Do older homes on exposed sections need extra attention? Yes — weatherboard cladding and subfloor ventilation both suffer more on a windy, damp hill section than they do lower down and more sheltered. If your place is exposed to the southerly or the northerly, I’d treat the spouting and subfloor checks as non-negotiable, not optional extras. Driveways on those sections take the weather too, and a Wellington concrete driveway contractor would rather look at surface drainage before winter than after.