Older Wollongong houses and what they need
A lot of the houses around Wollongong are older fibro or brick homes with a layout from another era: a closed-off kitchen, one bathroom for the whole family, a laundry tucked out the back and small rooms off a long hall. The structure is often sound. What people want is a house that works the way they live now, which usually means opening the kitchen to the living area, adding or rebuilding a bathroom, and getting more light into the middle of the house.
Taking out walls on an older home is structural work, and a load-bearing wall needs a beam sized by an engineer. We sort that out before the plan is final, so the open layout you sign off on is one the house can actually carry.
Asbestos first
Houses built before the late 1980s often contain asbestos in fibro sheeting, eaves linings, vinyl floor tiles or the old wet areas. On those homes we arrange testing before work starts, and anything that will be disturbed is removed by a licensed asbestos removalist. It adds a step at the front of the job and keeps it out of the middle.
One contract for the whole job
A renovation pulls in carpenters, plumbers, electricians, waterproofers, tilers and painters. We run all of them under one contract, so you are not booking trades or working out who comes next. Under NSW law, any home job above $5,000 needs a written contract, and anything above $20,000 also needs a home building compensation certificate before work starts. As a licensed builder we provide both.
If you are weighing up a renovation against building again, our page on knock down rebuild in Wollongong covers the other side of that decision.
Questions from Wollongong
Do I need approval to renovate in Wollongong?
It depends on the work. Internal changes that leave the structure alone often need no approval, while removing a load-bearing wall, changing the footprint or working on a heritage-listed house needs a complying development certificate or a development application with Wollongong City Council. We tell you which applies at the first visit.
Can we live in the house while it is renovated?
For a room-by-room job, usually yes. We stage the work so you keep a working bathroom and kitchen for as long as possible. A whole-home renovation that takes out the kitchen and the only bathroom at once is easier and quicker with the house empty.
How do you price a renovation?
After a site visit, as a fixed-price proposal that lists the scope and inclusions. Older houses hide things, so we look in the roof space and under the floor before pricing, which keeps surprises out of the contract.
Do you take on the kitchen and bathrooms as part of a renovation?
Yes. Kitchens, bathrooms and laundries are usually the core of a Wollongong renovation, and we run them as part of the one job, with the licensed plumbing and electrical coordinated by us.