When a house is in the right spot but has run out of room, an extension is usually the answer. The Ovas Build team has spent more than ten years adding to homes across Wollongong, the Illawarra and the Southern Highlands. We design the addition, sort the approvals and engineering, and build it as one team so the new part sits properly with the old.
More room where you need it
The reasons people extend are pretty consistent:
- An extra bedroom or two as the family grows, or a guest room and study.
- A bigger kitchen and living area out the back, often opening onto the yard or an alfresco space.
- A second bathroom or ensuite to take the pressure off the morning rush.
- A rumpus, media room or home office that the existing house just can't fit.
We work out what you actually need against what the block and the budget allow, then design the addition to suit. Sometimes the smarter move is going up rather than out, and we've covered the cost of adding a second storey if that's on your mind. Occasionally the honest answer is that the existing house isn't worth extending at all, in which case it's worth knowing what it costs to build a house in NSW before you commit either way.
Ground-floor additions in Wollongong and the Illawarra
A ground-floor addition extends the house out at the level it already sits on, usually off the back or the side, and in NSW that generally runs around $3,500 to $6,000 per square metre. It's the more common choice around Wollongong because most Illawarra blocks still have room behind the house, and you keep living in the place while it goes up.
The things that decide where in that range you land are the fall on the block, whether the new floor is a slab or a suspended timber floor, and how much of the existing house has to be opened up to join the two together. A rear addition that opens the kitchen and living area onto the yard is the job we're asked for most.
Going out also avoids the structural work that going up demands, since the new footings carry the new rooms rather than the existing house carrying a whole new level. If you're weighing the two, our rear extension vs second storey piece runs through the call, and ground-floor extension ideas shows what people actually build.
Second-storey and first-floor additions
Yes, we build up as well as out. A first-floor addition and a second-storey addition are two names for the same job, putting a new level on top of an existing single-storey home, and in NSW that generally runs around $4,500 to $7,500 per square metre against $3,500 to $6,000 for going out at ground level.
That gap is structure. An engineer has to work out what the existing footings and walls can carry before anything is designed, and any underpinning or strengthening is spent before you gain a single square metre of living space. On a tight Wollongong block where there's nothing left out the back, it's often the only way to add the rooms you need.
The second-storey cost guide goes through the structural checks and what living through the build is like.
Tying into the existing home
The hard part of any extension is the join. A new roofline has to meet the old one and stay watertight. The new walls and floors have to line up with what's there. Brickwork or cladding has to match closely enough that the eye doesn't catch it. This is where doing the framing, roofing and finish work in-house pays off, because the whole junction is handled by the one crew rather than passed between trades who each blame the other.
We also use the chance to put things right in the existing house where it makes sense, like improving the flow between old and new, or sorting drainage and ventilation while the wall's already open.
Footings, slope and the coast
Two things shape an Illawarra extension more than anything: the fall on the block and the salt air. Sloping ground means engineered footings and sometimes a suspended floor, which we set out level over the slope. Near the coast we use coastal-grade materials and fixings so the addition lasts. None of this is exotic for us, it's just the local conditions, and we cost it honestly up front rather than letting it surprise you later.
A fixed price before we start
You get a fixed-price proposal so you know the number before the first footing's dug, and we run a tidy site through the build. We're licensed and insured, and the same point of contact stays with you start to finish. For a sense of the budget, see our home extension cost guide.
Thinking about adding on? Call us on 0434 037 851 or use the contact page for a free quote and a chat about what's possible on your block.
Common questions
- Is it cheaper to extend than to move?
- For a lot of Illawarra families, yes. Once you add up stamp duty, agent fees and the gap to a bigger house in the same area, a well-planned extension that gives you the extra room you need often comes out ahead, and you keep the street and the school you like. Every situation is different, so it's worth running the numbers properly first.
- Will the extension look like an add-on?
- Not if it's done right. We design the addition to suit the existing home, match the roofline, brickwork or cladding and the window styles, and tie the structure in properly. The aim is for it to read as part of the house, not a box stuck on the back.
- Do home extensions need council approval?
- Almost always. Adding floor area is structural and changes the footprint, so it runs as either a Complying Development Certificate or a DA through your council, depending on the block and the design. We handle the design, engineering and approval as part of the job.
- Can you extend a house on a sloping block?
- Yes, and plenty of Illawarra blocks fall away off the back. A slope means engineered footings and sometimes a stepped or suspended floor, which adds to the cost, but it's normal work for us. We set the addition up level over ground that isn't, rather than fudging it.