Renovation is the least standardised work in residential construction. Nothing is square, the surprises are structural, and the scope frequently changes once the building is opened up.
These articles cover Brisbane's character overlay, raise-and-build-under, what older Queensland houses typically need, and how to decide between renovating and rebuilding.
The honest test for whether to renovate is structural rather than aesthetic. If the frame, roof and foundations are sound and the layout can be reworked without relocating everything, renovation usually wins on cost per square metre. If you are moving the kitchen, the bathrooms and the external walls, you are approaching rebuild cost for a compromised result.
In much of inner Brisbane the decision is not entirely yours. Pre-1947 houses in character areas are protected, demolition is restricted, and the project becomes a raise-and-build-under or an extension whether or not that was the plan.
What is behind the walls decides the budget. Termite damage, stumps at the end of their life, previous unapproved work, failing services and asbestos in anything pre-1990 are the recurring finds, and they are why investigation before contract matters more on renovation than on any other kind of build.
10 articles in Renovations
Renovation or New Build: How to Choose the Right Path
A simple way to compare renovation and new build options when planning a major home upgrade in Queensland.
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Raising and Building Under a Queenslander: What to Know
Approvals, structural work, height limits, and design considerations when lifting a traditional Queenslander to create living space underneath.
ReadBuilding in a Brisbane Character Overlay: What Is Actually Restricted
What the Traditional Building Character Overlay controls, what it leaves alone, and why the back of the house is where inner-Brisbane renovations are won.
ReadWhat Does It Cost to Raise a Queenslander?
The real cost components in a raise-and-build-under project — height limits, stumps, services, and the ground floor decisions that decide whether it was worth it.
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Asbestos in Queensland Homes: Where It Is and What Removal Costs
Which building eras contain asbestos, the materials it turns up in, the difference between bonded and friable, and what licensed removal actually involves.
ReadSecond-Storey Addition or Raise the House? A Queensland Comparison
Two ways to add a level to an existing home, what each demands structurally, how the character overlay affects the choice, and which usually wins.
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Decks, Patios, Carports and Sheds: What Needs Approval
The rules that catch homeowners out on structures they assume are minor, and why an unapproved deck becomes a problem at resale.
ReadBuying in Brisbane: Queenslander or Modern Home?
What each type actually costs to own and improve, the constraints that come with character housing, and how to decide which suits you.
ReadLegal Head Height When You Build Under a Queenslander
What the National Construction Code requires for ceiling height under a raised Queenslander, how much lift that means, and what limits how high you can go.
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Can Your House Take a Second Storey? Structural Checks First
The engineering questions that decide whether an existing Queensland home can carry a second storey, and what happens when the answer is partly no.
ReadGot a question about your own block? Ask us directly.
Send through the address and what you have in mind. We will review the zoning, the overlays and the site conditions and come back with a straight assessment.