To cut a long story short, we used the services of an architect friend to help us draw up plans. We took our time getting the design finalised as there were a lot of variables to factor in:
As it was, the house was a two bedroom cottage that had had the verandah closed in to make a tiny third bedroom (that had no door on it) and it's last major renovation was around 1965 (we found old newspapers from that date when we stripped back the flooring and some of the asbestos boarding). The house, which is on a 405m2 corner block, was situated very close to the boundary and the junction of two roads. Lifting the house was the only way to gain more space, keep the garden and take advantage of the great views. That said, lifting the house also meant that the new front stairs would border the boundary and we had to be careful not to create a "fortress wall" on the Western side of the house due to the sloping block. Lifting a house is also quite expensive - particularly if your house is on a slope, there is a lopsided concrete slab underneath, the timber joists were weakened in places and/or had a mismatch of metal supports to sure them up, and the site is difficult to access. All issues our house had. So while some people would have walked away at this stage and decided to "detonate", the timber stumps holding up the old house were in a fairly dire state, with several no longer connected to the house, so we either had to restump or lift the house anyway so we decided to jump in feet first.
Our plan was to lift the house, add two more bedrooms, a second living area / rumpus room, a laundry, a large garage, put in a laundry and two more bathrooms. This would give us a 4 bedroom, 3 bathroom, 2 living area house with two wrap around verandahs on the southern and eastern sides of the house. The bedrooms would not be huge (determined largely in part by the existing structure of the house, but would all have french doors onto the verandah and would be light and airy. The master bedroom would make best use of the enclosed verandah and have a connecting dressing room and ensuite as well as it's own front deck. The kitchen (with attached butler's pantry situated in the old verandah adjoining the ensuite), lounge and dining would all be open plan and were created by extending the house on the southern side. This allowed us to keep the original facade of the building with its three gables and port wine and green windows.
Once the plans were finalised and approved by council, we began the process of finding a builder who would take on this mammoth task. On the recommendation of a family member, who is also a tradie in the area, we signed up PJH Constructions after a lengthy quoting process. Compared to a new built, renovating an old timber house is very expensive! We knew there was a lot of termite damage and wood rot, but no one would know for sure until the house was stripped back to its bare bones. This made it difficult for the builders to give us a set price, so we started the renovation with a ballpark figure but the expectation that we were likely to blow that figure if the worst case scenario (replacement of all the T&G timber, joists and framing etc) eventuated.
- the era of the house
- council regulations - particularly the setbacks (will detail later)
- cost implications of raising the house
- the condition of the timber
- how to make best use of the existing structure to fit a growing family
- maximising the view potential
- minimising noise and privacy issues next to a busy road
- availability / suitability of reclamation items
As it was, the house was a two bedroom cottage that had had the verandah closed in to make a tiny third bedroom (that had no door on it) and it's last major renovation was around 1965 (we found old newspapers from that date when we stripped back the flooring and some of the asbestos boarding). The house, which is on a 405m2 corner block, was situated very close to the boundary and the junction of two roads. Lifting the house was the only way to gain more space, keep the garden and take advantage of the great views. That said, lifting the house also meant that the new front stairs would border the boundary and we had to be careful not to create a "fortress wall" on the Western side of the house due to the sloping block. Lifting a house is also quite expensive - particularly if your house is on a slope, there is a lopsided concrete slab underneath, the timber joists were weakened in places and/or had a mismatch of metal supports to sure them up, and the site is difficult to access. All issues our house had. So while some people would have walked away at this stage and decided to "detonate", the timber stumps holding up the old house were in a fairly dire state, with several no longer connected to the house, so we either had to restump or lift the house anyway so we decided to jump in feet first.
Our plan was to lift the house, add two more bedrooms, a second living area / rumpus room, a laundry, a large garage, put in a laundry and two more bathrooms. This would give us a 4 bedroom, 3 bathroom, 2 living area house with two wrap around verandahs on the southern and eastern sides of the house. The bedrooms would not be huge (determined largely in part by the existing structure of the house, but would all have french doors onto the verandah and would be light and airy. The master bedroom would make best use of the enclosed verandah and have a connecting dressing room and ensuite as well as it's own front deck. The kitchen (with attached butler's pantry situated in the old verandah adjoining the ensuite), lounge and dining would all be open plan and were created by extending the house on the southern side. This allowed us to keep the original facade of the building with its three gables and port wine and green windows.
Once the plans were finalised and approved by council, we began the process of finding a builder who would take on this mammoth task. On the recommendation of a family member, who is also a tradie in the area, we signed up PJH Constructions after a lengthy quoting process. Compared to a new built, renovating an old timber house is very expensive! We knew there was a lot of termite damage and wood rot, but no one would know for sure until the house was stripped back to its bare bones. This made it difficult for the builders to give us a set price, so we started the renovation with a ballpark figure but the expectation that we were likely to blow that figure if the worst case scenario (replacement of all the T&G timber, joists and framing etc) eventuated.
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