Hi,
I'm quite new to home renovation, so I'm hoping that experts in this forum can share some knowledge to me.
I have an opportunity to buy a brick single-front semi-detached property not too far from Melbourne. It has 2 bedrooms in the front, small living/kitchen in the middle, and a bathroom at the back, which followed by a backyard and carpark. The building is a little bit too small, but I'm hoping that if the cost of extending the building is not too much, it might be worth it.
First question, do I need permission to extend the building, since there is a shared wall?
Second, I'd like to extend the building to the back another 5 metres, and may be move the bathroom and kitchen next to the bedrooms and create open living space. How much would this kind of project cost for a medium quality renovation?Thanks.
You'll probably need to allow at least $1500-$2000/m2 (it doesn't go very far). Reno work is more expensive due to the bitsyness of the work, difficulty in access, additional care required not to damage existing structures, marrying into the existing building etc.
You may need to refer back to your solicitor/title documentation with regards to the presence of a covenant affecting the common wall, there may be a right/requirement not to affect/damage the common wall, in which case you will need to get the adjoining owner's consent (it would be a good thing to get anyway as they will be most affected by the work).
Thanks, IP Freely. It's a bit more expensive than I expected.
What about just relocating the bathroom? Let's say I would spend $5,000 on renovating a bathroom without relocation, how much will I have to spend more if I also want to relocate it? i.e. plumbing, partition a room, etc.
It depends upon how far you want to move it, whether there are services in the part of the house (ie sewer line, water), how hard it will be to get access (slab on ground or raised timber floor).
If you can get away with doing up the room without moving anything, this will be the cheapes option (consider sprayed epoxy over the wall tiles, respray bath insitu, new shower screen, new tapware & vanity and replace the floor tiles only if feasible).
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