Extensions or alterations to an existing house are the most common type of building works people take on in Sydney. In addition to the Lifestyle and Investment Value ideas raised under Design, the following ideas need to be considered.
Recent Projects
Design Considerations
Making the Link Between Old and New
The most important theme in alterations and additions can be dealt with in many ways. A clean break from the existing style and structure of the house may be the best option to achieve the lifestyle and comfort objectives in your project. On the other hand, your existing house plan may already be suited to your lifestyle, and all that’s required is a thoughtful graft onto the existing structure.
What to Keep and What to Demolish
How far do you go? There are some basic rules that will guide the design process. There will be certain obligations to be followed regarding the existing frontage to the street. There also may be advantages to sticking to the existing building envelope, especially if council has tightened up on building setbacks to new works.
Excavation is often seen as a neat way to maximise floor area while sticking to the existing footprint, but this can be costly if underpinning is substantial or access for machinery is tight. The same can follow for upper level extensions.
How Much Can You Really Save?
In many cases, the costs of keeping parts of the house and re-building others may end up being more due to the complexity and time involved in the solution.
Building elements can often be recycled – ornate windows or old brickwork – if the work and costs required to prepare them for building in is minimal. Of course, it may not be so much a question of cost than of character that will drive the decision.