Home renovation is an excellent way to give older homes a new lease on life. If you love the location of your property and moving is not an option, renovating your home is the perfect solution to give it a refreshed look to fit modern-day living.
When deciding on renovation design ideas, house extensions are some of the design suggestions that always come up since they are a practical solution that solves both design and space concerns.
Building a second-floor extension provides your family with that extra space you need for additional bedrooms or a home office and family room while also allowing you to change the layout of your home to suit your current lifestyle.
As you plan your home renovation project, including a house extension allows you to hit two birds with one stone. On one end, you get to improve the look of your home and repair structural problems; on the other, you also get to create more space to make day-to-day living more comfortable for your entire family.
If you have no idea how to design a renovation, the first thing to do is contact a builder such as Mass Constructions. Feel free to conduct extensive research and gather various tips and tricks and ideas to prepare and guide you through the entire renovation process. However, an experienced builder will help you to bring your dreams alive.
Renovation Design Tips and Ideas for Melbourne
Whether you want to renovate one part of your home only or conduct a total overhaul, there are hundreds of home renovation ideas you can do to maximise your time and effort.
- Give your kitchen a facelift: The kitchen is the most popular area that homeowners renovate. A renovation design idea that people go to is a modern and clean-lined design. A kitchen house extension is also a great option to create more space.
- Convert unused basement: A basement family room is an excellent way to extend your living space. If your basement has exposed pipes, paint them the same colour as the walls and ceiling to help them blend well with the rest of the room.
- Second storey house extension: A second storey house extension is ideal if you need to create more room for your family. It’s a cost-effective way to extend your house as there’s no need to lay another foundation.
House Design Renovation Strategies
When undergoing house design renovation, careful planning is required to ensure that everything will go smoothly and solve any problems that might occur during the renovation project. Effective planning is the key to a successful home renovation.
How to Plan a Home Renovation
- Budgeting: Planning a home renovation that will fit your budget is the most crucial step to ensure the success of your renovation project.
- Research: A renovation project doesn’t need to cost an arm and a leg. If you do your research meticulously, you’ll be able to find good deals on materials and furniture. An experienced builder will have contacts to help you save even more money,
- Decide whether to build up or build out: One of the first questions you need to address is whether you want the additional space by creating a ground or second storey extension. In most cases, building a second storey house extension is cheaper.
How to Plan a Second Storey Home Renovation
- Height limitation: The major obstacle when building a second storey extension is the roof height. If your house has low ceilings, it can be hard to integrate a house extension. Nevertheless, there are workarounds, like using a shallow pitched roof to cover a large extension without it being too tall.
- Size of the extension: Building extension has limits in terms of how close it should be to the boundary to prevent the neighbouring properties’ loss of light. Building guidelines must be checked with your local council to ensure you follow the building code.
- Second storey extension cost: The type of room you wish to add will determine the cost of your second storey extension. Building an extra bathroom upstairs is more expensive than adding a home office or a bedroom.
What is the Best Order to Renovate a House?
Every property is different and each renovation project will have its own idiosyncrasies to take into account. There’s no hard and fast rule on which order to renovate a property, but contacting a professional company such as Mass constructions should definitely be high on the list – especially if the renovation project is the first you’re overseeing.
If you have a few renovation projects under your belt, you’ll be in a better position to plan things out yourself. You’ll know and appreciate that even the smallest oversight can turn into a costly problem, or cause tradesmen to have to redo their work. Otherwise, it’s always best to hire a professional because when things go wrong the costs can add up quickly when making corrections.
Assess the reason behind and potential return of the renovation project: Figure out what you’re trying to accomplish with the renovation. Are you adding much needed functionality for a growing family, or are you renovating to increase the resale value? Depending on your objective, there will be different budget considerations.
- Put a plan in place: There’s nothing wrong with having plans, dreams and goals. We all have them and we’re especially passionate about our properties, whether they’re a home or an investment – or both. However, it’s always prudent to consult a professional construction company that’s experienced with large renovation projects before hiring contractors. Most contractors will be more than happy to do the work you require, but they’ll also be counting on you having performed your due diligence.
- Fix structural issues: Tradespeople often can’t do the job you’re paying them to do if there are structural problems with the house Ie: Painters can’t paint deteriorated wood and will often ask you to have it repaired first. Plasterers can’t start until the house is watertight. Electricians will often give you push back with rewiring a property that has obvious rodent issues. There are many other structural concerns that might not be readily apparent – that a professional builder will pick up on, such as the load bearing capabilities of walls, foundation considerations or even changes in industry standards.
- Who to contact: Unless you’re very well versed with house renovations, the first person you should contact should be a professional builder for all the reasons listed above. Mass Constructions is always available and ready to help point its customers in the right direction.
- If you’re handing the renovation: If you’re handing the renovation in an effort to save money, be careful because a lack of experience with house renovations can cost more money in the long run – not to mention inconvenience and even hidden hangers. If you have plenty of experience – even then, you will still appreciate the advice of a good builder. It’s not uncommon for tradespeople themselves to consult with builders.
- If a builder is handing the renovation: It is important to be open, honest (ie: with budget constraints or known problems with the property), forthright and transparent when dealing with a builder. They’re there to help you. The more communicative you are and the less you leave the builder guessing about what you want, the better the renovation will go. Good communication also helps to prevent budget blowouts and prevents things from taking longer than they have to.
- Make sure the property is watertight: This might seem obvious, but it’s extremely important to keep weather out of the interior of a house as it’s being worked on. Just because a house or extension has been tiled, it doesn’t mean the interior is good to go. Ie: Non-tilers are renowned for climbing around on a roof in a way that cracks tiles or pulls the bedding out of place, which can cause leaks. All kinds of problems can happen due to the weather if tradespeople are being brought to the property in the wrong order.
- Leave landscaping last: This is often overlooked, but it’s not a good idea to spend thousands of dollars on landscaping in an area where tirades will need to travel to contact their work.
Home Renovation Design Concepts Popular in Melbourne
There are plenty of home renovation design ideas that will suit all budgets and limitations. A good house renovation design should enhance and complement the design aspects of your existing home.
Home design renovation trends change each year, so it’s necessary to keep yourself up to date with the latest renovation trends to ensure that your home supports modern-day living.
- Use sustainable materials: As consumers are now more conscious of the effects of fast fashion, more and more people want to become more ‘green,’ and this includes home furnishings. Instead of mass-produced items, it’s now trendy to go for ethically produced and sustainable furniture.
- Tranquil colour palettes: Transforming the home into a serene sanctuary is now a common trend among homeowners as our lives become busier and busier. Heavy fabrics, colours, and prints are out while using tranquil colour palettes are now on the rise, especially in painting larger areas of the house.
- Feature walls: Although serene colour palettes are now trendy, homeowners now opt for walls designed with eye-catching details. Bold wallpapers, geometric profiles, and layered drapes are some trending design concepts if you want to build a feature wall to serve as a centrepiece of your home.
- The resurgence of European influences: Now more than ever, Australians are inspired by classic European aesthetics, such as rendered walls that are a nod to Mediterranean architectural techniques. The idea of something opulent and character-filled details such as vintage artwork and wicker shapes inspired by France make European aesthetics appealing.
Extension Renovation and House Design Ideas
Contemporary renovation house design not only increases living space but also enhances the design of your home. Home renovation in Melbourne is a popular trend that’s seen an uptick in popularity in recent years, especially since people spend more time in their homes in recent years.
Home extensions and renovations are the perfect solution if you don’t want to move houses but need more space or want a more modern-looking home. Some latest house design ideas that are popular include:
- Building a contemporary kitchen: Kitchen renovation and extensions are one of the most popular home building projects with homeowners. Constructing a modern kitchen extension is a great way to open up your space while updating the overall look of your home.
- Install feature lighting: A well-designed lighting scheme creates a relaxing atmosphere in your home. Install ambient lighting as a background light for daily activities and accent light such as standard lamps, table lamps, and directional spotlights.
- Give the exteriors of your home a makeover: Instead of designing a house extension that matches the original design of your home, why not include an exterior makeover in the renovation project to completely transform the appearance of your home.
How Much Does the Average Home Renovation Cost?
Home renovation cost greatly varies and depend on several factors such as:
- Geography: Each location presents its own challenges and logistical issues. Such issues affect the operating costs of transporting building materials.
- Materials: More high-end materials such as granite tiles or hardwood are more expensive. But this doesn’t mean you can’t build a gorgeous house extension or renovation on a budget.
- Layout: The existing layout of your home will affect the amount of money you will shell out for remodelling. The most cost-effective shape for remodelling is one with 90-degree angles in all corners or a square layout.
Seasonal factors such as holidays also affect the cost of construction, so it’s best to book a free consultation with Mass Constructions so we can thoroughly discuss the budget you need for the type of house extension or renovation you want.
Give Your Home a Makeover With a Second Storey Extension
Building a second storey extension is one of the best home makeover ideas you can do because you can:
- Keep your lot area as is: Building up has no impact on your lot area, which means, you don’t need to sacrifice any garden space to extend your home.
- Enjoy the view: If you live by the beach or in a suburb with lots of greenery, adding a second storey extension will allow you to enjoy such magnificent views.
- Add more value to your property: Home buyers put more premium on a two-storey property than a single-storey house with the same number of bedrooms, bathrooms, and living room layout.
- Create more living space: Most homeowners opt for a second storey house extension to ensure they have enough space as their family grows.
Mass Constructions is a Home Renovation Builder in Melbourne
If you’re looking for a reliable home renovation builder, Mass Constructions is more than capable of pointing you in the right direction. With more than a decade of experience in home renovation in Melbourne, we are experts in designing and building ground and second-storey house extensions and renovations.
When completing a home extension or renovation project, we carefully consider the design elements we use to ensure that any changes will complement and enhance the original home.
Call to Speak to a Home Renovation Design Consultant
When planning a home renovation or extension, it’s tempting to make it your DIY project. But the reality is there are complex factors involved in the planning and execution, so it’s best to seek the help of a home renovation design consultant.
Staying on budget and finishing the home renovation on time is easier if you have an expert to help you throughout the process. Mass Constructions are experts in the field of house extension and renovation, and we treat each project as our own.
Our director, Tim Rae, personally oversees each project, and you can speak to him throughout the time you are engaged with us. Tim has established a reputation for being a specialist in designing and building high-quality home renovations and extensions.
Book a free consultation today to see how we can help you with your home renovation project.