Home extension & renovation building costs

How much do Melbourne builders charge for an extension, alteration or renovations to your existing home?

This is a common question with a difficult answer as there are many things to consider with most home owners having different needs or specifications to extend or renovate their home. This invariably effects the final price of your house extension, alteration or renovation! The ‘cost per square meter or house square’ quote over the phone can be a very misleading figure quoted by builders as there are many factors that can determine the end price of your extension or renovation!

In our experience most home extensions cost between $100,000 to $400,000 although straight forward small additions can be cheaper than the $100,000 mark for general living rooms such as bedrooms and family rooms. Existing bathroom and kitchen renovations typically start at around $10,000 but in most cases will be a lot higher where alterations to layouts are required and expensive fixtures and fittings requested.

 Common characteristics that affect the end cost of a renovation or extension.

•  Site conditions affect renovation & extension costs. Many inner suburb Melbourne homes have very little site access, making the construction process of your renovation or extension more difficult. Simple luxuries for the builder such as material storage and room to work can make the building process take longer, costing more money. Other determining building cost factors can be the slope of your block of land, soil conditions determined by a geotechnical soil engineering report, demolition of any existing buildings such as a garage or existing lean to extensions to your home, removal of landscaping especially large trees and buildings near service easements on your property that can affect the size of your footings.
•  Bathrooms and kitchens are more expensive than family and general living rooms. This is due to extra tiling, cabinetry, electrical appliances, fixtures and plumbing fittings which generally make them the most expensive rooms in the house for alterations & renovations. Existing bathroom renovations can often have unforeseen costs with leaking showers or baths creating damage to the existing timber frame walls and subfloor structure of the home.
•  Bedrooms and large open plan family rooms together with outdoor alfresco dining areas will be cheaper in price without including the renovation or extension of the more expensive rooms such as kitchens and bathrooms.
•  Second story additions are more expensive than ground floor extensions. This is due to extra costs for demolition and roofing alteration works, waterproofing of existing house during construction, internal staircases, load bearing points through lower storey walls, complex second story subfloor structures, and working at height safety measures such as scaffolding and perimeter hand rails.
•  Heritage listed and traditional classic Melbourne period era homes are more expensive than later post-war or modern style homes to renovate or extend. Period homes from the Victorian, Queen Anne, Edwardian or Federation, and Californian bungalow eras have a lot of features and fine details such as iron lace work, slate roofs, decorative under eave timber trimmings, feature brickwork or cement mouldings, large intricate architraves and skirtings, and elaborate plaster cornices and mouldings. These features make the restoration of the original period home, or seemless second storey or ground floor extension more expensive for the builder.

Home renovation & extension building estimates

Mastercraft Construction are able to give building cost estimates for your renovation or extension before you start your project, giving you a good indication as to whether you can afford  the home alterations you are thinking of.

From the design and drafting of your extension, building permits, and construction of your newly renovated dream home our goal at Mastercraft Construction is to build your extension or renovation on time and with in your cost budget!