Most homeowners think the toughest part of renovation is choosing that kitchen benchtop. But out in the Yarra Valley, the biggest headache usually comes way earlier than that and unfortunately has nothing to do with what colour the finish is going to be. That’s because the older housing stock, planning restrictions, and how far it is from the city’s suppliers all make a huge impact on a project right from the get-go. Get one of those bits wrong, no matter how great the design, it’s not going to save you on the budget.
The Housing Stock Problem Nobody Mentions First
Many homes across the Yarra Valley and the Dandenong Ranges were built between the 60s and the early 90s. At the time, the way they were built made a lot of sense then but now they just don’t quite fit with the open-plan living style most renovation jobs expect these days. The subfloor layouts that used to make so much sense when all the rooms were compartmentalised now have to be completely overhauled, and older plumbing and electrical systems more often than not need to be brought right up to date to meet current Australian Standards before you can even think about doing any cosmetic work. It’s something every experienced renovation builder Yarra Valley will raise on the first site visit. Looking at the ABS Building Activity data, it seems Victoria had a pretty big jump in renovations and additions last year; it’s part of a bigger trend and homeowners are opting to give their place an upgrade rather than moving house, in the Yarra Valley that’s a recipe for disaster if you don’t take a close hard look at the housing stock before you commit to anything.
Why Regional Timelines Catch People Off Guard?
There’s a pretty big gap between renovation timelines in the city and regional areas and builders don’t always mention it early on. In areas like Warburton, Yarra Junction and Mount Evelyn, trades are in shorter supply than they are in central Melbourne, which means the best contractors in the area can sometimes be booked up for months. Delivering materials from the city to regional areas takes a lot longer than you might imagine and then there’s the added complication of council permits, with the different councils across the region working at their own pace, all of which can throw the whole project off schedule without you realising it’s even happening. It’s not the end of the world but it all needs to be priced into your plans so it doesn’t come as a nasty shock later on.
Where Do Budgets Actually Break Down?
Overruns are usually not caused by one major problem, but several smaller problems that all add up and become overwhelming.
- Structural problems identified during the demolition phase are fairly common when dealing with older weatherboard and brick veneer construction, where exterior appearance may conceal interior decay.
- Asbestos management in pre-1990s buildings is managed according to state legislation and is mandatory; any builder who does not bring up this issue on the first site visit simply omits it at his own peril.
- Design alterations during the middle of a project require changes to the initial stages of the process and the cost of these alterations rarely matches what the client thinks it should be.
How Permits Actually Work Here?
The planning and building permits stage is the place where inexperienced renovators usually underestimate the complexity of operating in this region. Any construction project that exceeds the defined scope requires permits prior to the commencement of construction. The Bushfire Management Overlay applies throughout a large part of the Yarra Valley area and this means that construction methods and materials have to comply with Bushfire Attack Levels independent of how small the renovation seems. Independent building surveyors also have to be appointed to give permission for each construction stage. None of these things can be skipped and any attempt to work around them is likely to cause additional delays.
What a Useful Brief Actually Looks Like?
The quality of a dialogue with the renovation builder depends directly on the brief you have prepared. A brief that states only the end result allows the builder to guess about unmentioned homeowner constraints. A good brief will include functional needs for the renovated space, information about which spaces are flexible and which are not, realistic budget and timeline that takes into account permit processing and the regional cost difference. The builders working in the Yarra Valley are used to regional complexities, but the most successful renovations come out of the projects where the client had all his cards on the table. Good renovation discussions are the ones where there are no surprises left.
