Renovating Sydney
Sydney Morning Herald
Saturday March 25, 2000
Look north, south, east and west ... this city is in the midst of a pre-GST frenzy. But if you think you've missed out, relax. The experts say building work will be cheaper after July.
Scratch the surface of the Sydney housing scene at the moment and you'll find not so much a rash of additions, alterations and new construction as a full-blown building epidemic.
Industry observers say the rush to get renovations and new building through before the GST is introduced on July 1 has collided with the Olympics-driven imperative to have all facilities and developments completed by the beginning of September.
The damage caused by last April's hailstorm aggravated the situation with tilers and other tradespeople adding a host of damaged building repairs, many fully covered by insurance, to their already full schedules.
The fallout, according to David Lawrence, NSW manager of Archicentre, the building advisory service of the Royal Australian Institute of Architects, is that it's almost impossible to get a tradesperson. And if you do, you'll pay dearly.
"Six months ago, bricklayers were charging $400 to lay 1,000 bricks," he says.
"It's now up to $1,200 a thousand, or $1.20 a brick. And for small jobs it can go as high as $1,500 a 1,000.
"In other words: 'Unless you pay me in gold, I'm not coming.' Consequently, architects are being forced to look at walls that don't require bricklayers - Hebel blocks, tilt-up slabs and fibre cement cladding products."
A Lower North Shore architect, Duncan Sanby, agrees, saying that the current demand has added hundreds of dollars per square metre to the cost of renovations. "We used to quote $1,500 to $2,000 per square metre," he says. "At the moment, it's more like $2,500 because the subcontractors are so busy. It doesn't seem to be deterring our clients, however. We've still got a line-up of people who have no chance of getting their work done before the GST comes in."
Architect Paul Georgiades, of Equilibria, has advised some clients to postpone their plans by six months to wait until things settle down. He's had many jobs delayed and one project held up for a year while he's tried to negotiate a reasonable price with builders.
"The advice we're receiving from the building industry is that once the GST is in place and the Olympics are over, costs will fall," he says.
"Sure, the GST will add 10 per cent to materials and labour, but the decrease in demand will mean that contractors will have to drop their prices. Some say by 10 to 15 per cent, which is good news for clients."
Wherever you live in Sydney and whether you choose to join the frenzy or wait and see, the type of renovation you end up with will probably be dictated by the character of the existing housing in your area, coupled with the modern notions of a less structured lifestyle and the need for more personal space. These days many siblings want their own bedroom and families are keen to put in a second bathroom or toilet.
Sanby and his partner Kristin Utz, who is also an architect, have plans before Willoughby Council to renovate the two-bedroom cottage they bought last year. The couple, in their mid-30s, have similar needs to the clients they meet in their Crows Nest-based practice.
Because their home is heritage-listed, they have to maintain the facade with its articulated timber boarding painted to look like stone, cute bay window and high-pitched roof.
They'll also retain the two front bedrooms and living room, which will become another bedroom. Beyond that, however, the fun begins. The back of the building, a hotchpotch of later additions and alterations, will be demolished to make way for a new section.
Like most renovators these days, Utz and Sanby want a large open-plan space incorporating the living, dining and kitchen. They'd like lots of light and an airy relaxed ambience to suit their life and entertaining style.
Ideally, the living pavilion will spill to the backyard, opening via folding or sliding glass doors.
To maintain architectural integrity, they plan to clearly define the old and the new - in this case, the couple have placed a Japanese-style courtyard between the existing and new sections of the house.
Unlike 15 to 20 per cent of their clients, Utz and Sanby have decided to eliminate the separate, formal dining room. "God knows why they ask for a dedicated dining room," Sanby says. "They never use it. I guess it must be because they're thinking from a resale point of view and they want to maintain their property's appeal to as broad as possible a market."
Michael Neary, of architecture firm RKTX in the St George area, reports that his clients are more concerned about improving their own living standards than those of any potential future owner.
"Their decisions are lifestyle rather than investment based," he says. "They've discovered how much this area has to offer families and they want to stay here. So they want an updated kitchen, better relationship to the outdoor area and maybe an extra bedroom."
In the west, clients are similarly settled, according to Robert Del Pizzo who has practices in Parramatta and Dural. "They've got a three-bedroom brick-veneer and rather than pay the transfer costs of buying something larger, they'd rather stay where they are, add another bedroom and a study.
"Then they want more garage space, because the existing garage has been converted into a family room, or because the family now has two cars. They have to be careful not to overcapitalise, because unlike the inner city, housing prices don't automatically keep rising."
On the Northern Beaches, architects are often asked to turn fibro and timber beach shacks into more substantial residences.
Architect Kylie Makins says that rooftop additions are popular to maximise the views, along with improving access on the many sloping sites. "Steep sites come with their own set of constraints," she observes.
"Stormwater drainage is another practicality we often have to consider. Sometimes these geotechnical factors can add to the cost of an addition. Fortunately most of our clients are very environmentally sensitive and understand that. They also want to keep the angophoras and rocky outcrops and are open to suggestions about maintaining the existing character of the region and their house's relationship to it."
In the inner city, the brief is more likely to be constrained by heritage considerations, and involve adding more bedrooms and living space to already densely populated streetscapes.
Heritage architect Kevin Riggs, who has practices in Balmain and Bowral, says that people who want to live in Balmain and Birchgrove don't put the same emphasis on having lots of space for children to run around.
"They like living close to the city and don't want to move when their family expands. Often the best way to achieve an extension is by putting a new addition out the back and in the interests of good-mannered architecture, clearly articulating the two."
Riggs adds that the larger blocks most of his Bowral clients enjoy allow for more "environmentally effective" designs. Tradespeople also have more realistic expectations than their city counterparts. "The boys from the bush are happy to come to work in a Holden ute rather than a BMW. And they charge accordingly."
While Kristin Utz and Duncan Sanby didn't have to look beyond their own office to find an architect, those who don't have access to such free advice can take advantage of Archicentre's low-cost building appraisals.
For $665, clients meet an architect who inspects their property before preparing a design concept, cost estimates and providing technical information sheets. The clients can choose to engage that architect, or if they prefer, look elsewhere. Archicentre can be contacted at 479 Darling St, Balmain. Ph: 9555-5111.
Our favourite projects - by area
Lower North Shore
Properties 1940s and 1950s brick bungalows.
Brief A second level to accommodate another bedroom plus study. Open-plan living areas, preferably flowing into the garden for indoor/outdoor entertaining.
Cost $1,500 to $2,000 per square metre; up to $2,500 per square metre with current tradespeople shortage.
Northern Beaches
Properties 1930s and 1940s timber and fibro beach shacks, or 1960s and 1970s "Sydney-school" clinker-brick, split-level houses.
Brief Rooftop additions for views. Open up the houses to better relate to their environment. Larger bedrooms. Another bathroom. Larger, open-plan living spaces.
Cost $1,800 per square metre for timber construction; $2,000 per square metre for masonry. Geotechnical requirements can inflate costs.
South
Properties Three-bedroom, brick and tile freestanding houses.
Brief Update kitchen. An extra bedroom with an ensuite. Improved garden area and better access to it.
Cost From $1,000 to $1,500 per square metre.
Eastern suburbs and inner west
Properties Semis or terrace houses built in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Brief More light, more air and less cramped rooms. Heritage considerations involve maintaining the streetscape, but the living areas at the back can be opened to provide better light and a more open combined living, dining and kitchen space which flows to the small garden. Tight access can cause hikes in building charges.
Cost $2,000 to $2,500 per square metre.
West
Properties Three-bedroom brick-veneer houses built in the 1960s and 1970s.
Brief A fourth bedroom or a study, or both. Update bathrooms and kitchens. Two-car garage. Better flowing living space. Also another storey as pictured below.
Cost $1,200 to $1,500 per square metre.
Southern Highlands (Bowral)
Properties Brick and timber cottages.
Brief More open-plan living, better relationship to the garden, a conservatory, sometimes a study or office.
Cost $1,000 to $1,500 per square metre.
© 2000 Sydney Morning Herald