Heritage and conservation areas: what changes for residential builders
A heritage or conservation area listing changes the scope of a residential job before a single tool is picked up. Here is how the controls reach materials, approvals and programme, and how to price and sequence the work so the client is not caught out.
11 min read
Topic
Renovations
Articles and news about Renovations for Australian builders.
Heritage and conservation areas: what changes for residential builders
A heritage or conservation area listing changes the scope of a residential job before a single tool is picked up. Here is how the controls reach materials, approvals and programme, and how to price and sequence the work so the client is not caught out.
11 min read
Decommissioning gas services in renovations and rebuilds
Gas is often left half-removed in renovations, with pipes in walls and no one sure whether they are safe. This article sets out who does what, how the gas is made safe and what to record before the electric replacement goes in.
11 min read
Mould clean-up in renovations: protecting your crew
Most mould jobs are caught after the crew has already started pulling material down. This is how to contain the room, protect the people in it and leave the house clean.
12 min read
Property sales volumes and what they mean for renovation demand
A rise in property sales does not produce an immediate rise in renovation work. This guide explains the lag between a sale and the decisions that follow it, and how a builder can plan around that lag.
11 min read
Lead paint in older homes: safe work practices for renovation builders
Lead paint can turn a routine renovation into a health risk for the crew and the occupants. This guide covers testing, dust control, keeping lead separate from other hazards and disposing of the waste.
11 min read
Lead paint in renovations: what disturbance means for your crew
Old paint in an older home can release lead dust the moment it is scraped, sanded or cut. Plan the testing, the controls, the cleaning and the waste before the first tool comes out.
11 min read
Smoke alarms in renovations and alterations: what NSW builders must do
A kitchen or bathroom job can bring the smoke alarms for the whole home into scope. This article sets out which areas the upgrade reaches, how the alarms must be powered and connected, and what belongs in the handover file.
11 min read
Unauthorised building work: options when a past job was never approved
Work built without approval does not disappear when the job is finished. The route forward is an assessment, an honest disclosure and a certificate process, and the builder’s own exposure depends on how the matter is handled.
11 min read
Renovation demand when new-build activity slows: what holds up and why
When new-build starts ease, owners keep renovating for reasons that have little to do with interest rates or approvals. Knowing those reasons shows a builder where the work will come from.
12 min read
Exempt development in NSW: what builders can skip, and what they cannot
Exempt development needs no approval, but it is not a licence to skip the rules. Here is where the boundary sits, which conditions still bind the work and why the builder carries the liability whatever the council did or did not see.
12 min read
NSW pool barrier rules: what builders and renovators need to get right before summer
Pool barriers are one of the few building elements where a small defect can cost a child’s life. With pool season approaching, here is what NSW law requires, which standard applies, and the renovation trap that catches builders out.
7 min read
Silica dust on residential sites: controls for cutting concrete, brick, tile and pavers
The engineered stone ban removed the worst material, not the hazard. Concrete, bricks, tiles, pavers and mortar all contain crystalline silica, and cutting, chasing and grinding them on a house site can produce dangerous dust. Here is what the rules require and the controls that work.
7 min read