HOME EXTENSION FAQ'S

To start the process, complete our online enquiry form and provide us with some basic information about your home, the type of addition or extension you are considering, your budget and your preferred timeframe.

Our team will review your enquiry to make sure your project is within our service area and scope of works. From there, the next step is to book a consultation with our builder to discuss your project in detail, including what you would like to achieve, your options and any factors that may influence the build cost.

Following your consultation, we will prepare a detailed quotation based on the scope discussed.

If you already have plans, approvals, surveys, engineering or other relevant documentation, please provide these with your enquiry so we can review them as part of the process.

Don’t overthink this! We don’t expect you to know how much the build will cost. However, as the home owner you will have an idea of how much you have/can borrow to complete the works. We need to know this so that we can advise you if this amount is realistic. We don’t want to waste your time and we will be honest and upfront with you right from the start.

Yes, you can provide any existing plans, approvals, surveys, engineering or other documentation with your enquiry for us to review.

We will assist to ensure the design is suitable for the way we build and aligns with your budget and project requirements. Plans prepared independently do not always take into account the practical construction requirements or costs involved in building an addition or extension, however, we will guide you through this.

Where changes are required, we will discuss these with you and we can work with yours, or our drafting and consultant team to develop a practical, cost-conscious solution for your home.

Yes. Absolutely. You do not need to have plans or approvals in place before contacting us.

32 Degrees Building can manage your project from the initial concept through planning and approvals and into construction. Our preliminary process coordinates the plans, surveys, engineering, reports and other documentation required for your project, as well as the appropriate Council or Private Certifier approval pathway.

This gives you one experienced team managing the process from the early planning stages through to construction, with clear communication along the way.

If you’re starting your home extension journey and require plans and approvals, we recommend allowing approximately $30,000 for the preliminary process.

This typically includes the plans, surveys, engineering and supporting documentation required to prepare your project for approval through Council or a Private Certifier.

The final cost will vary depending on your property, project scope, approval pathway and any additional reports or investigations required.

There are many variables involved in pricing a home extension or addition, and no two projects are exactly the same. The overall cost will depend on the size and scope of the project, the rooms being added or renovated, site conditions, structural requirements, access and the level of finishes and inclusions selected.

For this reason, we don’t rely on a simple square-metre rate to determine the cost of your project.

The best place to start is by submitting an enquiry and booking a consultation with our builder. This allows us to understand what you would like to achieve, discuss the options for your home and identify the key factors that are likely to influence the cost before preparing your quotation.

It is easier and quicker to build a first-floor addition and as we’re building up it means that you won’t lose any valuable land space while you are maximising the space in your home.

With a ground floor extension there is a concrete slab, piers, footings, excavation and dirt removal costs to consider which can take more time and cost more money. When constructing a first-floor addition we work from the top of your home and build up. This means that we do not need to enter your existing home until we install the stairs and undertake any downstairs renovations. This minimises the dust and disruption to you and your family’s daily lives while you are still living in the home.

A typical first floor addition takes approximately 12 weeks to construct.

The exact timeframe will depend on the size and complexity of your project, the extent of any renovations to the existing home, selections and inclusions, site conditions and factors outside our control.

Before construction begins, we will provide you with a clear project schedule so you understand the expected construction timeframe and key stages of your build.

Yes, it may be possible to add a first floor addition to an existing steel-framed home; however, additional structural work is generally required.

Most single-storey steel-framed homes are engineered to support the loads associated with their original design and are not designed to carry the additional load of another level. As a result, building a first floor addition may require additional structural support and strengthening to the existing ground floor structure.

The extent of the structural work required will depend on the existing home and the proposed addition and will need to be assessed by a structural engineer.

If your home is steel framed, we recommend discussing this with us early in the process so we can consider the structural requirements and potential additional costs when assessing your project.

A lot of people contact us and ask us if it’s cheaper to knock down and rebuild rather than extending and improving on their existing home.
Our answer? Quite simply. No.

If you can, it is always recommended to extend and improve on your existing home. To knock down your home would mean that you have to relocate for the duration of the build so you need to allow for removalist and storage costs plus rental fees for at least 6 months.

There is also the added cost of demolition and waste removal of an entire home as well as disconnecting and reconnecting your services plus not forgetting the cost of providing everything new including flooring, fittings, landscaping, driveway etc…

Safety for your family and ours is our number 1 concern and our project manager will communicate any potential risks to you ahead of the build starting.

The most critical and dangerous stage of your build is demolition and construction of the floor frame of the second storey addition. For these stages, we require you to vacate as power will be cut to the entire home for this period of time (approx. 2 weeks)

After this time, you can return to your home if you want to while we continue you with the rest of the build.

Your site supervisor will keep you updated on the progress stages of the job via your client portal so that you know which part of the house they will be working on at any given time.

Yes. Your existing home does not need to be brick to be suitable for a first floor addition.

Homes constructed from a range of materials may be suitable for building up, subject to an assessment of the existing structure and the requirements of your proposed addition.

As part of the planning and approvals process, the appropriate structural investigations and engineering will be undertaken to determine the requirements for supporting the new first floor.

Please note that we are unable to undertake first floor additions to homes constructed with an existing steel frame.

Nothing!
In Australia, both terms are commonly used to describe building a new level above your existing home. At 32 Degrees Building, we specialise in second-storey additions and first floor additions throughout Sydney.

Contact us with your enquiry today.