First Floor Additions Sydney

Adding Design Practique design First Floor Additions

“Long after the cost is forgotten the quality lives on”

A.D.Practique will design First floor additions  anywhere. The majority of houses will handle a first floor addition. Some are just more suitable than others. If you are looking for additional floor space often the best solution is to go up. Adding two to five bedrooms to a house as a Ground Floor addition can seriously reduce the available green space in a house. All councils are particularly sensitive to the reduction of available green space.

Modern families realise that selling up and going through all the hassles of moving is often more traumatic than the approximately six to eight months it will take to transform their home. Six to eight months is a conservative estimate.

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A second level with usually some alterations to the ground floor can transform an overcrowded home into a comfortable abode.

Many inner-city couples with or without children, find their semi-detached or detached cottages have constrained living areas and small gardens that mean the only solution to their lack of space is an imaginative addition. A smart renovation can in most cases add at least two additional bedrooms, a second bathroom and additional storage. In large bungalows, it can offer three to four bedrooms, ensuite and a second bathroom and parents retreat or a family room. Removing some or all of the family bedrooms from the ground floor will provide space for a guests' bedroom and allow the living areas to be transformed without losing too much of the garden space.

Before Addition

After Addition

 

Cost of First Floor additions

First floor additions are expensive particularly when combined with a major ground floor alteration and addition. There are tricks to controlling your costs (see blog Controlling Building Costs.) You need to be very circumspect about attempting large scale renovations combined with ground floor alterations and additions if your budget is less than $350,000. This may vary if it is a very small terrace and the areas are not great. Of course, if it is a large bungalow and the renovation is extensive then the money required can be well over $350,000.

Large new homes generally start around the $500,000 mark and go up. Experience shows that you will spend about half the budget to lock up and the remainder on the finishes. Remember large homes require large numbers to complete them. More flooring, more tiles, more bathrooms and more cleaning.

Simple ground floor alterations and additions generally start around $250,000. They tend to only get more expensive. If you are planning to rebuild a third of an existing house be sensible and accept that you will need at least $220,000.00 to complete the job. I still meet people who think they can renovate for extremely modest amounts.

Anyone attempting a Ground Floor Alteration with a budget less than $250,000.00 will need to be extremely pragmatic during the planning and building stages. This means using cost effective building practices and materials. See Blog on Cost Effective Building.

A simple understanding of your budget can be had by pricing your kitchen including new appliances then remove this amount from your budget, what you have left is what you have to build with. Don’t forget that even the most tightly controlled budgets tend to blow out towards the end of the job.

First Floor Additions as a Granny Flat

It is now possible on blocks of land greater than 450m2 to design a first-floor addition as a granny flat. This is called an Attached Granny Flat. This means it can have a separate entrance and its own cooking and bathroom facilities. The normal set back controls, floor space ratio and landscaping controls that exist in the Local Environment Controls will apply with your development.

To find out more about First Floor Additions and Extensions or First Floor Additions as Granny Flats please fill in the enquiry form below or to see some examples of First Floor additions designed by A.D Practique.

Storage Solutions

A.D. Practique can assist clients to design and build adequate storage solutions. The options in a residential home can include roof storage with a pull-down ladder or a dedicated storage room somewhere in the existing house. Obviously if the house is already short of living space this may prove to be extremely difficult.

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Second Storey Additions Sydney

Second Storey Additions and Second Storey extensions are the same as a first-floor addition. A second storey addition involves the removal of the existing roof and the creation of another level. If you are thinking about building a second storey above the ground floor then you need a solid foundation to carry the additional loads.

At some stage an engineer is going to have to inspect the footings of the existing house to determine the suitability of the property.

When you build a second storey addition you are going to lose one of your existing rooms to accommodate the stairs. The number of stairs will be determined by the ground floor to first floor level. Typically, you will need at least 17 treads to the floor level above.

A second Storey addition needs to be well thought out. Typically, you will be spending anywhere from $300,000 upwards to add an extra 80 square metres on top. This number will vary according to the style of home. Obviously, a small terrace will have less floor area than a large bungalow. The two things that will slow up a second storey extension in Sydney faster than anything else is overshadowing and overlooking.

Most councils have strict guidelines with regard to overshadowing. You may need to step in from one or both sides to lower the impact of overshadowing.

Overlooking is another sensitive issue that needs to be considered when designing a second storey extension. Nothing will slow down your application quicker than letters to the planning department from irate neighbours. The placement of windows is important whenever you design a second storey extension.

A.D. Practique design second storey extensions in Sydney that work and add value to your property. If you want us to access your property fill in the form below.

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Enquiries

Email Address:
Full Name:
Town/Suburb/City:
Phone No:
1) What is the address of your Property:
2) In what municipality is your property located
3) Who is the owner of the property?
4) What is the area in m2 of your property
5) Do you have a recent survey of your property
6) If no, are you prepared to get a contour survey of your property Cost $1,200.00 once the design process begins?
7) Do you have a copy of the sewerage diagram
8) If no, do you mind if we get a copy of the sewage layout from Reece plumbing or would you acquire it yourself? Cost if you do it $30.00 Cost if we do it $110.00
Note: Building over or near the boards sewer can involve substantial additional costs either with encasing the pipe or piering down to the depth of the pipe. It is wise to establish the position of the pipe before any consultancy advice is given. 9) Are you interested in a granny flat/ studio or garage or combination?
10) Would you like a consultant to contact you?
11) Do you have any related questions that we have not considered?
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