Home Building in Brisbane Advice

Home Building in Brisbane Advice

Stage One – Concept

The first stage in renovation your home is of course the idea. Many home owners will start this with a simple sketch and discuss this with their partner or friends. The planning stage is important; possibly the most important stage of the process since the design cannot usually be changed after the materials have been purchased and the wheels are in motion.  In Brisbane Australia significant changes to your property must be approved by the town planning department. For some projects approval for this can be very costly since an application fee is payable even if the plans are rejected. You should consider the amount of real savings you will achieve doing a DIY project or employing builders – since builders can usually arrange pre-approval which can save you a lot of money.

Stage Two – Planing

Planning the renovation is key to the whole project.  You need to decide the best order in which to do each task to minimise time and complications in both the demolition and the construction. As an example you may decide that you will first replace windows and doors before renovating walls and installing a carpet. This will minimise damage to new surfaces.

Stage Three – Secure Structures

Before knocking down walls and taking out windows, you first need to determine which areas and surfaces are load-bearing and which are not. Many doorways carry the weight of the structure overhead and need to be properly braced and supported before door frames can be removed. Identify and load-bearing beams and other support structures within the property before starting the renovation.

Stage Four – Demolition

Before starting the demolition you may first need to rent a skip bin to place the rubble from the demolition. Investigate with your local city council if permission is needed to park a skip bin on the street outside your property if you do not have room for it in you garden. Be careful of dangerous materials such as asbestos and lead painted surfaces.

Stage Five – Major Construction

For this stage you may wish to hire a professional builder to do any significant construction work in your home. If this is a completely DIY project consider carefully all aspects of safety both to yourself and to the environment before starting any dangerous activity.

Stage Six – Electrical

Before closing the walls, the electrical wiring goes in.  In Brisbane and elsewhere in Queensland you will need to get a qualified electrician to inspect the quality of the work you have done before closing the walls.  Failure to do this could leave you open to litigation in the future if you sell the property and there is an electrical fault. In Australia make sure you meet all federal, state and local city council regulations for all work carried out.

Stage Seven  – Plumbing

In Brisbane, you should ensure that all plumbing work is verified and signed off by a properly qualified plumber.  This needs to be completed before walls are closed. Gas plumbing must be carried out and completed by a suitably qualified gas installer ONLY.

Stage Eight – Insulation & Drywall

Insulation goes in next, followed by drywall. This needs to be signed off by a Brisbane City Council approved drywaller.

Stage Nine – Windows

Usually any replacement windows will go in at this stage. It is important to install the windows after insulation and dry wall has gone in.

Stage Ten – Carpentry

At this stage you may do any fine carpentry work for the project.  If you are skilled in this area you may do this yourself although many will employ a carpenter to do this work professionally.

Stage Eleven – Walls

At this stage you can plaster than paint or wallpaper the walls. Many home owners will do this theselves since the work is fairly straight forward and they can save significantly on the project cost.

Stage Twelve – Floors

Finally the floors go down. Installing tiles, wood flooring or carpets at this stage will prevent possible (likely) damage to the floors while working on other parts of the renovation.