IN FOCUS: ‘It was a nightmare’ – Why are renovations still such a minefield for home owners?

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Altogether, timelines have had to be extended. “Before COVID, a resale flat would’ve taken one-and-a-half to two months, but now we need at least three months,” said Mr Yea. Carpentry used to take seven to 10 days, but now the minimum lead time is 20 days, he added. On the other hand, wages have shot up by 30 to 50 per cent. “Everyone is asking for a higher salary because of supply and demand. There’s a lot of demand but not enough supply.” The price of all materials, such as wood and cement have also risen in the past one…Continue Reading

Beach house renovation turns Torquay fixer-upper into stylish home

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“We took it all apart.” That was hardly an overstatement. Much of the drab, brick facade was disassembled and repurposed. The floors were lowered and internal walls reconfigured. Nine years later, the new home is barely recognizable as what once stood at 13 Aquilla Avenue.The old kitchen, which featured a fireplace which also opened into the living room. Credits: DomainThe fairly average-looking 1980s brick structure became a stylish modern home with what Dunstan said was a timeless street presence and well-manicured garden. “It’s all clad in cypress, it doesn’t change color, it doesn’t need much maintenance,” she said.…Continue Reading

Government to hand out $25k grants for housing construction, renovations to bolster industry

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The Federal Government will give eligible Australians $25,000 to build or substantially renovate their homes, in an effort to boost demand in the construction sector and keep builders employed.Key points:The scheme will give $25,000 grants to eligible homeowners, but recipients will need to spend at least $150,000 of their own money The Government hopes it will ease a predicted downturn in construction demand Labor and the Greens have called for the Government to invest more in social housingIndustry bodies are painting a grim picture of the second half of this year, warning that the economic downturn associated…Continue Reading

Meet the home owners who renovated a Californian bungalow in Eaglemont during COVID-19

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The stylish home offers no hint of the challenges involved in its upgrade.Credits: Miles Real Estate“Agents said, ‘we can’t take you through because of the lockdowns,’ so in the end we ended up renting a house we’d looked at in January in East Ivanhoe, one we’d initially rejected,” Robyn said .It was difficult picking benchtops online.Credits: Miles Real EstateTheir rental was only two kilometers from the Eaglemont home, so the Adams spent their allocated hour of exercise within five kilometers of home walking past to check out the renovation progress. The renovation was completed in late 2021…Continue Reading

These home renovation projects get the best return on investment

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Home prices have gone up so much that many homeowners have decided to stay put and make their own home better.But even if you’re renovating a home to live in it, it’s still important to know what you can expect to recover from those upgrades and improvements and what will eventually pay off when it comes time to sell. Homeowners who over-renovate a home may not get the cost of the improvements back.For example, it’s not the spa-like bathroom or the magazine-worthy custom kitchen that provides the best return on investment, according to a new report on the…Continue Reading

Before you renovate your home, watch out for contractors with these red flags

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Things such as hacking of walls, meanwhile, require an application for a permit, he noted. Then there is a “common practice” in the industry for experienced firms to help new, unlicensed contractors by applying for a permit using their license, he said. “Most of (these experienced firms) are inactive. That means they (retain) the license to get service fees from these newcomers.” 5. ASK FOR ACCREDITED DESIGNERS But there is a problem not just with HDB renovation contractors. Many consumer complaints can be explained by the “low barrier to entry” in the industry as a whole, said Tan. Singapore Interior…Continue Reading

Renovations slide as rates rise

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The rate of home renovations is slipping as interest rates rise. The Reserve Bank of Australia on Tuesday again hiked the nation’s cash rate, this time by 0.25 points to a nine-year high of 2.6 per cent. The increase is the sixth consecutive since the RBA started lifting rates in May this year. As property prices slip backwards, due in part to higher interest rates, renovating is a method for improving value. But the ambition of adding more space or modernization is tempering, as the cost of a renovation blows out, hand-in-hand with cash rate increases, and builders and traditions…Continue Reading

Home renovation booms even as project costs increase

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Susan Lambertis is in the process of having her entire home renovated and is hopeful it will be completed by early next year. “We are knee-deep in a reno,” she said. After going through plans with an architect last year, getting the necessary approvals and some pandemic-related delays, the project officially started this past spring. Lambert said she and her husband were motivated to upgrade their house after realizing a lot of smaller fixes were needed. “We needed new windows, we needed a new roof. Our kitchen was falling apart — the cabinets were all broken, our fridge was broken,…Continue Reading