victorian terrace house renovation

last year

Hello everyone, I have a two storey Victorian terrace House in Melbourne Vic which needs some updating and fixing and not quite where to start. I don't have a huge budget, but want to do what I can to make it nice. I'd like to modernize two small bathrooms (don't need to move plumbing), and update the kitchen cabinets and island. Upstairs front balcony floorboards starting to rot at the end exposed to weather - plus fascia is rotting also at the front of balcony.Shed doors need to be replaced or fixed as rotting. Some of the sash windows need fixing, back door needs fixing or replacing, interior needs painting, hard wood floors in two rooms need refinishing - and carpets to be taken up from two living areas and either refinish the hardwood floors if they are good enough to do - or re-carpet. I'm having a hard time finding anyone to do everything as they only seem to want to do jobs for 500k up and my budget is more like half that. I have a great plumber who can do the bathrooms and a painter - but feel like it might be better to find one company to do everything. Where do I start? Do I find a builder or architect or do I do piecemeal with the different trades - hoping I can find someone to fix the upstairs balcony too. If my budget is not enough to do all at once - could do some more the following year. Any recommendations appreciated.

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Comments (2)

bigreader
last year
You’ll struggle to find a one stop shop for what is mostly repairs and maintenance. It’s a lot of itsy bitsy organisation which is why a builder won’t take it on and coordinate it for you. You could consider a Project Manager but that will cost 20% of your budget in their fees. I’d prioritise the things that are impacting the fabric of the building like rotting fascia, balcony and sash windows. If you find a builder/carpenter to do those things, it may be the start of a relationship towards them doing other work for you. Can the trades you already know provide you with some leads? You can find specialty companies that will do your bathrooms and kitchens as a package for you. You pay for the convenience of having them manage it all but that may suit you. You can pull up the carpets yourself and directly engage a floor finisher for those rooms, so that’s an easy fix. Good luck, it’s fun making over a house but it’s definitely not easy.
dreamer
last year
Many of the items you are describing are wood related. I would search in your area for a reputable carpenter. They can walk through the home advise the work they can complete. Doors, external rotting wood, sash windows etc. You can pull up the carpets yourself and the carpenter can advise on whether floors are worth re sanding floors, or give you a contact for a business that does that. You already have a plumber and a painter. You can do each bathroom individually, taking out existing plumbing fixtures, purchasing new ones. Get a tiler in to advise on removal or restoration of existing tiles, and relaying of new tiles. Plumber can refit fixtures. Contact a reputable kitchen cabinet company, or go to Bunnings and look at the Kaboodle range. Etc etc. If you are an organised person and willing to put in the extra time, it is definitely worthwhile, financially and personally to do the project management yourself. If you have no idea and no time, then even a handy man business may be able to do all the coordination for you. $250k, without knowing the extent of renovation/restoration required, seems overly adequate for updating and fixing. If you coordinate the trades yourself, it will be less.
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victorian terrace house renovation

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bigreader

dreamer

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