24 Gladstone Street Mudgee

Front of the house. Extension is on the far right side. South facing house

I’m thinking to open up and restore how it was before as best I can.

I saw this house before I settled on 78 Lewis street but now that the structural issues were found this was the only one left in my budget.

removing asbestos is usually an expensive professional job and i would wait until you live in the house for a while before making any major decisions but it would be good to remove the windows from the front porch and restore the curves, remove the unnecessary steps from the front of the extension and consider rearranging the bathroom and kitchen and test using the extension for a master suite but everything else needs much more information

I am worried about the asbestos removal bill. I love what you have done for the bathroom. I never would have thought of that but it makes total sense. And having a retreat off the lounge is a great idea. Makes the flow so much better. I’m going to take the ugly windows off in the front and get the curves back. The room right att the back of the house is a sun room extension.

Hi Jenna,

Unfortunately the cost of removing asbestos, is what it is. Always use a good contractor so you don't end up with issues of poor quality work or fines from improper disposal etc. Get several quotes before you embark on anything as that will determine what budget you have left for your renovations.

I like your idea of returning the front verandah to original. It will return the charm and give proper ventilation to the two front bedrooms. I'm sure it will add value too if done well.

Sadly with the current layout all the plumbing rooms are on the afternoon sun side of the house and the laundry has the best spot of the whole house!!!! There is no way to change this without moving them which adds to your budget. Also, the route from bedrooms to the bathrooms goes right through the house. Not ideal.

Also the living room with the fireplace has no windows. I would try to resolve this some way.

Could you put the bathroom spaces, similar to what Oklouise has drawn, into the kitchen. Then put the kitchen and laundry into the bathroom area and have the laundry as a dining/ breakfast space, open to the kitchen. I'd then try and open up the current dining to living space to allow daylight into the living area. This doesn't have to remove the entire wall but a good 2-3m wide opening. You could also look at a skylight or solar tube in the living room ceiling.

I'd make the bedroom at the front with the fireplace into the master and make it a suite, if you want, by accessing the bedroom adjacent and the front sunroom. That way there is no need to access a bedroom from another bedroom and will get good morning sun into the master.

To improve the livability and enjoyment of living in a house, think about the sun and where the light is coming from - always.

C.

What type of cladding would you recommend on the side extension exterior (WIW, Master bedroom, retreat and study) and windows which will make the house look better? All of the current cladding is asbestos and cracking so it needs to be removed asap

Hi Jenna,

What is on the other side of the house and what is on the outer walls of the two front bedrooms into the front verandah? I'd keep it consistant. However, as the east side is clearly a filled in verandah, you could possibly clad it slightly differently with horizontal weatherboards up to the window sills with vertical board and batten between the windows, all painted. These houses seem to continue the window sill along the entire elevation as a bit of a detail.

Ideally, for appearances, you want timber windows but new double glazed ones will be expensive. If you are able to source second hand ones from a builders reclaim, you can tidy them up and either secondary glaze them or replace the glass with double glazed units. Takes a bit of work but you are 'free' if you have the time. Right at the back where it is clearly an addition, you can use large aluminium framed glazing if you are replacing anything back there. It will let more light in.

The houses at numbers 26 & 28 appear to be either original or renovated sympathetically. I'd take some tips from them. Just be careful not to use cheap copy federation products. It's best to use original or new. Things like doors really demonstrate this.

Number 28 appears to be bagged brick walls. If bagging and painting, you can chose seconds to keep the cost down. 26 appears to still be clean brick.

Look around the neighbourhood for other similar styled examples of renovated houses.

Hope that helps.

C.

Thank you so much for your tips.

Once again the plan would work far better if you swapped the kitchen and bathroom. You may even sneak an ensuite into that too? I do hope the asbestos removal is not too high a bill for you. Great orientation: north to the back is great. Garage off the side street too.... good on you!! Margot

Since the back of the house gets a lot of sun should I convert the laundry room into a bedroom? That’s what it looks like inside and from outside in the sunroom. I think it’s an unfinished laundry with just the plumbing done but nothing in it but shelves

Floor plan says it’s 2.6 x 3.7m

before considering any changes you should check with council to find out which rooms have been added or previously converted legally and have the necessary approval to be used as habitable rooms

Hi Jenna,

Does it have the same floor level as the rest of the house and what is the ceiling height or, low and high heights if it is sloping.

I still think it would be better to have the laundry as a dining space open to the kitchen, including a laundry, which could go in the current bathroom spaces. You could make the kitchen a huge L shape by running it all along the west wall of the current laundry and bathroom and return along the internal wall against the new bathroom location and have a big kitchen table or island bench in the space which would be open to the sunroom, family and living rooms. I'd keep the bedrooms at the front of the house.

Of course these suggestions follow on from checking with council about what has been legally built, as Oklouise mentioned, which your conveyancing lawyer should check as part of their service to you in the purchase process.

C.

I want to ask a question about second hand kitchens. Are they a good idea to save on costs? I found a large kitchen for sale at a really good price of $2k which will be taken out for me. I already got a kitchen company quote for cabinets only and that came to $19k. Do you think it’s doable to rearrange the cabinets?

Hi Jenna,

Yes, it can be a fabulous opportunity but it all depends on the quality and condition of the kitchen. Also factor in the delivery cost and possible damage during delivery.

Another factor to consider of course is the layout. If you are trying to fit it between two walls there will undoubtably need to be some adjustment, either in the joinery or the walls.

If any damage needs repair or adjustments are required to the joinery, can you match the colour/material without having to do a complete repaint or replace large pieces, like bench tops or whole panels.

I'm sure, with care and careful planning you will be able to acheive it for a great saving, even if you want to change the cabinet colour or some other small changes.

Check that there is no water damage, especially below the sink and dishwasher locations.

C.

Thanks so much that really puts me at ease now. I was a little nervous about what I should do but I feel like I have the chance to save so much money. My kitchen area is a lot smaller than this kitchen so I think was also thinking I can use the remaining cabinets for my laundry

we have reused several second hand kitchens and if it's a modern kitchen it will be made out of separate modules but the counters will suit the room from which it is being removed.. we found the best way to reuse is to remove the counters and measure all the separate modules (eg a corner cabinet is usually 90cm x 90cm along the wall sides) then draw a plan of your room and work out how the modules can be rearranged to fit the new space and then have new counter custom made or old counters recut to suit..."gaps" can be covered over or used for an alcove for a waste bin, stool, extra cabinets or drawers (drawer modules are available for DIY) ....check on line instructions for building flat pac kitchens (eg Kaboodle) for help with working out how to arrange the cabinets and assembly.. new doors and drawers fronts can be cut from surplus doors and/or end panels ... old counters and extra cabinets are also good for laundry and garages...we recently reused an old kitchen that was first built in 1981 and has already been reused once before but this time we added cheap new solid wood counters and new handles but kept the old drop in sink... the old counters have been installed on metal legs in a work shed and oddments will be cut up for extra shelves inside cabinets .. nothing has been wasted

Go for it. Keep all the pieces until you complete the install as you may need to cut some up for fillers or replace a broken item. You just need somewhere to store it.

Just wanted to share an update. Asbestos all removed today and had a quote variation of an extra $6k because it was found in more areas like the bathroom, laundry room etc. So the house looks like half a house 😭 and alot of the budget got eaten up

Not too sure where to from here. I’m still in shock that half the house is basically ripped down

Feeling a little bit down with no vision anymore

OOH Jenna, I can imagine how you must feel... totally wrecked when they took so much of your home away but it was a very necessary step. Next is to look at how to rebuild it and I will say again: I would love to help you with the plans..... we can have a discussion first and go from there.... Have a look at my website and call me.... I would love to help you get this right! For you! Cheers Margot PS it is probably all up from here!

Well that’s renovating. On the upside I see gorgeous solid hardwood frames and floors Don’t stress about the interior- plaster and linings will rectify all that. What was your plan for the verandah? Have you finalised the layout of the interior? I’m assuming you removed the interior asbestos because you plan on moving walls.

Hello Jenna, I am sorry to hear so much of your home has gone but it was a very necessary step and it is all up from here. I would love to help you with the plans next then you know what you will be getting. Have a look at my website and call me for a chat.... Love to help you from here to get it right for you! Cheers Margot

Thanks so much Margot

Well I had wanted to move the walls then got a call saying it was structural and so I asked to move another wall and the was told it was holding up too much of the ceiling. So now I’m not removing any walls 😢 just so disappointed but yes @ Big Reader at least there was wooden floors under the carpet. I got no vision for the side extension too. The asbestos removalist said to make it a big wrap around veranda. I don’t know 🤷‍♀️

You said in one of your posts you thought you may take the home and “open up and restore how it was before as best you can”. . I think the house looks so much better already, without those filled in verandahs, And without the asbestos in the home, it is now a safe environment to start restoration. Very exciting.

Ok. Well before you spend anymore money you need to finalise a floor plan and intended use of the rooms. If you can’t move the walls post back and tells us the limitations and we’ll help. We can also help with decisions on staging the works, which is step two. Most people here are very normal renovators and we’re used to working with a budget. I’ve lived in several half finished houses and done without a kitchen etc. Looking back it was well worth it for the sweat equity I built up in the properties. Many people are reluctant to reveal,their budgets but the people here understand limited budgets and we can absolutely tell you what is likely to be feasible.

Yes the one thing I do love is you can see the original windows. There is also a fireplace in the kitchen but it’s been modified so I want to try and get this back to what it was. I think I’m feeling a little bit overwhelmed with how much work there is

Thanks Big reader I will definitely keep everyone posted every step of the way and before I make decisions too

Hi Jenna,

WOW, the front looks soooo much better and I think you could really make it look fabulous with a clever, but not too fussy colour scheme.

If the timber floors are in good condition after being sanded, I'd keep as much of these as you can and add more if you can get some.

This is the stage of a reno that I really love and brings so much promise and potential for the overall outcome. You can see the 'bones' of the house at this stage and the solutions become much clearer.

Yes, if this is your first big reno project, it can be overwhelming so take a deep breath and make a plan, then program it into bite size 'mini projects' and focus on just one of these at a time. There will be overlaps in these obviously, but it keeps the stress levels down and the head clear with a good plan of attack.

If you don't have the vision yourself, seek help from someone close that can lead you through it. If you can develop a plan from all of 'our' advise and options, then go with that but you will need some professional help to get plans approved through council before you go too far with actual work. In the mean time you can tidy up the existing original rooms in the house. Getting the front bedrooms decorated will give you a boost of confidense to complete the rest.

I too think it might be a good idea to keep at least some of the wrap around verandah as the side of your house faces east so that will bring morning light into the main part of your house. You could possibly still do an ensuite and robe into the side verandah off the front bedroom but make sure some of that good light still gets into the bedroom with careful window and connecting door placement. Behind that, have french doors from the living to the side verandah and possibly the family room behind that too. Nice to have these open on a sunny winters morning. I'd then continue the verandah to the end of the house and wrap it around the back a little to occupy a 3 x 5m space on the NE corner of the house (using 2m of the old sun room and 3m of the side verandah)

You wanted 3 bedrooms and two bathrooms in your original post. I'd put the third bedroom where the kitchen is. I'd put a full bathroom behind that bedroom about 1.8-2m wide x 3.5m deep, leaving the rest of that room for the laundry and make the kitchen where the laundry is. This can have a big window to the back yard.

Rebuild the old sunroom to create a dining room off the kitchen, 2m shorter than the sunroom was so there is still a 1.8-2m wide window opening from the middle family room to the back verandah. (The back elevation will be 6.7m wide with the back verandah being 5m wide) You will probably need to create a new gable ended roof facing the back yard.

All of this works in the existing footprint, except the side verandah extension.

I'd get a second opinion on being able to replace walls or part walls with beams. Anything can be done. It is just a matter of time and money. To keep the money part of the equation as practical as possible, adjust opening sizes to use sensible sized beams without any custom made items. Beams obviously need supports at both ends that in turn need some sort of foundation. Find a practical structural engineer that can work this out for you or an architectural designer/architect that can work within small timber framed building standards for this. Decide how much opening you want in the walls between the living, family and dining spaces based on light penetration and furniture layout. I'd be inclined to keep the living room with the fireplace, more enclosed and open up the family to the dining as much as you can.

I note that there appears to be some water damage on the flooring adjacent the outer walls of the family room. This will need addressing, especially if you leave the side verandah open to that area and even more so if there is no, or just a small verandah roof. Ideally the verandah deck/floor should be lower than the inside floor for the water to drain away, but if it is the same, some clever detailing and flashing will need to be incorporated into the solution.

Keep focused on your list of priorities for the eventual outcome. For me it would be maximising light and that you spend most of the daylight hours in the kitchen, living and dining room areas so put them on the north and east on this site. The west is hard up against the boundary so the back yard is where you will most enjoy the later afternoon sun.

Don't forget, make an overall plan on paper and break the tasks down into bite sized chunks to keep your stress levels down and maintain momentum. Make sure the plan fits your budget and timeframe.

Good luck.

C.

Hi everyone. I wanted to run this by all of you experienced renovators. Based on my limited budget and from all the advice I’m thinking of turning the side extension into part warp around veranda and part extra lounge/study/enclosed balcony or any usage room. So I will put a fixed window that will face the front veranda and street then on the side wall I will do bifold French doors and on the other end I will put a set of French doors. Do you think this is a good?

I tried to colour code where I would put things

If you have a tight budget I would be focusing on the rooms that are essential for living ie bathroom/s and kitchen. It is highly likely that you will run out of money. Most people do. So if you’ve decided the placement and layout of the essential rooms then do those first. If the area you’re shown is going to be verandah and extra lounge/study then it should be way down your list of priorities for planning. Have you done a plan and budget for all the works needed for the entire house? I like your plan for windows and French doors for this space but are concerned for your budget. Bifolds of any type are a more expensive option but there are some diy options for French ones.

Hi Jenna,

Completely agree with BIGREADER. Make sure you can get the kitchen, a bathroom, your 3 bedrooms and a living space done first.

Why don't you mark up a plan of what you want to do - realisticaly for your budget and get some quotes for the work. It is those who leap in and start doing before they know exactly where their budget will go, that end up in a financial pickle. The house still needs to be worth at least what you spend on it so you don't ever have to sell it for less than you've spent.

You may still have some work that may have to wait until more funds become available, but make the house livable for your current funds. A 'flexi space' is a bit of a luxury on a tight budget. You may need to do some weatherproofing but beyond that, work on the essentials first.

Don't constrict your overall scheme by your current budget if you know you can do this in two stages but focus on how to best spend your current budget so you can live in the home.

C.

Thanks Big reader and Christine. I was stressed about the extension not being weather proof but you are right, I just need to focus on the main rooms and not on luxury rooms and just put a cover on the side so the rain doesn’t come in. I only have $25,000 left of my renovation budget left plus some earnings coming in slowly so I need to spend very carefully and prioritise

Hi Jenna,

Great decision. $25K will not go far, believe me. You've said before that you are prepared to do quite a bit yourself but don't forget an electrician and a plumber. Hopefully you have them in the family!!!! You should check the current status of the house electrics. If it all needs replacing, there is quite a cost associated with that, but better than the house burning down due to old crappy wires etc.

Take photos of the work as it progresses, especially the work that will be covered up so you have proof of what was done and where electrics and plumbing pipes etc are. That way you'll avoid damaging them with nails and screws as you progress.

I'd put french doors into the living room and do virtually nothing else on the outside other than weather proofing. Get your 3 bedrooms decorated complete with the floors sanded and do the kitchen and bathroom and put your laundry where you want it. If you can get some paint on the outside, that would probably be the end of your budget, with some smart hunting for materials.

One bit of advice, don't go cheap on your taps etc. They wont last and you'll have to replace them too soon and that is money wasted. Spend once on these.

C.

I wouldn’t worry about the verandah area being waterproof unless water is entering the main part of the house. The hardwood studs can last a wet season in the weather as long as they are dry when you start to build them in. I agree with some of Christine’s advice except for the floor sanding. You don’t have enough funds and you can live with rough floors. Did you buy that second hand kitchen? Or is that still to come out of your $25k budget. Has the existing kitchen been removed? I would allow $13k to get the bathroom done and that is tight. Your trades will be close to $10k (unless you have them in the family) leaving you $3k for fittings and fixtures. The trades for a kitchen excluding the kitchen itself will be about $7k. Try and cluster the work so you get as much done with the trades as possible ie laundry trough etc at the same time as the kitchen. Have a look at Katrina Chambers on Insta and website. She has a number of projects and is transparent about costs. She does a lot of the work herself but does have access to trades.

You can do this but you’ll need to plan and be careful.

Thank you Big reader. I purchased the $2k kitchen already and the asbestos/demolition company removed the old kitchen cabinets for me so I just need to remove the old tiles they didn’t take out. Then I thought I can also use some of the kitchen cabinets in the laundry. I also purchased a second hand vanity and mirror set with a laundry tub and shower fittings from a house being demolished for $700. I unfortunately don’t have any trades in the family. So I have to be very careful with my spending going forward.

That’s the current state of the kitchen

The hole on the right is the old kitchen fireplace

Does the old kitchen place block work extend above the ceiling line? You can either look in the ceiling or put a hammer through the plaster work above the tiles. This room will need to go back to the studs as well. You’ll not be able to find a plasterer to work around the existing and as plaster is the cheapest material it’s not worth it. It’s also cheaper with the plumber and the electrician if the walls are open. The kitchen and bathroom will be the only things you can work on with your current budget. Have you decided the layout for the kitchen? The people here can help you work out the layout and the use of the secondhand kitchen. I can help with the order of works but I need to know what’s going on with the fireplace.

Thanks Big reader I actually don’t know what to do with this fireplace. Should I take the plaster off and expose the bricks? Or cover it up? Or put a stove top in that area? Do you recommend I just use some of the budget to get a builder to open up the walls? The demolition company told me the whole kitchen ceiling would have to go if I open up the walls.

Hi Jenna,

That all looks great. Like I said a few days ago, you can see the bones of the house as you strip parts of it out.

You seem to be quite resourceful in seeking materials, which is a huge bonus.

The kitchen space looks resaonable for the age of it. Maybe a bit of water damage around the plumbing. I would probably replace the gib on the wall below the window and try to tidy the rest up. If any of it is soft, replace it. For wet spaces I use fibre cement sheet material on the walls instead of gib. It is longer lasting than even the wet area gib.

I would seriously make this the third bedroom and if the chimney is still intact, keep the fireplace there as it will be too costly to do the repairs to the roof if you take it out. Strip it right back to the bare brick and keep it as a feature in the room. It could be a nice little reading space with comfy cushions.

I would sand the floors of the four/five rooms and hallway and seal these with a polyurethane or similar. You can hire the sander yourself and an edger(to get into the corners) but watch some Utube videos on this if you haven't done this before. My first time was a big learning curve but by the third and fourth house, I was a pro. Make sure the handle is securely attached to the machine and get several grades of paper so you can do a quick rough one first, ending with a fine finish. Don't take too much off, it's just a surface sand and you probably wont get all the imperfections out. It adds charachter. Punch and nails in the floor first or they will tear the sand paper.

If, as I mentioned earlier, you can make a 1800-2000mm wide bathroom in the next room and the kitchen behind that, you can still have a good connection with the kitchen and family/dining room until you are able to add more space onto the house at the back in stage two.

C.

From the look of the plan and the pictures there’s only one chimney going though the roof. Is that the fireplace or the kitchen oven place? I suspect it’s the fireplace and the kitchen structure ends before the roof but you need to confirm this by looking in the ceiling. I strongly suspect that there will be an exhaust pipe going up which isn’t difficult to patch in the roof. And you can actually leave the roof cavity part in place for a while. I’ve pulled down two similar structures but both in 1950s houses so you need to check for your house. I don’t recommend using a builder to open walls at all - I recommend doing it yourself. If you’re careful removing the cornices the ceiling can stay in place but it may not be that more expensive to have it redone. But you need to confirm the kitchen ovenplace structure first and then the kitchen layout because your next steps stem from there. There will be additional plumbing and some electrical costs to move the kitchen but probably not prohibitive so make this decision now.

Another question for your kitchen are the walls hard plaster/render on block work or are the plaster/cladding on a frame?

A simple knock on the wall would give the answer to whether they are brick or studs. I’ve attached a floor plan which shows the fireplace, therefore chimney that is showing in house photos. The floor plan shows the original home, and all your NOW stud work on the external areas. Saves confusion of looking at the very first floor plan on the OP conversation.