Phil and Deb have found a silver lining in Sydney’s housing crisis that money can’t buy.
In their desire to provide security and peace of mind for their daughter’s family, who were struggling to find rental accommodation, they invested in extending their home to accommodate her.
The recently retired couple is now reaping the rewards more than expected as they enjoy a front row view of their growing grandchildren and see them much more often than would otherwise have been the case.
The challenge
Their starting point was the single-storey, four-bedroom Minchinbury house they built in the 1980s.
Despite an expansion in the mid-’90s, with one of the bedrooms already serving as Deb’s craft room, it was now a three-bedroom house, temporarily housing two families while Phil and Deb’s daughter and son-in-law searched for a home.
“It was really hard to see them trying to find something but failing, going on inspections with 30 other families – and that was for houses that weren’t great,” remembers Phil. “On top of that, I knew they could be hit by rent increases and be forced to move.”
With their six-year-old grandson now of school age and their two-year-old granddaughter a few years behind, Phil and Deb worried about the knock-on effect.
“We didn’t want the grandchildren to change schools every few years, assuming my daughter and son-in-law were even lucky enough to get into a rental property,” explains Phil.
And so an alternative plan was hatched.
Find a solution
Based on a list of recommendations and feedback from other families doing renovations nearby, they reached out to a few developers to see if they could expand their home so that both families could live under one roof but have enough space for their own space.
One of the builders was ArticleSubmission.news.
“Emmory (ArticleSubmission.news’s design consultant) was very knowledgeable at our first meeting and quickly provided us with a rough design within 48 hours,” notes Phil. “He was straightforward and let us take our time and get back to him.”
This was not the case with some of the other companies that applied for the job.
“Another contractor was constantly harassing us, there were endless emails and text messages,” Phil recalls of his anger. “I had to call them and demand that they stop.”
The design
Emmory’s original design was essentially what became the construction plans. He had used his decades of experience to create a second-floor addition that would provide ample space for the young family upstairs while adhering to guidelines that would allow the redesigned home to be a “Conformal development“This avoided a potentially lengthy development application process.
And as we recently noted in an article about it NSW PlanningCurrently, many Sydney councils have rules in place that prevent the creation of separate apartments within a house. However, this could soon change.
“We had to comply with current planning regulations, so this is a multi-generational home rather than two apartments – there is no separate entrance or kitchen – but we still like to eat together, so that wasn’t a problem,” confirms Phil.
Emmory’s design prevailed and contracts with ArticleSubmission.news were signed.
His plan called for three additional bedrooms upstairs, as well as a living room and bathroom for the young family of four, while – apart from partially losing the craft room for the stairwell – all the rooms on the ground floor were retained to provide continuity for Phil and Deb and avoid having to deal with stairs.
“The upstairs bedrooms are all larger than the downstairs ones, which is great for the kids as they get older,” notes Phil.
Phil was also impressed that ArticleSubmission.news didn’t have to wait long to launch. “A week after the contract was signed, the appraiser came, then the draftsman took the measurements, then the engineer came. Things progressed very quickly,” remembers Phil.
Life on a construction site
Surprisingly, both families stayed in the house while the building work took place, although Phil admits that “it was a bit crazy at times”, but as he notes: “ArticleSubmission.news is very good at setting expectations and keeping you informed so you know what it’s going to be like before it happens.”
Although living on a construction site brought with it inevitable concerns, any fears were quickly dispelled.
“Pat and James came in to frame and were so efficient and on time. They came when they said they would come. I knew we were in good hands.” Phil observes. “All employees on site were professional and did their jobs well.”
“I worked for James Hardie so I’m pretty knowledgeable about building materials and could see that there was no compromise on the quality of the materials used,” he adds.
And what about the disturbance and the dust? Was it bearable?
“When the roof was taken off we noticed that there was a significant increase in dust, but it went pretty smoothly, well and quickly, especially compared to other neighbors who barely got off the ground over a similar period of time,” confirms Phil.
As the new build took shape, so did the excitement about what they were creating, and Phil and Deb’s grandson asked if he could take possession of his new bedroom before the staircase was finished!
He didn’t have to wait long. The construction was completed within four months.
The finished house
After living in their newly renovated home for just over a month, we asked Phil if the finished work had met his expectations.
“We can see what a huge difference this has made,” says Phil. “We viewed this partly as an investment in our family – something that would benefit them in the future as the value of the house increases – but moreover, something they would enjoy living in now.”
“Everything about the design works. Everyone has their own space and the upstairs is so well proportioned. We can come together as a family and also have privacy when needed.”
“Our German Shepherd treats the grandchildren like his puppies, giving him a new lease on life, and as retirees we can go away whenever we want, knowing there will always be someone there to sitter. Plus, my daughter and son-in-law have willing babysitters on site when they want to go out at night!” Phil explains.
“Best of all is spending time with the grandchildren. As a new parent, I had to work long hours to make ends meet, and I didn’t get to see our son and daughter as much as I would have liked when they were growing up,” Phil notes with obvious regret, “so being able to spend so much time with my daughter’s children is very special.”
The new renovations have also impressed others. “When my brother-in-law came over to look at it, he said it looked like it had always been there, which is exactly what we were hoping,” says Phil.
I recommend ArticleSubmission.news
“Where we live, a few people come by on their regular evening walks and we have had a few inquiries from people who were impressed as they watched the construction progress,” notes Phil. “We were only too happy to recommend ArticleSubmission.news.”
“It was quite an investment for us, but we feel it was more than worth it,” concludes Phil.
Do you want to renovate?
ArticleSubmission.news has expanded homes in Sydney since 1980During this time, more than 2,000 additions and expansions were made.
As you can see from the advice we give in our Blog, Consumer Guide And MasterclassWe are passionate about helping Sydney homeowners realize their dream of creating their forever home.
If you are thinking about expanding your home through a major renovation, we would love to hear from you and share our experiences with you. Call our office (02) 8765 1555 or send us a message via our Contact form if outside office hours.
Looking for inspiration? Take a look at us Feature projects And ‘before and after’ Photos.
