Premium custom home renovations in Melbourne
Spacemaker: multi-award-winning house renovation builders and design
Design ideas and advice for your next renovation project
If you are considering a home renovation, Melbourne’s premium custom builders are at your service. Whether you are looking for a single-storey or second-storey renovation or extension, Spacemaker’s friendly and knowledgeable design team can guide you through the decision-making process.
We provide innovative design ideas that meet your living requirements and budget. But most importantly, we can help you to decide whether the most sensible option, both financially and practically, is to renovate, extend or rebuild with a custom new home. If a renovation is the right decision for your home and lifestyle, we can work together to deliver:
A home to suit your lifestyle
A highly customised makeover
A home renovation is often the best option if your objective is to create great spaces for entertaining, introduce open-plan living, brighten living areas with natural light, create zones for the kids, or create a parents’ retreat.
Spacemaker listens to your needs and develops house renovation designs for you to consider and approve before we prepare detailed construction drawings. You guide and control the project from start to finish. Our experienced custom home designers interpret your wishes and dreams to deliver the best possible outcome, ensuring you maximise the enjoyment, functionality and value of your home.
Renovation over relocation
Moving house can be expensive, stressful and time-consuming. Relocating to another suburb can also be an emotional time for children, displacing them from their friends and school. Money spent on agent’s fees, marketing, stamp duty, conveyancer’s fees and removalists could be channelled towards a custom-designed renovation of your home in an area that you and your family already know and love.
Renovating your home rather than relocating can be a less emotionally and financially draining way to improve your quality of life.
A space for entertaining
Many older homes were built with smaller, darker rooms, while others may simply be poorly designed, with impractical layouts that obstruct the flow. Open-plan living areas filled with natural light are best suited for entertaining friends and family with ease.
At Spacemaker, we love creating multi-functional spaces where our clients can entertain in style.
Enhance home layout for functionality
Many house renovations simply begin out of necessity. If your home is not working for you and your lifestyle, a home renovation could vastly improve its functionality, while at the same time ensuring defects such as old electrical wiring and plumbing are updated and unsightly old cracks in plaster are repaired.
Increase your home’s value
A well-designed and constructed home renovation will increase the value of your home, maximising the potential of what is often your greatest asset. Renovating your bathroom, living spaces and kitchen can also boost your home’s value, especially with the addition of a beautiful deck and alfresco area.
Unleash your creativity
Transforming a period or heritage home
Living in an old house or a property within a heritage overlay doesn’t mean you can’t bring your home into the 21st century. Regulatory requirements can be complex, but Spacemaker Home Extensions is well equipped to handle permit applications for you. Blending a modern renovation with a home’s original features without disturbing the significance of the existing building is a wonderful outcome.
Lower costs and improve energy efficiency
It’s becoming increasingly common for people to introduce environmentally friendly modifications to their homes. Apart from saving money, energy-efficient home improvements, such as double-glazed windows, low-cost lighting, insulation and water-saving taps, can reduce your family’s impact on the environment by minimising your carbon footprint.
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How to plan your home renovation
Planning a major house renovation, such as adding an extra storey or converting a loft is exciting as well as adding significant value to your home and lifestyle. As a general rule, there are a number of steps involved when planning a home renovation project.
At Spacemaker Home Extensions, we help you at every step. Consider these factors when working with any builder:
Be clear about the goal and aim of the renovation. Whether you are renovating to stay longer term or have plans to sell in the future, having a well-defined goal for the project will help you prioritise tasks and stay focused.
Explore alternatives such as buying or relocating to confirm whether a renovation is the best financial option for your home.
Understand any building and town planning regulations that your project must comply with, including considerations like heritage overlays.
Create a timeframe for how long you expect the work to take and speak with your builder to understand the cause of any possible delays.
Talk to your builder about the benefits of using an all-inclusive design and construct builder compared with engaging architects and other third-party external consultants.
Calculate and plan your budget and organise your finances accordingly. Research cost estimates from builders and architects.
Different types of renovations
Kitchen renovations
A kitchen renovation that prioritises intuitive design and functionality can boost the overall value of your home while improving its livability. By optimising the layout and position of appliances, a renovated kitchen becomes a more efficient, comfortable and visually appealing space for cooking, entertaining and daily living.
Bathroom and en-suite renovations
A thoughtfully designed bathroom renovation can result in a practical yet calming space that combines elegance with user-friendly design. Smart home features, energy-efficient upgrades and personalised touches can be incorporated to create an appealing sanctuary for you and your family.
Laundry room renovations
A carefully designed laundry makeover increases storage space, streamlines the layout and includes user-friendly features to create an organised space. Upgrades like these make doing laundry easier and more efficient. Transform this often-overlooked room into a workspace that complements the overall look and feel of your dream home.
Layout and styling renovations
Spacemaker has renovated homes of all sizes and styles, from small cottages to large heritage properties.
For smaller homes with limited floor space, reworking the layout to accommodate the owner’s needs is essential to improving the home’s functionality, as highlighted in our recently renovated Edwardian cottage in Richmond.
Homes with darker interiors can benefit from adding windows or a light-well and outdoor spaces that flood the home with natural light, while period properties require detailed planning to blend original features with modern living.
Mid-century to modern renovations
Understanding and respecting the original character of a mid-century home is critical to creating a renovation which honours period features while seamlessly blending them with contemporary living. At Spacemaker, we are experienced in this form of renovation and are well-equipped to handle the practical complexities and regulatory requirements that often accompany such renovations. To see some of our recent work, view our portfolio of custom home renovation projects for inspiration.
Targeted house renovations
When undertaking custom home renovations in Melbourne, you need to be clear about your priorities and budget, as this helps you plan your renovation accordingly. If your budget is limited, consider focusing the renovation on the areas where you spend most of your time. If natural light is inadequate, invest more in lighting solutions or add larger windows to improve lighting and create a feeling of openness. If your home is small, invest in storage solutions to make the most of your new space.
Consider clever investment decisions, such as insulation and double-glazed windows that could provide considerable savings on your energy bills in the long term.
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Examples of our home renovations in Melbourne, Australia
Glen Huntly home
This charming home in Melbourne’s Glen Huntly was revitalised with a cutting-edge kitchen, stylish bathrooms and open-plan living areas that are both contemporary and functional. The new kitchen, featuring a spacious island bench and plenty of pantry storage, replaces the original outdated one. The old bathroom, laundry and dining room have been reimagined into a sleek ensuite, a separate bathroom and a laundry room. These renovation updates improve the homeowner’s lifestyle, while maximising natural light in a refreshed and inviting living space.
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Brunswick West home
A proud entrant in the MBA and HIA awards, a new extension makes this Brunswick West residence a beautiful blend of history and modernity. Our team preserved the home’s charming character, showcasing its stained-glass windows and wooden floorboards while adding new bathrooms, spacious bedrooms and an atrium-inspired living area with ample natural light. The kitchen, dining room and laundry were renovated and new services were added, including a gas hot water unit and split cycle reverse heating and cooling, delivering comfort and efficiency for the whole family.
A home improvements builder you can trust
Once you’re certain you’d like to go ahead with your home renovation, you will need to find a professional home improvements builder. Preferably, this will be an experienced builder you can trust, with a good reputation. Before committing, be sure to ask a lot of questions, look at the builder’s portfolio of projects and find out what previous clients have said about their standard of work.
Spacemaker Home Extensions is a leading custom home builder that has been skilfully unlocking the hidden potential of homes across Melbourne for over 50 years. Our customers are often friends of previous clients, who approach us to improve their homes after being impressed with our work in their friend’s home. In fact, up to 88% of our clients come to us through referrals–a huge testament to the quality of our work!
1. High-performing qualified team
2. Prestigious awards
Our team of Melbourne home renovation specialists has completed numerous projects that have won awards from the Housing Industry Association (HIA) and Master Builders Victoria (MBAV).
3. Plenty of satisfied clients
4. Collaboration with homeowners
5. On time and on budget
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Frequently Asked Questions About Home Renovations
What renovation projects provide the greatest value?
Can you renovate a heritage home?
In short, yes. Some homes are located within heritage areas, while others are listed individually. Heritage restrictions are in place to protect the heritage aesthetics of buildings for future generations. Maintenance and renovations can generally be undertaken on a heritage home, however certain restrictions must be complied with to the satisfaction of the relevant council.
Spacemaker Home Extensions handles this entire process for you and can offer advice and assistance with permits and approvals to help you with renovating a heritage listed property in Melbourne.
Are there renovation restrictions in Melbourne?
Each council in Melbourne has its own restrictions and requirements for home renovations. Speak with us directly to learn more about the planning permits required in your local area before commencing your renovation project.
Can you get a home loan that includes renovation costs?
Generally speaking, yes. Home equity loans that include renovation costs are available for eligible individuals. Alternatively, if you have a home loan with an offset or redraw facility with funds available, you could be eligible to use that to fund the renovation cost.
In other circumstances, if you are planning an extensive renovation project, it may be viable for you to consider a construction loan. As everyone’s personal circumstances are different, our recommendation is to speak with your bank or mortgage broker for advice on the best way to finance your renovation project.
Do I need home insurance for renovations?
What home renovations require a permit?
The Victorian Building Authority states that if you are undertaking any building work on your property, you may require a planning permit, a building permit or both. If you are considering a renovation, speak with us for advice about planning permits. We can take care of this process for you if you are completing your renovation project with us.
What is restricted building work?
How do home renovation loans work?
Home renovation loans enable you to borrow money to undertake your home improvements. These can be secured or unsecured personal loans, mortgage finance, construction loans or green home loans. The type of loan you need will depend on your personal and financial circumstances, as well as the cost and scale of the renovation you want to undertake.
Some loans have specialist additional features and flexibility to accommodate renovations, whereas others may be more restricted. We recommend you consult with your bank or mortgage broker for advice about the best home renovation loan option for you.
Are home renovations tax deductible?
According to the Australian Tax Office (ATO), you cannot claim tax deductions for renovation costs on your own home. However, the ATO states that if you are running a business from home and have made renovations, these may be considered capital works. You may be able to claim certain deductions over a longer period of time. If you renovate an investment property, different tax rules apply, as this would be considered a business activity.
Our advice is to check with the Australian Tax Office or your dedicated tax accountant.
Speak with Melbourne’s leading custom home renovation builders
Spacemaker is a trusted, multi-award-winning home renovations specialist with innovative designs and seamless, stress-free service from concept to construction. Our experienced team develops quality renovations tailored to your budget, whilst maximising your home’s potential to suit your lifestyle.
We build custom home renovations throughout Melbourne, from Port Melbourne, Ringwood, Glen Iris, Brighton and Blackburn to many other inner-city suburbs. With projects ranging from $200,000 to $3 million, Spacemaker Home Extensions are experts in undertaking major custom house renovations for Melbourne properties.
Talk to our custom home renovation team about creating your dream home with a renovation project today.
