Central Coast Builders

Renovating your home on the Central Coast

Justin Brazier — Thu, 14 Jul 2022 06:18:24 +0000

Renovating or enlarging your existing home often seems to make more sense than selling up and moving. After all, the money spent on stamp duty, moving fees and potential rent can be invested into your home. But there can be pitfalls.

Location is everything

Location is always mentioned when it comes to purchasing property, whether it’s a family home or an investment property. However it’s not just about school zoning and nearby beaches. If you’ve found somewhere you love living, where the neighbours are great, or the garden is your passion or where the kids have established their life, the thought of leaving for a new, unknown location can seem daunting. So if the location is perfect but the house isn’t, it might be worth considering a reno.

Planning

As with all building, everything goes a lot smoother with thorough planning. Having said that, a reno can be an uncertain beast, and it really is important to have an experienced team on board with you.

Home owners often think a renovation will be simpler than a new build but it’s not always the case. It’s a great idea to get a builder in to discuss your ideas as early as possible to gauge what’s possible. The age of the home, and how well it’s been maintained, will have an impact on how much work needs doing. Often owners find that the house they intended to renovate turns into a knockdown once the scope of potential issues is highlighted.

Know what you’re dealing with

Many older homes on the Central Coast are simple fibro beach shacks. While these can seem an obvious candidate for renovation, there might not be much left by the time the asbestos is disposed of, the 60s wiring and plumbing is replaced, the rusty corrugated roofing is removed and the non-compliant later addition is knocked down. It might sound like a worse-case scenario but it’s worth having an expert team assess an existing structure before you go ahead with designs to ensure renovating isn’t a false economy.

Of course, you might still be keen to preserve your existing home, and that’s fine. Just be aware that it can add challenges for your building team. But at Brazier we will always discuss any concerns at the beginning. Having a thorough plan in place is the only way to move forward with any project with so many moving parts.

Dealing with an existing structure can also throw up unforeseen issues so, as with a new build, it’s imperative to have a contingency budget.

When it’s right

If your existing home provides a sound foundation renovating is a great way to get the home of your dreams. Working with an experienced designer can be a very rewarding experience – you’ll be amazed by how your home can be transformed. It’s also a great way to gauge the scope of the project and keep cost realistic. At Brazier we have amazing designers that we work with on a regular basis. Having an experienced team on a build is vital for a great result.

Stay or go?

Another consideration is where you live during renovations. Where possible we try to work around clients staying on-site for the duration. It can create some challenges but it saves you months of rental payments and is a great option for those who want to be more involved in the build. Of course it’s not an option that suits everyone and we’re just as happy to work on your home while you’re living comfortably off-site. Though we try to minimise the impact and to work as fast as possible to completion, a building site is a messy and noisy environment.

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New Builds for the Central Coast

Justin Brazier — Tue, 12 Jul 2022 05:22:36 +0000

Building a new home is high on many Australians wish list. And for those lucky enough to live on the stunning Central Coast, there’s no better place to build your dream.

The main advantage of a new build over renovating or purchasing ready built is the joy of getting everything just as you want it. You get to personalise everything, from the layout down to fittings and finishes. It can be an exciting time! But without proper planning it can also be one of the most stressful undertakings in life. And that’s where Brazier comes in. Building your new home should be joyful, not soul destroying. Here’s our top advice.

Planning and organisation

This is the least exciting but most important part of your new build. Without good planning and organisation you can easily have budget and timeframe blowouts which can have the potential to kill off a new build altogether. Our best advice is to do your research. Find a reputable designer that has a portfolio that you like, have an initial consult and start discussing some options. This will give you an idea of what’s possible and what it might cost you. If you’d like to work with Brazier, get in touch and start talking timelines, site prep (particularly if there’s a knock down) and involved costs.

Consider your block

Not all blocks are created equal. Challenging blocks can create stunning solutions but will also add considerably to your build costs and can take more time. Similarly a site that needs clearing or has difficult access will add to your budget and schedule. Another thing to consider is whether your site sits in a bushfire or flood prone area as this can lead to specific requirements with the design and the materials used.

And more planning …

Once you’ve got an idea of what’s possible and what your budget looks like (always add a healthy contingency fund to your budget. Somewhere around 20%) the fun can begin.

A good designer will always design to your budget. It’s a useless exercise to show you a design that comes in way over what you can afford. A modest budget definitely doesn’t mean a shoddy result. Some of the best ideas are born from challenge. And smart choices in materials can make a huge difference to build costs.

Using a designer/builder team that already have a good working relationship makes a lot of sense. Anything that makes a job run smoothly saves you time and money. You want to ensure that you’re working with people that you can trust with your dream as you’re going to have a lot of contact with your building team.

Quote

Ensure your quote is detailed and covers everything discussed. Anything that isn’t covered and signed off is a potential problem, for both you and us, the builders. So we’ll work with you to get everything organised, quoted and signed before any thought of work commences. It’s always a good idea to have any contract checked over by a professional before signing.

Consider other costs

Often people only consider the costs involved with the build, but there are a lot of other expenses with a new home. These might include council fees, removal of any on-site structures (extra expenses if asbestos is involved), finance fees, rent … Make sure you consider all of these out-of-pockets to get an accurate idea of your budget and ensure there’s no nasty surprises.

Clever design

Your designer and builder will help you create a home that evolves with you – as children arrive and grow, as you age, or perhaps with maximum appeal for future sale. It makes sense to do this planning right at the beginning.

As you can see, a lot of the best advice around a new build comes down to meticulous planning and organisation. With a thorough plan in place a full service builder like Brazier can have you in your dream home in a matter of months.

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Development

Justin Brazier — Sat, 14 May 2022 07:54:20 +0000

Justin Brazier has a longstanding interest in property development and has helped many clients make a healthy profit from property. There’s a lot of scope when it comes to building for return but you must keep a tight rein on costs and schedule to avoid eating into your profit. The Central Coast is still a prime area for development. Prices have risen but so have margins, so there’s still good profits to be made.

Brazier Building Developments can help you with every aspect of development, right down to the listing and selling. We have agents that we work with and trust. We can even arrange the staging of your development for sale.

Location

Arguably, this is the most important aspect of finding a development opportunity. Familiarise yourself with the area you’re looking at, see what homes are selling and for what prices. Think about what demographic of buyers or renters are in the area. If it’s predominantly families school zones and childcare will be important. Other services like healthcare, shopping and public transport are also sought after. And of course lifestyle options like proximity to beaches and nature areas.

Consider the block

Ideally you want a north facing aspect and a large, level block with good access. Dual access, such as with a corner block or an adjacent laneway can be a great option for a dual occupancy development. A block with a gradient isn’t a deal breaker by any means but can add to the building task, and cost.

And don’t think you need to find a vacant block. These can be few and far between! We’re lucky on the Central Coast that there are still many small original beach shacks that have seen better days. These are easily removed (though often with the extra expense of asbestos removal) usually giving you a good sized, prime location block with services already connected.

Dual occupancy potential

If you want to take advantage of dual occupancy potential with your development, do your homework. Find out what the council rules are for subdivision in your proposed area and have a good look around at surrounding builds to see what’s been done previously. Council regulations can control not only zoning but things like street landscaping, for example in some areas it might be tough to get a high front boundary fence approved, or you might need to use specific materials. These considerations can become more of a factor when you’re squeezing two dwellings onto one block and keeping costs down. And if you’re considering subdivision there’s usually a minimum size for blocks.

House flipping

We’ve all seen the tv shows, and flipping property is still a great way to make a profit but you need to know what you’re doing. Basically you are taking an existing property, renovating it and selling it for more than your investment (purchase costs plus all reno costs).

Do your research and know what houses are going for in the area you’re considering. Set a budget for your do-upperer and start looking at what’s available. The real risk with buying an existing property to flip is unknowingly getting stuck with a money pit that sucks up any potential return, so you need to look out for a few things.

Take a walk around the neighbourhood, as with any development location is key. You want good access to schools and services as well as green space and an appealing locale. You’re also looking for a block that has scope for extending the home and adding outdoor living areas

When viewing properties keep an eye out for anything that could be a costly repair. Check the integrity of the roof. A roof that’s rusted or has missing tiles can mean potential water damage. Look out for damp marks or damage on the ceiling, bubbling paint or warped timber. Try and ascertain what the plumbing and wiring is like. With many older homes this needs complete replacing to bring it up to current codes. This is a common issue but one you need to budget for.

Period features can be a fantastic thing to retain in an older property. They can make a renovation into something really special. But they can also be costly to repair, so check out the condition of anything like decorative windows, feature timberwork and mouldings. Some of these features can require specialist work which needs to be budgeted for.

If the costs start adding up – roof needs replacing, wiring and plumbing, asbestos removal – or the block doesn’t offer scope for extensions, be ruthless and move on! The secret to flipping is finding the right kind of property.

Once you think you’ve found a good candidate be diligent with your independent building and pest inspections. At Brazier we’re happy to come in and do our own inspections, just to check off that what you’ve been told is the full story. Our aim with any building project is to minimise any surprises.

Then the fun starts! With some properties the existing home just needs redecorating and updating. New kitchens and bathrooms make a huge different, as does quality landscaping. At Brazier we are experts in designing kitchens and bathrooms, and can even put together landscaping packages. With other properties you’ll see your profit maximised by more substantial work. This is where we recommend working with an experienced designer to get the most out of the build and your budget. As with any project having an experienced designer/builder team is crucial.

If you’re thinking of dipping your toes into the world of property development, or if you’re a developer looking for a professional and experienced team to work with, give Justin a call and benefit from his local knowledge.

Call Justin on 0420 373 957

Get in Touch

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