Apartment renovation 101: How to avoid a makeover nightmare
RENOVATING an apartment is a great option, as long as you understand the rules, writes Catherine Nikas-Boulos
SYDNEY is in the middle of an apartment building boom, with experts estimating that about half of us will be living in one in the next 40 years or so.
Once considered a second rate alternative to a larger freestanding house, apartments are becoming more attractive to homebuyers thanks to their low-maintenance lifestyle and relative affordability.
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Reality shows like The Block have shown there is plenty that can be done to improve older apartments in solidly built blocks that might have seen better days.
Beyond the old school rule that dictates you paint the walls white to give the place a more spacious feel, an extensive renovation that includes knocking out walls and repositioning rooms is not out of the question.
But just because you are dealing with a renovation in an apartment, doesn’t make it any less of big deal.
In fact, dealing with a smaller space may be that little bit more complicated when juggling trades — and that’s not the only issue.
EXPECTING THE UNEXPECTED
When Libby Kent decided her apartment in Manly Vale was ripe for renovation, she couldn’t have foreseen the issues that would eventually play out.
Expecting her first child in February, Libby and her husband Ben still have a long way to go before they can enjoy the solitude of a quiet home before their baby arrives.
While apartment owners aren’t required to consult council on minor internal renovations, they do have to deal with their body corporate and strata.
Libby says this process made the renovation all the more time consuming because everything had to be signed off twice.
Their apartment is one of 12 in a small block, and thanks to a previous apartment owner who didn’t play by the rules, Libby and Ben’s application to renovate was not met with any great enthusiasm.
While approval was ultimately given to knock down an internal wall, install a new kitchen and change the flooring, the process has been slow and somewhat complicated.
“We emailed strata who then took our plans to body corporate,” says Libby. “In hindsight, we should have just gone straight to body corporate, there has been so much to-ing and fro-ing.”
Libby says even though they were given the go-ahead to proceed with their renovation on their top floor unit, body corporate said the work could only be carried out from Monday to Friday.
They were also told to rethink the plan to rip up the carpet and replace it with a timber floating floor.
Libby says the compromise has been to install vinyl planks in the kitchen and hallway, as it has a good soundproofing value, but the remaining room will still be carpeted.
The kitchen, which is still in the process of completion, was another drama.
Ripping out the old to make way for the new should have been a straightforward exercise, but that was not the case for Libby and Ben.
Given it is the top floor unit, it would have been easier to position a skip under their balcony to catch the demolition debris — but organising one to be placed on common space was not that simple.
“The skip would also have taken out someone’s car space for the day, so the compromise was the builder’s van was parked out the front for the day and my husband had to go up and down two flights of stairs all day to get rid of the rubbish.
“That was a good day,” she deadpans.
CONSIDERATION AND CARE
Living Space Constructions director Luke Whittington knows all about the challenges of apartment renovations.
His company specialises in these projects and he says great redesigns can be achieved in apartments, within limits.
“These days, strata is quite strict about what can and can’t be done and the approval process is quite involved,” he says.
“Back in the day, the approval process was quite quick, but there are more things to worry about now.”
Aside from neighbour disturbance, the biggest issue can be waterproofing.
“It there is a leak, that is a major issue, not just for the unit but everyone else in the complex potentially.”
He says in the past, especially in older units, owners were also a little too casual about knocking out walls, with strata rightly tightening their grip on who knocks out what, and where.
“When you have multiple units knocking out walls or relocating them, you are potentially structurally weakening the building,” Luke says.
“Old apartment designs have everything compartmentalised, with the kitchen and living areas as stand-alone rooms, but everyone wants open plan now and a kitchen with a breakfast bar.
“It can be done, but it has to be done with careful consideration and care.”
For starters, always notify strata of your plans and try to maintain good relationships with your neighbours by notifying them of your renovation intentions.
KEEPING IT CLEAN
Making nice with the neighbours is all about being respectful of communal spaces.
Luke says everyone pays strata fees, so dumping rubbish on common property is a major no-no, even short term.
It’s even more of an issue if common property is damaged.
Top floor apartments are even tricker to deal with because they share a common roof.
“If you want to put downlights in, for instance, you have to go through the roof, and then it’s a case of what came first, the chicken or the egg?” says Luke.
“If you want a new ceiling, will the old beam hold or do you need a new beam?
“Then you’re dealing with common areas, so your reno impacts everyone in the building.”
“Opening up walls and redoing floors will maximise capital on your property, but you just have to go through the proper channels.”
Renovations mean there will be noise and dust aplenty, and when you’re living in an apartment you’re up for the least popular neighbour award.
“The most noise will happen at the beginning of a renovation when we have the jackhammers out and we’re removing tiles from the bathroom wall,” says Luke.
“There’s no quiet way of doing that kind of work but we do put notices up to make the neighbours aware that we will be making some noise, so people who have young children or work from home might have a back-up plan on those days.”
More: ACG Building acgbuilding.com.au
Living Space Constructions livingspaceconstructions.com.au
DEVELOPING A TASTE FOR APARTMENTS
THERE has been plenty of new development in Enmore recently, with ACG Building recently completing a super-cool apartment block that is a finalist in the HIA CSR Awards for Apartment of the Year category.
ACG Building director Peter Phokos says the development, which is primarily made up of one-bedroom apartments, is designed in an open plan format.
He doesn’t expect anyone to renovate the 88sq m apartments soon, with all the spaces offering light-filled rooms with ample storage.
“You could refurb to your personal taste, I guess, but the designer has put together apartments that feel quite large, even though they are only one-bedroom.”
Light colours feature in the Enmore project, with double-glazed windows adding an extra element of soundproofing.
The graffiti on the building is a quirky touch that is in keeping with the gritty nature of the area’s light industrial past.
“That was the developer’s idea and it kind of restricts people from putting their graffiti on it,” says Peter. “It’s graffiti code that you don’t go over someone else’s work.”
More: ACG Building acgbuilding.com.au
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