Thinking about a renovation in Brisbane? What about a Queenslander renovation? These are special homes. And our guide gives you the most important things to keep in mind when considering Queenslander renovations Brisbane.
We love our Queenslanders. The iconic architectural style of the quintessential Queenslander home can be stunning when maintained or renovated well. But it also has some drawbacks and pitfalls.
When it comes to renovating your Queenslander, you might find yourself with a hodgepodge of issues. Queenslanders have often been subjected to modernisations over the years sometimes leaving them with disordered rooms and difficult layouts. And there’s the constant fight to heat and cool these draughty raised homes.
Our guide to stunning Queenslander renovations can help you create a beautiful home that pays homage to its heritage while embracing the modern Australian lifestyle and avoiding the common pitfalls.
Our Guide to Stunning Queenslander Renovations Brisbane
Permits and Heritage Overlays
Before you begin a Queenslander renovation, your first step is to check whether your home is listed on Queensland’s Heritage Register or in a suburb where there is ‘Character Protection’ or heritage overlay legislation. If it is, then you’ll need to obtain a permit from the council before you can begin any renovations on the property.
Understand Your Own Lifestyle and Needs
Once you get any heritage permits you might need, then it’s time to consider the renovation itself. What outcomes you are looking for? In other words, what do you need to live your own life well in your home?
If you work from home, do you need a dedicated office space? Do you have children who need outdoor space? Do you love to entertain, putting importance on the kitchen and dining area? Or, do you just need more space?
Answering these questions will help you understand where to focus your renovations, and how to update the flow or style of the house to suit your own specific needs.
Extending a Character Home
If you want a larger home, then you can consider extending or raising your Queenslander. Extending a character home can be challenging. But a qualified and experienced builder can help you do this in a way that honours and maintains the original style of the home.
This applies to raising and building under as well. A second storey can be added in a way that works well with the tradition and feel of the original home, while still giving you the space that your modern family needs.
Reconfiguring the Internal Layout
Many Queenslander renovations start with reconfiguring and modernising the internal layout of the home. Older style homes may still have Jack and Jill style bathrooms, which aren’t suitable for guest use. They may have sunrooms off the side of bedrooms that are difficult to access except through private family spaces. And they may have awkwardly enclosed verandas.
Reconfiguring this layout is a great idea, but it should be done in a way that works harmoniously with the exterior and retains the original character elements of the home. This might be ornamental plaster ceilings, VJ walls, casement windows, stained glass elements and solid timber floors. Embracing these and maintaining their integrity throughout your renovation will ensure that your home retains its traditional charm while being comfortable to live in.
Embrace Modern Innovations
When it comes to levelling floors, restumping foundations and creating internal spaces, embrace modern innovations. For example, wooden stumps are traditional. But they lack the longevity of steel or the flexibility of some of the modern stumping solutions. Renovating your home is the perfect time to ensure your home is level. You should also examine and replace outdated footings, foundations and even internal structural walls, with modern materials and construction techniques.
Consider Heat, Light and Sustainable Living
Queenslander homes were originally designed to capture as much airflow as possible in hot and humid temperatures. Putting them on stumps and wrapping them with shady verandas accomplished this. And it also helped keep the home safe from flooding and insect infestations. But while this worked well in days past, today we’re looking for more modern ways to embrace light and stay cool.
Insulation, solar panels, additional windows and more should be considered and used where appropriate. They’ll make your home more pleasant to live in, and will also bring a modern feel to your living space.
Consider Problems as Opportunities
Queenslanders are old homes. That’s part of their charm and their beauty. And even if you’re buying a newly renovated Queenslander, you can assume that you will have maintenance over its lifetime. But these ‘problems’ are also opportunities. Where you have a constraint due to heritage listing, our team can help you find creative solutions to address those. And where you face a problem due to owning an older home, you also have an opportunity to redo it in a better way.
Getting Started with Queenslander Renovations Brisbane
If you’d like to have a chat about renovating your Queenslander, get in touch. Our team at Osnem Projects is one of Brisbane’s leading boutique home renovations specialists with a focus on stunning Queenslander renovations Brisbane. We can help you create the home that you’re envisioning for you and your family.
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