Upgrade Your Heritage Property With An Extension

The following Upgrade Your Heritage Property With An Extension was first seen on Custom Outdoor Living Website
Melbourne has a very rich history which can be seen by the variety of historical buildings and monuments dotted around the city. We are lucky to also be able to boast National Trust homes and museums with great historical significance, not to mention the variety of gardens and parks too. You can find out more about Melbourne's rich history on the visitvictoria.com website, some of which has been included here.

Houses and Homesteads

Melbourne is home to a number of outstanding and architecturally significant National Trust homes and museums, as well as historically significant parks and gardens. Among the best are the lavish French Renaissance-inspired Como house, a colonial mansion set in five acres of garden at Toorak, and Rippon Lea Estate, the last of Australia's great privately owned nineteenth century suburban estates. Read more

We are lucky to have many heritage houses, but over time as tastes change and families grow in size, you may want to design an addition to your home. Extending such a building requires careful planning and you must get permission from the local authority before taking on such a project. Here's some further helpful information on the matter.

Before starting a renovation or restoration of a heritage property do your homework to avoid costly mistakes.

Your property could be considered significant from a local, state or even national perspective and that can have a big effect on how little or how much you can change. Knocking down walls or even changing the colour scheme may not be possible in some cases. Some houses come with constraints because of their architecture or streetscape significance, others for reasons such as being the first house in a suburb or because someone famous once lived there. A spokesman for the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage says restoring and revitalising heritage properties helps enormously to conserve and protect them for future generations. “But prior to planning the development of a heritage item, owners should consult with the relevant approval bodies to find out which rules and regulations apply,” he says. Read more

Once everything is in place and you've been given the go-ahead, the best thing to do is to consult with a local building contractor who specialises in designing and installing extensions. Here's a great example of what can be accomplished with a an extension added onto the back of a Heritage home.

The limestone and brick quoin house, dating back to 1901, was also partially restored.   There’s a casual living room, filled with natural light.   Read more

Many people may not bother investing in a heritage property because of the strict rules and regulations, but hopefully this has inspired those of you who live in one to realise the possibilities. Customer Outdoor living have over 20 years of experience in designing and installing home extensions including sunrooms. So if you have any questions at all about how to extend your property, give us a call on 1300 724 118. Simply fill in the quotation form on the right hand side or use our contact page and we'll get back to you soon as we can.