Renovations and extensions in Brunswick.

Brunswick’s housing stock is more varied than a lot of the inner city: Victorian and Edwardian workers cottages sit alongside interwar bungalows and old factory and warehouse buildings that have been converted into homes over the years. Blocks tend to be narrow, and a good share of the older cottages carry a heritage overlay, but there’s more room here than in Fitzroy or Carlton for a genuinely modern extension or a full rebuild.

That mix is why renovations and extensions are usually the right starting point here. A single-fronted cottage that’s been added onto badly over the decades often needs a proper renovation to open the place up and get some light and flow back into it, while a growing family on a workers cottage block usually needs a well-planned extension at the rear rather than a knockdown.

On the bigger or more awkward blocks, sometimes the better answer is a new build: we’ll talk you through both options honestly rather than pushing one over the other. Machinery access is often the real constraint on these sites, not just the design, and it’s something we plan for early.

Planning permits and the heritage overlay in Brunswick are handled by Merri-bek City Council, and the state’s VicPlan map shows which overlays apply to an address.

Every project is managed personally, with clear communication at every stage. Foremost holds building registration CDB-U63719, and Robert is a current member of Master Builders Victoria.