Period restoration and renovations in Fitzroy.

Fitzroy is Melbourne’s oldest suburb, and it shows in the housing: tight rows of single-fronted terraces, iron lacework, bluestone laneways and workers cottages built hard up against the street. Streetscapes here are some of the most intact Victorian-era stock left in the inner city, and heritage overlays cover a large share of these homes.

That level of heritage protection means most real change to a period home here needs council sign-off before work starts. Party walls and close neighbours are the norm here, so we plan works to keep noise and access disruption to a minimum. Our period restoration service handles those submissions and the heritage compliance as part of the job, restoring original features where we can and matching new work carefully where we can’t. Renovating a Victorian home here is often less about a full rebuild and more about opening up a cramped floor plan without losing the character out front, which is where our renovations service earns its keep.

Where a family has outgrown a single-fronted cottage, a well-planned extension at the rear can add real living space without touching the heritage frontage the council cares about.

Fitzroy is in the City of Yarra, the council that issues planning permits and runs the heritage overlay here, and the state’s VicPlan map shows which overlays cover a given house.

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.