Planning a renovation: the checks before you start
Before design gets too far, check the title and planning controls, likely approvals, licensed-trade requirements, possible pre-1990 hazardous materials, and the capacity of the existing structure and services. Tell the home insurer about relevant work and get the cover position in writing. Keep a contingency for the things no one can see until the building is opened up.
- 01SiteWhat the title, easements and overlays already decided
- 02ApprovalPlanning approval and a building permit: separate questions
- 03DeliveryLicensed hands, insured work, inspections passed, records kept
Settle the pathway while the design is still a pencil sketch.
Reduce uncertainty before design hardens
Run the early checks on title, planning, hazards, structure and services while the design can still bend around what they find. Then write down the assumptions you are still carrying, decide whether it is worth opening anything up to test them, and make the contract say who owns the risk of what nobody could see.
Approvals for the proposed work
Planning permits, building permits, trade licences and compliance certificates serve different purposes. Requirements vary by state, council, site and scope. In Victoria, use the official guides to planning permits and building permits. Ask the relevant authority and building surveyor to confirm the pathway before design is locked.
Hazardous materials: know before you disturb
Renovation can disturb hazardous materials. Screen the property before drilling, sanding or demolition.
Asbestos
For a home built or renovated before 1990, ASSEA advises that asbestos-containing materials may be present. Identify suspect material before disturbance and confirm the relevant state licensing and disposal requirements. A photograph or build date cannot confirm the material.
Lead paint
Older paint layers may contain lead even when newer coatings look sound. Before sanding, scraping or stripping, follow the Australian Government Lead Alert, identify the material and use the appropriate precautions. The paint's age is a screening clue; it does not establish its lead concentration.
Structure and services: what the building can take
Load-bearing walls and structure
Establish the load-bearing structure before removing or opening a wall; whether the house is brick veneer or double brick changes that question. Structural changes need engineering and an appropriately sized support. Where the home already shows movement, read the guide to wall cracks and obtain professional assessment before adding load.
Wiring, plumbing and the switchboard
A new kitchen, bathroom or extension may require switchboard, wiring, plumbing or drainage upgrades. Assess the installed services while planning and budget coordinated work while walls are open. The era planning guide helps identify the first questions.
Title and planning: what you are allowed to build
Check the title and planning information before commissioning a detailed design. An easement may require authority consent for building work. A restrictive covenant can control height, materials or dwelling numbers. Overlays add controls to the zone. These are the same layers covered in a Victorian Section 32. For a home in a Victorian Heritage Overlay, the heritage-overlay guide explains how to read the schedule and related controls.
Build the homework into the budget
Link the contingency to recorded assumptions and the decision points that could change scope. Before work begins, notify the home insurer or broker and confirm how renovation, vacancy, security and contract works affect cover.
Separate what is staying from what is changing
Make a simple existing-condition record before choosing the finished layout: construction system, known alterations, roof and wall condition, wet-area history and the services you intend to retain. Ask which parts have been inspected and which assumptions come only from old drawings. A new kitchen can depend on an old floor, concealed plumbing and a switchboard that have never been assessed for the proposal.
YourHome's renovation guidance encourages considering the existing building and coordinating performance upgrades. For the decision in front of you, compare retaining the layout with moving services or opening a wall. The valuable comparison includes enabling work and uncertainty as well as the visible finishes.
Spend investigation effort where it can change the design
| Proposed change | Question before commitment | Useful input |
|---|---|---|
| Remove a wall or enlarge an opening | What supports the loads now, and where will they go? | Plans, structural assessment and a design including temporary support. |
| Move a bathroom or kitchen | Can the proposed service routes and floor build-up work? | Licensed service advice, levels and appropriate access to the existing assembly. |
| Replace cladding or add insulation | How will the existing and new layers drain and dry? | Product details and climate-appropriate assembly design. |
| Extend beside a boundary or service asset | Which rights, approvals, access and protection measures apply? | Title and authority review, surveyed information where needed. |
| Retain an old roof over new interiors | What evidence supports retaining the covering and drainage? | A defined roof assessment before finishes conceal the consequences of a leak. |
Opening-up can be useful when a concealed fact would materially change the scope. Agree its location, purpose, authority, safety precautions and reinstatement first. A destructive inspection is not a casual extension of a visual report, especially before purchase or where hazardous material may be present. If investigation is deferred, carry the assumption explicitly into the design and budget.
Compare quotes using the same assumptions
Give tenderers the same drawings, specification, investigation information and list of exclusions. Ask them to identify what is fixed, what is an allowance, what has been excluded and what triggers a variation. A lower headline figure can simply leave more services, access or making-good outside the price. Keep tax treatment and the intended quality of reinstatement consistent when comparing totals.
Use a short uncertainty schedule instead of relying only on an unexplained percentage contingency. For each unknown, record the possible consequence, when it becomes knowable and who approves a scope or price change. A concealed pipe route might affect a local allowance; uncertain support under an addition might change the design itself. They deserve different investigation decisions.
Assign responsibility at the junctions between trades
Window replacement, roof-to-wall junctions, wet-area penetrations and deck connections often cross trade boundaries. Ask who details the junction, who installs each layer and who checks the work before it is covered. A collection of individual product warranties does not establish that the assembled junction will perform.
For an apartment, establish the common-property boundary, required scheme approvals and any continuing responsibility for the alteration. For a house, plan how retained rooms will remain safe, secure and weatherproof while work proceeds. Confirm with the insurer or broker how the proposed works and occupancy arrangement affect your actual cover; use the insurance guide to organise that discussion.
Define the evidence you want at completion
Agree which plans, inspection records, certificates, product details, concealed-work photographs and operating instructions you will receive for your home record. Ask how defects will be listed and followed up, and what maintenance keeps the new systems serviceable. The completion process should address both the relevant approvals and delivery of the contracted scope; neither a photograph of the finished room nor one invoice records all of that.
Worked example: the open-plan kitchen with a provisional beam allowance
Illustrative reasoning example, not an inspected property. A 1970s brick-veneer house is quoted for wall removal and a new kitchen, with a provisional allowance for a beam. No one has established the support below its proposed end. The visible design can be attractive while that structural assumption remains unresolved.
Have the load path and support arrangement assessed before relying on the allowance. If an appropriate existing support is confirmed, the scope may remain close to the proposal. If new foundations, service diversion or access work are needed, the budget and sequence change. Resolve that dependency while the layout can still move, then compare quotes against the same documented design.
Frequently asked questions
What should I check before renovating my home?
Check approvals, hazardous materials, structure, services, title constraints, planning controls and insurance before the design is locked. Decide which plans, photographs, certificates and invoices you will keep as the work unfolds.
Do I need a permit to renovate?
It depends on the proposal, site and jurisdiction. Planning and building permits are separate, and licensed plumbing or electrical work is a separate compliance question again. Confirm the pathway before design is locked.
How do I know if my home has asbestos before renovating?
For a home built or renovated before 1990, treat suspect material as potentially asbestos-containing until appropriately identified. Follow your state’s licensing and disposal requirements before disturbance.
How do I know if a wall is load-bearing?
Establish the structural system from plans and professional assessment before removal. Load-bearing changes need engineering and an appropriately sized support.
Will my switchboard and wiring handle a renovation?
Have a licensed electrician assess the proposed load, switchboard, safety switches and installed wiring during planning.
Can I build an extension anywhere on my land?
Easements, restrictive covenants, overlays, setbacks and approval rules can limit the location and form. Check title and planning information before design.
How should I set a renovation contingency?
Link it to specific unresolved assumptions and their possible consequences. Decide which can be investigated before contract and how later scope changes will be approved.
Is the cheapest quote necessarily better value?
Compare the same scope, exclusions, allowances, access, service upgrades and reinstatement. A lower total may leave important work outside the price.
What records should I receive at handover?
Agree the applicable approvals and inspection records, final plans, product and service details, concealed-work photographs, warranties and operating/maintenance instructions before work begins.
How this guide was researched
We organise renovation decisions around retained fabric, investigations that can change design, clear scope assumptions and evidence at concealed-work and completion stages.
Limits: Approval, licensing, insurance and disclosure obligations vary. Confirm them before design or demolition with the relevant authority and insurer.
Sources
- Planning permitsVictorian Government · accessed 2026-07-19
- When is a building permit required?Building and Plumbing Commission Victoria · accessed 2026-07-19
- Asbestos in the homeAsbestos and Silica Safety and Eradication Agency · accessed 2026-09-07
- Lead Alert: the six step guide to painting your homeAustralian Government · accessed 2026-07-19
- Renovations and additionsYourHome, Australian Government · accessed 2026-09-07
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