This property was one of several investment properties rented out by my client. The property was bought after the mortgage was defaulted and the property was in poor condition.

The brief was a general renovation of all wet areas, LIGHTING, cabinets, doors on storage area.

Issues were encountered at the start, when it was found that the previous renovation in the 80’s had not removed ALL of the asbestos in the walls (only some had been removed).

As such, the demolition was halted and a professional called in (at the owner’s expense as it was NOT part of our contract) to clear the property of any asbestos that gets in the way of demolition.

At that point we found that the bathroom had floor boards, but only half way and there was a gaping hole where the old bath was. You could see clear under to the foundations of the house.

As such, the floor and joists had to be replaced, before a new gyprock floor could be put down.

All walls in the kitchen and bathroom had to be replaced with new Gyprock before anything else could be done. Gyprock was used in the kitchen and bathroom walls and bathroom floor.

A kitchen layout opting for a ‘galley style’ was adopted, due to the fact that the laundry door had to be accessible as a walk through. The laundry had issues such as a wc, with storage but no doors. We put in a sliding door to make more room.

In the bathroom, we replaced the bath and vanity with new, all new tapware was installed,

Any earthenware and galvanised pipe were replaced with pvc pipe, we installed new mirrors and tiles.

Because of the age of the property and poor maintenance previously, we had to make sure the wiring was fixed, pipes replaced and the hot water system was redundant (30 years old), so we had to put in a new Vulcan storage hot water system. ($900)

In the kitchen- new appliances were installed and a dishwasher and micro were added. There was no previous pantry, in the old kitchen, so we installed tow pantry units, beside the fridge space. We increased the bench space by using a small sink and use of new overhead cabinetry for extra storage.

All new lighting and some accessories completed this budget renovation at a cost of approx. $28K

TIP *** MAKE SURE THERE IS NO ASBESTOS IN THE PROPERTY, on purchase, OR THE COSTS TO RENOVATE WILL GO UP CONSIDERABLY. CHECK THE Hot water system IS still FUNCTIONAL AND THAT THE AIR CON UNITS STILL WORK. Check on the electricity circuit power availability, safety switches and smoke detectors.

Have a building inspection pre settlement to find out what needs fixing. Highly Recommended.