Major renovation of a 1960s brick dwelling into a contemporary home

This was a personal project to transition our 1960s family abode into a contemporary modern home. The layout and size of the original home was true to its day – dark and small. We wanted a home that gave us more space, more light, and a stronger connection with the outdoors. In short, a home for a busy professional couple with two young kids.

There are a lot of moving parts to a build – literally – from navigating your way through the design and consent phase, to selecting the right building team, and managing the build itself. Not to mention the need to get several ducks lined up to obtain code of compliance on completion (Code of Compliance Certificate, CCC).  Getting any part of this process wrong (at any stage) can be inefficient, stressful – and costly.

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Engage

The first step was to engage an architect friend of ours, Thao Nguyen from StudioTT.  Thao designed the overall concept, which was then further developed to working drawings, and through the consent process by Bruce Shadwick of Shadwick Design Associates.

Following Council consent, we conducted the tender process and contract negotiations. After considering the range of contract options we settled on a ‘labour only contract’. Under this structure I could materially impact the labour budget, and keep costs down, by working on site.

Taking a sabbatical from my job as a corporate project consultant, my role was to be both ‘client/project manager’ and ‘hands-on’ – driving and managing the build, while working full-time as a lacky under the building team. With Tui, the site foreman, responsible for the build and day-to-day operations.

Mobilise

After selecting the Main Contractor/builder, we assembled the crew. Even though we were on a labour-only contract, we had the ability to use the Main Contractor’s subbies – all of whom were brilliant. Where we needed to engage other specialist capabilities, we did so from a network of personal connections and referrals. By January, we had our team. By mid-February we were underway.

manage

It is definitely an unusual situation to have the ‘client’ as the lacky and project manager. Being on site each day afforded me the luxury of being able to make decisions quickly and in real time, speeding up the build process and maximising efficiencies. 

In addition to scheduling, planning, and liaising with consultants and specialists, I was also tasked with administering the project and wrapping some basic corporate disciplines around it. Financial management – including detailed and dashboard reporting for the client – and setting up a communication framework (and weaving this into the natural cadence of the project) proved hugely important. Both aspects played heavily into the project’s success. Later I would take this insight and create an online portal (for reporting and communication) for future clients.

No material challenges were encountered during the build. That is not to say there were not any problems or issues to resolve. But by having good project management practices, an effective communication model and strong relationships in place these issues were addressed and resolved collaboratively and quickly. As a result, the project was a success.

Success measures