Improving

Renovations, extensions and structural change to a house you already own.

Improving an existing house is harder than building new, because you are working around something that already exists and does not always match its drawings. Old houses hide rot, undersized framing, illegal plumbing and asbestos, and every one of those turns up after demolition has started.

This pillar covers renovations, extensions, structural changes and the outdoor work that surrounds them — how the trades sequence, what holds jobs up, and where budgets reliably blow out.

Topics in this pillar

Renovations & Extensions

How reno and extension work actually sequences, from demolition to handover.

Recent Field Notes

All articles

What to ask a builder's previous clients

The list matters more than the questions. Ask for the three most recent completed jobs, call all three, and ask how the relationship ended rather than how it began.

What is practical completion?

Practical completion is the point the work is finished enough to use — not the point it is perfect. It triggers the final payment, starts the defects liability period, and hands risk back to you.

Why renovations run late

Most renovation delays come from a short list of repeatable causes, and most of that list is foreseeable. Here is what actually pushes a program out, why a one-week slip is never one week, and what you can control.