If you own an older home on Raby Bay, you’ve probably reached the point where you’re wondering whether it’s worth renovating or whether you’d be better off knocking it down and starting again.
Around $900,000 to a million is generally the sweet spot for a full home renovation in Raby Bay. Do it right and you can end up with a home that feels brand new. Full internal linings redone, new paint, render, a reworked layout and a home that finally suits how your family lives.
The thing people don’t always expect is how much of that money can go into things you’ll never see.
You just have to be careful about where you draw the line in some areas.
A Big Canal Block With Almost Nowhere to Sit Outside
Take the Kinsail project.
The family had a huge canal block and about four square metres of undercover outdoor space, which isn’t much when the water’s right there. Upstairs, the layout wasn’t working for them either, and the whole house was dated in the way most of the older Raby Bay homes are.
Those were the problems the renovation had to solve.
The rest of the home was redesigned around how this family actually wanted to live. It was their family home and they planned to be there for many years, so they weren’t making decisions around what would photograph well or what happened to be trending at the time.
They were making those decisions for themselves.
Everyone Goes Coastal on the Bay. They Went Grey and Black.
On the water, most people go light, bright and coastal, and that makes sense.
This family went greys and blacks with an industrial look. It wasn’t the most trending choice, and it didn’t need to be. They liked what they liked, and that was the point.
And look, it’s still a beautiful house. They loved it.
The Work Nobody Photographs
A canal home is a different build from a home on regular ground, and most of the difference sits underneath it.
Raby Bay is reclaimed land, man-made rather than natural, so a lot more structural work goes into the ground. There are more council regulations too, and town planning comes into it a lot. There’s a nine metre setback from the canal, and if you go inside it you go through town planning and engineering, which is quite a process.
On an average home, footings are about 500 deep with the odd bored pier.
The Kinsail house had nearly 20 screw piers. They’re big metal screws that get wound down about 15 metres and cut off at ground level. They go that far because there’s a lot of ground movement, and the point is to steady the house.
You never see any of it once the house is finished, but it’s what everything else sits on, and there are no shortcuts to be had in structural work. You’ve got to do it right.
Most people haven’t been through this before, so a fair bit of the quoting stage is talking it through. Why a certain report’s needed, why a particular line costs what it does. It all makes a lot more sense once you can picture what’s happening under the floor.
Where You Get the Say
People ask me where they can save on a canal home, and the honest answer is that the structure is the structure.
Short of changing it or reducing the size, there’s no leeway there.
The room to move is in the selections, the fixtures and fittings, and that part’s entirely in your hands. It’s also the part you’ll see and touch every day, so it’s a good place for the decisions to sit.
Walking In Knowing What’s Coming
If you’re weighing up a renovation on the canal, I’d rather you went into those conversations already knowing what to expect.
Our free guide is for exactly that:
The 5 Mistakes People Make When Planning Their Renovation, and How to Avoid Them
It walks through the early planning decisions that shape everything after them, from the layout and the budget through to what’s sitting under the floor, so you start with a clear picture of where your money’s going.
Grab your free copy here and start your renovation knowing where the money goes and where the choices are yours.
For the rules that apply to domestic building contracts in Queensland, see the QBCC’s guide to contract and agreement types.
Planning a renovation on a Raby Bay canal block? Contact Swanson Constructions or call us on 0489 080 958 to talk through what your block would involve.
Raby Bay Renovation: Common Questions
Is it worth renovating an older Raby Bay home instead of knocking it down?
For many owners, yes. Around $900,000 to a million is generally the sweet spot for a full home renovation in Raby Bay. Done right, that can cover full internal linings, new paint, render and a reworked layout, so the home feels brand new and finally suits how your family lives.
Why does so much of a Raby Bay renovation budget go into work you cannot see?
Raby Bay is reclaimed land, man-made rather than natural, so a lot more structural work goes into the ground than on a home on regular ground. There are also more council regulations, and town planning comes into it a lot. You never see any of it once the house is finished, but everything else sits on it.
What is the nine metre canal setback in Raby Bay?
There is a nine metre setback from the canal. If a design goes inside it, the project goes through town planning and engineering, which is quite a process. It is one reason a canal renovation involves more than the visible work, and why early quoting conversations spend time on reports and requirements.
What are screw piers, and why did the Kinsail project need them?
Screw piers are big metal screws that get wound down into the ground and cut off at ground level. The Kinsail house had nearly 20 of them, wound down about 15 metres, because there is a lot of ground movement on a canal block. Their job is to steady the house.
Where can you save money on a canal home renovation?
Not in the structure, because the structure is the structure. Short of changing it or reducing the size, there is no leeway there. The room to move is in the selections, the fixtures and fittings, and that part is entirely in your hands. It is also the part you will see and touch every day.
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