How A House Raising Project Transformed this Brisbane Family Home

The Brief

Amanda and Nathan came to JM Homes in August 2021 with a growing family who needed more space to comfortably live in. They were looking for a way to renovate and modernise their post-war home to better suit their family’s needs and bring their home into the modern era. 

They approached us to do a lift and build-under of their home. They wanted to see how we could make this possible within their budget and what the timeline would look like for the whole process from design to engineering and finally the build. 

Project Timeline

After our initial consultation, we referred Amanda to our friends at Blended Interiors and Design to handle the design of their new home. In September 2021, Josh and Deanna from Blended met with the clients on site to discuss the job, and how to handle potential challenges like improving flood resistance and retaining the original character of the home. This meeting helped us all to get on the same page about our goals and expectations.

We spent the next few months, from October 2021 to February 2022, drafting our plans for the project. It was a collaboration back and forth between Blended Interiors, our team at JM Homes, and Engineers and Certifiers. This was to ensure works were compliant to relevant building codes and standards and aligned with client requests.

Due to the age of the house, there were suspicions that some of the materials could be made from asbestos. This required testing and removal by an appropriately trained and licensed company, so we called in Advanced Deconstruction. 

With the contracts drawn up and signed, and the certifier and local council satisfied the build would be compliant to relevant Planning and Building codes, the final approvals were received and in May work on site was able to begin. 

Throughout the quoting and build process, we faced issues with industry price increases and delays for processing caused by COVID-related staff shortages, along with continued materials shortage and supply chain issues. In particular, it was difficult to receive appliances and materials from overseas, with many products being on back order or special order and delayed by months.

Despite any delays or shortages, we were able to complete the project on time and hand the home back to Amanda and Nathan in December in time for the family to enjoy Christmas and swim in the new pool. 

Project Outcomes

We took this single storey 3-bedroom house and turned it into a modern 2 storey 4-bedroom, 3-bathroom home with an open living area and ample storage. The project cost around $650,000 – $750,000 AUD and took approximately 6 months (27 weeks) to complete. 

By raising the home to build underneath, we were able to make the most of the block so the owners would have ample space and storage. Most importantly, we were able to preserve the backyard space and even add a pool.

The house raise meant we could give this home the facelift it deserved, whilst maintaining its original character. We were able to keep original features like the windows, timber floors and cladding. It blends seamlessly between the post-war charm and modern convenience. 

See the completed project in our gallery.

Our Partners

Throughout this project, we worked with a number of trade and subcontractor partners to ensure we could deliver the best possible result for our client. Some of the people we worked with on this project include:

• Blended Interiors and Design
• Advanced Deconstruction (removal of asbestos)
• Steele House Raising
• Aus-Elec
• Auspipe
• Harvey Norman Commercial (appliances and fixtures)
• Bradnam’s Windows and Doors
• Lionhart Painters
• Marvans Stairs and Balustrading (custom internal stairs)
• RWD Joinery (custom front door)
• Burgess Kitchens and Cabinetry
• National Tiles
• Done Right Residential linings
• A Grade Air
• Zizzo Insulation
• Wilkie Roofing
• OK Mate Pty Ltd (carpentry labour)
• A Custom Floor (sand and seal of timber floor)
• Heath Stratford Tiling
• M and M Earth Moving
• QBCC and HIA (for contract and insurances)
• RealScope (photography of the finished job)

Client Testimonial 

Here’s what the homeowners, Amanda and Nathan, have to say about the project:

“Josh and Kev completed a house lift, build-under and pool on our post-war home. It turned out amazing. The house flows from the old to the new seamlessly. The JM Homes team are friendly, honest and keep the build on budget. 

The build was on time and they had great communication. It was important to us to have a builder we could trust, as it was our first time renovating and had to completely rely on Josh and Kev’s advice. They didn’t disappoint. I would recommend JM Homes.”