Gidaya Group's Renovations and Extensions service takes an existing Melbourne home from a fixed idea to a tested scope, then builds it out to handover. It covers whole-home renovations, additions and second storeys from $500k, for owners who want the house improved, not replaced.

What the Renovations and Extensions service covers

This is a whole-home service, not a room-by-room quote.

It covers structural change to an existing house: opened-up living areas, rear and second-storey additions, full internal reconfiguration, and the services work that goes with it. Wet areas, wiring, plumbing and waterproofing get treated as part of the build itself, not priced separately once walls are already open. Heritage-sensitive work sits inside the same service, tested against what a council overlay allows before the design gets locked in.

What it doesn't cover is a single room swapped out on its own. A bathroom or kitchen refresh is a different job with a different risk profile, and it isn't what this service is built to test properly.

Access and site logistics sit inside the scope too, not bolted on afterward. Where the fence line goes, where trades park on a tight established street, how materials get in and rubble gets out, all of it gets planned as part of the build rather than worked out on the first morning. On an occupied home, that planning is the difference between a renovation that stays liveable and one that turns the whole house into a site.

Who is this service built for?

Not everyone renovating needs a builder at this level.

It suits owners with an established Melbourne home who want more from it: more space, a better connection to the yard, room for a family still growing into the house. It suits homes with real value already in the walls, the street presence or the block, where starting again would waste what's already working. And it suits owners who want one team accountable for the whole scope, from a load-bearing wall through to the final coat of paint, rather than a string of separate trades reporting to nobody in particular.

It's not the right fit for a cosmetic refresh or a project under $500k. That needs different help, and a builder worth your time says so early rather than take the job anyway.

It also suits owners who've already had a quote that didn't add up, or a plan that stalled once the real condition of the house came to light. That's common, not a sign the project was mishandled. It usually just means the scope was priced before it was tested, and this service exists to test it properly the first time.

What actually changes once Gidaya takes on the project?

The house gets tested before it gets designed.

Before any drawing is treated as final, the structure, the services and the site access get checked against the brief you actually want built. That test decides what's realistic to keep, what has to change, and where the money genuinely needs to go. From there, scope gets locked to what's been tested rather than a wish list, and pricing follows the tested scope instead of a floor plan guess.

One point of contact carries the project through the build. You're not chasing five trades for five different answers. You're getting one answer, even on the day something behind a wall changes the plan.

Selections and finishes get sequenced against the build, not chosen in isolation months ahead and then forced to fit whatever the structure ends up allowing. That order matters more than it sounds. A tapware choice made before the plumbing layout is confirmed is a guess. Made after, it's a decision.

What sits inside the price for this service?

Not everything that touches a renovation sits inside the same number.

The price under this service covers the tested scope: structure, services and the build itself, priced against what's actually been checked rather than a rough floor plan. Permits, consultant fees and any temporary services get named as part of the same number, not discovered as extras once the invoice lands. A genuine contingency sits inside the price too, because older homes can carry surprises behind the plaster, and a number with no room for that isn't really a number at all.

What sits outside it stays just as clear: work on parts of the house you've chosen not to touch, and any change you ask for once the scope is already locked in. Nothing there is hidden. It's named before you commit, so the number you're working from is one you can actually plan a family's finances around.

Does the service include second storeys and extensions?

Yes, both sit inside the same service.

A second storey adds load the existing footings and frame have to carry, so the ground floor structure gets checked before the first stud goes up. A rear or side extension carries a different problem: joining old construction to new without the seam reading as an afterthought, usually while bringing the older part of the house up to the standard of the addition sitting next to it.

Either way, the existing structure sets the real limits before a finish gets chosen. That gets tested inside this service, not treated as a separate conversation once demolition has already started.

What proof sits behind this service?

Four Melbourne renovations show the range this service actually covers.

Project Dunbar in Sunshine kept an existing home that still had value and reshaped it around a family that had outgrown the layout. Project Kenmore in Hoppers Crossing and Project Victoria in Preston are both modern renovations built around the same test: what's worth keeping, and what's holding the house back. Project Neville in Carnegie is a heritage renovation, where the street-facing form had to be protected while the rest of the house was reworked around how the family actually lives.

None of those four projects looked the same on paper. Different suburbs, different councils, different reasons the owners started looking at a builder in the first place. The service that got them there did not change from job to job. Only the answers it produced did.

What do you get at handover?

A finished home that matches the tested scope, not the first sketch.

That means the structural and services work is signed off, the join between old and new reads as one house, and the parts of the original home worth keeping are still doing their job. It also means a clear record of what changed and why, so if the house needs work again in years to come, nobody is guessing what sits behind the plaster.

Handover isn't where contact ends either. The same team that scoped the job stays reachable if something needs attention once you're living back in the house.

Is renovating always the right call?

Not always, and a straight answer matters more than a sale.

If the existing home is fighting the brief harder than it's helping, that's worth naming early rather than discovering it mid-build. A custom home or a knockdown rebuild comparison sometimes gives the cleaner outcome, and this service includes that honest comparison as part of the first conversation, not as an upsell once drawings exist. Read the fuller renovation and extension guide for how that comparison gets made.

What should you send before the first call?

You don't need finished drawings to start.

Send what you already have: photos of the existing home, any old plans or a building inspection, the rooms that frustrate you most, and a rough budget range. If the site carries a heritage overlay or a planning history, mention that too. From there, the first call works out whether the honest answer is a renovation, an extension, or something else worth testing first.

Not sure where your project sits yet? Say that as well. Working it out together is part of the service, not a hurdle standing in front of it. Browse Gidaya Group's projects for more renovation context, or read more about the team before you get in touch.

Timing matters too, even loosely. A project that needs to start before winter behaves differently to one with no fixed date, and saying so early means the first conversation can test the right things in the right order instead of circling back later to ask what should have come up on day one.

Frequently asked questions

What does the Renovations and Extensions service include?

Whole-home renovations, second storeys and extensions from $500k, including the structural and services work behind them, across Melbourne and Victoria.

Does this service cover heritage renovations?

Yes. Project Neville in Carnegie is a heritage renovation delivered inside this service, with the council overlay tested before the design was finalised.

Can Gidaya help before I have drawings?

Yes. Photos, an old plan or a building inspection are enough to start the first conversation.

What if the existing house can't carry the brief I want?

Renovation stops being the honest answer, and comparing it against a rebuild becomes part of the same first conversation, not a separate sales step.

Who stays in contact after handover?

The same team that scoped the renovation, so nothing about the house needs re-explaining if a question comes up later.

Does the price include permits and consultant fees?

Yes. Permits, consultant fees and any temporary services sit inside the priced scope, named upfront rather than added once the invoice lands.

Can the work happen while the house is still occupied?

In most cases, yes. Access, parking and site logistics get planned as part of the scope, so the home stays liveable through the build rather than becoming a problem to solve on the first morning.

Send your renovation notes to Gidaya Group.

Written by the Gidaya Group team. Checked for accuracy before publishing. Updated 2026-07-08.