Not every builder is equipped to work on a character home, and it's worth knowing the difference before you commit. Older homes across Melbourne's eastern suburbs come with timber framing, solid brick walls, heritage overlays, and layouts that were never designed with modern living in mind. The right renovation and extension builders in Melbourne will know how to work with all of that, and approach your home very differently from a standard new build.
A character home isn't just older. It usually has original features worth keeping, materials that are no longer standard, and sometimes a council overlay that shapes what you can and can't change. Builders who focus on new builds or volume projects often aren't set up for this kind of nuance, and it shows in the final result. It's one of the main reasons house renovations in Melbourne's older suburbs need more planning than a modern home.
Before you talk to any builder, it helps to know whether a heritage overlay applies to your property. You can check this with a free Planning Property Report from the Victorian Government. The report lists the zones and overlays for any Victorian address and shows whether the property is on the Victorian Heritage Register.
Craft Built Homes has spent over 13 years as home builders across Melbourne's eastern suburbs, working in Kew, Balwyn, Hawthorn, Surrey Hills, Doncaster, Templestowe and Warrandyte. That experience means we've worked through the surprises a character home renovation tends to throw up, from unexpected structural issues to heritage requirements that change what a design can include.
When you own a character home, you're not just choosing a builder to complete a project. You're trusting someone to work carefully with a home that often can't be easily replaced if something goes wrong. A few things separate a builder worth that trust from one that isn't:
Every renovation or extension we take on starts with understanding what makes the property worth preserving. We assess the existing structure, talk through which council overlays apply, and work out where a design can extend or open up the home without compromising its character.
As home renovation builders in Melbourne, we handle everything from full layout reworks to smaller upgrades that fix how a home functions day to day. When you need more space, our home extension builders in Melbourne plan additions that sit comfortably alongside the original home. That includes a double storey extension in Melbourne where a single-level addition won't give you enough room. If you're working with a tighter block, our guide to small home extensions in Melbourne covers what's possible.
As an HIA Victoria award holder, we've built a reputation on getting the finish right, not just the structure.
You'll deal with a team that explains what's happening at each stage, rather than one that disappears between milestones. We talk through material choices upfront, are clear about what heritage requirements mean for your design, and keep you in the loop as the project moves from design to construction.
We choose materials to suit the character of each home, including Victorian ash timber, spotted gum lining boards and Colorbond cladding, so the finished result feels like it belongs rather than looking bolted on. You can see how this comes together in our recent projects.
Yes, if your home falls within a heritage overlay. Under a heritage overlay, you normally need a planning permit from council to demolish, build or externally alter a building. A builder without experience navigating these rules can slow your project down or design something the council won't approve.
Yes. We combine both on a single project, reworking the existing layout while adding new space, so one team manages the whole scope and you don't have to coordinate two separate builders.
We work across Melbourne's eastern suburbs, including Kew, Balwyn, Hawthorn, Surrey Hills, Doncaster, Templestowe and Warrandyte. See all the areas we cover on our locations page, or get in touch and we'll confirm whether your property falls within our service area.
That's the goal with every project we take on. We choose materials and design details that suit the home's original character, rather than a generic finish that could belong to any renovation.
Most renovations and extensions need a building permit from a registered building surveyor, who may work for your council or privately. If a heritage overlay applies, you'll usually need a planning permit from council as well. We manage this process for you as part of our service.
