How to Plan a Home Renovation in Perth Without Losing Your Mind
- 2 days ago
- 6 min read
Most home renovations in Perth don't go wrong because of bad tradespeople or difficult designs. They go wrong because the planning wasn't done properly before work started. Scope that wasn't defined clearly. A budget that didn't account for the full cost of what was being asked. Trades booked out of sequence. Materials ordered after they were needed. Decisions left until they were urgent rather than made when there was time to think them through.
The renovation itself is actually the straightforward part. Getting to the start of the renovation with everything properly thought through is where most of the real work happens.
This guide covers how to approach that planning process in a way that gives the renovation the best possible chance of going smoothly.
Start with what you actually want to achieve
Before any other conversation happens, be clear about what the renovation is for. This sounds obvious but it's frequently skipped in the rush to get quotes and start work.
A renovation done to improve daily liveability has different priorities to one done to add value before a sale. A renovation on a property you plan to live in for twenty years has different parameters to one on an investment property. A project that needs to be completed within a fixed timeframe has different constraints to one where timing is flexible.
Being clear about the purpose of the renovation helps with every decision that follows — what to include, what to leave out, where to spend more and where to spend less. It also helps the trades team you work with understand what a good outcome looks like for your specific situation.
Define the scope before you get quotes
Quotes are only useful if everyone is quoting on the same thing. Getting three quotes for a kitchen renovation where one quote includes the plumbing, one doesn't and one assumes you're supplying the appliances gives you three numbers that can't meaningfully be compared.
A clear scope of works defines:
What rooms or areas are included
What is being removed and what is staying
What materials are being used, or at least what grade and quality
What trades are included in the quote and what aren't
What the finished result should look like
You don't need architectural drawings for most residential renovations, but you do need enough detail that everyone quoting is working from the same brief. A written scope, even a simple one, is significantly better than a verbal description that different tradies interpret differently.
Build a realistic budget before you fall in love with anything
Budget conversations are uncomfortable, which is why many homeowners avoid having them explicitly until they receive a quote that's higher than expected. Having a clear budget before getting quotes is more useful than having an undefined budget and hoping the quotes come in at a number that works.
A realistic renovation budget for a Perth home has several components:
The build cost. What the trades actually charge for labour and materials. This is what quotes are for.
Fixtures and fittings. Tapware, tiles, cabinetry hardware, appliances, light fittings, bathroom accessories. These are often not fully included in a builder's quote and can add up significantly, particularly if the selections are at the higher end of the market.
Contingency. Renovations, particularly in older Perth homes, frequently uncover things that weren't visible before work started. Old plumbing that needs replacing. Rotted timber behind a wall. Electrical wiring that doesn't meet current standards. A contingency of ten to fifteen percent of the build cost is a sensible buffer. Treating the contingency as money you expect to spend rather than money you hope not to spend makes the budget more realistic.
Holding costs. If the renovation means you can't use part of the house, or if you need to move out temporarily, there are costs associated with that displacement. Factor them in.
Professional fees. If the project requires a building permit, there are application fees. If you're using a draftsperson or designer, there are fees for that. These aren't large in most residential renovations but they're real costs.
Under the Home Building Contracts Act 1991 (WA), contracts for residential building work over $7,500 must be in writing. The Consumer Protection division of DMIRS provides useful guidance on building contracts and homeowner rights in WA, including what a compliant contract should contain.
Understand what approvals you need
Not every renovation requires a building permit, but some do, and finding out after work has started that a permit was required is an unpleasant situation.
Under the Building Regulations 2012 (WA), a building permit is generally required for structural work, new wet areas, extensions and drainage changes. Cosmetic work, like painting, new cabinetry, or new fixtures, typically doesn't require a permit.
Your local council is the relevant authority for building permit applications in most cases. Useful starting points for Perth metro homeowners include:
The Building and Energy division of DMIRS has plain-English guidance on when permits are required and what the process involves. All building work in WA must be carried out by or under the supervision of a registered building practitioner under the Building Services (Registration) Act 2011.
Make your material selections before work starts
One of the most common causes of renovation delays is decisions that weren't made until they were urgent. The tiler arrives and the tiles haven't been ordered. The benchtop fabricator needs to measure but the sink hasn't been chosen yet. The cabinetry is installed but the tapware is still being decided.
Material selections should be made and orders placed before work starts, not during. This requires knowing what you want before the excitement of the renovation beginning pushes everything into a reactive mode.
For any item that is made to order like cabinetry, stone benchtops, custom tiles, or specialty fixtures, check the lead time before the renovation is scheduled. Made-to-order items in Perth can take anywhere from two to eight weeks depending on the supplier and the product. A renovation scheduled to start before these items arrive creates a delay that was entirely avoidable.
Understand the trades sequence
Different trades need to work in a specific sequence, and understanding that sequence helps with scheduling and avoids the frustration of trades that can't proceed because a preceding step isn't done.
In a bathroom renovation, the sequence is roughly: strip-out, plumbing rough-in, waterproofing, inspection, tiling, fixture connection, finishing. Each stage depends on the previous one being complete. A tiler who arrives before the waterproofing inspection has happened can't work, and a wasted callout is a cost and a delay.
In a kitchen renovation: strip-out, plumbing rough-in, electrical rough-in, cabinetry installation, benchtop measure, benchtop fabrication, benchtop installation, fixture connection, splashback, finishing. The benchtop fabrication happens after the cabinets are in, not before, which means there's a waiting period built into the timeline that surprises homeowners who haven't done it before.
A good trades team explains this sequence clearly upfront and manages it without the homeowner needing to coordinate it themselves. When trades are engaged separately, the coordination falls to the homeowner, which is where delays most commonly happen.
Choosing who to work with
Choosing a trades team for a renovation is one of the most important decisions in the project. The questions worth asking before committing:
Are they licensed for the work involved? Check the Building and Energy public register for building practitioners and confirm plumbing and gas licences directly.
Do they carry public liability insurance and home indemnity insurance for work over $20,000 as required under the Home Building Contracts Act 1991 (WA)?
Is the quote fixed-price or subject to variations, and how are variations handled?
Who will actually be on site doing the work?
Can they provide references from similar projects?
A trades team that handles multiple aspects of the renovation under one roof, like This & That, (renovation work, plumbing, carpentry and finishing) reduces the coordination overhead significantly and provides a single point of accountability for the outcome.
During the renovation
A few things make the renovation period easier regardless of how well the planning was done.
Stay in communication but don't hover. Check in regularly and make yourself available for decisions, but let the trades team do their work without constant supervision. Micro-managing skilled tradespeople slows things down and damages the working relationship.
Document variations in writing. If the scope changes during the renovation, get the variation documented and priced in writing before the additional work proceeds. Verbal variations lead to invoice disputes that are unpleasant for everyone.
Make decisions promptly when asked. Delays in getting a decision from the homeowner are one of the most common causes of trades standing down and timelines blowing out. When the trades team needs a decision, make it quickly.
Do a thorough walkthrough at completion. Before signing off and making final payment, walk through the completed work with the project lead and note anything that needs attention. Identifying and addressing defects at practical completion is significantly easier than doing it after the site has been packed up and the team has moved on.
This & That manages home renovations across Perth — kitchens, bathrooms, laundries and general property improvements — with renovation work, plumbing and carpentry handled together under one roof. Visit thisandthat.com.au to find out more, request a quote here or call 0487 606 491 to talk through your renovation plans.
