Renovate or detonate? Signs are positive for a boom in the renovation market.

Despite the economic challenges Australians are facing, the home renovations market in NSW could be set to boom. Conditions are now more favourable for homeowners to invest in the renovation projects they have been dreaming about. A large proportion of this housing stock is 30 or more years old and ripe for renovation. And as rising interest rates continue will home buyers be more likely to invest into these older properties?

There is no question that the interest rate hikes have impacted the new home-building sector. As of March 2023, in NSW there are only 2599 new home Building Approvals, down 32.4% from January 2022. (Master Builders Australia, Building and Construction NSW, March 2023). Together with everyday cost of living constraints home buyers are thinking twice about the cost of building a new house.

The question is, do rising interest rates affect the Home Renovations market? The answer is clear in the fact that as of March 2023 in NSW $326.6 million is being spent on Home Renovations, which is up +9.6% from January 2022. (Master Builders Australia, Building and Construction NSW, March 2023). With the renovation market growing, now is the perfect time to rethink your business strategy.

For Sydney renovations builder Blake Kable from Artifex Design and Build, studying the Master Builders Kitchen, Bathroom and Laundry Renovation 4-day workshop was a no-brainer. “I learnt great new skills and now I have the confidence to manage many renovation projects. As a Carpenter from Castle Hill, I now have my Renovation licence. I’ve been so busy providing renovation quotes. I now have a few projects booked up until the end of 2024. I’m glad I invested my time and effort to complete the Master Builders workshop. I am now starting to run my dream business as well as making dreams come true for my clients”.

With Master Builders, you can learn the practical processes of coordinating renovation projects with the Kitchen, Bathroom and Laundry Renovation (KBLR) pathway. We have 3 options to choose from to fit into your busy schedule:

In Sydney, we take a deeper look into where the homeowners are spending the most on renovations. The current total greater Sydney value of approvals for major home renovations is $2,257,671,700 (ABS Total value of building approvals for residential alterations, additions and conversions: July 2022 to April 2023). In no particular order, these are just some of the suburbs:

SuburbTotal value of approvals for major home renovations ($)
North
North Mosman – North$20,758,500
Avalon – Palm Beach$35,756,400
Manly – Fairlight$28,730,900
Gordon – Killara $18,582,200
East
East Rose Bay – Vaucluse – Watsons Bay $43,318,500
Coogee – Clovelly$24,232,800
Bondi Junction – Waverly$13,898,100
Randwick – North$18,869,500
South
South Redfern$29,149,300 
Surry Hills$14,302,000
South Hurstville – Blakehurst$7,454,000
Cronulla – Kurnell – Bundeena$15,426,900
Inner West
Haberfield – Summer Hill$17,939,400
Balmain $21,600,400 
Petersham – Stanmore$24,523,100
Five Dock – Abbotsford$12,218,700
North West
Dural – Kenthurst – Wisemans Ferry$15,755,100
Kurrajong Heights – Ebenezer$7,877,300
Pennant Hills – Cheltenham$9,191,000
Baulkham Hills – East$7,705,200 
West
Guildford West – Merrylands West$25,354,300
Northmead $6,300,800
Springwood – Winmalee$7,266,600
Blaxland – Warrimoo – Lapstone$6,752,700
South West
Camden – Ellis Lane$8,110,500
Bradbury – Wedderburn$12,007,800
Picton – Tahmoor – Buxton$8,132,400
Bonnyrigg Heights – Bonnyrigg$4,722,600
Central Coast
Erina – Green Point $7,868,200
Umina – Booker Bay – Patonga$8,676,200
Avoca Beach – Copacabana $7,879,100
Terrigal – North Avoca $11,183,100
ABS Total value of building approvals for residential alterations, additions and conversions: July 2022 to April 2023.

These figures only include values for renovations where the work is substantial enough to necessitate building approval from the relevant local government which means the total market has an even larger potential for business growth and opportunity.

In 2023 more favourable weather predictions are expected with the La-Nina rain pattern well and truly behind us. This means fewer interruptions for renovations. The availability of most building materials is also reported to recover in 2023. Although there are indications that some upmarket products in tapware, hinges, door furniture and tiles could still be an issue with ordering timeframes. We recommend checking with suppliers of materials for availability and cost before committing to kitchen and bathroom designs.

For more information about our Kitchen, Bathroom and Laundry Renovation pathway, please visit our website or call Master Builders on 02 8586 3588.