I was chatting to a friend about an apartment she was considering purchasing (also knowns as a unit or condo depending on where you live in the world!).

She was asking me a little bit about the renovation process and what to look out for, plus what she might achieve with her budget.

As we chatted I realised that there was lots of tips I was giving her that could be helpful to others who are looking to purchase an apartment to renovate, or who are already living in an apartment and want to do some improvements.

So I decided to compile my list of tips in case this was of use to others as well :)

Apartments/units/condos are different to houses

An apartment renovation is different to the renovation of a stand alone home as you have shared spaces in an apartment that will need to be considered as part of your renovation, as well as many very close neighbours who are likely to have an opinion on any work you want to do.

You will also have to deal with the Body Corporate and abide by the rules of your own apartment complex, plus laws that exist within your jurisdiction when it comes to renovating apartments, so this comes with its own range of challenges.

The purpose of this post is to try and step you through some of the main things to consider before you start planning a renovation of your apartment.

Please also note that the below is my opinion and advice only in the interests of being helpful. I would suggest you get your own expert advice from the relevant specialists (e.g. architect, builder, structural engineer) on any of the below before making big decisions about any apartment purchases or renovations.

Know the rules

The first place to start before going any further is to find out about the rules that your body corporate (or ruling body) have set for your apartment complex in terms of approvals to renovate.

A good place to start for this is to review the strata By-Laws as these often contain detailed information on what is allowed so that the comfort and safety of all occupants within the apartment complex are maintained.

The By-Laws will include details like:

what you. can and can’t do - e.g. whether you can change windows, types of flooring you can use (e.g. often wood floating floors are not allowed due to noise transfer) etc.
hours your trades will be allowed to work
what you need to do to protect common spaces during the renovation (e.g. cover lifts and common floors with protective material)
what materials can be used
installation of satellite TV or air conditioning units
what modifications are and aren't allowed
whether you're allowed to make any structural changes - and if so how to go about this

The purpose of the By Laws are to set the rules by which everyone in the apartment complex operates in terms of what they can and can't do to their apartments and also their own conduct within the complex itself.

The By-Laws are there to protect each owner within the apartment complex and ensure the privacy and safety of all residents is maintained.

The By-Laws also serve to layout what can and can't be done to the common property, for example windows (see below for more information on windows). Each state in Australia, and no doubt all parts of the world, have their own laws surrounding Strata By-Laws and these are all updated regularly, so it's best to look up your own local law about what is relevant to where you live and also make sure you get a copy of the By-Laws for your own apartment complex as well.

If you can't find what you need within the By-Laws then try approaching the strata or building manager, or the Chair of the Body Corporate (Board) directly to seek advice.

There are also increasingly more laws and legislation around the renovation of apartments that need to be understood and abided by.

For example in NSW, Australia (where I live) there is the Design and Building Practitioners Act and Regulation, which has been implemented to improve quality and safety outcomes in the renovation of multi-story and multi-unit apartment complexes (Class 2 buildings). These new regulations have strict rules around which types of designers are now allowed to design or work on Class 2 buildings. In the past any designer could work on these buildings but now you need to be registered as a Design Practitioner in order to do so. These types of laws are extremely important to understand ad follow - so make sure you find out if any such local laws or legislation exists in your jurisdiction and seek advice from approved designers.

Once you find out what the rules are about what you can and can't do within your apartment complex the next stage is to prepare your design and scope of work and submit this to your Body Corporate for approval.

Your body corporate will generally require a combination of the following in order to assess your renovation application (but check with your own Body Corporate to find out what they will want to review):

plans and/or a design of changes, normally drawn up by a designer or draftsman (for major works)
advice and drawings from a structural engineer for any structural work you might want to do
a detailed scope of work
estimated time frames for your project
a schedule of fixtures and finishes, particularly showing changes to any fixed floor coverings.

It's important to be well organised about submitting all of the above to your Body Corporate as it can take some time for your requests to be discussed and for you to get a decision.

Cosmetic Changes - bang for your buck

In some cases cosmetic changes can be made to your apartment without the need for the formal approvals outlined above, although once again it's best to check with the By-Laws for your own apartment complex.

Before considering whether to do a complete renovation of your apartment think about whether you could achieve lots of what you are after via some inexpensive updates. Without a doubt there are a handful of quick fixes that can make your apartment look completely different, for very little money. Cosmetic changes like paint, a good clean (particularly of your windows), new knobs on kitchen joinery or wardrobe doors and updating your carpet can all be done for very little money or effort and will make a massive difference to how your apartment looks and feels.

If you have a small apartment then I always advise painting the entire apartment in the same colour and normally suggest a bright white that allows light to bounce around (e.g. Dulux Lexicon Half is one of my go-to paint colours for many different styles of architecture).

Updating your furniture, styling and accessories can also have a huge impact on the overall look of your home. Seek input from an interior designer if you aren't confident in doing this yourself. In some cases interior designers will pass on the trade discounts they can get with the suppliers, so you will save quite a bit of money ordering through them if you're fitting out a whole apartment.

Check with each designer about their policies on this though as some designers keep the discount for themselves.

Major Renovations

Major renovations might include updates to your kitchen, bathroom(s), fixed flooring or structural changes (e.g. to knock down a wall to create a more open plan feel). All of these changes will require formal approvals so make sure you plan well in advance to ensure you stay on your desired timelines.

Renovating a kitchen

A kitchen renovation will add the most value and impact to your apartment, although are also the most costly. Depending on the size of your apartment and kitchen you can expect to pay anywhere between $15,000-$60,000 for a kitchen facelift or full renovation.

If you're on a tight budget and the bones of your kitchen are in good condition (but it needs a cosmetic upgrade), then one option to consider is to replace the door/drawer fronts, benchtop, sink, mixer, appliances and splash back.

In some cases this can result in the feeling of a brand new kitchen for a fraction of the cost. This sort of cosmetic upgrade can be a great option if you aren't intending to live in the apartment for long or if you want to update the kitchen before renting the apartment out. If you are intending to stay longer than about 3-5 years, however, I would normally suggest a full kitchen renovation as this allows you to design a kitchen that meets your exact needs and wants.

However if you do go down the path of a full kitchen renovation then unless you have an unlimited budget you will want to make sure you don't over capitalize on your investment and always ensure you don't spend more than what you will make back if you had to sell.

A good way to find out about this is to do some research on comparable properties in your area. What are they selling for? What did the kitchens/bathrooms look like? Or even speak to a local real estate agent to get some more targeted advice for your specific space. A good agent should be able to give you some realistic sense of what a renovation might add to the value of your apartment.

To keep costs contained you will also want to try and keep your services in roughly the same place as your old kitchen (e.g. water for sink and dishwasher, gas for cook top etc.). This will save you money on moving those around. Again, make sure you follow your By Laws and use registered designers and builders to help you with this work.

Also make sure you know the location of any bulky items that will need to be 'designed around'. This might include your hot water heater or your electricity fuse box, which are often located in the kitchen area in older apartments. Moving these is often not possible so if you have these in your apartment you'll need to be creative about how to build around them while also achieving the layout you are after.

Renovating a bathroom

A bathroom is also a common renovation change to make given they date easily and wear out faster than other parts of the apartment, due to their frequent use.

For a small bathroom renovation expect to pay upwards of $20,000 depending on what sorts of tiles, fixtures and fittings you select and also depending on whether you want to try and move any of the services. For a high end bathroom renovation expect to pay quite a bit more for luxury inclusions such as underfloor heating, heated towel racks, high end fixtures/fittings/tiles, floor to ceiling glass shower panels and so on.

Given many apartments have small bathrooms it's also important to try and maximise space as best you can. If your apartment is unlikely to appeal to family buyers in the future (e.g. one bedroom), then you could consider removing the bath to save space. Try also to replace cubicle style showers with panels of glass as this creates a more open plan feeling in the bathroom and makes it easier to move around once you are in there.

Always be careful about waterproofing (in particular) in your apartment bathroom renovation. Make sure you use a waterproofing specialist who guarantees their work and also has some experience working in apartments. If anything goes wrong down the track with leakage around your apartment complex as a result of poor waterproofing on your part then you could be liable for repair of all damages, so be very careful about how you choose your tradespeople.

A final thing to consider as part of your bathroom renovation is that it can be hard (and often impossible) to move plumbing around in apartments, particularly if the construction is largely concrete. If there is limited access between floors of your apartment then it will be impossible to move plumbing and as a result you will need to renovate 'like for like' in terms of where services (water/toilet etc.) are placed. If you're on the ground floor it's sometimes easier to move services around, although it will be costly to do this (and will require approvals from Body Corporate of course).

Windows

To ensure the uniformity of appearance of an apartment complex windows are normally 'owned' by the body corporate and need to be replaced as a whole building.

Individual owners aren't generally allowed to change these, or even paint them, as it obviously means some windows in the building will look different to others. I've not seen an exception to this rule in any projects I've previously been involved with. But you can at least hide them by installing plantation shutters or something like that to cover them up from the inside.

But just be aware some strata by-laws are strict on window coverings as well so best make sure you've read those really carefully before you purchase. You may be allowed to change your old ugly curtains for plantation shutters, but you may not be able to as well if the shutters alter how the building appears from the outside, so it's important to check all this before you start making changes.

Speaking of windows - if the building isn't in great condition you may also like to check that the body corporate have a good amount of surplus in their funds before you purchase. If they don't it means when big repairs like windows/common areas need to be upgraded they will come to each owner to contribute to those upgrades and this can often be very expensive. If you're on a tight budget and then spend all the money you have on renovating your apartment then having a hefty bill to pay for new complex windows could be very stressful. Just something to think about!

Lighting

A note on lighting. Many apartments these days have flush mount lights installed, which means the ceiling is either made of concrete or have no cavity between each floor to put recessed lights in. This means you will be quite limited on what lighting you can replace those with. You won't be able to get down lights as replacements for flush mounts (in most instances) so make sure you are aware of your limitations there.

Having said that there are some surface mounted spot lights on the market now that can be quite nice. If you have high ceilings an alternative solution might be to install a false ceiling so that you can gain a cavity for recessed LEDs or pendant lights. The down side of this would, of course, be losing head height and there are also regulation heights for habitable rooms, so make sure you check out what those are as well.

Neighbours

If you are already living in your apartment before you start renovating then start to think about how your neighbours are going to react to your renovation before you get too far down the track of your planning.

Are they difficult?
Are they friends of yours?
Do they complain about noise or other aspects of the building or are they pretty easy going?

Whatever the situation you've got it's important to give consideration to how your renovation might impact your neighbours. It will always involve some level of noise and in some instances it can also create inconvenience for your neighbours in terms of dirt in common areas, safety (if entry doors are chocked open), or tradesmen constantly around.

Before you start any work the most courteous thing to do is to approach your neighbours and discuss the project with them. Walk them through the design and answer any questions they might have. Let them know you'll be trying to keep noise to the minimum wherever possible and will talk with your trades about ensuring all common areas are kept clean and tidy (although all of these are likely to be stipulations put on you by the body corporate anyway). Remember - once your renovation is over you'll have to face your neighbours in the hallway each day so you want to try and keep on speaking terms if you can!

Seek expert input

The best place to start with major renovations is to seek expert input from a registered Design Practitioner or an interior designer and/or builder who are licensed to work on Class 2 Buildings (or whatever your local laws are around this).

You may also need input from other consultants along the way (e.g. structural engineer, plumber or electrician). Plan out a scope of what you are wanting to do then seek expert input to find out if it is feasible and realistic for your budget. Engaging a designer will cost you more money upfront but the experience a good designer will bring to your project will mean that you may avoid costly problems down the track. A good designer will also be able to help you navigate your way through some of the challenges and issues outlined in this post. Unless you're a very experience renovator a designer is also are likely to have lots of ideas that you may not have thought of for how you could maximise your space and make it work best for your needs.

Final Thoughts

In summary, when you're starting to think about renovating an apartment my main recommendations would be to:

seek expert advice from someone who is qualified to work on a Class 2 Building (i.e. unit/apartment/condo)
find out what the rules are around renovating within your apartment complex
consider whether a cosmetic upgrade might be sufficient
ensure you don't over capitalise on your investment if you do decide to do a major renovation
be respectful of your neighbours and think about how you might feel if they were renovating right next door to you.

I hope the above has been useful to guide your thinking as you plan your renovation. Let me know in the comments if you've renovated your apartment and have some other advice you think might be useful for other readers.

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Enjoy the rest of your day!

Clare x