A good renovation makes an older house work for the way you live now: walls opened up, a kitchen at the heart of the home, bathrooms you are happy to use, and a finish that looks new inside and out. We renovate homes across Wollongong and the Illawarra, from bathrooms to whole-house transformations.
We renovate bathrooms, and we build kitchens as part of larger home renovations. We look after the whole job, from design to council approval (where it is needed) and build.
We are based in Dapto, and our three directors grew up in the Illawarra. We know the local homes and what tends to be hiding behind their walls.
A new layout, kitchen, bathrooms and floors, and a fresh exterior, often with walls opened up for open-plan living.
A full strip-out and rebuild, with waterproofing to the Australian Standard, new tiling, vanity, shower and fittings.
We design and build kitchens when they are part of a wider renovation, such as opening up the living areas.
Removing or moving walls, including load-bearing walls with an engineer-designed beam.
New cladding and colours, verandahs, balustrades and stairs to give an older home a new face.
When the house needs more rooms as well as a better layout, an extension and a renovation can be one project.
Home extensionsOur work
Real photos from our own jobs.
A red-brick home turned into a bright coastal house: a white exterior, a covered verandah with new balustrades and stairs, stone around the garage, and a reworked interior with arched openings, a new kitchen and bathroom, built-in robes and new floors.
Photographed from slightly different angles.
A new white kitchen with an island and a new bathroom vanity, built as part of a home renovation.
OUR APPROACH
From initial consultation to key handover — a proven process that gives you complete clarity and control at every stage.
We visit your site to understand your vision, then engage with our draughtsmen to get your plans drawn—ensuring every detail reflects what you want to build.
A second visit to review a fully broken-down specification list and your initial timeline projection. Every material, fixture, and finish—documented and transparent.
We finalize all adjustments to your project scope and provide an updated, transparent specifications sheet, a clear start date, and a defined timeline for your build.
Step by step
We look at the house and talk through what is not working, then work with our draughtsmen on any layout changes.
Asbestos and lead testing where needed, and an engineer for any wall that is coming out.
Exempt work goes straight ahead; structural or external changes need a CDC or DA.
You sign a written contract with the specification and start date in it. For work over $20,000 you also receive the home building insurance (HBCF) certificate before any deposit is paid.
Licensed asbestos removal first if it is present, then demolition, with the rooms you are still using protected.
Beams and framing changes, then the plumbing and electrical rough-in.
Wet areas are waterproofed before tiling, and new walls and ceilings are lined.
Kitchen, vanities, robes, floors, fixtures and painting.
Where the work was approved, the certifier issues an occupation certificate. Then we walk through the finished work with you.
Most homes we renovate are decades old, and a few things need checking before any wall comes down.
Homes built or renovated before 1990 may contain asbestos in wall and eave sheeting, vinyl floors, behind tiles and in old fences. It is tested before work starts. Removing more than 10 square metres of bonded asbestos, or any friable asbestos, requires a licensed removalist.
Paint applied before 1970 can contain lead. Sanding or stripping it releases toxic dust, so it is tested and handled safely.
Opening up a layout often means removing a wall that holds up the roof. A structural engineer sizes the beam that replaces it.
Old bathrooms often have failed waterproofing. A renovation is the time to fix it properly, to the Australian Standard for wet areas (AS 3740).
Rot, termite damage and old wiring often only show up once walls and floors are opened, which is why a renovation budget needs a contingency.
Approvals
Often not, but it depends on what changes. Even when no approval is needed, the work still has to meet the building code, and wet areas must be waterproofed to the Australian Standard.
Internal work that does not touch the structure, such as a like-for-like kitchen or bathroom renovation, can be exempt development in NSW.
Removing or altering load-bearing walls, new or larger openings in external walls, adding floor area, or any work on a heritage-listed home. Many of these can go through as complying development; others need a DA.
If the work needs approval and costs $50,000 or more, a BASIX certificate is needed too.
Local planning rules differ between councils, including Wollongong, Shellharbour and Kiama, so the right approval path is worked out for your block at the design stage.
Cost
Every renovation is priced from its own scope and specification. These are the things that move the number most:
One bathroom is a very different job from a whole house.
Relocating a kitchen, toilet or shower costs much more than keeping them where they are.
Removing walls means an engineer’s design and a new beam.
Testing, and licensed removal where it is needed.
Rot, termites and old wiring found once walls and floors are opened.
Tiles, tapware, benchtops, cabinetry and flooring.
Certifier or council fees, engineering and BASIX, where the work needs approval.
Keeping part of the house usable while you live there can add time to the job.
You will see a fully broken-down specification list before anything is signed, so you know exactly what is included.
Book a free consultationPeace of mind
Residential building work over $5,000 (including GST) needs a written contract, and the deposit can be no more than 10% of the contract price.
For work over $20,000, the builder must give you a Home Building Compensation Fund (HBCF) certificate before asking for a deposit or starting work. It protects you if the builder dies, disappears or becomes insolvent.
Building work carries a warranty of six years for major defects and two years for all other defects.
The certifier inspects approved work at key stages and issues an occupation certificate before the new space is used.
These come from the Home Building Act 1989 and the NSW planning laws.
What our clients say
“We recently engaged Integrate Building Group to complete some renovations at our house. From start to finish, they were professional, reliable and easy to work with. They arrived on time each day, communicated clearly throughout the project, and always left the site clean and tidy at the end of the day. The quality of workmanship was exceptional, with great attention to detail and a high standard of finish. It’s clear they take pride in their work and care about delivering a quality outcome for their clients.”
5.0 on Google
FAQs
Often not. Internal work that does not touch the structure, such as a like-for-like kitchen or bathroom renovation, can be exempt development in NSW. Removing load-bearing walls, changing external openings, adding floor area or working on a heritage-listed home needs a complying development certificate (CDC) or a development application (DA).
For a single room, usually yes. For a whole-house renovation, many people move out for at least part of the job, especially while the bathrooms and kitchen are out of action or asbestos is being removed. Some work can be staged so part of the house stays usable.
We renovate bathrooms, and we build kitchens as part of larger home renovations.
Every renovation is priced from its own scope and specification. The biggest factors are how much of the house is involved, whether plumbing moves, structural changes, asbestos or hidden damage, and finishes. You will see a fully broken-down specification list before anything is signed.
It depends on the scope, whether approval is needed and what is found when walls are opened, so there is no standard timeframe. Once the design is settled you get a timeline projection with the specification, then a confirmed start date and build timeline before you sign.
It is common in homes built before 1990. Suspect materials are tested before work starts. More than 10 square metres of bonded asbestos, or any friable asbestos, must be removed by a licensed removalist, with a clearance inspection before work continues.
If the house has enough space but the layout does not work, renovate. If you need more rooms, extend. Many projects do both: an extension often includes renovating the kitchen and living areas it joins.
We build across Wollongong and the wider Illawarra, Shellharbour, the Kiama region, Wollondilly and the Southern Highlands, as far south as Berry.
We build across Wollongong and the wider Illawarra, Shellharbour, the Kiama region, Wollondilly and the Southern Highlands, as far south as Berry.
Connect with our team for a free consultation with our experienced builders.