Ah yes, the perennial issue/question: how best to distribute/utilise budget over various project scope and in what format .....$150K it's arguably tight for this depending upon how you are intending on going about it - you'd have to be super super disciplined and there's no margin for any blow-outs/or pop-issues... reconfiguring wet areas & kitchen will stack costs up very quickly....even just doing the cosmetic/fit-out upgrades you've mentioned without changing any layout could nudge 100K.....what you need to do is prioritise your goals and then be prepared to start cutting out scope if you have a $150K limit...I'm with oklouise on this one....quite likely there's an alternative option that will arguably utilise your budget/investment better to add both more value and increased/desired living space to the home/set-up......I've seen time and time again people try and rearrange/shuffle layouts around with existing building envelopes and prove false economy with this strategy when considering what it ended up costing them...one way or another the number/cost will end up being what it will be and you'd be surprised what this could end up costing you in this format (think potentially high 200's ........more often than not I can demonstrate that a clean/clever building extension + minimal tweaks to existing will be a far better bang-for-buck option than the completely rip apart and put back together within existing footprint.....but to stack this up properly construction costs need ascertaining over various levels of trade breakdown.......

siri - re boundary construction it of course depends upon the specific context - the issue in this case is the site fall and being on the high side there could be potential issues of building heights from the NGL on the neighbour's side....my comment was also in respect to considering a terrace structure above a close to boundary structure and complexity that would be thrown up with screening and structural offsets etc.....and this is sometimes worth pursuing where space is tight, however I'm anticipating here there is a fair bit of room to move and I'm guessing (an educated guess based on limited contextual information provided ) that a more cost effective/simpler option on a number of levels will be to (a) keep things off the northern boundary and (b) minimise renovation scope and consider a strategic rear extension that focuses on master bedroom zone and cleaning up the main living zone - if the majority of the existing spaces are retain structurally and limit renovation to cosmetic upgrades then the budget will stretch a lot further but net result is a more valuable property - and a more cost-effective value adding proposal that on paper is more likely to be accepted for finance.........this is always a integrated numbers game/exercise We're working on a job at the moment that we crunched numbers on various options & scope/configurations, but the two "shortlisted" of them were very similar - one slightly more expanded and pushing out to boundaries, the other more tightly disciplined, simpler and deliberately keeping building extension off boundaries. Whilst both of the shortlisted proposals essentially accommodated/covered the client's requirements outcomes, we estimated approx $100K accumulative difference one way or the other........

Unfortunately townhouses like yours are very limited in scope for extending or reconfiguring, especially if you are on a tight budget. When the developer built your townhouse he wanted to squeeze in as many as he could under the planning regulations of the time to make as much profit as possible, which leaves little opportunity to extend. In addition to navigating the council's planning regulations you will probably also have a body corporate to deal with? I would suggest taking your plan to the local council and having a chat with one of the planners who is likely to confirm that you have hardly any options to extend due to the council's requirement that you need a certain amount of parking and private open space (it can vary from council to council). So while there may be some options that could be suggested on this forum it is unlikely that they will get the approval of council and the body corporate. If you are really stuck with no other option then consider getting a tennant in, and renting a larger home, until the market picks up and you can sell. Best of luck with your research Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls

Audrey In Brisbane we can legally create a house with semi-self-contained units/flattettes. This can be done without a Develpment Approval. It does need a Building Approval, but for the changes you might need, you woudl need a Buidlign Approval anyway. These houses in Brisbane can consist of up to five bedrooms (assuming 1 person per bedroom) which can be ensuited and have a tea bench (small hotel like kitchen). You then provide a share kitchen and laundry. Ideally, you could also incorporate a common room. This house appears to have good bones to achieve this. With Airbnb I am currently doing similar to what you are looking at (although in Spring Hill). They take only 3%. My house needs renovation, but in there $180/week gives them a room and share bathrooms and kitchens and all bills paid. This property you are looking at has this opportunity immediately. With not much work you could provide a mix of products with several ensuited rooms as well as just rooms. If it was me, I'd be claiming the rear as mine and renting the house's front bits. I think you could bring up to $600/week depending on the condition of the property and location (again assuming you kept the two rear rooms and rumpus as your retreat with garden facing rooms (so you can keep an eye on the dogs, tend a garden and have an escape from the rest of the house. This is not to say you have to totally exclude tenants from access to it. If you want to chat more please feel free to contact me. The house appears to have great potential. Cheers David ( an Architect who believes in living small and economically without missing out on the luxuries home can provide)