We Renovated Our Home and Survived!
At Plumbstruct Industries, we pride ourselves on taking on challenging and transformative projects that turn our clients' visions into reality. One of our recent successes involved adding a second story to a client's home, a significant feat that required underpinning, strengthening walls, and a complete redesign of existing spaces. In this blog post, our client shares their experience of working with us throughout the renovation process, reflecting on the challenges, lessons learned, and the final results that exceeded their expectations.
Read on to discover the journey behind this remarkable transformation.
The real estate photo when we bought the house
I Lived Through a Year-Long Renovation – Here Are 6 Things I Learned…
Living through a renovation can be challenging at the best of times. But when that renovation lasts a year, you have three teenagers in the house, and the work involves taking the roof off in winter to add a second story—it becomes a true test for the whole family!
Fortunately, we had access to the kitchen, bathroom, and laundry throughout the work, so while it was freezing cold, drafty, dirty, and sometimes even rained inside, so it wasn’t THAT much of an inconvenience. 😊
Lesson #1 – Progress Isn’t Always Obvious
So much of the work that goes into renovating happens behind the scenes and then gets covered up, making it easy to wonder what your tradies have been doing all this time!
Our team at Plumbstruct Industries spent weeks digging massive holes under the foundations and reinforcing them with concrete—only to cover them back up with dirt and paving as if nothing had ever happened. The same goes for plumbing, electrical, and framing. It takes time to get the "in-wall" details just right, but once the plaster goes on, it all disappears.
👉 Tip: Don’t get frustrated by how long some of these stages take. They’re critical for ensuring a strong, safe, and lasting renovation.
Lesson #2 – Living in the House Slows Things Down, But It Has Perks
Many builders won’t allow clients to live in the house during renovations. We were lucky that Shane and the team at Plumbstruct Industries worked with us on this, saving us a fortune on alternative accommodation—money that we could put into the renovation instead.
That said, it’s messy, noisy, and disruptive. You’ll have tradies showing up just as you’re making coffee in your PJs, and you’ll spend time relocating furniture, shifting tools, and keeping the site liveable.
But a huge advantage is being on-site for real-time decisions. Those casual check-ins throughout the day led to some great ideas—
✔️ "If we steal a little space from this office cupboard, we can make the shower deeper."
✔️ "If we move this cupboard slightly, we can fit ductwork without losing room."
✔️ "Your husband is 6’3”? Let’s raise the shower head height!"
Being there meant small adjustments that made a big difference in the final design.
Real time planning with said tall husband
Lesson #3 – Planning, Planning, Planning
We spent roughly 18 months planning before any work began. Before even meeting with a draftsman, we asked ourselves:
What are we trying to achieve with this renovation?
How will each space be used?
Do we need more storage? (The answer is always YES!)
What’s non-negotiable, and what can be adjusted?
Do we want the new second story to contrast or blend with the original home?
We also designed the bathroom layout down to the last detail to fit a large shower and deep bath. This level of planning meant that once we met with the draftsman, there were very few revisions, saving us time and money.
It also helped us communicate with Plumbstruct Industries about:
✅ Extra wall support for a wall-mounted TV
✅ Structural reinforcements for a large bathroom mirror
✅ Power requirements for a smart toilet
👉 Tip: Last-minute electrical or plumbing changes can cause delays and extra costs. Plan early to avoid rework!
Lesson #4 – Don’t Second Guess Yourself
With a renovation, you’ll make hundreds of decisions—tiles, layouts, paint colours, lighting, and more. Once you’ve made a choice and love it, stick with it! Overthinking every decision will drive you crazy, waste time, and sometimes cost money if changes need to be undone.
🚨 Bonus tip: If you love bold feature pieces, make sure they don’t compete with each other. A statement wall tile? Keep the floor tile simple.
Lesson #5 – Things WILL Go Wrong
Even with the best-laid plans, unexpected issues will pop up.
When we pulled off the plaster, we discovered that the internal bracing wasn’t up to code, so additional structural work had to be done.
Our engineer misread the plans and placed bracing on walls that didn’t even exist—causing frustrating delays while it got sorted out.
We misread the window sizes on the plans, and two of them ended up smaller than we wanted. Luckily, it was an easy fix, but it was a good lesson for next time!
👉 Tip: Always ask questions if you’re unsure, and trust your team to guide you. Have a time and budget contingency for anything unexpected.
There were times we could see the sky from inside our rooms!
Lesson #6 – Trust Your Trades!
This is, hands down, the most important lesson.
Your tradespeople are the professionals—they know how to bring your vision to life. If you don’t trust them to do their job without micromanaging, you’ve hired the wrong team.
We were lucky to work with Plumbstruct Industries, who kept us informed, gave expert advice, and made sure everything was done right the first time. Having a reliable, transparent team made all the difference in our renovation journey.
🏡 Thinking of renovating? Whether it’s a bathroom upgrade, home extension, or full renovation, Plumbstruct Industries can help. Contact Shane and the team to chat about your project- you won’t be disappointed.
