A major renovation is not a larger bathroom refit. Once you are removing walls that hold the house up, changing the roof line or adding a level, you are doing structural work — and on this coast that often means sloping, salt-exposed land carrying planning overlays.
Roebuck Concepts is a licensed Queensland builder based at Coolum Beach, working across the Sunshine Coast and Noosa Shire. Director Tom Roebuck has more than 20 years in residential construction. In August 2025 our Grandview project at Coolum Beach won three Master Builders Queensland Sunshine Coast Housing & Construction Awards, including Home Renovation/Remodelling Project over $1 million.
What counts as a major home renovation?
There is no single legal definition. A renovation becomes major when it changes the structure, envelope or footprint of the house:
- Removing or relocating load-bearing walls, with steel or engineered timber carrying the new load
- Raising the house, building in underneath, or adding a storey
- Re-stumping, replacing poles, or new footings under an existing dwelling
- Changing the roof line, or tying a new roof into an old one
- Extending the floor plate, which pushes you into setbacks, site cover and height limits
- Replacing the services rather than adding to them
That needs engineering, building approval through a certifier, and a builder licensed for the class of work. A kitchen swap does not. Which side of the line you are on is what we settle at the initial consultation.
The Grandview project at Coolum Beach
Our flagship renovation is the Grandview Drive Extension at Coolum Beach — a pole home extended in every direction, and the project that won all three of our 2025 Master Builders awards. The figure-eight pool, raised on stilts, was built as part of that same project and took the Best Residential Swimming Pool award. The Grandview project won three Master Builders Queensland Sunshine Coast Housing & Construction Awards, presented on 15 August 2025 at The Events Centre, Caloundra:
- Home Renovation/Remodelling Project over $1 million
- Best Residential Swimming Pool
- Best Use of Innovation
A pole home on a Coolum slope is one of the harder renovation types on this coast: every new load must reach the ground through existing poles or new footings, with no easy plant access. See the Grandview Drive Extension case study.
Structural work versus cosmetic work
Cosmetic work — flooring, joinery, tiling, paint — is priced from quantities you can measure. Structural work is priced from risk, because until the linings come off nobody knows what is behind them: undersized bearers, previous unapproved work, termite damage, a roof frame never designed for the span it now carries. So we investigate early and document fully before the contract is signed.
Can you live in the house while the work happens?
Sometimes. It depends on whether the work can be staged behind a sealed line, whether you keep a working kitchen and bathroom, and whether the site stays safe with people in it. Where the roof is coming off or the house is being re-stumped, moving out for that phase is usually cheaper and safer.
Renovating in Noosa Shire versus the Sunshine Coast Council area
Two councils run two planning schemes here, and that changes what you can build. Most of the Coast falls under Sunshine Coast Council and the Sunshine Coast Planning Scheme 2014, which the council describes as regulating the way land, buildings and structures are used and developed on the Sunshine Coast. Council adopted it on 14 April 2014 and it took effect on 21 May 2014.
Noosa Shire Council runs its own scheme, the Noosa Plan 2020. The council states the plan guides growth in the shire through to 2040 and sets the requirements for building works, landscaping and vegetation clearing, with zones, overlays and codes determining what can be done on a property. Its most recent minor amendment commenced on 20 March 2026.
What drives the cost of a major renovation on the Sunshine Coast?
We do not publish square-metre rates; here they are close to meaningless. Two houses of the same size on one street differ enormously once you look at how material gets onto the site. What actually moves the budget:
- Access. Narrow streets, battle-axe blocks, steep driveways and nowhere to lay down material mean smaller plant and a longer programme.
- Slope. Fall across the block drives engineered footings, retaining and suspended structure instead of a slab on ground.
- Salt exposure. Near the beach, fixings, flashings, brackets and window systems must suit a corrosive environment. Getting that wrong is a failure you pay for twice.
- Asbestos. Older Queensland homes were commonly sheeted in fibre cement. Where present, it must be identified and handled under Queensland work health and safety law before demolition.
- Re-stumping and poles. Existing stumps and poles were sized for the original loads, not a new upper level or a wider span.
- Roof lines. Marrying a new roof to an old one — pitch, gutter lines, flashing, structural continuity — is where a lot of budget quietly goes.
Where a renovation would cost close to a new house, we say so and point you at a knockdown rebuild. Where the structure is sound and you simply need more space, a home extension may suit better.
What your builder must give you under Queensland law
According to the QBCC, a written contract is required once domestic building work is priced over $3,300 including labour, materials and GST. Work between $3,301 and $19,999 uses a Level 1 Renovation, Extension and Repair Contract; work at $20,000 and over uses a Level 2 contract, so any major renovation is Level 2 work. On work of $20,000 or more the contractor must also give you the QBCC-approved consumer building guide before you sign.
The QBCC further states that principal contractors must take out home warranty insurance on behalf of their clients, so the renovation is protected under the Queensland Home Warranty Scheme for defective or incomplete building work and subsidence.
Check any builder’s licence on the QBCC register before you sign. Roebuck Concepts holds QBCC company licence 15280811; Tom Roebuck holds individual licence 15015060. We are a member of Master Builders Queensland.
How a Roebuck renovation runs, concept to handover
- Consultation on site. We walk the house, assess access, structure and title constraints, and say what is realistic.
- Design and documentation. Working with your designer until the drawings describe the whole job.
- Engineering and approvals. Structural design, any council development approval required, then building approval through a certifier.
- Contract. A Level 2 Renovation, Extension and Repair Contract, warranty cover in place, an agreed programme and staged payments.
- Construction. One builder responsible for the site, a settled set of trades, updates at each stage.
- Handover and defects. Final inspections, certification, warranties, then the defects period. Our process page has the detail.
Where we renovate
From Coolum Beach we work across the Sunshine Coast and Noosa Shire. Completed projects include Grandview Drive and the Grandview Drive Extension at Coolum Beach, Nairana Rest at Noosa Heads, Memorial Avenue at Cotton Tree, Columba Place at Pelican Waters, Redwood Avenue at Marcus Beach, Hastings Street at Noosa, Elouera Drive at Ninderry and Kara Court at Yaroomba. See also home renovations at Coolum Beach.
Common questions about major renovations on the Sunshine Coast
Do I need council approval to renovate my house on the Sunshine Coast?
Structural work needs building approval through a certifier. Whether you also need development approval from council depends on your zone and overlays under the Sunshine Coast Planning Scheme 2014, or the Noosa Plan 2020 in Noosa Shire.
Can I live in my house during a major renovation?
Sometimes, if the work can be staged behind a sealed line and you keep a working kitchen and bathroom. Where the roof is coming off or the house is being re-stumped, moving out for that phase is usually cheaper and safer.
What does a major renovation cost on the Sunshine Coast?
We do not quote square-metre rates, because access, slope, salt exposure, asbestos, re-stumping and roof-line complexity change the answer far more than floor area does. The honest way to price one is to investigate the existing structure, document the work fully, then price the actual house.
Should I renovate or knock down and rebuild?
It depends on whether the existing structure is worth keeping. If the footings, frame and roof are sound and you mainly need better space, renovating usually wins. If the bones are failing or the layout fights the site, a knockdown rebuild can deliver more.
What contract do I need for a major renovation in Queensland?
A Level 2 Renovation, Extension and Repair Contract. The QBCC requires a written contract once domestic building work is priced over $3,300, with Level 2 applying at $20,000 and over, and the consumer building guide handed to you before you sign.
Is Roebuck Concepts QBCC licensed and insured?
Yes. Roebuck Concepts holds QBCC company licence 15280811 and Tom Roebuck holds individual licence 15015060, both checkable on the QBCC register. Home warranty cover is taken out on your behalf, as the QBCC requires of principal contractors.
What did Roebuck Concepts win at the 2025 Master Builders awards?
Three awards at the 2025 Master Builders Queensland Sunshine Coast Housing & Construction Awards for the Grandview project at Coolum Beach, presented on 15 August 2025 at The Events Centre, Caloundra: Home Renovation/Remodelling Project over $1 million, Best Residential Swimming Pool, and Best Use of Innovation.
Talk to a licensed builder about your renovation
If you are weighing up a major renovation between Caloundra and Noosa, start with a conversation on site. Call Tom on 0477 333 386, email tom@roebuckconcepts.com.au, or book a consultation.