Expert Structural Renovations Across Melbourne
Understanding Structural Renovations for Your Home
Structural renovation means changing the parts of a building that carry load — walls, floors, roof structure and footings. It is a different discipline from cosmetic renovation. Take out the wrong wall and the ceiling sags six months later; underpin badly on Melbourne’s clay and the cracks come back every summer.
Alcon Building Group has carried out structural renovation across Melbourne for over 35 years. Ian O’Connor is a registered building practitioner holding both domestic and commercial registration, and that commercial-side experience matters here: the engineering, the propping sequence and the temporary works on a house are the same problems as on a commercial job, at smaller scale.
This page covers what structural work involves, what it costs in 2026, and the conditions specific to Melbourne that drive both.
What Do Structural Renovations Involve?
Structural renovations involve modifications to a building’s load-bearing elements and core framework, directly impacting its strength and stability. Unlike surface-level upgrades, these changes affect how the structure supports weight and distributes loads. Common examples include removing structural walls, altering floor layouts, and modifying roof or ceiling structures.
Because these works affect the building’s integrity, careful planning, engineering design, and proper execution are essential to ensure safety, compliance, and long-term performance.
The Melbourne Conditions That Drive Structural Work
Most structural problems in Melbourne homes come from four things, and they are local rather than universal.
Reactive clay. Much of Melbourne’s east and south-east sits on highly reactive clay soils that swell in winter and shrink in summer. Footings move with them. This is the single most common cause of cracking, sticking doors and uneven floors in this city, and it is why a soil report is not optional on structural work. Our Fitzroy project was classified Class ‘P’ — a problem site under Australian soil classifications, requiring engineered footing design rather than a standard solution.
Shallow original footings. Homes built before about 1930 typically sit on minimal footings — often little more than brick coursing on soil. Add the load of a second storey or a new extension and they need underpinning or restumping first.
Solid masonry with no cavity. Pre-1900 brickwork is usually solid double brick with no cavity and no damp-proof course. Removing a wall in solid masonry is a different engineering problem from removing a stud wall, and it almost always means steel.
Termite damage. Melbourne’s older timber-framed stock is vulnerable, and damage is frequently only discovered once linings come off. Structural termite remediation — replacing compromised bearers, joists and studs while the building stays propped — is regular work for us.
Structural Renovation Solutions for Modern Homes
Structural renovations include various projects improving layout, strength, and functionality.
Wall Removal & Open Plan Conversions
Removing a load-bearing wall is the most common structural job in Melbourne housing, because the original plans were a series of small rooms off a central passage. The wall comes out, a steel beam or LVL takes the load, and the beam is either exposed as a feature or built into the ceiling. The engineering question is span and what sits above — a single-storey removal is straightforward, a wall carrying a second floor and a roof is not.
Home Extensions & Additions
New work has to be structurally integrated with what is already there, and the junction is where problems appear. New footings and old footings settle at different rates, particularly on reactive clay, so the connection detail and the articulation between old and new are engineering decisions, not finishing decisions.
Roof Modifications & Ceiling Alterations
Raising a ceiling or opening a roof means the existing roof structure stops working the way it was designed to. Removing ceiling joists that were also acting as ties requires the roof to be re-engineered, usually with a structural ridge or portal frame.
Foundation & Subfloor Works
Underpinning, restumping and subfloor reframing. On older homes this is often the prerequisite before any other work is worth doing — there is no point in a new kitchen sitting on footings that are still moving.
Load-Bearing Beam Installation
Sizing is the engineer's job; installing it safely is ours. Propping, sequencing, and getting a six-metre steel beam into a terrace with 110mm party wall easements on both boundaries and no side access — as at our Leicester Street, Fitzroy project — is where experience shows.
How Much Does Structural Work Cost in Melbourne in 2026?
Removing a load-bearing wall
| Item | Typical cost | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Structural engineer | $800 – $1,500 | Site assessment, beam design, load calculations, certification |
| Building permit | $700 – $1,200 | Application via council or private surveyor |
| Building surveyor | $1,000 – $1,800 | Inspections and compliance verification |
| Beam supply and install | $2,000 – $6,000 | Steel RSJ or LVL, depending on span and size |
| Wall removal and making good | $1,500 – $4,000 | Demolition, plastering, finishing, painting |
| Services relocation | Variable | If electrical or plumbing runs through the wall |
Each line covers the professional fee or trade work for that stage — engineering design and certification, permit application, inspections, beam supply and installation, and making good afterwards.
All-in for a typical single wall: $6,000 – $15,000. Wider spans, or removing a wall carrying a second storey, run $20,000+. Our guide to removing a structural wall in Melbourne covers the process step by step.
Other structural items
- Steel load-bearing beams on an extension: $8,000 – $15,000
- Roof integration between new and existing: $12,000 – $25,000
- Staircase: $8,000 – $18,000 timber, $15,000 – $30,000 steel and glass
- Scaffolding and elevated access on a tight site: $12,000 – $20,000
- Site preparation, excavation and demolition: $8,000 – $40,000
- Soil report: $1,500 – $2,500 — on a reactive or problem site it changes the whole footing design
- Design, engineering and documentation: $8,000 – $30,000
- Asbestos removal in pre-1990 homes: $1,500 – $8,000+
Permits and levies
- Victorian planning permit fees — $10,000–$100,000 of works $734.00; $100,000–$500,000 $1,502.50; $500,000–$1,000,000 $1,623.40
- Building permit levy (VBA): $500 – $3,000, on top of the surveyor’s fee
- Domestic building insurance, required on work over $16,000: roughly 1–2% of contract value
A building permit is required for structural work, and for most work over $10,000. Allow 10–15 business days. If the property is in a heritage overlay, a planning permit is also needed and that runs considerably longer — commonly 8–16 weeks.
Contingency. On any pre-1980 property, allow at least 15%. Structural work is where hidden conditions live, and no honest builder will tell you what is behind a wall before it is opened.
From Planning to Completion: Structural Renovation Steps
The structural renovation process involves careful planning, sequencing, and coordinated execution.
Site Inspection & Feasibility
Initial inspection assesses existing structure, identifies constraints, and determines renovation feasibility.
Design & Engineering Documentation
Detailed drawings and engineering plans are prepared to support safe structural modifications.
Permit Approvals
Required permits obtained to ensure compliance with building regulations before construction.
Demolition & Structural Modifications
Careful demolition followed by structural changes, including reinforcement installations and support systems.
Structural Renovation Approvals and Engineering Essentials
Structural renovations require careful engineering design and proper approvals to ensure safety, compliance, and structural integrity. Engaging qualified engineers and obtaining necessary permits helps meet Australian building standards and ensures construction is completed correctly.
Key Requirements include:
- Structural engineering design and certification
- A building permit — mandatory for structural work
- A planning permit — required where the property sits in a heritage or other overlay
- Compliance with the National Construction Code and relevant Australian Standards
Challenges Faced During Structural Renovations
Structural renovations involve challenges requiring expertise, planning, and careful execution.
- Hidden issues in older structures
- Unexpected costs from poor planning
- Risks from inexperienced workmanship
- Complex coordination of multiple trades
- Strict compliance and safety requirements
Structural Renovation Across Melbourne
Soil conditions and housing stock vary considerably across the city, and both drive what structural work is needed.
Melbourne’s east — Balwyn, Mont Albert, Box Hill, Burwood, Glen Waverley, Mount Waverley. Reactive clay is at its most pronounced through here, and the housing is largely interwar and post-war. Underpinning, restumping and footing remediation are common.
South-east — Bentleigh, Caulfield, Ormond, Elsternwick. Interwar and Art Deco stock on clay, frequently with original solid masonry and shallow footings.
Outer east — Rowville, Wantirna, Ferntree Gully. Newer housing on sloping and clay sites; more extension and second-storey work than remediation.
Inner suburbs — Fitzroy, Richmond, Collingwood, Carlton. Victorian terraces with party walls, no side access and tight heritage controls. The structural problem here is usually access and sequencing as much as engineering.
Bayside — Port Melbourne, Albert Park, Elwood, Brighton. Boom-era and interwar stock, salt exposure affecting steel durability, and high finish expectations.
We work across Melbourne’s east, south-east, inner and bayside suburbs. If you are not sure whether a wall is load-bearing or whether your footings need attention, call 1300 425 266 and we will come and look.
Start Your Structural Renovation with the Right Team
Alcon Building Group delivers expert structural renovation solutions with precision and reliability.
We coordinate engineers and consultants, manage projects end-to-end, and ensure safe, compliant construction with accurate planning and high-quality results. Contact our team today to discuss your structural renovation requirements.
Featured Structural Projects
Leicester Street, Fitzroy. A Victorian terrace under Yarra Council heritage controls, on a site classified Class ‘P’ — a problem site requiring engineered footing design. The rear half of the house was demolished and rebuilt as a new extension, taking the floor area from 84m² to 92m², with the whole property renovated. The house sits between party wall easements 110mm wide on both boundaries, so there is effectively no side access: every load, every delivery and every length of steel came through the front or over the top. Original ceilings run close to 3,500mm. New work in selected old red brick with black steel-framed windows and doors.
Richmond. A single-fronted Victorian cottage where the original facade and cast iron lacework verandah were retained while the rear was opened up and extended over two levels. Reinforcing an original frontage to carry the loads of new construction behind it is engineering work, and the demolition has to be sequenced so the heritage fabric is never at risk.
Port Melbourne. A boom-era Italianate residence in a heritage area, where the top floor was extended to roof level and a modular rooftop deck with an outdoor kitchen was built. The loads run down through a structure built long before anyone imagined a rooftop terrace, on a foreshore site with minimal access. The planning approval took considerable time before construction could begin.
Helpful Guides
Planning a structural renovation? These guides cover costs, permits and key considerations: