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Renovated kitchen with a dark cabinetry, a marble island and warm lighting

Willoughby City · postcode 2065

Home Renovations in Naremburn: Reviving a 1920s Bungalow

Keep the leadlight. Lose the 1974 kitchen.

Naremburn's bungalows and cottages were built well, then renovated badly in the decades since: fibro skillions out the back, lowered ceilings, sealed-up fireplaces. A good renovation peels those layers away, keeps what made the house worth buying and rebuilds the rest for modern life.

Talk about my bungalow 0476 300 300
Housing
1900s–1930s bungalows and cottages
Lots
350–550m²
Controls
Conservation areas on most inner streets
Willoughby DA
12–16 weeks

Short answer

What should I keep when renovating a Californian bungalow in Naremburn?

Keep the features that can't be bought again: leadlight and bay windows, pressed-metal or ornate plaster ceilings, fireplaces, timber floors and the front verandah. Replace the tired later additions, usually a rear skillion kitchen, bathroom and laundry, with a well-built new wing. For freeway noise, secondary glazing quiets rooms without removing original windows. Willoughby DAs take 12 to 16 weeks.

Written and reviewed by

Licensed builder, NSW Contractor Licence 487805C · Founder, Buildana

Fact-checked

What's worth saving

The front rooms of a Naremburn bungalow are usually the best rooms in the house: high ceilings, deep skirtings, a bay window with leadlight, a fireplace with its tiles intact. You can't buy that character new at any price.

Keep them. Restore them properly: re-lead cracked panels, strip paint from timber where it helps, reopen fireplaces for show or a flued heater. Hardwood floors under old carpet often sand back beautifully.

  • Leadlight, bay windows and original sashes
  • Pressed-metal and decorative plaster ceilings
  • Fireplaces, mantels and hearth tiles
  • Hardwood floors and the front verandah
The front of the house is the bit you bought. The back is the bit you get to reinvent.

What usually goes

Almost every bungalow here has a rear addition from somewhere between 1950 and 1985. Fibro or weatherboard skillion, low ceilings, a kitchen, a bathroom, a laundry and a floor that sags toward the yard. It's rarely worth saving.

Replacing it with a new wing, set below the original roofline so the old house still reads from the street, is the classic Naremburn renovation. It sorts out the three wet rooms at once and finally connects the house to the garden.

Older additions often contain asbestos, so testing comes before demolition.

Light-filled living room with a sofa, timber floor and large window
A new rear wing gives the house the living room its 1920s plan never had.

Own a bungalow worth doing properly?

Tell me about your Naremburn house, the features you love and the parts you can't stand. I'll suggest what to keep, what to replace and a ballpark for the lot.

0476 300 300

No obligation. We only use your details to respond to this enquiry.

Quieting the freeway without losing the windows

Streets near the Gore Hill Freeway and the Pacific Highway carry traffic noise all day. Replacing original timber windows with acoustic aluminium would work, and council would rightly object in a conservation area.

Secondary glazing is the better answer. A slim second pane fitted on the inside of the original window, with an air gap between, cuts road noise significantly and improves winter warmth. From the street the house looks untouched. Draught-sealing the old sashes helps too.

Weathered timber boards and an old door with peeling paint
Original timber can usually be repaired and kept; it rarely needs replacing.

Approvals and cost

Internal restoration is generally exempt. A new rear wing, roof changes or anything visible from the street in a conservation area needs a DA with Willoughby City Council, typically 12 to 16 weeks, with heritage advice along the way.

Rawlinsons lists Sydney kitchens at mid-range from $19,500 to $22,000 and bathrooms from $23,500 to $26,500, and Naremburn's 1.22 loading sits on top. Heritage restoration work, leadlight repair and secondary glazing are priced per item from inspection.

Before you renovate a bungalow

My first checks inside any Naremburn cottage or bungalow.

  1. 01

    Which original features survive, and in what condition?

  2. 02

    How old is the rear addition, and does it contain asbestos?

  3. 03

    Does the new wing sit below the original roofline?

  4. 04

    Which rooms face the freeway or the highway?

  5. 05

    Can original windows take secondary glazing?

  6. 06

    Is the street inside a conservation area?

Renovating bungalows in Naremburn

Can I replace original timber windows in Naremburn?

In a conservation area, council generally prefers repair. Secondary glazing gives most of the acoustic and thermal benefit while keeping the originals.

What is secondary glazing?

A second pane of glass fitted inside an existing window with an air gap, reducing noise and heat loss without altering the window's exterior.

Is the rear skillion on my bungalow worth keeping?

Rarely. Most were built cheaply with low ceilings and poor footings; replacing them usually gives better value than repairing them.

Do you restore leadlight windows?

We work with specialist glaziers who re-lead and repair original leadlight as part of the renovation.

Sources and references

Costs are from the Rawlinsons handbook with the local cost index applied; rules and timeframes are checked against the sources below.

Building in NaremburnConservation streets and Willoughby's controls.
Extensions in NaremburnDesigning the new rear wing.
Custom homes in NaremburnWhen rebuilding is the better path.

Old charm at the front. New life at the back.

A Naremburn renovation that respects the bungalow and fixes everything added since.

Talk about my bungalow 0476 300 300