House Extensions: Are You Ready to Start Planning? A Step-by-Step Guide

Extending your home is one of the most transformative—and financially impactful—renovation projects you can undertake. Whether it’s to gain extra living space, accommodate a growing family, boost your property’s resale value, or simply create your forever home, a house extension can unlock entirely new ways of living. But here’s the truth: jumping into it unprepared can lead to costly missteps, drawn-out timelines, and lots of unnecessary stress.

That’s where AIreno comes in.

For homeowners, AIreno is your renovation co-pilot: we offer instant quotes, pre-planning guidance, and end-to-end tools to help you map out your project before you even speak to a builder. For contractors and trades, AIreno is your digital sales assistant: we deliver fully scoped, qualified projects with homeowners who are ready to go. That means fewer tyre-kickers, higher conversion rates, and more profitable jobs.

In this first post of our House Extension series, we’ll help you answer the big question: Are you ready to start planning? We’ll walk through the early decisions, what you need to know before approaching a builder, and how to use AIreno to set yourself up for success.

Why Plan First, Build Second?

One of the most common traps homeowners fall into is reaching out to a builder too early. It might seem like the logical first step, but without a clear idea of what you want, how much you can afford, and what’s actually allowed on your block, that first conversation can stall quickly.

Most builders will ask the same questions:

• What do you want to build?
• What’s your budget?
• Have you checked with council?
• Do you have plans or drawings?

If you don’t have clear answers, it puts everyone in a holding pattern.

What you need before approaching a builder:

• A rough scope (how many rooms? single or double storey?)
• An understanding of your land, regulations, and setbacks
• A budget range you’re comfortable with
• A ballpark price per sqm for the type of build you want

How AIreno helps homeowners:

• Instantly price different extension types (rear, side, second-storey, garage conversions, etc.)
• Understand local pricing based on real-time market data
• Get matched with a dedicated AIreno planner who will help you prepare your scope and approval pathway

How AIreno helps contractors:

• We warm up your leads, qualify them, and make sure they have a scoped budget
• You only see jobs that match your preferred type and location
• No more back-and-forth quoting for projects that go nowhere

Signs You’re Ready to Plan Your House Extension

1. You Know Your Motivation:
   • Are you upsizing your home because your family is growing?
   • Do you need a dedicated workspace for your business?
   • Are you planning to create a self-contained dwelling for rental income or relatives?
   • Knowing why you’re extending helps determine what you should build—and what you shouldn’t.
2. You Have a Ballpark Budget:
   • Whether you’ve spoken to your bank or just assessed your savings, having a working figure—even a range—is key.
   • AIreno lets you test scenarios (e.g. single-storey vs second-storey) so you can match scope to budget.
3. You Understand the Time Involved:
   • From initial planning to council approvals, construction, and final handover, house extensions take time. Often 6 to 12+ months from start to finish.
   • If you’re ready to commit to that timeline, you’re ready to start planning.
4. You’re Ready to Get Professional Help:
   • Extensions involve multiple steps: design, engineering, approvals, and construction.
   • You don’t need to know everything now—but you do need to be willing to learn and work with professionals who can guide you.

Signs You’re Not Ready to Plan Yet

1. You Haven’t Set a Budget:
   • If you’re still unsure how much you can spend, it’s too early to involve builders or designers. Use AIreno to get a feel for realistic costs in your area.
2. You’re Still Comparing Renovating vs Moving:
   • AIreno can help you model out your extension vs the cost of buying another home, including stamp duty, agent fees, and renovation costs.
3. You’re Hoping to Skip Council Approval:
   • Most extensions require either a DA (Development Application) or CDC (Complying Development Certificate).
   • AIreno’s planners help you understand your approval pathway upfront—no guesswork.
4. You Expect a Builder to Handle Everything from Day One:
   • Builders usually need you to come to them with a basic plan or budget. With AIreno, we help get you to that stage before you approach them.

What You Can Do on AIreno Right Now

Homeowners:

• Get an instant estimate for your house extension
• Chat with Ari, your AI Renovation Co-Pilot, and get help refining your vision
• Speak to a real planner who can answer questions about costs, regulations, or timelines
• Save your project scope and start comparing builders based on pricing and availability

Contractors & Builders:

• Set up your free Quote Page and customise it to show your pricing tiers
• Let AIreno pre-qualify leads for you so you’re only speaking to ready clients
• Save time quoting by using AIreno’s estimating tools to price projects instantly
• Build a pipeline of profitable work without the usual chasing

Conclusion

Planning is the most important stage of any home extension. It’s what separates dream builds from disasters. The sooner you get clarity around your scope, budget, and timeline, the smoother the road ahead will be.

With AIreno, homeowners gain instant insight into pricing, timelines, and what’s possible on their property. Contractors benefit from ready-to-go clients, accurate scopes, and less wasted time.

So if you’re ready to start planning your house extension, start with AIreno—and build smarter from day one.

Stay tuned for the next post in our House Extension series: Budgeting for Your Extension – Costs, Scope & Getting an Accurate Quote.