Blacktown tops renovation nation as reality shows influencing the Bunnings market
Renovation shows are proving to be a hit with Australian viewers, with The Block remaining popular in its seventh season and Channel 7's new House Rules.
The DIY shows are likely to have influenced and encouraged homeowners to give their own kitchen that lick of paint or change the tiles in their bathrooms.
Almost 5,000 renovations were listed on ServiceSeeking.com.au in the last month, with a high level of renovation activity in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne.
ServiceSeeking.com.au gives customers an idea of how much money home renovation costs to possibly avoid overpriced quotes from tradespeople.
The website allows you to post your job, then sit back and wait for quotes to roll in.
Exterior painting is the cheapest trade service listed on the site, with an average quote of $40 per hour including paint.
Sydney accounted for almost half of the jobs, with Blacktown in Western Sydney taking out the renovation hot spot.
The median house price in Blacktown is $390,000 and the median unit price is $301,350.
The Hills Shire region took out the next two spots with Baulkham Hills and Castle Hills.
In Brisbane, Mount Gravatt listed the most renovations, followed by the Southeastern suburb Eight Mile Plains and Morningside.
Glen Waverley topped Victoria’s list of DIY suburbs, followed by Hampton Park and Mitcham.
The average renovation was listed around $3,500.
Gina Rushton of ServiceSeeking.com.au says majority of the renovators on their site are part of “the Bunnings market”; that is, homeowners who have braved DIY where they can then call in the experts for the more difficult task.
“It is the age of the DIY renovator of the Bunnings market; renovators who try to only need the experts for areas in which they don’t have the tools, skills or know-how.
“It isn’t uncommon for our builders to be called into unfinished homes where people have failed to do it all themselves, possibly inspired by shows like The Block.
“Our business have told us that they spend a lot of time completing half-done renovations,” says Rushton.
Allan Bayad from Handyman-Tastic says he would much rather start from new rather than trying to fix stuff-ups.
“If you or a mate start a renovation on your own and can’t complete it, then expect a trade to come to the rescue, then prepare to pay the full price," he says.
"Nine out of 10 households usually do it wrong. It’s not easy trying to fix stuff-ups."
Kitchens and bathrooms were the most popular renovation over the six months, followed by new floors and paint jobs.
The top eight renovating suburbs for New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria are as follows:
NSW
1. Blacktown
2. Castle Hill
4. Surry Hills
6. Marrickville
7. Dee Why
8. Cherrybrook
QLD
3. Morningside
4. Coorparoo
5. Annerley
6. Aspley
7. Capalaba
8. The Gap
VIC
1. Hampton Park
3. Mitcham
4. Reservoir
7. Craigieburn
8. Yarraville
