Terrace renovations
Renovating and extending terraces in Surry Hills, Darlinghurst, Redfern, Glebe and Paddington, with party walls, rear lanes and neighbours planned for early.
Home renovationsCity of Sydney
Builders in the City of Sydney
Shafbuild renovates terraces and apartments, delivers strata works and fits out commercial spaces across the City of Sydney, from the CBD to Surry Hills, Redfern and Glebe. We work across metro Sydney from our office in Kensington, just south of the City.
Inner Sydney means heritage streets, shared walls, tight access and buildings that keep operating around you. We plan the approvals and the site before design, so the build runs to programme.
- Based in Kensington
- Licensed builder 469244C
- NSW Class 2 Building Practitioner
- 5.0 on Google
Heritage controls in the City of Sydney
The Sydney local environmental plan lists heritage items and heritage conservation areas across the terrace suburbs, including Paddington, Surry Hills, Darlinghurst, Glebe and Redfern. The Sydney development control plan’s heritage section sets how alterations and additions should respect each area: the street front and roofline kept, new work behind, materials that suit the street.
A heritage item, or external work in a conservation area, generally needs a development application with a heritage impact statement. The City has been reviewing its conservation area controls, so we check the version in force for your lot when we set the pathway in design and approvals.
Flooding, access and shared walls
Parts of the City sit on low ground, and the DCP’s water and flood management section can set floor levels and drainage for an affected lot. We check flood information early, because it changes the design of a ground floor extension.
Terraces share walls with their neighbours and often have only rear lane access. That shapes the structure, the scaffold, deliveries and the work hours. We record the condition of neighbouring properties before work starts, and plan the site around the street and the lane.
What we build in the City of Sydney
Apartments and strata
Apartment renovations under strata by-laws, and remedial, waterproofing and facade works for owners corporations, by a registered Class 2 builder.
Remedial and strataCommercial fitouts
Office, retail and hospitality fitouts in the city and inner suburbs, programmed around building rules, trading hours and access.
Commercial workDesign and approvals
Architecture, engineering and the DA or CDC led in-house, so the design is priced and buildable before you commit.
Design and approvalsCity of Sydney suburbs we work in
- Sydney CBD
- Surry Hills
- Darlinghurst
- Paddington (part)
- Potts Point
- Elizabeth Bay
- Rushcutters Bay
- Woolloomooloo
- Redfern
- Waterloo
- Zetland
- Rosebery (part)
- Alexandria
- Erskineville
- Newtown (part)
- Glebe
- Pyrmont
- Ultimo
- Chippendale
- Camperdown (part)
- Centennial Park
- Moore Park
Further east or south? See builders in the Eastern Suburbs, Woollahra, Randwick or Bayside.
City of Sydney building questions
What drives the cost of renovating a terrace or fitting out in the City of Sydney?
For homes: heritage requirements, shared walls and party wall work, rear lane access for deliveries and scaffold, flood levels on low ground, and what an old terrace reveals once opened up. For fitouts: building manager rules, after hours work and services in an occupied building. Rather than quote a headline figure, we visit, read the controls for your property and give you a fixed, itemised scope with any provisional sums flagged upfront.
Can I add a rear extension to a terrace in a City of Sydney conservation area?
Often, yes. The City’s development control plan expects additions to sit behind the main roof and keep the street front intact, and the work generally goes through a development application with a heritage impact statement. The City has also been reviewing its conservation area controls, so we check the version in force for your lot.
Is my property flood affected?
Some lots in the City of Sydney are, especially on low ground. The City’s development control plan has a water and flood management section that can set floor levels and how the site drains. A planning certificate or flood information from the City confirms it for your lot, and we check it at feasibility.
Do you do commercial fitouts in the Sydney CBD?
Yes. We deliver office, retail and hospitality fitouts, working with building managers on access, hours and services. See office fitouts.
Is Paddington in the City of Sydney or Woollahra?
Both. Paddington is split between the two councils, and each has its own heritage controls. See builders in Woollahra for the other side.
Start with what the City allows
Tell us about your property or tenancy and what you want to achieve. We will tell you what the controls allow and the smartest way to get it approved and built.