Renovation Builder for Burnie & the Northwest Coast
Burnie is a city with an exceptional amount of character housing — weatherboard cottages, inter-war bungalows, fibro post-war homes, and substantial brick homes from the 1960s and 70s. Many of these properties sit in good locations with excellent access to the city's services, the university campus, and the Bass Strait foreshore. The fundamentals are strong. The opportunity is in unlocking them — and that is exactly what a well-executed renovation does.
Davies Design & Construction is an integrated design-and-build practice. Your renovation is led by Align Architecture & Interiors — Luke Davies's architecture and interior design firm — and built by Davies Construction. The two work as one team from the first conversation through to handover. There is no miscommunication between architect and builder, no separate briefs, no budget surprises that emerge mid-design. One team, one point of contact, one outcome.
We have been building on Tasmania's northwest coast since 2009 — 17 years of working in this climate, with local trades, and with Burnie City Council on planning and permits. We understand Burnie's building conditions: the Bass Strait coastal exposure that demands marine-grade specifications, the clay and basalt soils that shape footing design, the pre-1987 housing stock that frequently contains asbestos, and the rental market dynamics that drive strong demand for well-presented investment properties.
Burnie's rental yields — up to 9.9% in some suburbs — make renovation investment particularly compelling. The combination of relatively low purchase prices and strong tenant demand from healthcare workers, university students, and northwest coast professionals creates an opportunity that the right renovation can capitalise on. We design and build renovations that target both liveability and investment performance.
What We Renovate in Burnie
Whole-House Renovations
Complete transformation of layout, finishes, and building performance. Burnie's older housing stock — weatherboard, fibro, and inter-war homes — often has good bones and great location but needs a full refresh inside and out.
Extensions & Additions
Adding rooms, a second storey, or expanding living spaces. Thoughtfully integrated with your existing Burnie home — preserving what works while delivering the space you need for a growing family or changing lifestyle.
Kitchens, Bathrooms & Living Areas
New kitchens, new bathrooms, open-plan conversions, and interior reconfigurations. The spaces you use every day, designed and built to the highest standard for Burnie and northwest coast living.
Roofs, Decks & External Works
New roofs, decks, cladding, and external upgrades that protect your home and extend living outdoors. Marine-grade specifications for Burnie's Bass Strait coastal exposure — protecting your investment for the long term.
Building Envelope & Energy Upgrades
High-performance thermal envelope upgrades — insulation, airtightness, better windows, and mechanical ventilation — transform the comfort of Burnie's older homes dramatically. High-value work for owner-occupiers and investment properties alike.
Investment Property Renovations
Burnie's rental yields are among the strongest in Tasmania. We help investors maximise returns by right-sizing spaces, selecting durable finishes, and targeting the improvements that deliver the strongest uplift in rental value.
What to Know About Renovating in Burnie
Renovating in Burnie comes with specific considerations that an experienced local builder understands well. Here is what matters:
- Asbestos is common in pre-1987 Burnie homes — fibro sheeting, roofing, insulation, and floor tiles must be tested and, if positive, removed by a licensed contractor before structural work begins. We coordinate this through Statewide Asbestos.
- Burnie City Council manages planning permits through the PlanBuild Tasmania portal. Most structural renovations and extensions require both a planning and building permit — the process is generally straightforward and well-managed.
- Bass Strait coastal exposure means material specification matters. Marine-grade fixings, appropriate cladding, corrosion-resistant flashings, and roofing systems designed for salt-air exposure are non-negotiable for northwest coast longevity.
- Heritage-listed homes in Burnie require additional approvals through the Tasmanian Heritage Council. Design must respect the heritage values of the property. We work closely with Align Architecture to navigate heritage requirements sensitively.
- Elevated blocks in Park Grove, South Burnie, and Wynyard may require retaining, stepped footings, or engineered solutions — site-specific considerations that benefit from an experienced local builder assessing the project early.
- Investment property renovations in Burnie are financially compelling — strong rental yields reward the right improvements. We design renovations that maximise livability and rental return simultaneously.
Renovation & Extension Projects
From whole-house transformations to high-performance extensions — our portfolio shows what is possible when great design meets precise construction.