Status: In Construction
Services: Feasibility, Design, Approvals, Construction
Client: Owner Occupier Young Family
Scope: Entire apartment renovation including acoustic treatment to reduce train noise
This project involved the full renovation of a 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment in Liberty Grove, purchased by a young family with the intention of renovating to improve functionality and long-term value.
The apartment is located in a 3 storey walk up on the second floor, with all bedrooms facing the train line approximately 19m away. While the property had strong fundamentals including park outlooks and proximity to the train station, shopping centre, Bicentennial Park and estate facilities, train noise meant windows and doors were kept shut almost always, resulting in poor ventilation.
As part of the planned full renovation, the key objective was to address the noise issue while upgrading the apartment to a modern standard. The feasibility assessed how to combine an effective acoustic solution using secondary glazing systems and acoustic curtains in conjunction with ducted air conditioning to improve both noise performance and ventilation, while keeping costs aligned with the local market.
Due to the lack of comparable sales for fully renovated apartments with effective noise reduction, ROI could not be accurately quantified at feasibility stage. However, the strategy focused on resolving a core noise constraint and delivering a fully renovated apartment positioned for owner occupier demand, creating a clear point of difference within the Liberty Grove market.
Long term capital growth for Liberty Grove remains strong as no further supply possible unlike surrounding suburbs of Rhodes east, Concord West and North Strathfield all rezoned to permit new supply of low to high density housing.
Project Snapshot
Location: Liberty Grove, Sydney
Property Type: 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom, 2 car garage
Construction: Double brick, low rise walk up (3 storey)
Position: Second floor, park facing, 19m from train line
Key Issue: Train noise impacting all bedrooms
Highest & Best Use: Renovated apartment for young family household
Strategy: Full renovation with acoustic insulation and ducted air conditioning
Approval Pathway: Strata AGM with special by-laws
Construction Duration: Approx. 4 months
ROI: Undetermined due to lack of comparable sales – clients willing to test market
A young family purchased the apartment drawn to its proximity to amenities, outlook over the park and location within the Liberty Grove estate.
The apartment bedrooms faced the train line approximately 19m away. Due to the noise, windows and doors were kept shut almost always, resulting in no natural ventilation.
The apartment was in original condition with dated fittings and no air conditioning. The intention was to complete a full renovation and address the train noise issue.
The challenge was to determine whether value could be added through a complete renovation and by overcoming the train noise issue.
Client Requirements
Existing
Demographics
The client family are representative of the dominant demographics in the suburb:
Comparable Sales
Value add potential difficult to determine as no clear distinction between renovated and unrenovated properties
Liberty Grove median apartment price is lower than Rhodes due to newer buildings, foreshore location and less noise impact.
The Market
Concord West, North Strathfield and Rhodes East have recently been rezoned under Transport Oriented Development (TOD) and Low and Mid Rise Housing policies
Liberty Grove:
Market performance:
Highest and Best Use
This considers the best use of the property that would produce the highest value, on the basis that it is physically possible, legally permissible, and financially feasible.
A change of use is not possible for apartments. Therefore, to achieve the highest and best use through renovation, the design must appeal to the target occupancy (e.g. tenant or owner-occupier).
For this apartment, the target demographic aligns with the client’s circumstances, a young family household.
Planning Controls
All works internal
Construction
Apartment Renovation
The overall scope involving new kitchen, bathroom, laundry, flooring, lighting, painting and robes was straightforward, with no major issues anticipated for these works.
Acoustic Insulation
The main issue to address was insulating the bedrooms, all of which were backed onto the train line that runs both regular passenger trains and freight trains. Both produced different types of noise, so the insulation system needed to address both conditions.
The only benefit was that the apartment walls were constructed from double brick, which has strong sound insulation properties. However, the existing windows and doors were single pane 6mm glass.
Air Conditioning
The apartment is located on the second floor with an east to west orientation, resulting in significant heat load during mornings and afternoons.
The client required a system to service the entire apartment across 4 zones (3 bedrooms and 1 large living and dining area).
Options considered were:
Analysis
Air Conditioning Options
Multi-head system and Split Systems:
Ducted System
Acoustic Strategy
To reduce train noise in bedrooms:
Key findings:
Renovation Strategy
For the renovation works across the entire apartment:
The target demographic for the renovation remained aligned with the client profile:
Results
All works including air conditioning, secondary glazing and bathroom works were bundled into a single application for strata AGM approval.
Total Estimated Cost
The following costs contributed to a higher than typical total project costs. These additional costs were required to overcome the project specific challenges.
ROI
The design was developed to achieve a modern, mid range outcome that is both timeless and appealing to the broader market.
From feasibility, the following was implemented:
Finishes
All works were approved at a strata AGM. Special by-laws registered for:
A young family purchased the apartment drawn to its proximity to amenities, outlook over the park and location within the Liberty Grove estate.
The apartment bedrooms faced the train line approximately 19m away. Due to the noise, windows and doors were kept shut almost always, resulting in no natural ventilation.
The apartment was in original condition with dated fittings and no air conditioning. The intention was to complete a full renovation and address the train noise issue.
The challenge was to determine whether value could be added through a complete renovation and by overcoming the train noise issue.
Client Requirements
Existing
Demographics
The client family are representative of the dominant demographics in the suburb:
Comparable Sales
Value add potential difficult to determine as no clear distinction between renovated and unrenovated properties
Liberty Grove median apartment price is lower than Rhodes due to newer buildings, foreshore location and less noise impact.
The Market
Concord West, North Strathfield and Rhodes East have recently been rezoned under Transport Oriented Development (TOD) and Low and Mid Rise Housing policies
Liberty Grove:
Market performance:
Highest and Best Use
This considers the best use of the property that would produce the highest value, on the basis that it is physically possible, legally permissible, and financially feasible.
A change of use is not possible for apartments. Therefore, to achieve the highest and best use through renovation, the design must appeal to the target occupancy (e.g. tenant or owner-occupier).
For this apartment, the target demographic aligns with the client’s circumstances, a young family household.
Planning Controls
All works internal
Construction
Apartment Renovation
The overall scope involving new kitchen, bathroom, laundry, flooring, lighting, painting and robes was straightforward, with no major issues anticipated for these works.
Acoustic Insulation
The main issue to address was insulating the bedrooms, all of which were backed onto the train line that runs both regular passenger trains and freight trains. Both produced different types of noise, so the insulation system needed to address both conditions.
The only benefit was that the apartment walls were constructed from double brick, which has strong sound insulation properties. However, the existing windows and doors were single pane 6mm glass.
Air Conditioning
The apartment is located on the second floor with an east to west orientation, resulting in significant heat load during mornings and afternoons.
The client required a system to service the entire apartment across 4 zones (3 bedrooms and 1 large living and dining area).
Options considered were:
Analysis
Air Conditioning Options
Multi-head system and Split Systems:
Ducted System
Acoustic Strategy
To reduce train noise in bedrooms:
Key findings:
Renovation Strategy
For the renovation works across the entire apartment:
The target demographic for the renovation remained aligned with the client profile:
Results
All works including air conditioning, secondary glazing and bathroom works were bundled into a single application for strata AGM approval.
Total Estimated Cost
The following costs contributed to a higher than typical total project costs. These additional costs were required to overcome the project specific challenges.
ROI
The design was developed to achieve a modern, mid range outcome that is both timeless and appealing to the broader market.
From feasibility, the following was implemented:
Finishes
All works were approved at a strata AGM. Special by-laws registered for:
True ROI will only be determined once comparable sales exist for apartments that have completed full renovations and successfully reduced train noise, or upon resale.
The project is expected to deliver:
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