Home Extensions Ermington

Covered alfresco and outdoor living area flowing to a pool, the kind of indoor outdoor connection a home extension in Ermington creates

Home Extensions · Ermington NSW 2115

Home extensions in Ermington, done properly.

Rear and side house extensions for Ermington homes by a licensed extension builder. Most extensions run $70,000 to $300,000 depending on size and how much of the existing house has to change, itemised quote, honest programme, one builder from concept to handover.

★★★★★Rated 5.0 by our clients on Google
NSW Builder’s Licence 487370CItemised quotesClear inclusions & exclusionsCity of Parramatta Council area

Start here

Tell us about your Ermington home.

No sales pitch, no obligation. Here is exactly what happens when you enquire:

  • 1Answer a few quick questions. One at a time, takes about two minutes, so the first conversation is about your project rather than the basics.
  • 2We call you within 24 to 48 business hours. A builder, not a salesperson. Then we walk your home and yard with you on site in Ermington.
  • 3You receive a written, itemised estimate. Real numbers for your home. If the project does not stack up, we tell you that too.

From our clients

Rated 5.0 on Google.

★★★★★

“We had Strava Group complete major renovation works on our property and were blown away with the quality. The attention to detail and overall finish were amazing.”

Aloona T.
Google review
★★★★★

“Great communication, honest work, easy to work with, highly recommend to work with for any new build/renovations. If you are looking to get work done without worrying about shortcuts Strava Group is builder to use.”

Orom Gabriel
Google review
★★★★★

“I highly recommend Strava Group to everyone great workmanship, reliable service, and I couldn’t be happier with the result.”

Jonathan
Google review

Extending out, not up

Ermington blocks have the room to extend.

Strava Group builds home extensions in Ermington: rear additions, side extensions and whole-of-back transformations that open the house to the yard. Ermington was built out mostly in the 1950s and 60s, which means single storey brick and weatherboard homes on flat, regular blocks with a backyard the original house barely uses. The riverfront end has been redeveloped, but the streets behind are still detached houses on their original blocks, and that is prime extension country: simple structure, workable access, and land at the back.

In Ermington we regularly deliver:

  • Rear extensions and additions
  • Side extensions on wider blocks
  • Open plan kitchen, dining and living
  • Alfresco and indoor-outdoor connections
  • New master suites and family rooms
  • Laundries, mudrooms and storage done properly
  • Structural openings between old and new
  • Exterior upgrades to tie old and new together

Thinking about going up instead? That is a different build with different engineering, and we do that too: see second storey additions.

A 1950s Ermington home with a small rear kitchen, a separate dining room and a long flat backyard is the brief we see most. Open the back, bring the kitchen into the light, and connect it to the yard.

Local knowledge

What we know about extending in Ermington.

Every suburb builds a little differently. This is what matters when you are extending a Ermington home.

Council

Ermington sits in the City of Parramatta Council area under the Parramatta Local Environmental Plan 2023 and the Parramatta Development Control Plan. Most detached homes on standard residential zoning can pursue a ground floor extension through Complying Development with a private certifier rather than a full DA, subject to setbacks, site coverage and landscaped area. Flood controls apply on the low blocks toward the river. We confirm the pathway for your property before quoting. Current planning controls are published by City of Parramatta Council and on the NSW Planning Portal.

Housing stock

Predominantly 1950s and 60s brick veneer, full brick and weatherboard homes built in the post-war housing push, with some later two storey houses and newer development concentrated along the river at Melrose Park. The typical plan has a compact kitchen at the rear, separate living and dining, and a back door onto a small landing. That is exactly the layout an extension is designed to fix.

Structure

Brick veneer and weatherboard homes of this era are straightforward to extend, with timber framed walls and framed roofs that take a new structural opening well once the load path is engineered. Weatherboard homes extend well in timber, and the junction is where the flashing has to be done properly. Full brick homes need more care at the junction: we cut the openings cleanly, install engineered steel and tie the new frame in properly.

Yard and block

Ermington blocks are typically 550 to 750 square metres and unusually flat and regular, which makes the build simpler and cheaper than the sloping suburbs nearby. Side access is usually workable. A full width rear extension with a real backyard kept beyond it is the usual move.

Services and ground

Ermington sits on shale derived clay soils that move with moisture, with alluvial ground and flood controls on the low blocks toward the Parramatta River. New footings on an extension have to be engineered for the site class, not copied from the original house, and detailed against the existing footings so the two do not settle at different rates. Sewer lines often run along the rear of the block and are located before design starts.

Value

Ermington sits between Parramatta and Ryde with the river, the ferry at Melrose Park and improving transport holding demand, and it remains one of the more affordable entry points in the district. A well built extension that converts a dated rear layout into open plan living with a genuine yard connection is one of the most reliable improvements you can make here, and it usually costs less than the stamp duty and agent fees involved in moving to a bigger house nearby.

The Strava standard

How we build differently.

An extension lives or dies at the junction between old and new. We build for longevity, and on every Ermington extension we run:

Every new-to-existing junction properly detailed

This is where most extensions crack, leak and part company with the house. It is almost always a detailing shortcut, not settlement. Ours get a proper structural tie, flashing and movement detail.

The existing structure gets rectified, not covered

Where the extension meets the house, we screw off and re-brace the adjoining structure, tying new and old together so the whole building moves as one and future cracking is designed out, not painted over.

Footings matched to the ground, not the minimum

New footings are engineered for your soil and detailed against the existing ones, because differential movement between old and new slabs is the classic extension failure, and the clay soils across Ermington make it more likely, not less.

Furring channels for a dead flat finish

Where new ceilings and walls run through to existing rooms, furring channels give one level plane across both, so you cannot see where the house ends and the extension begins.

Waterproofing is a documented hold point

New wet areas are inspected and photographed before a single tile goes on, to AS 3740, and new roof-to-old-roof junctions get the same treatment.

Everything photographed before it is covered

You receive the record at handover, so in ten years you know exactly what is behind your walls and under your floor.

Before starting Strava Group, I spent seven years on the tools as a carpenter and five years running sites. The failures I kept seeing in extensions were always at the join: cracked cornices along the old wall line, roofs that leaked where new met old, floors that stepped as slabs settled differently. None of it was illegal. All of it was avoidable. None of this shows up in a finished-room photo. All of it shows up in year seven.

Honest numbers

What a house extension actually costs in Ermington.

Most builders will not put numbers on a website. We will, because the alternative is wasting your time and ours across three meetings before anyone mentions a figure.

Home extension, depending on size and scope$70k–$300k
Ground floor extension work$2,500–$4,500 /m²
Preliminaries, on top of build costapprox. $30,000

Preliminaries are the costs that exist before a single wall moves: site fencing, temporary services, waste removal, insurances, engineering and supervision. They are real, they are unavoidable, and a quote that does not show them separately has either buried them or forgotten them.

In Ermington the flat regular blocks keep builds efficient, which tends to put projects in the lower and middle part of the band. How much of the existing structure has to change is usually the largest single factor, followed by wet areas and how far the new footings have to go to find good ground.

Every project is quoted properly after a site inspection. These ranges are here so you can decide whether it is worth a conversation.


Nearby

Home extensions near Ermington.

We build extensions across Parramatta and the Ryde district and the surrounding suburbs. Select a suburb for local council information and what extensions there typically cost.

Looking for a different service in Ermington? We also build second storey additions and home renovations.

Good to know

Ermington extension questions.

How much does a home extension cost in Ermington?
Most home extensions in Ermington run $70,000 to $300,000 depending on size and how much of the existing structure has to change, at roughly $2,500 to $4,500 per square metre for ground floor work, with around $30,000 in preliminaries on top. The flat regular blocks here keep builds efficient, which tends to put projects in the lower and middle part of the band.
Do I need council approval for an extension in Ermington?
Usually yes, but often not a full DA. Many Ermington homes qualify for a Complying Development Certificate through a private certifier, provided the extension meets the setback, site coverage and landscaped area controls, which is much faster than a DA through the City of Parramatta Council. Flood affected blocks toward the river remove the CDC option. We confirm which pathway applies to your property before quoting.
How long does a home extension take to build in Ermington?
Most extensions run 12 to 20 weeks on site. Design and approvals happen before that and can add anywhere from six weeks for a CDC to several months for a DA. We give you a programme with the quote, not after you have signed.
Can I live at home during the extension?
Usually yes. Because the work is concentrated at the rear or side, most Ermington families stay in the house for most of the build, with a shorter disruptive period when we break through and connect the new space to the old. We plan the breakthrough stage with you so you know exactly when it is coming.
Should I extend out or add a second storey in Ermington?
On a typical Ermington block, extending out is usually the simpler and cheaper path per square metre because the land is flat and there is room to spare. Going up makes more sense when you want to keep every metre of yard. We build both, so the advice is honest: we look at your block and tell you which one your home actually wants. A house extension and a second storey are different builds with different engineering, and we quote both honestly. See our second storey additions page for that path.
Will the extension match my existing house?
That is a design decision, and both answers can work. Matching 1950s face brick exactly is often impossible because the brick is no longer made, so we either source the closest match and blend it, render the junction, or design a deliberately contemporary addition that lets the original house be itself. Weatherboard homes are easier: new cladding can match the profile closely. What must always match is the standard of the junction between old and new, which is where our detailing does its work.
How will I know what is happening during my extension?
Two ways. You get a weekly update from the builder running your job, whether or not there is good news in it. And you get access to our client portal, where you can log in any time to see your documents, selections, variations and job status. No chasing, no phone tag, no wondering.
Are you licensed and insured?
Yes. Strava Group holds NSW Builder’s Licence 487370C and carries public liability insurance and Home Building Compensation Fund cover on all residential work over the statutory threshold. You can verify the licence directly through Service NSW.

Extend your Ermington home properly.

Ready for more room?

Tell us about your property and what you want to add. We respond within 24 to 48 business hours with honest advice and real numbers, no cost, no obligation.