Second Storey Additions · Leichhardt
Add bedrooms, bathrooms & living space, without moving.
Second storey additions for Leichhardt homes, from $274,000. Packages for freestanding homes, custom builds for terraces and semis. Built to our Above Standard Carpentry Specification, with acoustic insulation in the subfloor included free on early projects.
487370C
Space without moving
More room, without leaving the Inner West.
You love your Leichhardt street, your neighbours, the school run. What you do not love is running out of space. Moving means stamp duty, agent fees and starting over somewhere that may never feel like home.
On a million dollar purchase, stamp duty alone runs to roughly $40,000 before you have paid an agent, a conveyancer or a removalist. In a suburb like Leichhardt, five kilometres from the CBD with the light rail and Norton Street at the end of the walk, that maths rarely favours moving.
A second storey addition lets you stay exactly where you are and build the space you need. Extra bedrooms, a second bathroom, a private master retreat or an upstairs living zone, without giving up a metre of backyard.
Strava Group builds second storey additions across Leichhardt and the wider Inner West. About us.
Same land. Same street. Same address. A whole new upstairs.
Limited time offer
Free acoustic insulation in the subfloor on early Leichhardt packages. A quieter floor between levels, at no extra cost.
Choose your package
Three fixed price starting points.
All prices are “from”, GST inclusive, and apply to the new upper floor works only. The packages suit freestanding homes. Terraces and semis are built as custom projects, priced to your home, for the reasons below. Every build includes acoustic insulation in the subfloor while the current offer runs.
Essential
Approx. 40 to 45m²
From$274,000
1 Bed · Living · Ensuite
- New upper level with 1 bedroom
- Living or retreat area
- Ensuite
- Internal staircase allowance
- Subfloor acoustic insulation included
Best for: smaller additions, a parents’ or teenager’s space.
Family
Approx. 55 to 65m²
From$320,000
3 Beds · Living · 1 Bath
- 3 bedrooms upstairs
- 1 living area
- 1 family bathroom
- Internal staircase
- Moves bedrooms up, opens your ground floor
- Subfloor acoustic insulation included
Best for: families wanting bedrooms moved upstairs.
Complete
Approx. 70m² and above
From$348,000
3 Beds · Living · 2 Baths
- 3 bedrooms upstairs
- 1 living area
- 2 bathrooms
- Internal staircase
- Subfloor acoustic insulation included
Best for: a major, whole family transformation.
Terraces, semis and character homes
Most Leichhardt additions are custom builds.
The packages above suit freestanding homes. A terrace or semi cannot be priced off a package, because the two things that drive its cost, the shared party wall and the heritage pathway, are different on every house. Pretending otherwise is how additions end up in variation territory.
So for terraces and semis we price against your actual home: the party wall engineering, the dilapidation reports, the DA, the ridge line. Same fixed price contract once scoped, same standards, same specification. Custom builds generally run $270,000 to $400,000 depending on size and what we find.
Custom builds
Priced to your plans
- Terraces and semis (party wall engineering included in scope)
- Heritage and conservation area homes
- Any size or configuration
- Ground floor works included in scope
Every plan is drawn to suit your Leichhardt home. Package price covers the new upper floor works. Design, engineering and council approvals, plus site set-up, are quoted separately as preliminaries, at roughly $30,000.
The Strava difference
A solid, quieter upstairs.
Most second storey additions leave the cavity between the new floor joists empty. While the floor does the job, that hollow space lets sound travel. As a result, footsteps carry straight down to the rooms below.
For early Strava Group projects in Leichhardt we include acoustic insulation in the subfloor free. Insulation batts fill the space between the new floor joists, with yellow tongue particleboard flooring laid over the top. It is a simple step that makes for a quieter upstairs.
Free
Acoustic insulation included between the new floor joists on early packages, while the offer runs.
✦
Yellow tongue particleboard flooring laid over the joists, ready for your timber, tile or carpet finish.
↓
Helps reduce noise transfer between levels for a quieter upstairs, especially with the right ceiling system.
+
Hebel or Nexcore upgrade available where the existing structure can take the additional weight.
- Floor finishTimber, tile or carpet
- Yellow tongue particleboardFlooring sheets over the joists
- Engineered floor joistsThe new upper floor structure
- Acoustic insulationBetween the joists, included free
- Plasterboard ceiling belowTo the rooms downstairs
- Existing top plateOn the walls of your house
Upgrade: Hebel or Nexcore flooring (subject to structural capacity)
Diagram is illustrative. Acoustic ratings apply to the complete floor and ceiling system, not the batts alone, and depend on the ceiling, insulation and joist design. Subfloor acoustic insulation is included where suitable, subject to engineering, access and final scope.
Local knowledge
Building a second storey in Leichhardt.
Leichhardt rewards building up more than almost anywhere in Sydney, and it also asks more questions first. Here is what shapes a project locally.
Council
Inner West Council
Leichhardt sits within Inner West Council, and the planning controls here are among the more protective in Sydney. Height, setbacks and streetscape all get genuine scrutiny, which is exactly why a well prepared application matters.
Heritage
Conservation areas are the norm
Large parts of Leichhardt sit inside heritage conservation areas. For most homes that takes the fast Complying Development pathway off the table and means a full Development Application. That changes the timeline, not the possibility. Some of the best additions in the inner west are on conservation streets.
Housing
Victorian terraces and workers’ cottages
Leichhardt is Victorian and Federation stock: terraces, semis and freestanding cottages. Beautiful, and every one built to hold up one floor. Footings are often shallow brick on clay, and the roof structure is rarely reusable as is. Both get checked before anything is designed.
Party walls
Terraces and semis share structure
Building up on a terrace or semi means working above and beside a wall you share with your neighbour. It is done all over the inner west, but it needs the engineering, the dilapidation reports and the neighbour conversation handled properly, early.
Blocks
Narrow, with lane access if you are lucky
Frontages here are commonly under seven metres. Crane placement, scaffold and material handling all take planning, and a rear lane changes the whole equation. We price access honestly at the start.
Streetscape
The street decides the roof
Council assesses an addition against the street, not just the block. Keeping the new level behind the existing ridge line, or stepping it back from the facade, is often what gets a Leichhardt DA approved. We design for that from the first sketch.
We confirm which approval pathway your Leichhardt property falls under before we quote, so you know the timeline before you commit to a design.
Before anything is designed
Can your house actually take a second storey?
This is the first question, and it usually gets skipped in favour of talking about floor plans. It is worth answering properly, because for roughly one house in six the answer is no, or not without spending money you would rather put into the addition itself.
What is under the house
Your house was built to hold up one storey. A second floor roughly doubles what the foundations carry. Victorian era Leichhardt homes commonly sit on shallow brick footings that need strengthening before they can carry a second level. That is a real cost, and you want to know about it before you fall in love with a floor plan.
What the walls are made of
A double brick house, a brick veneer house and a timber framed house each handle a new floor differently. The question is whether the weight can travel down through the walls you already have, or whether new supports need to appear somewhere you would rather they did not.
What the timber has been through
Framing that looked fine when you bought the place can be quietly damaged in ways that only matter once you ask it to hold a floor up. We look before we quote, not after.
What your council allows
Inner West Council sets a height limit and protects your neighbours’ winter sunlight. Between them, those two rules often decide your ceiling heights and your roof shape before anyone draws anything.
Whether we can get a crane in
Narrow Leichhardt frontages, overhead power lines and tight rear lanes all add cost, and a rear lane in good condition can save it back. Better to know at the start than in week three.
How we find out
An engineer checks the first three. We organise that before we give you a fixed price, because a price without it is a guess.
If your house cannot take a second storey without spending more than it is worth, we will tell you. Building out the back is usually the better answer in that case, and we build home extensions in Leichhardt too.
Clear scope
What is included, and what is not.
Being upfront about both is exactly how we keep your fixed price genuinely fixed.
Included as standard
In the new upper floor package area.
Quoted separately if needed
Every existing Leichhardt home is different, so these are assessed per property.
Want the full detail?
The complete inclusions and exclusions, right down to hardware, fixtures, fittings, finishes and specifications, are provided in detail when you enquire, and confirmed in your contract.
How the fixed price works
Our fixed price packages apply to the standard new upper floor works listed above. If your property needs structural steel, footing upgrades, extra bracing, service upgrades, defect repairs or downstairs renovation works, those items are assessed and quoted separately, clearly, before you commit. Where something genuinely cannot be priced until the roof comes off, it is listed as a provisional sum with a stated allowance rather than hidden inside the total.
The first decision
Up or out?
Most people arrive having already decided. In Leichhardt the block almost always answers it, and the answer is usually up.
If the existing house needs work regardless, a full renovation staged alongside the addition costs less than doing them five years apart, because you pay the preliminaries once and open the walls once.
Plan · Manage · Build
Your Leichhardt second storey, step by step.
Our proven building process is designed to customise your project, avoid cost traps and deliver your vision with minimum disruption.
First, we review your enquiry, site, timeframe and budget. Then we contact you within 24 to 48 business hours to arrange a consultation.
Why Strava Group
A licensed builder who knows what is behind the wall.
A stronger standard inclusion
Acoustic insulation in the subfloor comes free on early packages, giving a quieter upstairs than a floor left with an empty cavity.
Structure first, always
Over a decade across site and project management on residential and commercial builds, backed by a trade background. Your addition is framed and supported to our internal Above Standard Carpentry Specification, so the new level feels solid, aligned and original.
Clear scope and fixed pricing
Transparent inclusions and exclusions from day one, so you know exactly what your Leichhardt project covers before you commit. NSW Builder’s Licence 487370C.
Also exploring other options? Strava Group builds home renovations and home extensions in Leichhardt. See our recent work in the gallery.
Get in touch
Talk to a builder about your Leichhardt home.
Tell us about your home and what you would like upstairs. We will let you know whether your property suits a second storey and which package fits. No cost, no obligation.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions.
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.
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.
I highly recommend Strava Group to everyone great workmanship, reliable service, and I couldn’t be happier with the result.
I couldn't be happier with the work from Strava Group. From the beginning, Stav and the team was friendly, honest, and super easy to deal with.
We engaged Strava Group for a home extension and renovation. We are incredibly happy with the service and the results we achieved. From day one Stav and team where always willing to help with any issues we had and we loved that the main focus was as quality and longevity. Highly recommended
Had a great experience with Strava Group. The team was easy to deal with, super professional, and kept me in the loop the whole way through. They really listened to what I wanted and made the whole process feel smooth and stress-free.
Aloona T.
Google review
Orom Gabriel
Google review
Jonathan
Google review
Clara Shabow
Google review
Jonathan Jajo
Google review
Eli Kosso
Google review
Nearby
Second storey additions near Leichhardt.
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The Hills District
Hornsby and the Northern Suburbs
Ryde, Hunters Hill and the North Shore
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Southern Sydney
See all Sydney second storey addition areas.
Get your free quote today.
Ready to build up in Leichhardt?
Contact Strava Group for a free consultation and a quote for your second storey addition, with acoustic insulation in the subfloor included while the offer runs and a fixed price scope you can rely on. Building up is one of the most cost effective ways to add space and value under current NSW housing and construction settings.
More in Leichhardt
Other services in Leichhardt
Each page covers the local council, the homes we see in Leichhardt and what that kind of project typically costs.