You can extend a Queenslander three ways: out at the rear, up with a second storey, or down by raising the house and building in underneath. In Brisbane, a home built before 1947 in a character area has to keep its street front, so most extensions happen at the back or underneath. Which option suits you depends on your block, your budget and what you need the extra space to do.
Key points
- Options: out (a rear addition or a separate rear pavilion), up (a second storey) or down (raise and build in underneath).
- Cost: a quality rear extension and renovation on a Brisbane Queenslander generally runs between $5,000 and $6,500 per square metre on our 2026 build contracts to date. Raise-and-build-under projects run higher.
- Council: in a Traditional building character area, you generally can't remove the character front, but you can usually extend at the rear and underneath.
- Time: design, documentation and approvals typically take 9 to 12 months, and construction usually another 10 to 12 months.
- Extend or rebuild: a sound character home usually suits extending. A non-character post-war home in poor condition may suit a knockdown rebuild.
Which way should you extend?
Extend out if you want living space that opens to the yard, up if your block is too small to lose garden, and down if the house is already high enough (or can be raised) to build in underneath. Many projects combine two. Here's how they compare.
| Option | Best for | Street impact | Main watch-out |
|---|---|---|---|
| Out: rear addition | Open-plan living to the yard | Low, behind the original roofline | Uses yard space; floor levels must line up |
| Out: rear pavilion | Leaving the original house almost untouched | Low | More roof and wall for the space gained; needs a deeper block |
| Up: second storey | Small blocks where you can't go out or down | Higher, so it must sit well back | New structure, and the stairs take floor area |
| Down: raise and build in | The most floor area for the footprint | Changes the height of the house, so it's assessed in character areas | Disruptive, with its own rules on height |
Out: a rear addition
The front rooms stay as bedrooms or formal rooms, and a new kitchen, living and dining area opens off the back to a covered deck and the yard. Because it sits behind the original roofline, this is the option least likely to affect the street.
Out, as a separate pavilion
A version of the rear addition: the original cottage is kept largely as it is, and the new living space is built as its own pavilion behind it, joined by a short link. It leaves the old house almost untouched, lets the new part be built entirely to current standards, and the space between the two can become a courtyard that brings light and breeze into the middle of the home. The trade-off is more roof and external wall for the floor area you gain, and it takes more of the yard, so it suits deeper blocks.
Up: a second storey
A second storey suits a tight inner-city block where you can't raise the house or extend out without losing the garden. It's the most demanding option. The new level has to sit behind the highest rearmost point of the original roof, which means new structure, and the stairs take up floor area. A Queenslander's proportions don't always suit a second storey, so it needs careful design.
Down: raise and build in underneath
Building in underneath is usually the most efficient way to add space, because that area is already under the roof. Raising the house to a legal ceiling height and building a new lower level can effectively double the size of the home. It's a big job with its own rules and costs, covered in our guide to raising a Queenslander and building underneath.
What does it cost to extend a Queenslander in Brisbane?
A quality rear extension and renovation on a Brisbane Queenslander generally runs between $5,000 and $6,500 per square metre, based on our 2026 build contracts to date. Raise-and-build-under projects run higher. Two things move the figure most:
- What's already there: re-stumping, rewiring, rotten bearers, old wet-area waterproofing and asbestos in mid-century soffits and sheeting are common. They're the costs that catch people out, because you can't see them from the street.
- The level of finish: joinery, stone, glazing and detailing are what take a renovation from refreshed to a home that feels finished.
Most Queenslanders we work on date from between 1900 and 1946. Their timber frames are lighter and more flexible than brick, which makes them easier to extend: walls can move and the whole house can be raised without heavy steel. Single-skin walls, hardwood stumps and VJ linings each behave in their own way, though, and a lot of cost certainty comes from working with that original fabric rather than against it. Finding the hidden items early is the best protection against a budget blowout.
What does Brisbane City Plan allow?
If your home was built before 1947 and sits in a Traditional building character area under Brisbane City Plan, there are controls on what you can demolish and how the street-facing parts of the house can change. In short, you generally can't demolish or strip the character front, but you can usually extend sympathetically at the rear and underneath.
Our guide to extending a character home in Brisbane explains the rules in plain English. Outside a character area you have far more freedom. Either way, how the new part meets the old decides whether it still feels like one home, and our Queenslander extension ideas show the design moves that get it right.
How long does a Queenslander extension take?
Design, documentation and approvals typically take around 9 to 12 months, and construction usually another 10 to 12 months. The time depends on the size of the job and whether a character overlay applies. The steps are:
- Feasibility and brief: looking at the house, block, council constraints and budget to work out what's realistic.
- Concept design: where the extension goes, how it connects, its form and its light.
- Design development and documentation: materials, joinery, services, and the drawings a builder prices and council assesses.
- Approvals: building approval and, in a character area, a planning assessment.
- Construction: the build, with the design team involved through to handover.
Should you extend or knock down and rebuild?
If the house is structurally sound and in a character area, extending is usually the right call, and demolition may not be allowed anyway. If it's a non-character post-war home in poor condition on a good block, a knockdown rebuild may make more sense. A feasibility study answers the question on evidence rather than instinct.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to extend a Queenslander in Brisbane? A quality rear extension and renovation generally runs between $5,000 and $6,500 per square metre on our 2026 contracts to date. Raising and building in underneath costs more. The condition of the existing house and the level of finish move the figure most.
Do I need council approval to extend a Queenslander in Brisbane? Almost always. You'll need building approval, and if the house is in a Traditional building character area, a planning assessment as well.
What's the cheapest way to add space to a Queenslander? Building in underneath a house that's already high-set is usually the most economical, because the space is already under the roof. A rear addition generally comes next, and a second storey needs the most new structure.
How long does a Queenslander extension take? Typically 9 to 12 months for design, documentation and approvals, then about 10 to 12 months to build.
Do I need an architect to extend a Queenslander? For a character home, we'd recommend one. An architect can work through the council rules, the existing timber structure and the design together, which usually means fewer surprises and a smoother approval. Our Queenslander renovation and extension service covers every stage, from feasibility to handover.
Plan your Queenslander extension
The quickest way to know what your extension could cost is to start with your own home and block. Start with our Quote Estimator to get a quote range in a few minutes, and we'll talk through which option suits your Queenslander.
