House Extensions in Unley

An inner-southern neighbour of the city

Unley is an inner-southern suburb of Adelaide next to the Park Lands, Fullarton, Hyde Park, Malvern, Parkside and Wayville. Its boundaries are Greenhill Road to the north, Unley Road, Maud Street and Windsor Street to the east, Cremorne Street and Opey Avenue to the south and King William Road to the west. It is the home of the Sturt Football Club.

Laid out around 1857

The suburb is named after the wife of Thomas Whistler, whose land was laid out around 1857. The post office opened on 17 January 1850, and the land had earlier been cleared of native forest for sheep, cattle, vineyards and orchards. Many streets therefore hold houses from a long period, so ask a builder to find out which era your house belongs to.

A council since 1871

The Corporate Town of Unley was created in 1871 after 2,000 people signed a petition to leave the District Council of Mitcham. It became a city in 1906, the third in the state. The council is also one of only three in Australia, with Burnside and Mitcham, to hold the Tree Cities of the World designation. Ask the council whether any tree on or near your block is regulated.

Greek community and churches

Unley has a significant Greek Australian population, and the Pan-Ikarian Brotherhood uses Ikaros Hall, the former Masonic Temple of 1927 on Arthur Street. The Church of the Resurrection holds services in English and Polish. A suburb with several community buildings also has many neighbours, so ask each builder how they will keep the street tidy and who handles complaints.

Historic buildings

The Goodwood Institute of 1928, now Goodwood Theatre and Studios, shows how much of Unley's built past survives. If your house is near a heritage place or in a character area, ask the council what rules affect new work, and ask each builder how they would match old brick, roof lines and windows without simply copying them.

Reactive clay

A builder's guide published for Adelaide homeowners says clay that swells and shrinks underlies much of the metropolitan area. We have no soil data for Unley streets. Before accepting a quote, ask what testing is included, what footing design the engineer proposes and who answers for cracking later.

Joining new to old

Joining new work to an old house, including the roof, is one of the things a guide lists as moving the price. Ask each builder to show on a drawing how the new roof meets the old, how water is kept out at the join and how the floor levels will match. Ask also whether old wiring or a roof repair is likely to be needed.

Approval and insurance

Before lodging anything, use the state planning portal to see whether a Unley project needs consent at all. Domestic jobs that need council consent and reach $20,000 must carry builder-arranged indemnity cover, according to the state government. Request the certificate in writing early, and look up the builder's licence yourself.

Where does Unley's name come from?

After the wife of Thomas Whistler, whose land was laid out around 1857.

When did Unley become a city?

In 1906, the third municipality in South Australia to gain city status.

Should I get a soil test before building?

One builder's guide for Adelaide points to reactive clay, so ask each builder what site testing and engineering their quote includes.