Feb
Renovating in Brisbane before the 2032 Olympics? Watch this first.
Hi, I’m Jan Hogarth from PlaceMate Architects. We are renovation specialists in Brisbane, and today I’m giving you a long-range weather forecast for the construction industry.
Just in case you’re looking at your family and thinking that one day in the not-too-distant future you’ll need a bigger house. Maybe you’re looking at your primary school-aged children and imagining what they’ll be like as teenagers. Or perhaps your mother has said, “Oh, it’d be so great to move in with you guys. I’m really looking forward to it.”
And right now you’re thinking, “That’s a long way away. We can’t afford it. It’s going to be too much. I don’t even want to think about it. I’ll deal with it in the future.”
Well, I’m predicting the future for you.
Yes, renovating is a big investment now. But what’s coming is the Olympics.
This means we are heading—guaranteed—into a massive building boom.
We already know there’s a $3.8 billion stadium being built in the centre of Brisbane. And they haven’t even released details about the swim centre, accommodation, whitewater rafting and all the other infrastructure.
That means the big end of town is going to be using a lot of building trades and a lot of materials.
Prices are guaranteed to go up. Building times are going to get longer. And there’s going to be a lot of volatility in the market.
We know the timing. The Olympics open in 2032. Most venues need to be finished in 2031 so they can be tested beforehand. That means major construction will be happening in 2031, 2030, 2029 — and projects will be coming out of the ground from 2028.
If you’re thinking of renovating, it takes about a year to prepare — working with architects, town planning and approvals — and about a year to build.
It’s 2026 now. Think about it.
Do you really want to be building during an Olympic construction boom?
If you’re considering renovations any time before 2032, get on the phone to your architect now. You need to book your place. You need to line up your builder before everything goes completely nuts.
Either that, or give us a call around 2032 when everything’s settled down and you might find a good builder then too.
That’s the tip. The Olympics are coming. If you’re thinking about renovating, get started now.
