Bulimba at a glance
Land-boom streets
Bulimba was a farming district before residential subdivision began in the 1880s land boom.
ANZAC cottages
After World War I, five timber ANZAC cottages were built here on donated land by volunteer labour.
More units than you'd think
At the 2021 Census, 39.5% of homes were flats or apartments, 45.7% separate houses and 14.7% townhouses, and 36.8% were rented.
The barracks site
After Defence announced the sale of the Bulimba Barracks in 2015, Brisbane City Council amended the City Plan to support housing, green space and infrastructure along the river.
Character protection
Brisbane's planning scheme protects houses substantially built in 1946 or earlier through its Traditional building character overlay.
Wiring a Queenslander renovation
Start with the board. A renovation adds circuits, and an old board may not have the room or the safety switches. The Queensland Government says most switchboards installed before 1990 are very likely to contain asbestos, so the electrician should see it before quoting.
Kitchens and living areas. Induction cooktops, ovens and air conditioners each want their own circuit. Plan them with the builder so cables go in before the walls are lined.
Downstairs. Building in under the house adds lights, power and often a laundry, and all of it needs safety switch protection.
The paperwork. When the work is connected, the contractor gives you a certificate of testing and compliance listing the installation tested, the date and their licence number. Keep it with the renovation documents.
Before the builder starts
- A walk-through with the electrician and the builder together.
- A circuit plan for the kitchen, laundry and air conditioning.
- A decision on the switchboard: keep, upgrade or replace.
- Where the smoke alarms go, since Queensland's interconnected rule covers every bedroom, the hallways between and every storey.
- Who handles any Energex paperwork if the supply needs changing.
If we were renovating in Bulimba
We'd bring the electrician in at the design stage, not after the frame is up. Changing a circuit plan on paper is easy; changing it once the walls are lined means rework.
Want a specialist to sort it?
Tell us the job and your postcode. We match the licence-checked local electrician who does this kind of work, and they call you. No ring-around, and your number goes to them alone.