If you’re planning a renovation in 2026, you’ve probably noticed the landscape has shifted in 2025. Gone are the days of quick "flips" and loose estimates. As we head into 2026, we can see that in 2025, the Australian home renovation sector was defined by a paradigm of "Conscious Longevity". We aren't just renovating for a quick sale anymore; we are building "forever homes" designed to last 10 to 20 years. But with the convergence of new regulatory standards - hello, NCC 2022

The National Construction Code (NCC) 2022 has introduced stricter mandatory standards that fully took effect in many states by mid-2024. The goal is simple: to make our homes more resilient, energy-efficient, and suitable for us to live in for longer. But what does that actually look like on a set of plans? And more importantly, how does it change the way you’ll live in your new home? Below, we break it down into two comprehensive parts: The Regulations and The Reality.