04Scarborough · 2024
Knock-down rebuild, two storeys
A 1972 single-storey replaced with a two-storey home turned to the afternoon light and detailed for coastal wind.
- Floor area
- 268 m²
- On site
- 11 months
- Contract
- Fixed price, held
03What we build
Knock-down rebuilds
When the block is right and the house is not. Demolition through to handover, one contract.
AWhy people ring
You bought the street, not the house
Some houses are not worth renovating. The floor plan fights you, the ceilings are low, the orientation is wrong and every fix uncovers two more. Meanwhile the block, the street and the school catchment are exactly where you want to be.
The reason people stall on a rebuild is that it looks like three separate risks — selling the idea to yourself, finding someone to demolish, then finding someone to build. Splitting it across three contracts is where the gaps and the finger-pointing appear.
BThe work
One contract, demolition to keys
We run the whole thing under a single contract. Feasibility and site report first, so you know what the block can carry and what the local government will allow before you commit. Then design, demolition, construction and handover as one program with one supervisor.
The feasibility stage is the one people want to skip and the one that saves the most money. Sewer and drainage locations, retaining, tree preservation orders, R-codes, setbacks and overshadowing all decide the footprint. Better to find the constraint on paper than after the house is down.
We design new homes to sit in the street they are actually on. A rebuild that ignores its neighbours dates fast and is harder to sell later, so the massing, roof line and material palette are drawn against what is around it.
- 01Feasibility and site report
- Services, levels, soil classification, retaining, trees and planning constraints, reported in writing before you commit.
- 02Design and documentation
- Full working drawings, engineering and specification, developed with you across three review rounds.
- 03Demolition managed
- Service disconnections, asbestos clearance where required, demolition and site clean under our contract.
- 04Approvals
- Demolition permit, building permit and any planning applications lodged and chased by us.
- 05Fixed-price build contract
- One number from demolition to handover, with a documented allowance schedule for selections.
- 06Weekly reporting
- Photo update and program position every Friday for the length of the build.
How it runs
Five stages, and you know where you are in them.
Every knock-down rebuilds job runs the same way. The stage you are in, and what you get at the end of it, is written down before you sign anything.
- 01
Feasibility
Site report, services, planning constraints and a realistic budget band. Two to three weeks, and it stands on its own if you decide not to proceed.
- 02
Design
Concept, three review rounds, then working drawings, engineering and specification.
- 03
Approvals
Demolition and building permits lodged. Timing here is set by your local government, and we keep you posted weekly.
- 04
Demolition
Disconnections, clearance, demolition and site levelling. Usually two to three weeks.
- 05
Build
Slab through to fit-off, one supervisor throughout. Typically nine to fourteen months for a family home.
- 06
Handover
Practical completion inspection, defects closed out, certificates handed over, six-month check booked.
CCost
What a rebuild costs
A rebuild is priced on the new house, plus demolition and site works. Site works are the variable most people underestimate — sloping blocks, retaining and limestone all add cost before the slab goes down.
Demolition and site preparation generally runs $35,000 to $70,000 depending on the block. The new build is priced separately and depends entirely on size and specification.
Indicative
Demolition from $35k
The feasibility report gives you both numbers as a band before you spend anything on design.
Proof
One we built, documented in full.
Scarborough, 2024. Suburb, time on site, whether the price held and whether the owners stayed in the house — the four things people actually check.
“Eleven months is a long time to trust somebody with that much money. We got a photo update every Friday for every one of those weeks, including the ones where it rained and nothing happened.”
Questions
What people ask about knock-down rebuilds.
Is it cheaper to rebuild or renovate?
It depends on how much of the existing house survives the renovation. Once you are replacing the roof, the wiring, the plumbing and the floor plan, a rebuild is often close in cost and gives you a better result. We will run both numbers at feasibility rather than pushing you toward the bigger job.
How long does the whole process take?
Allow twelve to twenty months from first meeting to keys — roughly three months of design, two to four months of approvals, three weeks of demolition and nine to fourteen months of construction. Approvals are the least predictable part because they sit with your local government.
Do we need approval to demolish?
Yes, a demolition permit from your local government, plus service disconnections and an asbestos clearance where the house has bonded asbestos. All of that sits inside our contract.
Can we live on site?
No. From demolition onwards the site is a construction zone. Most clients rent nearby for the build, and we will give you a dated program early so you can line up a lease that matches.
What if the feasibility says no?
Then you have saved yourself a great deal of money and we tell you plainly. The feasibility report is yours either way, and it is worth having if you decide to sell the block instead.
We build across Inner north, Western suburbs, River south, Coastal north, Fremantle and around — see the full list on the service areas page.
The next step
Have us out to look at your knock-down rebuilds.
Free to have us out, about an hour on site, and you leave with a written summary of what is feasible and a realistic budget band.