Knockdown Rebuild in Berwick
Most houses on the Berwick township grid date from the 1970s, on land that has climbed in value for decades. The house hasn't kept up with the land. A rebuild closes that gap.
Old Berwick is a knockdown rebuild suburb
The land in Old Berwick north of the Princes Highway has appreciated for fifty years. The homes on most of those blocks have not kept pace. A single-storey brick veneer from 1978 on land that has appreciated for decades is a financial decision waiting to be made.
The Princes Highway splits the suburb in two. North of it, Old Berwick has wide blocks, established trees and streets where most homes haven't been touched since they were built. South of it are newer estates with smaller lots and a different buyer entirely. The KDR opportunity is north. That's where NE Homes builds.
A knockdown rebuild in Berwick is one contract: demolition, site preparation, design, permits and the new home from slab to handover. NE Homes handles every step, from engaging the demolition contractor and lining up Casey's consents to designing for the block and running the build through to occupancy. Knockdown rebuild is one of the main reasons owners in Old Berwick come to us. NE Homes has completed three homes north of the Princes Highway. If you're still working out whether KDR or a custom home build is right for your block, we can work through that at the first site visit. You can also read about our knockdown rebuild service for the full scope.
Before the old house comes down on the township grid
Quarter-acre grid, 1970s houses
The township grid was laid out in the 1800s with quarter and half acre lots. Casey's 2008 landscape strategy found most of its houses dated from the 1970s, in brick veneer or weatherboard. Plenty of those lots have been split since, so block sizes now change from one street to the next. Where the land is worth more than the house plus the cost of bringing it up to standard, a knockdown rebuild is usually the straightforward answer.
Class P reports and a second round of testing
On our Old Berwick knockdown rebuilds, the soil report often comes back Class P. With the old house still standing, the geotechnical engineer can only drill where there's open ground, so further testing may be needed once demolition is done. The time between demolition and the slab pour then affects how water and soil movement interact with the new foundation. NE Homes manages the full sequence from demolition through to slab pour on every Berwick knockdown rebuild.
Casey's consents before the excavator arrives
Taking down a whole house needs Casey's report and consent under section 29A of the Building Act, which its planning department handles. An asset protection permit under the Casey Community Local Law 2025 has to be in place before demolition starts or any machinery or materials are delivered. A private building surveyor issues the demolition permit and later the building permit for the new home, because Casey issues planning permits only.
Trees that decide the new footprint
Across most of the grid the Berwick Township and Environs overlay (SLO4) needs a planning permit to remove or lop a tree with a trunk more than 0.5 metres around at 1 metre high. New buildings and works are exempt only if they sit more than 5 metres from the drip line of such a tree. On a treed rebuild block that line often sets where the new house can go, so we work out which trees stay before the design is drawn.
The order of approvals on a Casey knockdown
Most delays on a rebuild come from doing these out of order. We run them in this sequence and book each one before the last is finished.
- 1Site visit: the soil, the SLO4 trees and any heritage listing on the lot.
- 2Design, with a planning permit only where an overlay, a tree or a lot under 300 square metres calls for one.
- 3Casey's section 29A consent and asset protection permit, then the demolition permit from the building surveyor.
- 4Disconnections, any asbestos removal and the demolition, then further soil testing on the cleared site if the engineer needs it.
- 5The building permit for the new home, construction and the final inspection.
Berwick knockdown questions: cost, renovating and finance
Is it cheaper to knockdown rebuild or renovate in Old Berwick?
It depends on how much of the house you want to change. A new kitchen or bathroom on its own is a renovation. Once the plan is to rework the layout, fix the structure or add a lot more space, price a rebuild alongside it, because on a 1970s brick veneer the wiring, plumbing, insulation and wet areas usually need replacing as well. We price the rebuild from your brief, so you can set it beside a renovation quote and compare like with like.
How much does a knockdown rebuild cost in Old Berwick?
Every knockdown rebuild in Old Berwick is priced from a completed brief after a site visit. The soil moves the number most: our Berwick reports often come back Class P. What matters then is how deep firm founding material sits and whether trees or old fill are affecting the ground. Next comes the demolition scope, which includes any asbestos in a 1970s house. The SLO4 trees that stay need protecting through the build. Casey's asset protection permit also carries a fee and a refundable bond. We give you a breakdown for your block and design, then a fixed price once the permits are issued.
How do people finance a knockdown rebuild in Berwick?
Most owners use equity in the land as collateral for a construction loan. Banks treat knockdown rebuild differently from a standard home loan, because construction loans draw in stages as the build progresses, so the full amount is not borrowed on day one. NE Homes provides a detailed schedule of construction stages that lenders use for finance applications.
Start your Berwick rebuild
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On the same blocks we work as a custom home builder in Berwick and as a sloping block builder in Berwick. North west of here the same rebuild process runs under City of Boroondara controls, where we are a custom home builder in Balwyn and Balwyn North. Closer in, the City of Monash runs its own version for a knockdown rebuild in Mulgrave. For the wider picture of what we build across Berwick, including which streets tend to suit which approach, start there.
Weighing your options? Read whether to rebuild or renovate and which south-east Melbourne blocks suit a rebuild.