Rebuild or Renovate?
Eight questions about your house and a straight answer on whether to start again.
Eight quick questions about your house and your plans. If a renovation suits it better, the answer will say so.
Question 1 of 8
Rebuilding or renovating: common questions
Is it cheaper to knock down and rebuild or to renovate?
It depends on how much of the house changes. A new kitchen or bathroom is a renovation. Once the work reaches most of the house, its layout or its structure, a renovation starts paying to fix problems a new home doesn't have, and a rebuild is worth pricing next to it. Size, the block, the finishes and any demolition drive both prices. We quote a rebuild in writing after a first meeting and a look at the block.
When does a knockdown rebuild make sense?
When most of the house needs work, the layout no longer suits you, the structure has moved or you need a lot more space. Check the planning maps first: under a heritage overlay, demolishing the house needs a planning permit, which council can refuse.
Talk it through with a builder
Bring photos of the house and what you want from it. We will tell you honestly what a rebuild would involve on your block.
How we worked this out
Each answer moves the result along four outcomes, from renovate to rebuild. A new kitchen or bathroom on its own comes out as a renovation. A rebuild becomes worth exploring once the changes reach several rooms. It is the clear answer when most of the house, its layout or its structure needs work. The result never shows a cost, because the cost of either path depends on the house and the block.
New homes in Victoria have had to meet a 7-star energy rating since 1 May 2024 (NCC 2022, adopted in Victoria with a twelve month transition). Demolishing a building under a heritage overlay needs a planning permit (Victoria Planning Provisions, clause 43.01). Homes built before 1990 may contain asbestos. In Victoria, more than 10 m² of it has to be removed by a licensed removalist before the house is demolished.