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Knockdown rebuild


MintyBiscuit

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Has anyone done one? I do recall that back on old EB expelli did one, oh how I wish I could go back in time to that epic thread.


Anyway, we’re looking pretty seriously at doing one. Have had some preliminary conversations with builders and next stop is to chat to a mortgage broker to work out what we can afford and how it all works. If anyone has done one, any advice? I’m currently oscillating between being very excited by the idea and utterly overwhelmed by the logistics

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I haven’t done one but I would love to! Our neighbour is doing one right now, her block is currently flattened, waiting for the new build to start.


We are fluctuating between extend, sell and upgrade, or knockdown rebuild. All will cost about the same, the KDRB will be the most expensive option, but mostly due to having to move out while they build. Either way it’s a 5 year plan, we need more savings.

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[mention]Tinsel[/mention] was it worth the stress? 🤣 the logistics of moving out into a rental then back in the space of about 12 months horrifies me. Plus rents around here are more than our current mortgage 😬


In terms of financing it were you already well ahead of your mortgage when you did the rebuild?

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The builder we used budgeted for a certain $ figure for site costs in the original quote - that can increase if the land proves not to be perfectly ideal eg, rock ledge under soil, heavy reactive clay (increases costs of slab to prevent movement etc), slope of land...


We found that most 'hidden costs' aren't so much hidden but are about the choices the owners make. We tried to keep all the fittings as standard as possible (doors, door handles, taps, benchtops, appliances) as anything you want outside the standard choices will increase the cost. We chose to upgrade items that are not easily changed later eg. toilet, more power points. It's important to read the details of how many power points in each room are included in the contract, and have a good think about furniture placement so you can decide ahead of time where you want them to put the power points in each room.


Display homes (for the most part) have a lot (and I mean a lot) of upgrades in them. If you want your house to look just like the show home, the costs will increase by tens or thousands, maybe even hundreds of thousands. The facades alone can add $10K-$100K more. We were lucky that the display home for our house was built with standard inclusions so we could get an excellent idea of what our house would look like as standard. The only thing upgraded on the display home for our house was the facade, which would have added $36K to the cost, and I have to tell you, it was probably the ugliest facade I've even seen in my life. As it turned out DH and I loved the standard facade, so that didn't cost us a cent more.


Allow money for flooring (if that's not included in the price). Only floor tiling to wet areas was included as standard in our house, so budget for flooring in all other rooms if necessary.


Remember that some things are easier to 'build in' than add in later so think about everything you might like to have in your house and prioritise those, in case the budget won't stretch to everything. 13 years on, the internal, flat un-panelled doors that we were planning to replace, still haven't been but that's okay. Decide what you can live with and change later if you want.

Edited by Tinsel
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[mention]MintyBiscuit[/mention], we were very lucky - my mum had moved just a few houses away from us a few years before, so she very generously had us there with her. She had a huge sunroom that housed all our furniture - we bought a trolley for less than $100 to 'walk' the big stuff down the street (and back up again!) and paid for all mum's household bills and groceries for us all when we were there, so costs were as good as nothing.


We had already paid off our mortgage a few years before when DH had been made redundant, so our loan for the KDRB was pretty straightforward and DH works for a bank so easier still. Sorry, I don't know how things work if the property has a mortgage over it as you would be demolishing the bank's asset, if that makes sense.

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It would be similar hidden costs as a new build I suppose. So landscaping, nicer finishes, additional options on top of the base price, foundation upgrades, etc. They add up (we built our first home).

Then there is paying rent while you’re building.


And on top of that are knockdown costs, such as my neighbour needed asbestos removal, and was forced to upgrade her power to a pit rather than an overhead line, and our storm water points were non existent, so she would have had to apply for a discharge point. Sometimes other services need upgrades if they’re old.


And annoying your neighbours is never nice, and getting planning permits through in an established suburb is always tricky.

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The builder will give you documents at each stage of the build, which you pass on to the bank for the bank to release the payment for that stage. So, for argument's sake you refinance/borrow $500K to do the KDRB, you won't be making payment on the full amount of the loan until handover. Each stage of the build that is finished means your repayments increase. eg, at first only making payments on the concrete slab, then repayments on concrete slab and framework, then repayments on concrete slab and framework and brickwork & roof etc.

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My sister did one about 10 years ago and they upgraded a lot and the price was heading towards double the initial price of that house. They also had lots of extra due to their council changing standards and insisting on upgrades. There was one to do with drainage under the house which was $18k alone!


Friends of ours also did one about 6 years ago and they stuck with all the originals and they only had to pay $2k extra (story below). One extra they had (or would have had to pay) to pay was with their driveway as the one that was part of their package wasn’t long enough to to go to the kerb (our council requires further distance from the kerb). They actually still broke even though as they got it done independently and the building company refunded their cost of the driveway. The independent contractors did the bigger driveway for slightly less than the building company refunded.

Their package included floor coverings and also had a bonus at the time. They chose to spend their bonus on raised ceiling height for part of the lower floor. Their Sq metres of raised height ran out about 50cm short of the external wall in the laundry. The building company wanted to charge them $2k extra to raise that last 500x1500mm strip of ceiling. They threatened to lower the height down to the lower height at that 500mm out from the wall if they didn’t pay the extra, but surely it would be cheaper for the company to continue the ceiling at the higher height! I told her she should tell them to go for it, but they did pay the $2k to be safe.

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Haha BECZ, builders can be weird. I didn’t want a tiled shower base, easier to clean a moulded one I figured. So they took off the cost of the tiles which was a surprising amount, like $500 per base or something. Anyway, then they came back and said “actually, we don’t do moulded bases anymore you have to have tiles” and added the tiles back in free of charge. So i basically got a discount for nothing. (And a tiled base I didn’t want, but DH likes them)

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Haha BECZ, builders can be weird. I didn’t want a tiled shower base, easier to clean a moulded one I figured. So they took off the cost of the tiles which was a surprising amount, like $500 per base or something. Anyway, then they came back and said “actually, we don’t do moulded bases anymore you have to have tiles” and added the tiles back in free of charge. So i basically got a discount for nothing. (And a tiled base I didn’t want, but DH likes them)

 

Nice to see it go the other way for once. The amount that they charge for extras is crazy, but it’s usually the easiest or only option and the building companies know it.

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KDRB vs extensive rennos is something I've considered myself - my house has a lot of issues (potentially structural) and I'm wondering if it would be cheaper just to start again.


I am a member of a FB house building / rennos group (are we allowed to say that on here?). One tip people mention time and time again, is if you want to do lots of upgrades eg fit out a wardrobe with drawers etc as opposed to the builders standard of a shelf and rail, upgrade kitchen cabinets to say shaker style doors, upgrade benchtops to stone etc it can be cheaper to get the house built without a kitchen and get a cabinet maker in at the end to fit out the kitchen / wardrobes robes etc. This is because builders can and do charge a ridiculous amount for upgrades. Often way in excess of the additional cost of materials. People on there often recommend going through a smaller custom builder instead of one of the majors because they often have better standard inclusions.

Edited by Feebi
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Some stuff is really expensive to do through the builder, and other stuff is cheaper (the clearly get bulk buying discounts). We upgraded the important things (heating, cooling, double glazing and tap fittings) but left a lot of other things as standard knowing we would replace eventually ourselves.

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I finished mine in September 2019.


As a single mum I managed to do all the logistics on my own but the building company gives you a contact whom works through this with you which makes it a lot easier.


I am in Melbourne and built with porter Davis. The house is the Hoffman villa with New England hamptons facade and the alfresco with the theatre room turned into an office or 2nd master bedroom with ensuite.


First thing to do is talk to your mortgage provider about finance. Then download your properties titles and drawings. You need to know if there are easements on your property? What the fall of land is? The width and the length.


With the details above go onto the major builders websites and see what would fit on your block and what you like and don’t like. Once you see a design of floor plan, go looking at the builders display homes.


With this you are looking at the layout but not the furnishings. You are basically buying blank concrete and walls.


If you see an interior of a house you like and style. Photograph this with your phone as well as the builder and display details. If you like it then photograph it. This make choosing the style and design features a lot more easier.


My house came with beautiful inclusions so you do not have to upgrade everything which costs a fortune. You can always do something later if required with design such as curtains or carpet.


I rented in the same area which was handy but allow for a year of rent in your budget.


My knockdown was about $25,000 but they handled everything.


I needed a power pit at the front of the house. There is also disconnections of the utilities.


Moving twice was horrible but I did this over many days of just me.


The only extra cost during build was an under ground storm water tank

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KDRB is still a long way off for us, but that’s life.

When it does happen though, my worst thoughts are with having to rent again!



Im seriously considering building a granny flat up the back (our block is 75m long) and moving into that while they KDRB at the front. We have a 1.5 m easement along one side fence line, so we can’t build too close (3m away) to the fence and should still be able to have access.

Later we would convert it to an outdoor living/entertaining area (so have bifolds along one wall of living area) as we are hoping to add a pool towards the back too. As it would still have two bedrooms, we wouldn’t have to necessarily add guest accommodation to the main house and let’s face it, we’re in Sydney and unless we up and leave before then (love to move up the coast) we are more than likely going to have mature age children still living at home who I’m sure will happily accomodate it.


Ohhhh.....if only we had the money.

Mind you, by the time you add the cost of rent, plus moving, you’re half way to the cost of the granny flat.

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Good tips, thanks! We’ve found a design we really like and not fussed on upgrades, things like wardrobe interiors and laundry fitouts I’m happy to go the ikea/Bunnings route down the track. Talking to a broker is next on the list to find out if it’s even feasible at this stage, or if not where we need to get to so we can save towards it.

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My 3 top builders were


Porter Davis


Boutique


Metricon


All provide the similar experience and use the same third party tradies in the area. Your site manager is your primary contact. If there is an issue they will workout a solution and then advise.


Local council is another joy to deal with. You need to find out what their requirements are for new builds or in established suburbs housing designs, green overlays, heritage protection ect.


Mine didn’t like the house being so far forward, so my design was knocked back and moved back.


Also think of what your house will need to be in 10 or more years. Will elderly parents move in? Will you need an office? Will your kids ever move out?

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Choosing the interior designs and furnishings.


Collect as many photos and ideas as you can as to how you want your home to look.


If you have a partner, try and agree prior to meeting with the design studio. If possible go to the design studio prior to you decision date and make are record all decisions.


I witnessed many partners arguing over design decisions and taking hours but with just me and being prepared, I just went in and choose everything I wanted. Best feeling ever!

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An independent building inspector is a life saver. They will ensure that everything is up to code.

 

Yes we have this on the list of must dos. Fortunately parents moving in will never be an issue so no concerns there. The plan for this is to be the house our kids are teens/young adults in, then when they move on we plan to sell up and downsize further into the city. So trying to keep in mind resale down the track

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