Tips for rebuilding house

I am in NW Hills Suburbs of Sydney.
We are thinking to rebuild our current PPOR house which is ~50yrs.
Please share any tips or things we should start doing research or reading for this plans.
Any specific recommendations are much appreciated too.

Thanks guys!

 

Stage of life?

Does the existing house lend itself to reno or extension?

Have you checked out Homeworld etc for inspiration?

 

By rebuild you mean demolish existing home and build new?

 

Yep, thank you.

 

- Existing house is at stage of renovation (it would be costly job $100-$150 job at least and I get feeling that it's not worth). Plus for my growing family the 3b house is bit small thus we are mainly thinking about demolishing it and building new one here. It's ~625sqm land.

 

So what you need to determine build costs per sqm. Then you have an idea on what it will cost

You could start with spec builders as a guide. Size vs cost per sqm

What I would be doing is getting onto a good designer and get drawings completed and then then quotes. Smaller builders can tend to be more competitive

If you use a draftee as opposed to an architect you will save $$$$$

Its a process of researching. Even contacting re agents and Finding out if they know any good local builders

 

Most important steps are step 1 and step 2.

Step 1 - Figure out how you are going to pay for it and establish your budget. If you are going to pay cash then consolidate your savings and confirm your budget. If you need a loan, talk to a mortgage broker, there are plenty of good brokers on this website.

Step 2 - Once budget is set go out to the market and gauge what you can afford. Visit a home world for new home inspiration, talk to a renovation builder to throw a figure at you so you can pick both options and look at size of house versus cost and level of finishes versus cost. Then pick your path. In my opinion new build is easier and cost competitive, renovation and extensions are difficult and slow.

Step 3 - Figure out where you are going to live for 6-9 months.

Step 4 - Engage a Builder or Engage an Architect. Most builders have an architect they work with regularly. I'm also biased and a builder, which is why I recommend engaging a builder rather than an architect. But there are pros and cons to both.

Step 5 - Assuming finance, get your loan approved formally after drawings are prepared by your chosen builder or architect.

Step 6 - Apply for demolition of existing home. Apply for CDC for new home.

Step 7 - Demolish just before build starts.

Step 8 - Hand over clear site to builder.

Step 9 - Wait 4-6 months for builder to do their thing and then you move in.

 

If you're building your own home and it's a custom design, have at least 10%-20% of the build cost in cash. As the build progresses a few things will likely go wrong and some changes will need to be made. Then there's things that you might notice would work better once you start to see it take place. Finally there's things that aren't necessary at all, but take it from a nice house, to the one you really want.

Tends to be necessary for custom builds as there's probably going to be things that got overlooked in the planning, or things that you decide you really want when the house takes shape.

Example:

My wife and I were doing the final inspection with the builder. My wife said she wished there was a few more mirrors in certain rooms. No problem, we figure it out on the spot, the builder put them in and the handover was the following week. The bill was an extra $600 but all our walk in robes have mirrors in them. One is double door with a mirror on each door so you can position them for a 360 degree view.

The really big bill however, was the extras I put into the workshop. I have a fairly cool man cave.

 

Many project builders will do a kdr...knock down rebuild. And project manage the whole thing demo through to handover with approvals, plans etc. Very common. Check Homeworld Marsden Park (until Box Hill opens) and find a suitable design and engage with some builders to better understand process and costs. Go there with pics and knowledge of land width, depth etc.

Be aware of extras as these can inflate the base build. Know your inclusions and specs. But when part of build can be very convenient and seamless.