Is it better to knock down and rebuild or renovate?

If your house is too small, outdated or just not right for your lifestyle, but you live on a quality block or in a great location and don’t want to move to a new neighbourhood, then you have two other alternatives: knock down and rebuild, or renovate your current home. The first thought that comes to mind may be to renovate and extend your home, but once you start comparing the two options, you’ll be surprised to find that a knock down and rebuild project may be the best solution for you. Let’s have a look at some of the main factors to consider when you compare the two.  

The costs

If your home requires extensive renovation or many structural changes, then it may be much cheaper to start from scratch and build a new home. In general, the cost of renovation, per square metre, is more than the cost of building a new home. When you knock down and rebuild you also avoid the risk of running into hidden problems, such structural issues or upgrades to the plumbing and wiring to meet the latest council safety requirements, which can result in much higher costs than you originally budgeted for.   Above images courtesy of Ross North Homes  

Your lifestyle

If your current home is incompatible with your lifestyle it may be one of the main reasons why you are considering changing it, but your lifestyle should also be one of the factors to help you decide if you should renovate or knock down and rebuild. A major advantage of rebuilding your home from scratch is that you have the opportunity to plan and build a home that will suit your current lifestyle, but also your plans for the future. If your kids are out of the house, or you are thinking of retiring soon, building a smaller, lower maintenance home with an additional, but separate unit on the property for guests or to rent out may be ideal for you. Alternatively, if your family has outgrown your current home you can build a larger one, with a flexible layout that will still suit you when your kids are older, and can be changed into a multi-generational home in the future.  

Maintenance

Old homes require a lot of maintenance, and even if you renovate and modernise your home, you will still be left with some of the structural and maintenance issues you had before the project. By knocking down and rebuilding you can get rid of all the home’s issues like termites, bad wiring, leaky plumbing and structural faults, and start afresh with a new home that requires no, or very little, repairs.  

Property value

When you knock down and rebuild you have the opportunity to re-evaluate how you want to use your block. You may want to build a larger home to make the most of every inch of empty land, or even change the position of your home or downgrade to a smaller home to increase your land’s future development opportunities. With knocking down and rebuilding you have much more flexibility to decide how you want to increase the current and future value of your property than you would with a renovation project. To find out more about building your dream home with a knock down and rebuild project, speak to the building experts at Ross North Homes today. With over 40 years of industry experience and a reputation built on trust and excellence, they are one of the leading home builders in Perth. Their team of experienced designers, tradesmen, supervisors and consultants are all dedicated to putting you first and assisting you in every step of demolish and construction process. All of their homes are built with the highest standards of materials, designs and styles to ensure beautiful homes that function well and last for many years. Contact them today at 08 9431 8150 or visit their website for more information.