Browse Forums General Discussion 1 Nov 27, 2011 7:46 pm My mother is thinking about extending & renovating her brick veneer house which is around 35-40 years old. I am wondering whether it would be better to demolish the house & building a new one, as the house is only going to continue to fall apart. Has anyone done this before & what costs would she be looking at to demolish & rebuild. What companies in Perth would be the best (& not a rip off) to use? Thank you Re: Demolition existing House & building a new. 2Nov 27, 2011 7:51 pm My rule of thumb is that once you want to add more than two rooms and either renovate a kitchen or a bathroom, it's cheaper to demolish and rebuild. And you get a brand new house. Demolition August 2009, Construction Started September 2009, Completed December 2010 Re: Demolition existing House & building a new. 3Nov 28, 2011 10:23 am Casa has a point, but you also need to know a few things, to add an extension it is dearer than building new, because you have to remove part of the existing and adapt the new to it, but at the same time it is cheaper to add and extension ( because part of the building already there and paid for, and you can also ask the tradies in private how much extra to say fix the existing sub-floor, wiring, painting etc., do not ask the builder as they will put a big profit on top. Re: Demolition existing House & building a new. 4Nov 28, 2011 2:01 pm Also remember that when you demolish a house, you usually have to completely clear the block, except for possibly a few trees you may want to keep, if they don't interfere with the construction. So that means all the landscaping, driveway, sheds (if necessary), retaining walls (if necessary), clothes line, possibly front fence will all need to be re-instated post construction. Those things alone can add up to the tens of thousands. Then there is flooring and window coverings which often are not included in the house price, outdoor decking, new fences (they may get damaged during demo or construction) and all the upgrades to cabinets, tiles, doors, paint, hardware, kitchen layout that is different to the 'builders standard'. Then, of course, there is the cost to demolish the house (over $10,000) and the cost to rent for up to a year during the construction. There is also mail redirection costs, abolishing the gas and electricity prior to demolition, you can hold on to your existing phone number for a small fee to Telstra during the construction (saves telling everyone you've changed it later once you move back in!), other things such as an underground pit for telephone and electricity can add to the cost also. Sometimes, it may be more convenient to renovate! My Mum and Dad did it about 6 years ago, but they own another residence they could stay at (no rent), and they ended up building 2 units on the block, keeping the first one and selling the second which paid for the whole project. Your Mum will need to weigh up the pro's and con's of each and decide which is best for her, and perhaps get a few quotes to help her along the way! There is no harm in sitting down with a sales consultant at a display village and getting an idea of what costs she'll be up for. Best wishes! Henley - Wilshire Mk 3 ... I love my house!! Site start: 4th Feb 09 Handover: 10th Sep 09 Blog: http://stormygirlscastle.blogspot.com/ Build Thread: viewtopic.php?t=7166 Re: Demolition existing House & building a new. 5Nov 28, 2011 3:16 pm We have just recently recieved a quote to demo a brick veneer house in WA (not perth). Honestly depending on whether you have asbestos and how much vegetation needs removing etc you will need to allow between 15 & 25k. Then to that you have to add your build costs and finishing as Stormy said, eg curtains, landscaping. Also dont forget to take into account your resale value and whether if you demo and rebuild you will be over or under capitalising. Another option depending on block size, zoning and the size of house mum wants is to look at subdividing. Mum can still live in the front house and build a brand new one at the back, then move into the new one and sell the front one off. A very popular option in Perth the moment. Re: Demolition existing House & building a new. 6Nov 29, 2011 5:37 pm "as the house is only going to continue to fall apart. " Get a builder you know or trust in to give you an honest assessment of what the existing house is really like. Is it about to fall apart as you say or does it just need a good lick of paint ? If all she wants to do is add on a family room and do a re-paint for instance then demolishing a house and spending $300,000 for a new one is a tad overkill don't you think ? Stewie We had this happen to us last year and got charged a variation. Try and give away as much as you can that is usable to charity otherwise if you are in Sydney I have a… 1 4507 We've had the offer of a short term tenant whilst waiting for CDC/DA home approval and demolition for our knock down rebuild. It would achieve a pretty low rent as it's… 0 13759 4 11221 |