Extensions and renovating

Lisajane666 · Nov 07, 2025 4:12 pm

Hi,

I have so many questions.

We are looking at extending and renovating vs knocking down and rebuilding.

I have no idea where to start making this decision.

Our current house is a small (131m2) 4x2 that needs complete renovation of both bathrooms, kitchen and laundry, as well as the usual painting, floors etc All rooms are tiny and we would like to make the house bigger. We have plenty of land to build on.

Has anyone done this and has suggestions on were to start?

ML24WA · Nov 07, 2025 9:47 pm

Currently going through the process of extending a house in Perth. 1940s california bungalow with an extension on the back. Going from ~100sqm to ~219sqm of space.

Best place to start is get a designer/architect on board and get some plans made up. You could try and engage a builder not long after that to start ballparking costs, but budget $4-5,000/sqm for extending. Knockdown rebuild will be cheaper.

If the old house has nice character that you want to keep, then keep the house and extend. If it's an older house without much to it and you can afford to rent somewhere for 6-12 months during the build, then i'd knock down and start from scratch with a brand new house.

Most of the unforeseen stuff in my build has been the interface between the new and old house, which is hard to figure out, although we haven't gone too much over budget so far, maybe a few grand.

Good luck.

Lisajane666 · Nov 08, 2025 2:52 pm

Thank you, it is a late 1980's house, we don't love anything about it. We have potentially somewhere to stay for very low cost for the duration of the renovation/build.

My concerns with a renovation is blending the old with the new and make it functional rather just old house, new part of house which i have seen done. The house was not built cheaply and lots of things need fixing. Paint just peels off the walls, all window frames have multiple holes/cuts in them where they couldn't install the locks correctly, frames don't seem to be square, and every room needs to either pushed out or new rooms added.

NormanNelly · Nov 12, 2025 11:56 am

Lisajane666

Hi,

I have so many questions.

We are looking at extending and renovating vs knocking down and rebuilding.

I have no idea where to start making this decision.

Our current house is a small (131m2) 4x2 that needs complete renovation of both bathrooms, kitchen and laundry, as well as the usual painting, floors etc All rooms are tiny and we would like to make the house bigger. We have plenty of land to build on.

Has anyone done this and has suggestions on were to start?

We went through the same headache. I’d say start with a drafts person or designer to help you visualise both options. Once you’ve got that, quotes make a lot more sense

BillyGuy · Nov 20, 2025 12:24 pm

ML24WA

Currently going through the process of extending a house in Perth. 1940s california bungalow with an extension on the back. Going from ~100sqm to ~219sqm of space.

Best place to start is get a designer/architect on board and get some plans made up. You could try and engage a builder not long after that to start ballparking costs, but budget $4-5,000/sqm for extending. Knockdown rebuild will be cheaper.

If the old house has nice character that you want to keep, then keep the house and extend. If it's an older house without much to it and you can afford to rent somewhere for 6-12 months during the build, then i'd knock down and start from scratch with a brand new house.

Most of the unforeseen stuff in my build has been the interface between the new and old house, which is hard to figure out, although we haven't gone too much over budget so far, maybe a few grand.

Good luck.

I’ve heard the same yarn from a few mates: the join between the old place and the new extension is where all the surprises pop up. Always something hiding behind a wall. Spot on about getting a designer or architect first too. Makes life heaps easier when you start talking to builders. Hope the rest of the build goes smoothly for you, mate.

Bimbob · Nov 23, 2025 7:00 pm

If you have plenty of space to build and a place to live during the build you may find it more economical and faster to build new with a project builder.

Failing that, the best place to start is with a wishlist. Take this to a drafty or builder to see if you can achieve your goals