Browse Forums General Discussion 1 May 08, 2018 12:06 pm Hi Guys, We're in the initial stages of considering a knock down rebuild. We've narriwed it down to the following builders MacDonald Jones Metricon Eden Brae This is due to the styles of homes and options available. We have yet to sit with any of them for a consult/tender Any reviews from anyone on here who have built with these builders? Anyone with experience with a knockdown rebuild. Any suggestions as to next steps and how it works would be appreciated. TIA Re: Knockdown Rebuild 2May 09, 2018 10:08 am dsouzatash First it depends on your Block ie contour, slope, soil geotech , retaining,etc,etc.. LOL the "Unforeseen items that bumps up the Contract Price" If it's not a difficult block and a relatively easy build, Then 1. Select 3 builders with similar designs with base prices..don't make too many changes 2. Alternatively, get a designer to sketch your house design with quants & Data and pick 3 builders with similar designs Get them to competitively tender & analyze their quotes. hth Designer,Engineer (Civil,Const & Envir),Builder,Concrete & Masonry Contract.Struct Repairs Re: Knockdown Rebuild 3May 16, 2018 12:33 pm Thanks StructuralBIMGuy, My home is on a slope and at a roundabout. Access is available for a driveway on both sides of the road. The current house is about 35 years old and I'm not sure I want to spend moolah on a renovation only to be limited on so many other structural fronts. Hence the Knockdown rebuild option. Ive been following a couple of building with links to get an idea ...But it all boils down to - What council says I can get away with on my land - What floorplan would look like (Hence i need to talk to builders eh?) - What extra issues will pop up , what with our property having a Storm water at one end of the property as well as sewage etc. - Concerned about soil quality as well. SIGH Just the beginning...I have so many questions. Re: Knockdown Rebuild 4May 17, 2018 4:17 pm Hey buddy, I am also doing a KDR and we've been framed already and it's only been 5 weeks. We chose to go with Rawson as they were the cheapest and the quality and inclusions you get are just too good to pass up, especially if you come across a sale that they have which saves you so much with home upgrades. We had the option of building brand new but we couldn't be bothered waiting for the land to be registered and living 1 hour from Sydney City so we went with KDR. I didn't find it difficult at all, even with the 2m slope we have. We have a 600sqm land so we built as much house as possible, a Windermere 32 5 bed home and a 60sqm 2 bed granny flat. My council was considered one of the worst but we never had issues, DA was approved within 6 weeks. The only issue we had was the side windows on the ground floor, it caused privacy issues so we had to delete the kitchen and butler pantry window splashbacks which is ok as I actually realised how impractical they would've been with our neighbors peeking in our house. I recommend you organise your own demolition as we saved $10k, try to get local quotes, ones that don't have websites are the cheapest. Also try to apply for demo DA to your council now as that saves you time so when you're all good with the bank approval, you're also good to demolish asap and wouldn't have to sit around for another month trying to get the demo approved. Remember you only have like 6 months or so til your tender is expired so try to do the Demo DA and the Bank approved before your sign the tender or asap. MacDonald Jones, Metricon and Eden Brae are all good brands that we also considered so they would roughly have the same process and quality as Rawson. Good luck mate! Let me know if you need further info. Re: Knockdown Rebuild 5Jun 28, 2018 6:02 pm Hi G1 Thanks so much for your response....it gives me some.hope....we're a ways off before we can afford it yet I find myself trawling he boards for every ones wisdom 😀 My concern also is because we're at a Roundabout we might be rejected by Builders as being in the too hard basket...I hope not but im a planner and like to anticipate all obstacles 😂😂😂 G1NOSAUR Hey buddy, I am also doing a KDR and we've been framed already and it's only been 5 weeks. We chose to go with Rawson as they were the cheapest and the quality and inclusions you get are just too good to pass up, especially if you come across a sale that they have which saves you so much with home upgrades. We had the option of building brand new but we couldn't be bothered waiting for the land to be registered and living 1 hour from Sydney City so we went with KDR. I didn't find it difficult at all, even with the 2m slope we have. We have a 600sqm land so we built as much house as possible, a Windermere 32 5 bed home and a 60sqm 2 bed granny flat. My council was considered one of the worst but we never had issues, DA was approved within 6 weeks. The only issue we had was the side windows on the ground floor, it caused privacy issues so we had to delete the kitchen and butler pantry window splashbacks which is ok as I actually realised how impractical they would've been with our neighbors peeking in our house. I recommend you organise your own demolition as we saved $10k, try to get local quotes, ones that don't have websites are the cheapest. Also try to apply for demo DA to your council now as that saves you time so when you're all good with the bank approval, you're also good to demolish asap and wouldn't have to sit around for another month trying to get the demo approved. Remember you only have like 6 months or so til your tender is expired so try to do the Demo DA and the Bank approved before your sign the tender or asap. MacDonald Jones, Metricon and Eden Brae are all good brands that we also considered so they would roughly have the same process and quality as Rawson. Good luck mate! Let me know if you need further info. Re: Knockdown Rebuild 6Jun 29, 2018 6:09 pm Hey dsouzatash, I'm at the start of a KDR project myself, and I'll give you a few tips of what I've learnt so far: You need to go a bit of research on what is allowed on your land yourself. You need to check if there are any covenants on the land. You need to know what residential zone schedule your land is in, and therefore what you are permitted to build on it, whether there are any overlays. You need to draw out your building envelope, the setbacks of your existing house and that of your neighbours. You say your block is at a roundabout and on a slope. This may or may not be straightforward for a volume builder, depending on the size of the block and the amount of slope. And here's what I recommend. If it's not a straightforward build - ie if a pre-existing house design can't be plonked straight down onto your plot, DO NOT go with a volume builder. I have found this out myself: even the volume builders that say they can customize their design, find it very difficult and expensive to do so, and really aren't very good at coping with change, or even knowing the regulations outside of their usual box. So if you need a slightly unusual build, don't go with the 3 you have listed there - talk with a custom builder. If you can fit a standard design, then visit those builders in person, visit their display homes, and get several quotes on a house plan that you like. Good luck with it all. My build with Inspired/ Como Homes: https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=93656 Re: Knockdown Rebuild 7Jul 10, 2018 8:25 am You also need to consider that volume builders have a maximum fall that they can build on. I think it is a maximum of maybe 2 to 3 meters. Any higher than that then the volume builder won't be able to build on your land. Also, factor in the demolition process, from installing an electricity pit if you have overhead powerlines to the actual demolition. This is a process unto itself and it takes several months as well as it adds to your costs. if the original house is in good condition most of what you listed could be added in stages without the need for KDR and costs and disruption of having to live elsewhere… 1 13686 Hi We have finally decided to complete a KDR on our corner plot in NE Melbourne suburbs. Given its a corner plot approx. 400 sqm just a standard design may not fit the… 0 8577 multiple occ properties are always billed by trades at a premium, rarely per sqm for the lot. You either have trades you know whoe will do by sqm or youre going to get… 1 2250 |