Your Knock Down Rebuild checklist

If you’re considering a Knock Down Rebuild but have no idea where to begin, you’re in the right place. Maybe you’ve outgrown your current home but love the area you live in. Or perhaps you just need a change! No matter your reason, a Knock Down Rebuild is the perfect way to build your dream home without relocating from the area you’re familiar with.

For a home that’s uniquely yours, selected by you, tailored to fit the way you live and crafted to perfection in a style that you’ll love for years to come, a Knock Down Rebuild is a great choice. There are, however, some technical aspects to consider before you get started. That’s why we’ve compiled this checklist to help you approach your Knock Down Rebuild with all the information you need.

1. Figure out what you want and need from your new home

A Knock Down Rebuild should be (and often is) a very exciting process. Although it’s tempting to dive straight into the more appealing aspects of building your new home, like finishes, furnishings and decor, it’s crucial to first consider how you intend to live in it and how it needs to function to best suit your family and lifestyle.

At Sienna Homes, we simplify this process by enabling you to tailor our home designs to fit your needs. Take the time to really think about how your home will flow, what spaces are important to you and how they will connect. Is a home office essential for those work from home days or for the kids to do their homework? Do you have a lot of shoes, books or sports equipment? How much storage space do you need?

As well as considering your current needs, you should also think about how your family circumstances may change in the future. Perhaps you’re planning to start a family in the next few years. Maybe your kids will move out soon and you don’t need as much space as you think. It’s also good to consider the ways your current home doesn’t meet your needs – you might be desperate for a second living room, or dreaming of a sunny outdoor entertaining area.

At Sienna Homes, our experienced New Homes Consultants are equipped with all the knowledge and expertise to help you personalise your dream home, all while ensuring your final quote comes in within your budget whilst still including all the bells and whistles you can expect in a luxury family home.

2. Avoid hidden costs by planning ahead

When it comes to hidden costs in building, the answer is always to plan ahead and budget accordingly. At Sienna Homes, we help you do this by ensuring you’re aware of all the steps involved in a Knock Down Rebuild, and the costs and timeframes associated with each of them. We offer a free site appraisal that allows us to provide unique information on your blocks size and characteristics as well as if there may be any local councils planning requirements. This is vital information that has a big impact on what you can build and how much it will cost to build it.

If you have an overall budget in mind, your appointed New Homes Consultant will help you make the best decisions to ensure your build is achievable and realistic. No one likes surprise financial outlays when building a new home; so by ensuring you’re equipped with all the information you need from the beginning, unexpected costs are far more easily avoided down the track.

“I thought that the initial consultation to go over the various costings and get a realistic quote for the build cost was really good. This gave us confidence to move forward knowing that there weren’t going to be any major surprises down the track. I think our final contract price actually worked out sightly less than the original quote.”
Garry, Mordialloc

Some key things to consider include:

Trees: if you have large trees on your block and want to keep them, this may influence the type of footings you need. Similarly, if you wish to remove the trees you will likely require a permit to do so and the tree removal itself will have associated costs.

Soil conditions: it is important for us to understand how stable the soil on your block is as this will determine the kind of footings your new home will need. It is vitally important that your home is built on an appropriate foundation. If your soil is subject to a high level of movement, or ‘reactive’, your home will require stabilising footings. You may already have an idea of the type of soil you have from your own excavations and gardening activities or from what has occurred on neighbouring properties around you.

Additional services: if you have an existing pool or intend to add a pool to your allotment prior to construction, we would need to review its proximity to to your new home and upgraded footings may be required.

Demolition: demolition costs vary between contractors and not all contractors are created equal. It’s important to choose an experienced demolition contractor that can get the job done efficiently and effectively. Demolition can take place at any time prior to construction of your new home but many clients opt to wait until just prior to site start. Once we have established that your site is ready, we can provide you with a list of reputable demolition companies that have been used and recommended by other clients and achieved optimal results within appropriate timeframes.

Alternative housing arrangements and storage: it’s important to consider where you and your family will live during the construction of your new home. Do you have friends or family you can stay with? Or will you need to enter into a rental agreement? You might also need to consider whether you need to store your furniture in a storage facility for the duration of the build. Or, if you’re considering refurnishing, the cost of buying new pieces can add up too.