Knock Down and Rebuild

We completely understand that knock down rebuild blocks aren’t always the most ideal blocks! If we were to put together a perfect list we would say to avoid:

• Busy roads: These often make it hard for deliveries to occur on site during the build.
• Bus stops: Having a bus stop right outside may mean we aren’t able to build due to potential risks for pedestrians.
• Too much fall: Ideally, we would love to build on a block that is flat or that falls slightly toward the street.
• Trees: The presence of trees on a block will often increase the cost for engineering in the home.

"Many Brisbane blocks are sloping, which can complicate the building process," says New Home Consultant Archie Nyugen. "We like to assess every block of land individually as this will depend on a number of variables including the council you’re building in and your chosen home design."

"Sloping blocks may require earthworks and retaining which is why an in-depth consultation with one of our experienced team members is always recommended. Come and talk to us at an early stage, as we can even help you find the perfect block for your favourite home."

Plantation Homes can only build on blocks with a fall of up to 3m, using a "cut and scrape" approach to create a flat surface. We don’t currently offer spilt level designs.

A contour survey or site survey is a map of your land that shows its natural features, levels and slopes. It provides information about topography, including elevation changes, which is essential for designing and constructing your new home.

Archie explains: “We organise a contour survey early on to review the slope of the block and the location of trees, retaining walls and the existing house. This allows us to determine the earth works or foundation requirements to construct the new home. A second survey is completed after demolition.

Similar to sloping blocks, sewer and/or stormwater lines on a block of land require further investigation from our team of experts to see if there would be any impact to the building project.

Your New Home Consultant will work with our council certifier and drafting / construction teams to ensure we can build your desired home design your block of land and calculate any potential additional costs with the information available to us. We always do this assessment upfront to ensure there are no surprises down the track!

The cost to demolish your existing structure for a knockdown rebuild is often one of those unexpected surprises. Costs vary depending on the block and the home and are generally upwards of $20,000. We suggest getting a few quotes to consider.

We leave demolition to the experts! While we don’t offer this service as part of your building contract we have some recommendations we can pass on to make the process as smooth as possible. We’ll be here to help guide you on all the steps involved with this process including what you need to do and when you need to do it both pre and post demolition.

Funding a knockdown rebuild can be done with either a construction loan or a regular home loan, depending on your situation. A construction loan provides funds in stages as your build progresses, while a regular home loan might work if you have enough equity. It’s a good idea to speak with your lender to figure out which option aligns best with your project and finances.

Because we like to be as transparent with pricing as possible, it is necessary to remove your existing home from the block of land prior to your HIA contract, that way there will be no surprises and your contract price will be inclusive of all your site costs.