Renovate or Rebuild?

Sometimes we move into a house, only to outgrow it after a couple of years, or you may have purchased a property with a vision to transform it into a space that fits your family’s – needs.

No matter what situation you’ve found yourself in, the next choice that will help you get one step closer to your dream home is choosing whether to renovate or rebuild.

This is an important decision and one that shouldn’t be taken lightly. You’ll have to consider many factors like your budget, your timeline, and whether you’re planning on playing a large part in the project or if you would like to use external consultants.

If you need help making this decision for yourself, keep on reading to find out what our experts at Watara think.

Why Renovate?

In some situations, you may find that it’s easier and more appropriate to renovate an existing home rather than knocking everything down and starting from scratch.

Below are some of the reasons why you may want to rework or make a modification to your home through renovation.

+ Retain the character of your home

If you’ve moved into a property with unique architectural features, you may not want to completely remove them by rebuilding your house.

By renovating your property, you can keep all these features intact and retain the authentic appeal of your home.

You may also find, especially when moving into older properties, that your home is heritage or character listed which can prevent you from being able to make any significant changes.

+ Not able to obtain planning permission

Planning permission isn’t always as simple a process as many homeowners would like, which can often cause issues for those who are trying to renovate or rebuild an old house.

If you have been unable to secure planning permission for any home improvement works, you may not be left with many other options – apart from going down the renovation route.

Whether you own a house of a certain age, or you’re unable to make any significant changes due to the area you’re living in, a renovation project can still transform your home and make it fit for you and your family.

When is it Better to Rebuild?

Although there are a few situations where renovating your home may be the best option for your budget, time restrictions and lifestyle needs. Here are just some of the most common reasons why homeowners may prefer to build brand new homes.

+ Have complete control over the design of your home

When you’re renovating your home, you’re often restrained by existing features such as plumbing, electricity and structures which can hold you back from being able to enjoy complete freedom in the redesign process.

When you take on a knockdown and rebuild project, all options are completely open to you. You can choose between a single-storey or two-storey property, how many bedrooms, the size of each room and how much space you’re going to have in the garden.

+ Optimise property orientation and plot position

If your current property is sitting in a section of your plot that doesn’t get a lot of sunlight, this isn’t something you can normally fix with a simple renovation project.

However, by knocking your property down and rebuilding it, you can completely change the orientation and plot position of your home. This way you can angle it in a spot that makes the best use of sunlight throughout the day and maximises the amount of light in your rooms.

+ Start a new home from scratch

When you’re planning on spending a lot of money on your home, you want it to be perfect so it will often make sense to start from scratch by building a new home and demolish your current house with the help of an architect.

By starting from the ground up, you can be sure that the structure is sturdy, everything is running as it should, and you won’t have to worry about unexpected maintenance costs a few years down the line as everything is brand new.

Is it Cheaper to Knockdown and Rebuild or Renovate?

For many homeowners who are looking to transform their homes, budget is an extremely important consideration.

Creating an aesthetically pleasing and functional space for you and your family to enjoy is the goal of most rebuild or renovate project, but that shouldn’t always have to come by going overboard with your budgets.

+ Focus on quality

Whether you’re planning a rebuild or renovation project, it’s hard to say which will be the more inexpensive option.

No matter the project you’re taking on, if you want to create a home that your family can live in for many years to come, it’s always worth making the investment to source the very best contractors, materials, furniture, fixtures etc.

You may initially think that a rebuild project would be the most expensive, however, renovation projects can quickly become more costly as unknown problems with existing materials/fixtures come into play, so they aren’t always guaranteed to be the most cost-effective option.

+ Make the most of your budget

When you start your rebuild or renovation project, it’s a good idea to draw up a budget to plan for the building work.

During the planning stage, we help our clients to conduct a range of in-depth research into the price of labour, materials, furniture etc. to help them get a better idea of how much money they will need to spend on the entire project.

At this stage, you can also start to prioritise different aspects of the project and how much of your budget you want to allocate to each stage. This will help you to identify different areas to spend and save, so you can make the most of the budget you have to work with.

+ Minimise costs with a professional contractor

When you work with the right builder, like our specialist team at Watara Homes, we can help you to minimise costs as much as possible so you can stick to your budget.

By working with a contractor and builder, we’ll ensure that the whole process runs smoothly so you don’t have to deal with any unforeseen problems or costs that could create a big dent in the amount of money you have to invest.

Although we believe that good quality homes require investment, and we’re here to help you create the sophisticated, unique home of your dreams, we don’t believe that you should have to pay extra costs due to mismanagement, disruption or inefficient planning.

So, if you’re wondering “Is it cheaper to knockdown and rebuild or renovate?”, the answer is often a lot more complex than you may think. But it’s always worth talking to our team; we can guide you through the process and help you make the most of your budget.

Wrapping Things Up

In this article, we’ve taken you through one of the most common questions that many homeowners have, “Is it better to renovate or rebuild a property?”.

Ultimately the decision will come down to your needs and the state of your current property, the option you choose will always allow you to transform your house into the home of your dreams.

Looking to learn more about renovating or rebuilding in Australia? You’ll find these other posts we’ve published useful:

And finally, if you are based in Brisbane City or a surrounding suburb and looking for a luxury custom home, feel free to reach out, we’d love to discuss your project and get an understanding of exactly what you’re looking for.