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If you like the area you live in, but your home doesn’t live up to your expectations or needs, then you may want to consider rebuilding your home. While a new home builder will tell you to build from scratch, a renovation company will want you to rebuild and a real estate agent will want to sell your home for you, it’s up to you to decide which building plan best suits you and your family’s needs. But before you draw a new set of plans and break out the sledgehammer, read this article to discover the pros and cons about knockdown rebuilding and you’ll be sure to get exactly what you’re looking for in a new home.

The Pros

Every real estate agent knows the three most important rules of real estate—location, location, location. And it’s your existing home's location that makes your home special to you and your family. With a complete knockdown and rebuild, you’re still in the same great location that you’ve always been, except now it’s in a new home that suits your needs and tastes.

Knockdown and rebuild construction is also the perfect choice for higher density construction projects in cities and rural areas. Many older buildings in rural areas tend to be rundown and worthless, while the property is in just the right location near schools, shopping and jobs, making a knockdown rebuild a worthwhile and budget friendlier endeavour than relocating.

Sometimes a home might still appear to be in good condition, but the age of the home means that it was not built to building code standards. Repairing the home up to code may be too costly and a knockdown rebuild is the most cost effective solution.

When considering a room addition to an older structure, the transition between the old and the new might be too extreme and can be very noticeable. This is the perfect time to knockdown the entire structure and rebuild from scratch.

The Cons

The biggest con to a complete knockdown and rebuild is relocation. Months might pass before you’re back at your new home, so a suitable location must be determined before you begin any knockdown rebuild project. The costs associated with relocation often make homeowners think twice about a knockdown rebuild project.

Another big con is that the character of the home will be lost. In older homes especially, it’s the look and style that make it attractive. With a complete knockdown and rebuild, it makes it difficult to maintain the character of the previous home.

Additional costs can be added during the demolition process as well. Environmental concerns can bring a knockdown to a screeching halt. Asbestos, lead and other toxic materials in an older home can send your knockdown budget higher than anticipated. Smaller amounts of space around the old home can also make waste removal difficult.

Real estate returns can also be a turn off when it comes to a knockdown and rebuild scenario. If your home is already the best house in the neighbourhood, building a bigger and better one might not be in your best interest. A “White Elephant” tends to stand out in an area without similar homes. The lesser valued homes actually make the value of the more costly home go down and can easily become a big problem for the new homes resale value.

If you love the street you live on, your neighbours are great and schools, shopping and work are right around the corner—but your home has seen better days, then you may want to consider the option of knocking it down and rebuilding a new structure in its place.  This decision can be a tough one to make though when it comes to choosing between selling your home, renovating the existing structure or starting from scratch. By knowing what’s in store for you when knocking down and rebuilding your new home, you’ll be prepared—if and when—you knockdown and rebuild the home of your dreams.

Feasibility

Put down those blueprints and designs and ask yourself this question first: Am I even allowed to knockdown my structure and rebuild? There are many reasons why this would be an unfeasible request. Heritage and conservation controls can prohibit some older buildings from being torn down and rebuilt specific ways.

Local building councils control other aspects of demolition and construction as well. These include and are not limited to, setbacks from the street and other structures, colours and design elements of the exterior, height, size and square footage allowances and storm water runoff control. Before you begin drawing any plans, it’s a wise idea to find out what your limitations and restrictions are first. That way, you can still design the new home of your dreams, and still keep within code boundaries.

Windows and Doors

Any new openings in the home must be carefully planned. Proper window and door placement is crucial in knockdown rebuild designs, especially in locations that are in close proximity with neighbouring structures. Window and door placement may also be governed by building codes as well.

But besides the obvious—windows not facing the neighbour’s windows directly—solar orientation is crucial to preventing too much sunlight from entering the home and heating it excessively. Too little sunlight can overwork heating systems in the cooler months. A finite balance should be achieved during the design process to properly orientate the home for optimal sunlight conditions and to meet BASIX requirements.

Overall Costs

Pricing factors include a wide variety of subjects and all should be addressed independently in your building budget. Hiring a designer, builder and architect to submit the design for approval to the council is the first step. Demolition, disposal and recycling fees for removal and processing of the old structure come next. Rebuild materials and labour costs are last as the home is completed.

And that’s just for your new home. Since your old home is going to be knocked down, you’ll need a place to stay for several months while your new home is being rebuilt. Monthly home rental costs, furniture storage fees and double utility bills are significant costs that need to be considered during the knockdown rebuild process and factored into the final budget.

Knockdown rebuilding has been gaining popularity over the last decade, despite the fact that it is more costly than a typical renovation. By using cost effective strategies like installing energy efficient appliances, creating a wastewater recycling system and using ecofriendly building materials, the overall costs can be significantly offset placing a knockdown rebuild in a similar price range as that of a renovation. Factor in the huge increase in the appeal of the property and new home value when you knockdown and rebuild and you’ve got an affordable dream home that’s well worth the investment.