Knockdown and rebuild cost in Brisbane: what to expect

People come to a knockdown and rebuild from the same place: they love the street, the school, the walk to the shops, and the house on the block has stopped working. Post-war, low, badly oriented, too far gone to renovate at a sensible price. The question is what a new house on the same block costs, and whether it beats the alternatives. Here is our answer, with the numbers we use.

The headline number

A fully custom knockdown and rebuild through us starts from around $800,000, and most land between there and well above it depending on size, site and finish. That includes demolition, the design and plan stage, approvals and the build. It does not include landscaping, driveways and fences beyond the contract, or the rent you pay while it is built. Sizes and rates for our tiers are on the knockdown and rebuild page.

What is in it

Demolition of a timber or post-war house, with asbestos removed safely where it is present, is $20,000 to $40,000. The plan stage, with the survey, soil test, structural engineering, energy report, service connections and approvals, is a fixed fee that we manage rather than a set of invoices from consultants; it is described on the planning and approvals page. The house itself is priced per square metre of new floor, and the rate moves with the finish and the complexity of the site.

What moves the number

The site first. A sloping, narrow or corner block, poor soil or tight access adds to both the demolition and the build, because the footings, retaining and the way materials get in are all harder. Then the plan: a larger footprint, a second storey, high ceilings and large openings all cost more to build than a compact single level. Then the finish: kitchens, bathrooms, joinery and the level of fittings are where two houses of the same size can differ by a hundred thousand dollars or more.

The costs people forget

Somewhere to live for twelve to eighteen months. Council fees for the demolition permit and the building approval. Disconnecting power, water and gas before demolition and reconnecting them after. The driveway, the fences, the garden and the letterbox, which are usually outside the building contract. And the allowances: a contract with a long list of allowances is a contract whose price can still move. Ours has few, because we choose the selections before we fix the price.

Rebuild, renovate or move

Renovating an old house is often cheaper on the first estimate and rarely on the last, because the wiring, the plumbing and the structure behind the walls are unknowns until the walls are open. A new house has no unknowns, better thermal performance, a longer warranty and a plan drawn for how you live. That said, if the house is a pre-1947 Queenslander under the character overlay, demolition is usually not allowed and the answer is to raise it and build under, which is a different job with a different number. We price both when the house suits it.

Selling and buying a finished house elsewhere carries stamp duty, which on a $900,000 purchase is over $30,000 in Queensland, plus agents' fees, legal costs and the move, and you may end up in a street you like less. For a family that loves where it lives, the rebuild is often the better financial answer as well as the better house.

How it runs

A free meeting at the studio with your site plan, where we give you a first range. A concept from our building designers, with an estimate against it. The plan stage, with the soil test, engineering, energy report and approvals, and a demolition permit alongside the building approval. A fixed price from the finished drawings and selections. Then demolition and the build, with one project manager and one number. The whole sequence is on the approach page.

Questions we hear

Can you build on a narrow or sloping block? Yes; most of Brisbane's inner blocks are one or the other and our note on narrow block design covers the moves. Do you handle council? Yes, the demolition permit, the building approval and a development application if the site needs one. What if the house is a character Queenslander? Then it probably cannot come down, and raising it is the better path anyway. Can the same contract include landscaping and the driveway? It can, if you ask for it at the plan stage.

If you are weighing a rebuild against a renovation or a move, bring the title and a few photos of the house to a free meeting. We will tell you which of the three it is before anyone draws anything.