Knockdown rebuild is Buildana's core work. Most of the streets we build on are 1960s–1980s fibro and brick veneer stock approaching end of life — Bankstown, Greenacre, Merrylands, Liverpool, Blacktown, Doonside. The economics of staying on your block, keeping your school zone, and rebuilding to modern spec are usually stronger than buying elsewhere once you factor stamp duty, agent fees, moving costs and the price gap on equivalent newer stock. We run that maths in week one of feasibility so you're not deciding on instinct.
Knockdown rebuild scope covers asbestos audit and clearance, demolition, service disconnections and reconnections, contour survey, geotech (often Class H or higher in Liverpool, Casula, Edmondson Park), design and full documentation, DA or CDC, BASIX, all construction trades, internal finishes, driveway, fencing and landscape interface. Where the existing dwelling has occupancy issues we coordinate temporary accommodation timing so the gap between move-out and re-entry is minimised.
Thinking about your block?
Free 30-minute feasibility call — we'll tell you if the numbers stack before you spend a dollar on plans.
Demolisher, designer, certifier, builder — all under one Buildana contract. You don't get three suppliers blaming each other when the slab is delayed.
Asbestos and demolition handled in-house
Properly licensed asbestos removal, hygienist clearance certificates, and full waste tracking. The unsafe pre-demo shortcuts other builders take are how owners end up with EPA fines on title.
Site-aware design
We design after the geotech and survey, not before. Class H or E reactive soil in Liverpool and Edmondson Park changes footing strategy and slab cost — that gets engineered before the contract is priced, not 'allowed for'.
Realistic temporary-accommodation scheduling
Demo to lockup is when you're paying double. We sequence the programme to minimise that overlap and we tell you the realistic dates, not the optimistic ones.
How the process runs
End-to-end knockdown rebuild programme: 2–3 weeks feasibility (including hazmat audit and demo cost), 4–6 weeks design, 8–12 weeks DA (or 10–15 business days CDC), 1–2 weeks Construction Certificate, 2–4 weeks demolition and site clearance, then 8–14 months construction. Total realistic envelope from contract to handover: 14–22 months depending on site complexity and approval pathway. Move-out to move-in window typically 11–16 months. We give you a dated programme not a vague range.
Knockdown Rebuild Builder — scope at a glance
Typical turnkey cost (single-storey rebuild)
$850,000 – $1,100,000
Typical turnkey cost (double-storey rebuild)
$1.1M – $1.5M
Demolition cost (standard fibro/brick-veneer)
$18,000 – $32,000
Approval pathways
CDC (15 days) or DA (40–90 days)
Asbestos removal licence
Class A/B + hygienist clearance
Design to handover
14 – 22 months
Move-out to move-in envelope
11 – 16 months
Warranty
6-year statutory + HBCF cover
The detail
What actually shapes the build — and the cost
The differences between a clean fixed-price build and a job that drifts come down to documentation, sequencing and the specifics below. Read through — these are the conversations we have with every client at contract.
01
Stay on the street — the economics of rebuilding vs moving
Once you factor stamp duty on an equivalent replacement home (roughly $55K on a $1.3M Western Sydney purchase), agent selling fees (roughly 2% plus marketing = $22K on a $1.1M sale), moving costs, stress, and the school-zone / community disruption, knockdown-rebuild usually wins on a pure numbers basis for anyone who likes their location.
On a $1.2M KDR vs moving to a comparable $1.5M newer home, the cash-out-of-pocket gap is often $80–$120K in favour of rebuilding, and you end up with a brand-new home designed around exactly how your family actually lives. We'll model this properly for your specific circumstances in the feasibility — it's not always the right answer (sometimes the block is the wrong one for what you want next), but it's the right first question.
02
Asbestos, hazmat and the shortcuts that end up on your title
Roughly 85% of the pre-1990 stock we demolish across Western Sydney contains asbestos — typically fibro walls, eaves, roofing, vinyl flooring backing, and sometimes pipework lagging.
NSW regulation requires a licensed pre-demo audit, Class A (friable) or Class B (non-friable) licensed removal depending on the product, a clearance certificate from an independent occupational hygienist before any further demolition, and EPA-tracked waste manifests through to an approved disposal facility. Some demolishers cut one or more of those steps to shave $5–8K off the demo quote. The shortcuts show up later — EPA investigation, fines landing on the owner's title, or worse, a WHS incident on site. Buildana runs the full compliance chain and gives you every certificate and manifest on completion. It's not optional and it's not where we compete on price.
03
Geotech, footing strategy and why we never quote slab 'allowances'
Soil across the LGAs we work in ranges from Class S (stable) to Class P (problem) with most of Liverpool, Edmondson Park, Casula and parts of Canterbury sitting at Class H1 or H2 reactive clay.
Footing strategy depends on the class: waffle pods are fine on S and M; H1/H2 usually needs stiffened raft with deeper beams or piering; anything E or P is almost always piered with ground beams. Every Buildana KDR starts with a two-bore geotech — not a desktop soil class estimate — before design locks. We engineer the slab and price it fixed. Competitors who quote 'slab allowance $22K' are almost always going to come back at $38K once the geotech lands, because they priced the cheaper footing and hoped for the best.
04
Temporary accommodation and the single most common programme mistake
The part of a KDR that costs owners the most in real terms is the gap between move-out and move-in.
That's rent on two properties (the build and the temporary accommodation), storage, school-run disruption, and carrying two sets of bills. Realistic envelope across our recent completed builds is 11–16 months depending on single vs double-storey and approval pathway. The mistake we see clients make is moving out before demolition — sometimes a full month before, because the previous builder gave them an optimistic date. We sequence the programme backward from demolition readiness: confirmed CDC/DA and CC, confirmed demolition date, confirmed first-trade mobilisation, then recommend a move-out two weeks before demo. That usually saves 3–6 weeks of unnecessary accommodation cost. We also front-load landscaping, driveway and fencing into the final trade sequence so move-back-in isn't onto a building site.
Knockdown Rebuild Builder across the LGAs we work in
Local controls, soil class, heritage and coastal overlays change the build conversation by suburb. Tap into the LGA you're building in for service-specific pricing, council pathway, and the full suburb list.
I grew up seeing the 60s-70s fibro-stock streets of Western Sydney, and most of my KDR clients are on those same streets. The conversation usually starts with 'is it worth it' and the honest answer depends on specifics — your block, your family plan, your finance position, how much of your existing equity is in the land vs the house. I'll walk through the maths openly. The worst outcome for anyone is a KDR that should have been a renovation, or a renovation that should have been a KDR. Thirty minutes at the kitchen table usually answers that question properly.
— Oliver Alameri, licensed builder and director, Buildana. See author bio.
Suburbs we build in
Buildana works across 29 Sydney LGAs and 456+ suburbs. Pick a region to expand the list and see local feasibility notes, council process, soil class, and indicative cost ranges relevant to your block.
Generally yes once the existing structure has more than two of: asbestos throughout, sub-spec footings, end-of-life roof, no thermal insulation, single-glaze, no compliant electrical/plumbing, and a floor plan that doesn't suit modern living. Renovating around all of those usually costs 70–80% of a rebuild while delivering 50–60% of the value. We'll model both for your specific home before you commit.
How is asbestos handled?
Pre-demo audit by a licensed assessor, removal by a Class A or B licensed contractor depending on the type, hygienist clearance certificate before any structural demolition, and EPA-compliant waste tracking through to disposal facility. All certificates and manifests get uploaded to your project portal — important for any future title query.
Do I need a DA or can I use CDC?
Many R2 single-dwelling rebuilds qualify for CDC (10-15 business day approval) if they meet the State Environmental Planning Policy controls — setbacks, height, FSR, articulation, BASIX. Heritage areas, foreshore land, larger dwellings, or unusual lot shapes usually need DA. We assess your block in week one and recommend the faster pathway where it's available.
Can I keep my pool, garage or shed?
Often yes if the structure is sound, compliant and outside the new building envelope. Pool retention requires careful demo sequencing and usually a barrier compliance certificate post-build. Garages and sheds can stay if they don't conflict with new setbacks or driveway alignment. We assess and price accordingly during feasibility.
What's the typical knockdown rebuild cost in Western Sydney?
For a standard 200–250m² single-storey rebuild on a typical block: $850K–$1.1M including demolition. Double-storey 300–350m² builds: $1.1M–$1.5M. Add $40K–$80K for difficult site access, Class H+ soil, or significant tree removal. We give a fixed-scope number after the site investigation — not a square-metre rate dressed as a quote.
Ready to talk through your block?
Free, no-obligation feasibility — fixed-scope quote within 7 days.
Buildana works across all 28 Sydney metropolitan LGAs. Pick the council area your block sits in for a deep-dive on local soil, heritage controls, DCP rules, and realistic cost ranges.
