Knockdown Rebuild Process
The Knockdown Rebuild Process, Step by Step
From the first call to handover, what actually happens and how long each stage takes.
Overview
Most of the process happens before anything is knocked down
People picture a knockdown rebuild starting with an excavator. In practice the house usually comes down four to six months into the job, after the site has been assessed, the home designed, the documentation completed and the approvals issued. You keep living in the existing house for most of that.
The timings below are the ones we work to across South East Queensland. They will shift with your block, your council and the size of the home, which is why every Amali build gets a written program before you sign anything.
At a Glance
- Design to approvals
- Roughly 4 to 6 months
- Disconnections and demolition
- Weeks, not months, once approved
- Construction
- Roughly 9 to 12 months
- After handover
- 12 month maintenance, 10 year structural warranty
The Timeline
Nine stages from first call to handover
- 01Week 1
First call
A straight conversation about the block, the house on it, how you want to live and what you are working with. If a rebuild is not the right move for you, we will say so on that call rather than book a meeting to say it later.
- 02Weeks 1 to 2
Site assessment
We walk the block with you. Fall and levels, soil classification, easements, sewer and stormwater, overlays, street access for machinery and any trees that have to stay. This is the step that decides whether a rebuild is straightforward or expensive.
- 03Weeks 2 to 4
Feasibility and budget range
An honest range covering demolition, site costs and the build, based on what your block actually is. You get this before you spend anything on design, so the decision to keep going is made with real numbers in front of you.
- 04Weeks 4 to 10
Concept design
Your new home is drawn around the orientation, outlook and slope of the land you already own. We work through the plan with you until it is right, rather than bending a display home plan to fit the site.
- 05Weeks 10 to 16
Documentation and contract
Engineering, energy compliance, working drawings and a full specification. Once the documentation is complete we price it properly and issue a fixed price contract with a written program.
- 06Weeks 12 to 20
Approvals
Building approval through the certifier, plus any council approvals your overlays require. Character and heritage overlays in some suburbs affect what can be demolished, which is why we check them at the site assessment rather than here.
- 07Weeks 18 to 24
Service disconnections and demolition
Power, water, gas and telecommunications are disconnected in sequence, asbestos is assessed and removed where an older home warrants it, then the house comes down and the site is cleared. Most demolitions themselves take a matter of days once the disconnections are complete.
- 08Roughly 9 to 12 months
Construction
Footings, frame, roof, lock up, fit out and finishes, with footings and frames engineered to the site. You deal directly with Ivan McRobb, the licensed builder running your job, and get regular updates rather than a call centre.
- 09Final weeks
Handover and warranty
A walk through before handover, keys and documentation, a 12 month maintenance period and a 10 year structural warranty. QBCC licensed, HIA member.
Before You Call
What to have ready
None of this is essential, but the more of it you have, the more useful the first conversation is and the faster we can give you a realistic range.
See What's Included- A copy of your rates notice, which confirms the lot and plan for your block
- Any survey, soil test or building plans you already hold for the existing house
- A rough brief: bedrooms, living zones, how long you plan to stay, must haves
- Whether the existing house is tenanted, and when it could be vacated
- Where you would live during the build, and for how long that is workable
- Your finance position, so the program and contract can be staged around it
Timing Risks
What pushes a program out
We flag these at the site assessment rather than as a variation later.
- Character or heritage overlays that restrict demolition of the existing house
- Asbestos found in an older home, which adds a licensed removal step before demolition
- Slow service disconnections, which are controlled by the utility providers rather than the builder
- Council and certifier assessment periods, especially where a planning approval is triggered
- Design changes made after documentation has started, which push the whole program back
- Wet weather during the early site and slab stages
Questions
Knockdown rebuild process questions
Allow roughly four to six months from the first call to demolition, covering site assessment, design, documentation and approvals, then around nine to twelve months of construction depending on the size of the home. We give you a written program before you sign, not an estimate over the phone.
A site assessment. Before any design work happens we look at levels, soil, easements, services, overlays and access, because those factors decide what is realistic on your block and what the site costs will be.
Demolition happens after design, documentation and approvals are complete and service disconnections have been arranged. The demolition itself is usually a matter of days. Disconnections and approvals are the parts that take time.
Yes. Once demolition is booked the existing house has to be vacant, so you need somewhere to live from demolition through to handover. Plan for the full construction period plus a buffer, and factor it into your budget early.
In most cases yes. Design, documentation and approvals happen while you are still living in the home, which is one reason rebuilding on your own block can be less disruptive than people expect.
The most common causes are character or heritage overlays, asbestos in older homes, slow service disconnections, council and certifier assessment periods, late design changes and wet weather during the early site stages.
We do. Council and certifier approvals, service disconnections, asbestos assessment and the demolition itself are all coordinated by Amali Homes, so you have one point of contact for the whole process.
"Murphy and Mrs Plumbing have worked with Ivan McRobb on more than 65 new-build projects in the Toowoomba region over the past 2 years. During this time, we have experienced first-hand the hard work and dedication that Ivan puts into every single one of his builds."
Kayla Murphy
Director - Murphy & Mrs Plumbing
Next Step
Want to talk through the process?
Talk to Ivan about your existing home, your block and how these stages would play out on your site.