Knock Down Rebuild Guide

Download our Knock Down Rebuild Guide

Why renovate when you can rebuild?

Why renovate when you can rebuild?

Build your brand new home without leaving the location that you love.

At Hoot Homes, we believe owning a home should be easy and stress-free, whether you’re building, or wanting to Knock Down Rebuild. With our quality construction, great selection of modern home designs and our simple and straightforward process means building a new home has never been easier.

With our range of single and double-story homes, and Granny Flat designs, we have something to suit your family’s needs. Our simple streamlined process will allow you to easily choose a home, façade, colour scheme, landscaping and more. Discover our superior range of inclusions and enjoy top-quality fixtures, fittings and appliances to complete your beautiful and expertly designed Hoot Home.

Where we build

Hoot Homes builds across Sydney Metro, outer Sydney and the Illawarra region. From Pittwater to Penrith all the way south to Shoalhaven.

Our Process

1. Select a home design that best suits your needs.

2. Have a site appraisal on your existing plot.

3. The tender for your new home is created.

4. Approve and sign contracts.

5. Your old home is demolished.

6. Your new Hoot home starts construction.

7. You move in!

Benefits of a Knock Down Rebuild

1. Get the most from your land

By deciding to Knock Down Rebuild, you’ll free up your existing block to build exactly the home you want. Plus, a new house adds value to your land.

Our modern and versatile designs have something to suit all block sizes and lifestyle, including a range of granny flat designs. You’ll be able to make the most of your existing land, whatever shape block you’ve got.

We offer the convenience of pools and landscaping services thanks to our award-winning sister company, Wisdom Pools and Landscapes. Select from one of our easy landscaping packages or opt for something bespoke to your lifestyle needs.

2. Stay in your neighbourhood

By choosing to Knock Down Rebuild, you can stay close to the family and friends you love and still live in the street that’s home.

You can enjoy your neighbourhood, your children can stay at the same school and you can stay part of the community you enjoy.

3. Create a home that’s right for you

Choosing to Knock Down Rebuild, you’re creating a home that’s been built just for you. You won’t need to work around existing structures, struggle with a renovation budget blowout or compromise on individual features - you’ll get what you want from the beginning.

Find a plan to suit your needs, style and budget and enjoy a brand-new home that’s all yours. Our new home experts have carefully curated a selection of designer inclusions as standard, bringing you a beautifully designed home without having to spend more on upgrades.

4. An affordable option

By choosing a Knock Down Rebuild, there’s no expensive stamp duty or real estate fees that you have if you move, and you’ll avoid the ongoing and often unpredictable costs you get with a renovation.

All your existing services are in place and with improved water and energy-saving measures in your new home, that means money saved in the future too.

5. Complete the lifestyle with a pool and landscape design

We work closely with our sister company, Wisdom Pools and Landscapes to bring you the convenience of one builder, one contract and one timeframe so you can walk into your finished home, complete with landscaping.

You can choose from our existing landscape packages that perfectly complete your home and if you want something more, the award-winning team at Wisdom Pools and Landscapes will create your very own outdoor haven.

6. We take care of everything

With years of experience and expertise in Knock Down Rebuild in Sydney, leveraging off 20 years’ experience through our sister company WISDOM Homes, you can be sure we’ll take care of everything.

With trusted demolition partners, pool and landscape services and a friendly and knowledgeable team, you’ll have the peace of mind of dealing with a professional building company that can help build your next home.

Knock Down Rebuild
Frequently Asked Questions

Once you have all the relevant approvals in place, you can engage a demolition contractor to commence works on your existing home.

While Hoot Homes do not undertake the demolition ourselves, we have a selection of trusted 3^rd party contractors we can put you in touch with to commence your KDR journey.

You, the customer, is responsible for organising and completing your own demolition, including temporary fencing. You must also provide Hoot Homes with a copy of the Demolition Clearance Certificate before the build can proceed.

To avoid delays, please ensure your property is clear of rubbish or debris and is ready for construction.

Our customers (you) are responsible for all demolition works including the Demolition Approval and the abolishment of existing utilities and services. You, the client, must provide Hoot Homes with a copy of the Demolition Clearance Certificate once received.

To avoid delays, please ensure your land is clear of rubbish or debris and is ready for construction.

Experienced contractors should be able to offer a complete demolition service including:

Demolition Approval Certificate
Abolishment of services
Remove asbestos and provide a hygiene certificate
Remove all debris and clear your block.

These will vary with each individual home demolition and what is required. Factors such as proximity to your neighbours’ homes, existing mature trees and proximity to power poles can also play a part in these costs.

It is best to reach out to a demolition specialist to receive a quote for your block and home.

An inspection of your intended build site is conducted by our knock down rebuild team. Their assessment will help us understand the service and amenities for your block, the fall//slope of your land, handling and restrictions, access, and traffic control requirements.

This is dependent on each individual house and its location within the street/suburb. Traffic Management may be required at certain stages of the demolition of your old home and construction of your new home, to ensure easy and safe access for trades. This may include traffic redirection and managing traffic flow if necessary.

No. Please ensure you have your finance formally finalised prior to organising any demolition works on your existing property. This is a strong recommendation from Hoot Homes as without this, you have no assurance that your lender will approve a sufficient amount to build your new home.

The validity of mortgage pre-approval letters can vary between different lenders. Pre approvals are generally valid up to 90 days. If your pre-approval has expired, your lender may request an extension assuming your financial situation hasn’t changed during the validity period.

A $2,000 deposit is required to secure your price and prepare your tender. Upon receipt, we will begin the preparations of your initial house plans and tender document, which includes the itemised costings, upgrades, pool and landscaping provisions of your build.

No. If you have established trees on your property which need to be removed, you may need to apply for a permit from your local council. This needs to be done before we can access your site to being construction

Yes, Hoot Homes offers a range of eight stylish granny flat designs to suit a variety of blocks. Adding a granny flat to your build will incur additional costs and is available subject to individual the block such as the size of the block, council requirements of the build area and more.

In order to deliver a hassle-free, quality home within our guaranteed build time, we do not customise plans as standard. If you would like to make upgrades to fixtures and fittings i.e. tiles, tapware, lighting and more – you can pay a fee of $500 to book an appointment in the Canvas Quarter Selection studio. Canvas Quarter allows you to explore a range of upgrade options available with an experienced Interior Design Consultant.

Yes, with Hoot Homes, you can enjoy the benefit of one builder, one contract and one-time frame as we are a turn key builder. Hoot Homes works closely with sister company, Wisdom Pools and Landscapes to provide you with a comprehensive turnkey landscaping service including pools and spas.

You can select from our existing landscaping packages or, if you are after something more, the award-winning team at Wisdom Pools and Landscapes can help create your very own outdoor haven.

The time it takes to knock down and rebuild may vary depending on your specific block, chosen home design any modifications to the plans, landscaping requirements, specific council and required approvals.

If you would like to find out more about knock down rebuild and our process, please speak to your Hoot Homes representative or send us an enquiry.

The contour survey will give us accurate levels, check boundary lines and determine the exact slope of your land. It will help us to accurately determine the site costs and cost to run services to your new home. This is organised by our pre-site team once the deposit is paid, before contract signing.

Yes, underground power pits are required to be installed for the connection of power to your new home. These works are included in the tender.

Hoot Homes will complete the applications and organise installation for the underground power pit.

Hoot Homes will undertake a soil test to understand if the block is suitable for the right foundations. This is organised by our pre-site team once the deposit is paid, before contract signing.

Yes. Throughout the demolition phase of your Knock-Down-Rebuild, your property will require temporary fencing to keep the site safe and passers-by out. Once construction of your new home begins, Hoot Homes will take over all site requirements, including temporary fencing.

You may arrange your valuation once you have received a copy of your HIA building contract including your contract plans and Boutique premium inclusions.

A provisional sum is an amount of money included in the contract sum to cover work or materials, the extent of which cannot be specifically detailed when entering the contract. A provisional sum may be credited back if it is not required via a post contract variation, after the contract has been signed.

This amount may or may not affect your finance depending on your budget as it will be factored into the final contract amount.

The cost to knock down rebuild will vary depending on your individual block and the demolition cost required i.e. difficult blocks such as a sloaping block, difficult to access, condition of the soil, conditions of the old house.

You will need to reach out to a demolition service to receive a specific quote based on your unique block.

There is a fee required to secure your price and prepare your tender. The fee is $2000 for a knock down rebuild and $1,500 for a vacant land build
Other costs such as if your suburb falls within our inclusive build zone. Extra building zone charges may apply for specific suburbs across our build zone. For any questions on building zones please contact us.

To find out if your suburb falls within our build zone, please see our build zone page. Extra building zone charges apply to specific areas within our build zone.

If you are unsure of where your suburb falls within our build zone map or if you would like to get a comprehensive estimate for what the build costs might be for your project, speak to a Hoot Homes sales consultant today.

Our team of highly skilled specialists are qualified and highly experienced in helping customers with their Knock Down Rebuild builds.

We will discuss the knock down rebuild process, help you find the right home design for your block size and orientation and guide you through your build journey. A member of our team will be with you each step of the way, ready to answer any questions or concerns you may have.

Benefit from a streamlined, easy process, allowing you to build a quality, designer home, without the hassle of hidden costs and having to pay more for upgrades in order to make your home stylish. Our team have put together a curated list of inclusions and internal and external colour schemes to choose from, to ensure your home is stylish on the inside and out. However, if you do want to make further enhancements,

The best place to start your Knock-Down-Rebuild journey is to:

Visit one of our display homes to speak to a new home consultant
Head to our website to explore our designs and use online calculator to price your home. It Includes our home designs, façade options, landscaping packages and more.
Get your copy of our Product Guide to explore our home designs, see our façades, on-trend colour schemes and Inclusions.

Or submit a general enquiry with your details and one of our friendly consultants will be in touch!