Knockdown rebuilds have gained popularity throughout Geelong and the Surf Coast region, appealing to clients who have invested years in nurturing connections with their neighbours and their local community so they want to continue living at the same address. However, as their families grow, their current home lacks space, functionality or efficiency. Often, these aging properties demand extensive maintenance, lack energy efficiency, and result in exorbitant expenses to maintain comfortable temperatures throughout the seasons.
So, what’s involved in knocking down the old home and building a new one? Below, we explain each step in a Geelong Homes knockdown rebuild, from site assessment to building your new home, so you can understand exactly what the process entails.
Site Assessment
The initial step in the Geelong Homes knockdown rebuild process involves a comprehensive site assessment. Our dedicated new home consultants leverage online tools, conduct site visits, and engage in discussions with you to evaluate your land and demolition plans. From soil analysis to considering height restrictions and environmental surroundings, we leave no stone unturned in preparing for the journey ahead.
Design Phase
This is where your new home consultant will get to know you asking lots of questions about your lifestyle and what you need in your home. They will review the floorplans in our range that suit your block and discuss each façade option with you. They’ll look at every aspect of your new home including the orientation, materials and finishes, energy efficiency and more – to ensure it is tailored to your needs, lifestyle and budget.
Planning Process
Geelong Homes can handle the whole planning process – all the way through to endorsement. With nearly 30 years’ experience of designing and building homes across Geelong, we’re experts in working through this process and will support you the whole way through.
After completing the design of your new home, we then apply for planning approval (if applicable). This is the stage where all the technical details of your project must be agreed upon and submitted to the relevant governing bodies. As every block is different, we will run you through what is stated within the planning permit and ensure all conditions are met. Geelong Homes is ideally placed to look after this stage of the process without any hiccups.
Contract Signing and Permit Application
Once all the paperwork is completed including your contract, we can then apply for your building and demolition permit.
You will need to organise for the services to be abolished and you’ll need to move out of your home into temporary accommodation while the hard work happens.
It’s worth noting that sometimes the abolishment of services can take up to six weeks, so if you’re in a position to move out of your home earlier and organise this sooner, this may reduce any delay in progressing to the next stages of the process.
Demolition
Geelong Homes coordinates with experienced demolition contractors to safely and efficiently demolish your existing home. Their expertise ensures a smooth process, preparing the site for the construction of your new home.
Building Your New Home
Witness the transformation as Geelong Homes brings your home to life through the five crucial stages of construction:
- Base Stage: All of the stages within construction are vital but there’s no room for error when laying the foundations of a home. Our team of trades prepare the concrete slab by boxing out the house plan according to the structural plans of the home. An independent building surveyor then visits the site to check that the footings are the same as our working drawings and meets the engineering supplied in our contract. Once we get the approval and an inspection certificate from the building surveyor, we pour your slab.
- Frame Stage: We begin building the home’s frame meeting stringent building code standards. Once the frame is completed, the building surveyor returns to check the frame meets the building code.
- Lockup Stage: This stage might be one of the more exciting stages — as you’ll really be able to see your home come to life! Once the lock up stage is complete your home’s external wall cladding and roof cover will be fixed, the flooring will be laid, and the external doors and windows are fixed (even if those doors and windows are temporary). This means your home can be safely secured while the internal and external work by tradespeople is completed.
- Fixing stage: This is when the tradespeople come in and start working on some of the finer details of your home. At this stage, internal cladding, architraves, skirting, doors, built-in shelves, tiling, baths, basins, troughs, sinks, cabinets and cupboards of a home are fitted and fixed in position.
- Completion: On completion of your new home you will attend a pre-handover, where you will walk through the home with your site manager to check the finish of the home. If there’s anything you need to query, this is your chance to get it addressed before the official handover. Once we get the certificate of occupancy, it’s time for your handover and for you to move-in!
Geelong Homes will guide you through every part of the knockdown rebuild journey so you can enjoy the comforts of a new home while preserving your ties with your neighbours and local community.
