Why Knock Down An Old Property When Starting a New Build Project?

Posted on: 23 October 2018

If you have bought the ideal plot and are planning on building your dream home on it, then you should not compromise on the aesthetics of the design. After all, a self-build construction project for a home is likely to be one of the biggest financial and personal investments that you will ever make in your life. That said, in Australia, many people who choose to build their own homes are understandably interested in using the existing structure in a new way within their design. Although this approach has many environmental benefits, you should also consider the merits of a complete demolition job and starting again from scratch. Why is this?

Demolishing Is a Sound Environment Idea 

Firstly, a house demolition may not be as destructive as you first think. Many of the building materials that are already in the house that you have bought can be reused and even recycled on site without the need for them to be transported away to reprocessing plants or, worse still, taken to a landfill. These days, demolition contractors are rightly aware of the need to put any materials they find to good use once more. This means that all of the timbers in an existing house, such as those in the floorboards and roof joists, should be set to one side and used again. Equally, brickwork can be used quite easily in a new role once you have started to build your new home. Anything from the existing electrical cables to the home's glazing can be salvaged and recycled.

Do Your Build Your Way

Another major benefit of demolishing existing home is that you can then redesign without any compromises. For example, the old house might have a shape or an orientation that you have to stick with, at least partially, if you keep it. By taking it down completely and even digging out the old foundations, you can make your home your own and do everything in a manner that suits you. This means that you end up with much more freedom from an architectural point of view.

Cost Considerations

It may be more costly to renovate and restructure an old property in the way you want to use it in future than to build everything from scratch. Even when you factor in the costs of a demolition, it is often cheaper to proceed with one. This is because demolition work is not that expensive when carried out by professionals. Furthermore, the structural design of the existing property will have to be fully assessed if you are going to use it in a new way, something that does not need to be factored in when building anew.

Limits on Starting From Scratch

Although demolishing your old property affords certain benefits, you should always make sure that you have the legal right to knock it down before doing so. Some historic areas of the country may place restrictions on what you are allowed to do in this regard. Another key consideration to take into account before starting a demolition job is how the work will impact on your neighbours. This is because demolition often creates noise and dust in the local area.

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