Knockdownrebuildvsrenovation:whichisrightforyourBrisbaneblock?

Almost every Brisbane homeowner who's been in the same house for ten years asks us the same question: should we renovate, or should we knock it down and start again?

There's no universal answer, but there is a framework. After dozens of these conversations across Tarragindi, Salisbury, Indooroopilly and Holland Park, here's how we approach it.

When renovation almost always wins

• The home is a character Queenslander or Ashgrovian with street value
• The block is in a character residential overlay (you can't easily demolish anyway)
• The existing footprint, orientation and structure are sound
• Your changes are mostly cosmetic and one major rear extension

When a knockdown rebuild almost always wins

• The existing home is a post-war brick or fibro with no architectural value
• The floor plan fights you at every turn — wrong orientation, low ceilings, awkward levels
• You want a substantially larger home (two storey, four+ bedrooms)
• The cost of fixing structural and waterproofing issues is more than 60% of a rebuild

The honest cost comparison

In 2026, a full renovation of a 1960s Brisbane brick home typically runs $9,500 to $14,000 per square metre of touched area — because you're working around what's there. A new build on a cleared block runs $4,800 to $6,800 per square metre, and you get exactly the home you designed.

Once a renovation crosses about 70% of the home's footprint, a rebuild is almost always the better answer financially — and the better answer in livability.

How we help clients decide

Free site walk, honest read of the existing home, rough costings for both paths. No sales pitch. About 30% of clients we meet decide to renovate, 40% decide to rebuild, and 30% decide to wait — which is also a perfectly valid answer.