The honest answer is that it depends on your block, your design brief and your site conditions. Soil type, slope, access, whether there’s asbestos, and the size and complexity of your new home all affect the final number. What I can tell you is that at CKS Projects, every client receives a detailed, fixed-price tender before any contract is signed. You’ll know exactly what you’re paying before a single thing is demolished. There are no provisional sums buried in the fine print and no cost surprises mid-build. If you want a realistic figure for your specific block, the best starting point is a free consultation and site visit.

Everything from the demolition of your existing home through to final handover of your new one. The fixed-price contract means the number you sign for is the number you pay. There are no provisional sums used to hide unknown costs, no post-contract variations for things that should have been priced upfront, and no surprises when the slab goes down. The only time costs change after contract is if you choose to make variations to the design or inclusions yourself. This is one of the most important things to look for when comparing builders for a knock down rebuild. Ask every builder you speak to whether their contract is genuinely fixed price or whether it contains provisional sums.

In most cases on the South Coast, yes. Renovations often look cheaper on paper, but the reality is that older homes hide expensive problems once walls come down. Asbestos, rotting timber, outdated wiring, termite damage, old plumbing, and foundations that weren’t built for a second storey all add up fast. A knock down rebuild gives you a fixed price, a brand new structure with modern engineering, and full building warranties from day one. You’re also not paying for compromises forced on you by an existing floor plan. For families who need a completely different layout, rebuilding is almost always the better financial decision over a major renovation.

No, you typically won’t pay stamp duty if you knock down and rebuild on land you already own. Stamp duty only applies when you purchase property. Since you’re keeping your existing land and simply demolishing and rebuilding the house, no property transfer occurs, so no stamp duty is triggered.

From your first site consultation through to handover, most knock down rebuilds on the South Coast take between 12 and 18 months. The main variable is the council approval stage. If your project qualifies for a Complying Development Certificate, approvals can come through in as little as three to five weeks. If a full Development Application is required, that process takes longer, particularly in heritage areas or on flood-affected land. The actual construction phase typically runs six to ten months depending on the complexity of your design. We map out a clear timeline with you early in the process so you always know what to expect and when.

Yes, you need approval for both the demolition and the new build, though these are often handled together. In NSW there are two main pathways. A Complying Development Certificate is a faster, streamlined approval that can be issued by a private certifier, often in under two weeks, for straightforward projects that meet specific criteria. A Development Application through your local council takes longer but provides more flexibility for complex sites, heritage areas or custom designs that fall outside standard codes. CKS Projects manages the entire approval process for you. We prepare the documentation, liaise with the certifier or council, and keep you informed at every stage.

This is one of the most common concerns we hear from homeowners in Wollongong and the Illawarra, particularly those with older fibro homes. Before any demolition begins, a qualified asbestos inspector assesses the property and produces a report. If asbestos is present, a licensed asbestos removal contractor handles the safe removal and disposal in accordance with NSW WorkSafe regulations. CKS Projects coordinates this process for you so you’re not left trying to find and manage separate contractors. Once clearance certification is issued, the demolition phase can proceed.

At CKS Projects, your new home is completely custom designed for your block, your lifestyle and your budget. We don’t work from a catalogue of preset designs and we’re not a volume builder. Keiron works directly with every client to understand how you live and what you actually need from your home. That might be a north-facing living area that captures the coastal light, a floor plan suited to a growing family, or a design that makes the most of an ocean view

The first step is a free no-obligation consultation. You can call Keiron directly or submit an enquiry through the website and we’ll get back to you promptly. From there, we arrange a site visit to assess your block, understand what you’re hoping to achieve, and give you an honest picture of what’s possible, what the process looks like and what the likely costs are for your project. There’s no pressure and no sales pitch. We know a knock down rebuild is a significant decision and we want you to have the right information before you commit to anything. If we’re the right builder for your project, the next step from there is a detailed tender.