Almost every week someone rings us with a version of the same question. They love where they live. The street works, the kids are at the school down the road, the backyard has a tree someone planted twenty years ago. What they do not love is the house itself. Too small, too dark, laid out for a family that does not exist anymore.
So the question is: do we extend, or do we knock it down and start again?
There is no universal answer. But there is a clear way to work it out, and it usually takes one site visit rather than months of going back and forth.
The short answer
Extend when the existing house is structurally sound and the change you want is additive. Rebuild when the bones are tired, or when what you actually want is a different house on the same block.
The trap is deciding based on which one sounds cheaper. Extensions sound cheaper because the number is smaller. That is not the same as better value, and we have seen plenty of extensions where the money would have gone further in a rebuild.
When an extension usually makes sense
An extension tends to be the right call when:
- The existing structure is in good condition. Sound stumps or slab, a roof with life left in it, walls that are square and dry.
- You want more of something rather than something different. Another bedroom, a bigger living area, a second bathroom, a proper laundry.
- The part of the house you are keeping still works. If the front three rooms are fine and it is the back half that fails you, that is an extension.
- You want to stay in the house while the work happens. Not always possible, but far more often possible with an extension than a rebuild.
- There is something worth keeping. Period details, high ceilings, a build quality you would not get for the same money today.
The honest limitation of extensions is that you are always working around decisions someone else made. Existing floor levels, existing wall positions, existing plumbing runs. A good builder can hide most of that. Nobody can eliminate it.
When a knock down rebuild usually makes sense
A rebuild tends to be the right call when:
- The existing house has significant structural problems. Movement, rising damp, a roof structure that needs replacing anyway, wiring and plumbing at the end of their life.
- The layout is fundamentally wrong rather than just small. If fixing it means moving almost every internal wall, you are paying demolition prices for a renovation result.
- You want the whole house to perform. Insulation, glazing, orientation, heating and cooling that actually suits Shepparton summers. Retrofitting all of that into an old house costs real money and never quite gets there.
- The extension you are contemplating is more than about half the size of the existing house. At that point you are building most of a house anyway, with all the constraints and none of the freedom.
- You are staying long term. A rebuild takes longer and costs more up front. It pays back over years, not months.
The five things that actually decide it
When we walk a site, this is what we are looking at.
1. The condition of what is already there. Not how it looks. What is under the floor, in the roof cavity and behind the walls. This is the single biggest factor and it is the one homeowners can least assess themselves.
2. The block. Size, shape, fall, orientation, where the services run, what the setbacks allow. Some blocks make an extension awkward and a rebuild obvious. Some are the reverse.
3. What you actually want. Not the wish list. The two or three things that would genuinely change how you live in the house. Once those are clear, the answer is often obvious.
4. Planning and approvals. Both paths need approvals, and the requirements differ depending on the property, the zone and any overlays. This is worth establishing early rather than discovering halfway through design. We handle the council process either way, but it shapes the timeline.
5. How long you are staying. Five years and ten years lead to different answers with the same house and the same budget.
What it costs to find out
Nothing, to get our opinion. We will come out, walk through the house with you, and tell you honestly which way we would go and why. If the answer is that you should extend rather than do the bigger job, we will say so. If the answer is that neither is worth it and you would be better off buying elsewhere, we will say that too.
What we will not do is quote a number over the phone. Anyone who gives you a firm price for a rebuild or an extension without standing on the block is guessing, and you will pay for that guess later in variations.
Two Shepparton jobs that went different ways
We have written up both, and they are worth reading side by side because the owners started from a similar place.
One family in Kialla kept the location and started fresh. The block was right, the house was not, and rebuilding gave them what they actually wanted.
Another family in Shepparton found more space without leaving the home they loved. The existing house was sound and worth keeping, so we built onto it.
Same question. Different houses. Different answers.
Talk it through
Gavin McMahon has been building in Shepparton for over forty years and is on site every day. If you are weighing up an extension against a rebuild, ring him on +61 3 5822 2225 or get in touch and we will organise a time to come and have a look.
You can also read more about home extensions and knock down rebuilds and how we run them.
Common questions
Can I live in the house during the work?
Often yes with an extension, depending on which part of the house is affected and whether the kitchen and bathroom stay usable. Almost never with a rebuild. We will be upfront about this before you commit, because it affects your costs either way.
Is a rebuild always more expensive than an extension?
In total, usually yes. Per square metre, often no. A rebuild gives you a whole new house rather than a new section attached to an old one, so compare what you end up with, not just the two numbers.
How long does each take?
An extension is generally faster because you are building less and the existing house stays standing. A rebuild adds demolition and a full build program. Timeframes depend on the design, approvals and the season, so we give you a realistic program once the scope is settled rather than a number that sounds good and slips.
What if I am not sure what I want yet?
That is normal and it is fine. Most people arrive with a problem rather than a plan. Working out the solution is part of what we do.