Aussies are busy copying their neighbours when its comes to finding a way to cut expenses and work around the cost of living crisis. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen/The Australian
New South Wales saw 33,000 demolition approvals in the four years to early 2023 as families increasingly opt to stay put but in newly built, larger homes.
There’s a domino effect happening in many established suburbs, where one family on a street does the rebuilding, giving their neighbours inspiration to do the same. And rebuilds are often more cost-effective than an addition or renovation, allowing homeowners to achieve the highest and best use of their property.
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Renos are proving to be the cheaper lifestyle option. Picture: Tara Croser.
Knockdown-rebuild currently accounts for one in four new homes built in Australia, the Housing Industry of Australia chief economist Tim Reardon says.
Ryde heads the list in Sydney, with its dated houses coming with an already laid on lifestyle.
The decision to stay has been assisted by the value of owned property going up and owners having greater equity in their homes, and also being able to redraw their mortgages to get the new desired floor plans they want.
All without forking out stamp duty.
An updated online tool has been launched by the NSW government making it easier for residents to build these dream homes.
The myHome Planner online tool seeks to assist the process of knocking down and rebuilding a home along with those considering buying a house-and-land package.
Sam home, new lifestyle. Photo: Nick Clayton.
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The guide also provides support for the development of dual occupancies and semi-detached dwellings which accords with the government’s heightened desire to see extra housing (the NSW target of 377,000 new homes over the next five years to meet the National Housing Accord target).
The 17 checkpoint list on the building process, as well as the advisory on the potential costs and process of construction loans, along with the approvals required, sees homeowners now having a single online resource.
For starters current or prospective homeowners can enter the property address and gain access to relevant council information, zoning, ratings and easement information.
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From July this year changes allowing applications for dual occupancies and semi-detached dwellings can be submitted in many more R2 residential zones.
There are development guidelines such as building heights, floor-to-space ratios and minimum block size, and relevant planning controls such as tree preservation orders and bushfire and flood risk.
The myHome Planner gets more than 12 million page views each year.
Planning Minister Paul Scully says it makes sense to help people get information about what they’re spending their money on.
Customer Service and Digital Government Minister Jihad Dib adds: “This website takes a holistic approach, covering all the steps needed to build a home and is one example of how digital tools can support the delivery of housing targets.
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