Knock Down & Build a Duplex in Wollongong

Yes. This is a knockdown rebuild duplex, and on older Illawarra blocks it is common: services are formally disconnected, the existing house is demolished, any asbestos is removed by a licensed contractor where the inspection finds it, and two new homes are built on the cleared site.

The demolition and asbestos work should be priced before contract rather than left as an allowance. CKS Projects manages the demolition and the duplex construction under the same fixed-price contract, so one party is accountable for the whole site.

There is no single figure. Inside a designated Low and Mid-Rise Housing area, the NSW standards for a dual occupancy in R2 are a minimum lot area of 450 m², a minimum width of 12 m at the front building line, a maximum floor space ratio of 0.65:1 and a 9.5 m height limit, with 225 m² and 6 m per lot if you intend to subdivide. Outside those areas, your council's LEP and DCP apply instead (in Wollongong, the Wollongong LEP 2009).

CKS Projects works out which rules apply to your lot from the title and the section 10.7 planning certificate at the site assessment.

You need one of two approvals. Under the Low Rise Housing Diversity Code, a dual occupancy of up to two storeys that meets every standard can be approved as complying development, in as little as 20 days. Otherwise it is a development application to council, which applies where the design departs from a standard or the lot has a heritage, bushfire, flood or coastal constraint. Each new home also needs BASIX.

CKS Projects establishes the pathway during feasibility and manages it through to determination. NSW Planning: complying development.

CKS Projects doesn't publish a square-metre rate, because a figure detached from your block would be misleading. The price covers demolition and two full homes, plus items that exist only because there are two of them: the fire-rated separating wall and acoustic construction, two sets of services and meters, driveways and parking, subdivision and title work, and council contributions.

After the block is assessed and the design scoped, you receive a detailed fixed-price tender before you sign.

Yes, once the subdivision is approved and registered. Torrens title gives each home its own lot, with no strata levies or by-laws. Strata keeps one lot with shared common property, and can be the only option where the lot can't meet Torrens minimums. The choice affects the driveway, services, setbacks and cost, so we plan it with you, the surveyor and your conveyancer before design starts.

Before demolition, a qualified inspector assesses the house. Under NSW rules, removing more than 10 m² of non-friable asbestos needs a licensed removalist. CKS Projects coordinates the inspection, the removalist and the clearance, so you aren't managing separate contractors. SafeWork NSW: asbestos.

A CKS duplex typically takes around 9 to 14 months from design to completion. The main variables are the approval pathway (a CDC can be issued in as little as 20 days, while a DA takes longer) and the demolition and asbestos work on your site. We map out your timeline at the start, so you can plan where you'll live.

Book a free, no-obligation 45-minute site assessment, or call Keiron on 0416 978 669. He visits your block, checks what it allows, and gives you an honest view of whether a duplex works and what the process would look like. If we're the right builder for your project, the next step is a detailed fixed-price tender.