Should I Renovate, Extend, or Knock Down and Rebuild? Feasibility Studies Explained.
From Get It Right with Undercover Architect by Amelia Lee, Undercover Architect
April 13, 2026 · 32 min · Episode 396
About this episode
In this episode, Amelia Lee discusses the considerations and options homeowners face when deciding whether to renovate, extend, or rebuild their homes.
Hello! This is Episode 396, and I want to talk about something that comes up at the very beginning of almost every project I hear about. It usually sounds like one of these questions. "Should I add a second storey, or extend out the back?" Or… "Is it worth renovating what we have, or should we just knock it down and build new?" Or… "We've got a blank block - do we go with a volume builder, or work with an architect or designer and do a custom project?" [For all resources mentioned in this podcast and a free, downloadable PDF transcript, head to www.undercoverarchitect.com/396 ] And what all of these questions have in common is this: they come from a place of genuinely not knowing which direction to go. There are multiple options on the table. Each of them could potentially work. They can vary in budget and timelines and team structure and approvals. But you don't yet have enough information to choose between them with confidence. And so what a lot of people do - and I completely understand the impulse - is to just pick one. Pick the option that seems most obvious, or most affordable, or the one that someone recommended, and start moving forward. Because…
People in this episode
Host: Amelia Lee
Topics covered
- renovation
- home extension
- knock down and rebuild
- feasibility studies
- project planning
Keywords
- renovate
- extend
- knock down
- rebuild
- feasibility study
- home design
- budget
- project options
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Undercover Architect
Places: Australia
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