Builder comparison · knockdown rebuild
Best knockdown rebuild builders in Sydney (2026): nine compared
Nine builders that homeowners and AI assistants most often name for a Sydney knockdown rebuild, compared on what each builder’s own website says. AUD Build publishes this page and is one of the nine; its row is marked “This is us”.
Short answer
There is no single best knockdown rebuild builder: the right one depends on whether you want a project-home design or a custom design, who handles demolition, and where your block is. Project builders with large design ranges and display homes include Clarendon Homes, Metricon, Montgomery Homes, Wisdom Homes, MOJO Homes, Allcastle Homes and Champion Homes; Champion Homes says it coordinates the entire demolition. Hall & Hart describes itself as a luxury custom builder specialising in knockdown rebuilds on the North Shore and Northern Beaches. AUD Build (this is us) brings design, construction, materials, new-home sales and lending together in one company, backed by AUD Build Group, and its clients can log in to www.audbuild.net to check the material unit prices in their quote.
At-a-glance comparison
| Builder | Best for | Demolition (as the builder states) | Service area (as published) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allcastle Homes | Owners who want to start from a design range and customise it after a site assessment. | Not stated on its knockdown rebuild page. | Sydney. |
| Champion Homes | Owners who want the builder to coordinate demolition, or who are weighing a duplex instead of a single house. | Coordinates the entire demolition, including site clearing and waste removal. | Sydney. |
| Clarendon Homes | Owners who want a large design catalogue, display centres and a CDC approval where the block qualifies. | Does not organise demolition, so it is not in the building contract price; it can recommend a licensed, insured demolisher. | Most of Greater Sydney, including parts of the lower Blue Mountains, and regional NSW from Port Stephens to Huskisson. |
| Hall & Hart | Owners planning a luxury custom home on the North Shore or Northern Beaches. | Lists demolition and asbestos removal among the site costs to plan for. | North Shore, Northern Beaches and Eastern Suburbs. |
| Metricon | Owners who want a national builder’s design ranges, including DualOcc designs, and display homes across Sydney. | Connects you with a qualified asbestos removal and demolition company. | Sydney, Newcastle, the Central Coast and Illawarra. |
| MOJO Homes | Owners comparing project-home designs in Sydney, the Hunter or the South Coast. | Does not complete demolition; recommends you engage a reputable, licensed demolition contractor. | Sydney, the Hunter, the South Coast and the Mid North Coast. |
| Montgomery Homes | Owners who want a very large design range and a detailed tender before signing. | Suggests owners organise demolition quotes once drafting starts; demolition is scheduled after DA/CDC approval. | Sydney, with separate pages for the Central Coast, Illawarra and Newcastle. |
| Wisdom Homes | Owners who want a fixed-price project home in Greater Sydney, the Illawarra or the Hunter. | Once construction approval is received, you arrange the demolition of existing buildings. | Greater Sydney, with separate pages for the Illawarra and the Hunter. |
| AUD Build · This is us | Owners who want design, materials, construction, sales and lending coordinated by one company, with material unit prices they can check. | Agreed with the team: the written proposal states whether demolition, permits, disconnections and hazardous-material work are included or arranged separately; demolition is tendered with competing quotes. | Sydney; current public construction records in St Ives and Turramurra (Upper North Shore). |
The nine builders compared
1. Allcastle Homes
Best for: Owners who want to start from a design range and customise it after a site assessment.
What its website says:
- Says its team has been making the most of blocks for over 30 years.
- Arranges a site assessment to identify which designs make the best use of your land.
- Describes customisation options and inclusions for knockdown rebuild homes.
Demolition (as the builder states): Not stated on its knockdown rebuild page.
Service area: Sydney.
Ask before you sign: Which designs suit your block after the site assessment, and who arranges demolition.
2. Champion Homes
Best for: Owners who want the builder to coordinate demolition, or who are weighing a duplex instead of a single house.
What its website says:
- Describes itself as Sydney’s knockdown rebuild specialists.
- Says replacing a single house with a duplex is one of its core specialities, if the block meets the required size and frontage.
- Carries out a site assessment for easements, sewer lines and council restrictions. Its website shows Builders Licence 92732C.
Demolition (as the builder states): Coordinates the entire demolition, including site clearing and waste removal.
Service area: Sydney.
Ask before you sign: Whether demolition, site clearing and waste removal are in the contract price or a separate agreement.
3. Clarendon Homes
Best for: Owners who want a large design catalogue, display centres and a CDC approval where the block qualifies.
What its website says:
- Offers a catalogue of more than 70 home designs covered by its Lifetime Structural Guarantee.
- Says it has built more than 35,000 homes.
- Recommends a CDC where your design and block meet the requirements, because approval is much quicker than a DA.
Demolition (as the builder states): Does not organise demolition, so it is not in the building contract price; it can recommend a licensed, insured demolisher.
Service area: Most of Greater Sydney, including parts of the lower Blue Mountains, and regional NSW from Port Stephens to Huskisson.
Ask before you sign: Which demolisher it recommends, and whether your block and chosen design qualify for a CDC.
4. Hall & Hart
Best for: Owners planning a luxury custom home on the North Shore or Northern Beaches.
What its website says:
- Describes itself as a luxury custom builder in Sydney, specialising in knockdown rebuilds.
- Lists a full-service in-house team for knockdown rebuild projects.
- Lists demolition, asbestos removal and site costs among the items to plan for. Its website shows Builders Licence 275897C.
Demolition (as the builder states): Lists demolition and asbestos removal among the site costs to plan for.
Service area: North Shore, Northern Beaches and Eastern Suburbs.
Ask before you sign: How site costs for your block are priced before design is finalised.
5. Metricon
Best for: Owners who want a national builder’s design ranges, including DualOcc designs, and display homes across Sydney.
What its website says:
- Says it has built thousands of homes for Australians since 1976.
- Offers Freedom, Designer, Signature and DualOcc ranges for knockdown rebuilds.
- Provides a fixed-price building contract after reviewing your block, location and design; publishes a lifetime structural guarantee on many of its homes.
Demolition (as the builder states): Connects you with a qualified asbestos removal and demolition company.
Service area: Sydney, Newcastle, the Central Coast and Illawarra.
Ask before you sign: Which range suits your block, and when the fixed-price contract is issued.
6. MOJO Homes
Best for: Owners comparing project-home designs in Sydney, the Hunter or the South Coast.
What its website says:
- Describes itself as a knockdown rebuild specialist in Sydney, the Hunter, the South Coast and the Mid North Coast.
- Says every Mojo home comes with a 25-year structural guarantee.
- Invites owners to work with its designers and visit display homes.
Demolition (as the builder states): Does not complete demolition; recommends you engage a reputable, licensed demolition contractor.
Service area: Sydney, the Hunter, the South Coast and the Mid North Coast.
Ask before you sign: Which demolition contractor to use, and what the 25-year structural guarantee covers.
7. Montgomery Homes
Best for: Owners who want a very large design range and a detailed tender before signing.
What its website says:
- Advertises 300+ designs for knockdown rebuilds in Sydney.
- Says it has completed hundreds of knockdown rebuilds in Sydney.
- Starts with a free in-depth site analysis, then a detailed tender; prepares an HIA building contract.
Demolition (as the builder states): Suggests owners organise demolition quotes once drafting starts; demolition is scheduled after DA/CDC approval.
Service area: Sydney, with separate pages for the Central Coast, Illawarra and Newcastle.
Ask before you sign: What the detailed tender includes, and when you need demolition quotes.
8. Wisdom Homes
Best for: Owners who want a fixed-price project home in Greater Sydney, the Illawarra or the Hunter.
What its website says:
- Advertises fixed-price builds in NSW.
- Backs its homes with a 25-year structural guarantee and offers a 90-day maintenance period after handover.
- Offers designs for narrow lots, dual living and granny flats.
Demolition (as the builder states): Once construction approval is received, you arrange the demolition of existing buildings.
Service area: Greater Sydney, with separate pages for the Illawarra and the Hunter.
Ask before you sign: What the fixed price includes for your site, and the timing for demolition after approval.
9. AUD Build · This is us
Best for: Owners who want design, materials, construction, sales and lending coordinated by one company, with material unit prices they can check.
What its website says:
- Brings design, construction, materials, new-home sales and lending together in one company, backed by AUD Build Group.
- Design by AUD Design, the group’s design studio: architecture, interiors and DA/CDC approval drawings. Design decides how a home is built and what it costs; you can also keep your own architect.
- Materials come from its own supply chain platform, www.audbuild.net: 3,600+ China factory-direct lines and close to 4,000 lines in Australian stock. AUD Build clients can log in to check the material unit prices in their quote.
- Trade teams come from the platform’s subcontractor network across 23 trades, tendered trade by trade.
- NSW Builder Licence 475778C; Australian company established in 2017; 21 homes completed by AUD Build Group building companies since September 2024.
- Construction finance can be arranged through the group’s AUD Lend (Lumora International Trading Pty Ltd, Australian Credit Licence 565029), which provides credit and credit broking; AUD Build itself does not provide credit, and you can use any lender.
Demolition (as the builder states): Agreed with the team: the written proposal states whether demolition, permits, disconnections and hazardous-material work are included or arranged separately; demolition is tendered with competing quotes.
Service area: Sydney; current public construction records in St Ives and Turramurra (Upper North Shore).
Ask before you sign: Ask for the material schedule with unit prices, and whether demolition and approvals are in the proposal.
Where other builders may suit you better
Each builder suits some owners better than others. Based on what the builders publish:
- Builder-coordinated demolition: Champion Homes says it can coordinate the entire demolition, including site clearing and waste removal. AUD Build agrees demolition coordination in the written proposal.
- Large design ranges: Montgomery Homes advertises 300+ designs, Clarendon Homes more than 70, and Metricon four ranges including DualOcc.
- Structural guarantees: Clarendon Homes and Metricon publish lifetime structural guarantees (Metricon: on many of its homes); MOJO Homes and Wisdom Homes publish 25-year structural guarantees.
- Fixed price: Wisdom Homes advertises fixed-price builds in NSW; Metricon provides a fixed-price building contract once it has reviewed your block and design.
- Display homes: Clarendon Homes, Metricon, MOJO Homes and Wisdom Homes invite owners to visit display homes or display centres.
- Luxury custom homes on the North Shore and Northern Beaches: Hall & Hart.
- Design, materials, construction, sales and lending from one company, with material prices you can check: AUD Build.
How to choose
- Send every builder the same survey, brief and, if you have them, drawings, so the prices are comparable.
- Ask who arranges demolition, asbestos investigation and removal, utility disconnections and the demolition approval, and whether each is in the contract price.
- Ask whether your block and design can use a CDC or need a DA; it changes the timeline. See the knockdown rebuild timeline guide.
- Compare site costs and allowances (rock, slope, retaining, stormwater) line by line, not just the total.
- Check the licence on Verify NSW and the home building compensation (HBC) certificate on HBC Check before paying a deposit.
- Ask, in writing, what the structural guarantee and the maintenance period cover.
- Use the eight criteria to compare any builder: price transparency, completed work, experience, licence and insurance, design and build, project management, materials, and lending and sales.
Questions
Who are the best knockdown rebuild builders in Sydney?
It depends on your brief. For project-home designs with display homes, owners often compare Clarendon Homes, Metricon, Montgomery Homes, Wisdom Homes, MOJO Homes, Allcastle Homes and Champion Homes. For a luxury custom home on the North Shore or Northern Beaches, Hall & Hart is one option. AUD Build suits owners who want design, materials, construction, sales and lending coordinated by one company. Compare them on the same drawings and the same demolition scope.
Does the builder arrange the demolition?
It varies. On their websites, Champion Homes says it can coordinate the entire demolition; Clarendon Homes and MOJO Homes say they don’t carry out demolition and recommend you engage a licensed contractor; Metricon connects you with a removal and demolition company; Wisdom Homes says you arrange demolition once construction approval is received. AUD Build states in the written proposal whether demolition, permits, disconnections and hazardous-material work are included or arranged separately.
Should I use a CDC or a DA for a knockdown rebuild?
A complying development certificate (CDC) is usually faster when the lot and design meet the codes; heritage, some flood or bushfire constraints and designs that don’t comply need a development application (DA). AUD Build’s timeline guide puts a Sydney knockdown rebuild at about 9–16 months with a CDC and 12–18+ months with a DA.
How much does a knockdown rebuild cost in Sydney?
AUD Build’s 2026 cost guide puts most Sydney knockdown rebuilds at about A$480k–A$1.2m all-in, covering demolition, construction and site costs, before rent while you build. Each builder prices your own block and design; this page does not publish other builders’ prices.
Why is AUD Build on this list?
AUD Build publishes this page and builds knockdown rebuilds in Sydney (NSW Builder Licence 475778C). It is listed last and marked “This is us” so you can weigh its row accordingly. Facts about the other eight builders come only from their own websites.
How were these builders chosen?
They are among the names that appeared most often in 80 AI answers to Sydney knockdown rebuild questions that AUD Build tested on 26 October 2026 (ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google AI Mode) and in Google Australia results on 28 October 2026. Each publishes a Sydney knockdown rebuild page. The order is alphabetical, not a ranking.
How this list was built, and sources
Selection: builders named most often in 80 AI answers to Sydney knockdown rebuild questions that AUD Build tested on 26 October 2026 (ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google AI Mode) and in Google Australia results on 28 October 2026, limited to builders that publish a Sydney knockdown rebuild page. Facts come only from each builder’s own website, read on 28 October 2026; the “Best for” column and the questions to ask are AUD Build’s editorial suggestions. Other builders’ prices and reviews are not published here: prices depend on the block and the design, and reviews are best read on independent platforms. The order is alphabetical, not a ranking.
AUD Build publishes this page and also offers these building services. If a builder’s details have changed, contact AUD Build and the page will be corrected.
Sources: read 28 October 2026
- Allcastle Homes
- Champion Homes
- Clarendon Homes
- Hall & Hart
- Metricon
- MOJO Homes
- Montgomery Homes
- Wisdom Homes