This is the reality of not knowing what lies in the soil of a Knock Down Rebuild.

Years ago no one thought about disposing of fill or rubbish safely. Noone thought twice about burying a whole home, bits of copper, even asbestos in the backyard or beneath a slab for a house or garage.

Knockdown rebuilds are becoming very popular, especially in Newcastle NSW, and this is the reality a lot of people are now facing…paying for previous generations mistakes.

I often say to people who are considering a Knock Down Rebuild, that you just don’t know what lies beneath! You can factor in all other items for the build above the ground but once the excavator moves in, there can be several nasty surprises lurking in the soil.

Besides Asbestos being a huge drain on the finances, brick and rubble, like in this picture, can set you back around $30,000. This is for the excavator to dig all the old material out, dispose of it responsibly and then there is the cost of clean fill to put back into the ground.

So a big tip, when working on your figures for a Knockdown Rebuild, factor in an emergency contingency fund for little or big hidden surprises that just might pop up.