Custom knockdown rebuild in Melbourne, designed from the site you already own

Keep the street, the neighbours and the block you love. Replace the house with one designed around your site and the way your household lives, not chosen from a range of plans.

You love where you live. The house no longer fits.

Many people who rebuild are not looking to leave. The street works, the school run works, the light in the back garden works. What no longer works is the house.

You already know the location is right. The real question is whether a new home on that block can give you the life you want there. Because you own the land, one of the biggest uncertainties of a new home is already settled. There is no site to find and no auction to lose. What remains is deciding what should stand on it, and who should design and build it.

It is a big decision, and it is normal to feel unsure where to start. That is what the first conversation is for.

A rebuild starts with the block, not a floor plan

A rebuild is not simply a new house on an old block. It is a design problem shaped by everything already around it: the way the land falls, where the sun comes from, the neighbours' windows, the trees worth keeping, the streetscape and the planning controls that apply.

That is where Latitude 37 starts. A custom knockdown rebuild replaces an existing house with a new home designed specifically for that block and the household living on it. At Latitude 37 the site is the first page of the brief.

A sloping block can let the living areas step towards the light. A significant tree can organise the garden. A neighbour's upper windows can decide where privacy matters most, and that is the difference between a garden you use and one you look at through a blind.

Latitude 37 designs and builds your new home. We have designed and built custom homes since 2006 across Melbourne's eastern suburbs, Bayside, the South East and the Mornington Peninsula. Design, interiors and construction come together under one accountable team.

Custom rebuild or rebuild package?

Most knockdown rebuild options in Melbourne are sold as packages. The builder has a range of designs, each already engineered, documented and costed. You choose one, select facades and inclusions, and the design is adapted to your block. For a regular block and a household the range anticipates, that can work well, and it asks fewer decisions of you.

A custom rebuild asks more of you. In return, you get a home that could only have been designed for your site. There is no range and no set of standard plans. The home is designed and priced from your block and your brief. That is also why a custom quote and a package quote are hard to compare: they describe different products.

Latitude 37 builds custom homes. We do not offer pre-designed floor plans, volume-style construction or a rebuild package. If a package suits your block and your household better, we will tell you.

What changes when there is already a house on the site?

A rebuild site is not vacant land just because the existing house will go. Its existing conditions need to be understood before the new home is designed. That includes the existing dwelling and what removing it involves, the services and connections already in place, neighbouring properties, existing vegetation, and the planning controls or overlays that shape what can be built. We look at these with you early, because they shape both the design and the budget.

Approvals
Some rebuilds need a planning permit as well as a building permit, depending on the controls on your site. Whether yours does is something we look at early, because it affects the timeline more than almost anything else. Interior design, documentation and approvals usually take eight to twelve months. That is shorter if no town planning approval is required, and longer if it is.

Demolition
Before construction begins, the existing house is demolished. That involves a demolition permit, disconnecting existing services and protecting neighbouring and public assets.

Many clients choose to coordinate the demolition themselves, in parallel with us working on their documentation, approvals and contract. Others prefer us to handle it. We offer either option. If you coordinate it yourself, we can obtain quotes from trusted demolition contractors and guide the timing. Where you arrange demolition, its cost sits outside the build price.

Planning your move
A rebuild affects family life as well as the block. Talk to us before you commit to a demolition date or make accommodation plans. The timing depends on approvals, how demolition is arranged and the construction program, and we will work through it with you early.

How Latitude 37 approaches a knockdown rebuild

A knockdown rebuild follows the same design-and-build process as every Latitude 37 custom home. What differs is where it starts: a block that already has a house on it.

A first conversation about your block. We talk through your site, your brief and your budget, and whether they suit each other. If the fit is not right, we will say so.

Concept design, starting from the site. Under a Concept Design Agreement, your Client Experience Lead (Design) and Designer guide you through concept design and pricing. Your budget and brief are set at the outset, and the design is developed to suit them. Once you are happy with the design, we prepare a Custom Home Proposal before you commit to documentation. It is a detailed, scope-based estimate of the proposed inclusions, key allowances and assumptions.

Documentation, interiors, approvals and a fixed price. Your Client Experience Lead (Delivery) is introduced and becomes your consistent key contact through to handover. Interior design, documentation and approvals are resolved with you. Allowances are progressively replaced with firm pricing as we engage trades and suppliers. Once the documentation and specifications are complete and approved, we finalise the remaining competitive quotes. We then present a Fixed Price Building Contract that sets out the agreed scope, price and exclusions.

Construction and aftercare. Your Site Manager is introduced before construction begins, or earlier if you would like. Our Construction Manager oversees delivery, with regular project reviews and site oversight. Your Designer and Interior Designer rejoin key milestone meetings, so the people who shaped your home stay connected to it.

At handover you receive a Maintenance & Warranty Guide for your home. For the first 90 days, the Site Manager who delivered your home manages your maintenance process, including your 90-day maintenance inspection. After that, our Maintenance & Warranty partner manages warranty matters on Latitude 37's behalf. You raise requests through our online Aftercare Request form whenever you need us, and you have 12 months of complimentary RACV Home Assist. None of this limits your statutory warranty rights. More on aftercare.

Is a custom rebuild right for you?

A custom rebuild with Latitude 37 tends to suit owners who:

• want to stay in the location they already own
• have a block that asks something particular of a house, such as slope, orientation, a significant tree, an overlay or overlooking neighbours
• want to be part of the design decisions rather than select from a predetermined plan
• are planning an investment within Latitude 37's published range of $1.5 million to $5 million and above

If a package suits your block and your household better, that is a legitimate choice, and we will tell you honestly if we think it is the better fit.

Why continuity matters when you rebuild

The thinking behind your design reaches the site. The decisions that shape a rebuild are made around the block: its slope, its light and its neighbours. Our Designers, Interior Designers, Client Experience and Construction teams work within one business. Your Client Experience Lead (Delivery) is your consistent key contact from documentation and approvals through to handover, and the people who designed your home rejoin at key milestones. It is one connected team, not a series of handovers.

Quality is checked as the home is built, not only at the end. Your Site Manager checks the work continuously, and senior members of our Construction team review those checks at set hold points such as pre-plaster. Independent third-party specialists also inspect at defined stages.

An established business stands behind your home. Latitude 37 has operated since 2006 with a disciplined approach to financial management, project selection and delivery capacity. We deliberately limit the number of homes we commence each year, so our team can maintain close oversight of quality, program and client experience. We are always happy to talk openly about how we manage our business and our financial position. Just ask.

Latitude 37 has twice been named HIA Australian Professional Medium Builder, in 2015 and 2021, and HIA Victorian Professional Medium Builder in 2014, 2020, 2022 and 2023. The award assesses the whole business, from management, financial practices and client service through to design, construction quality and innovation. Our clients rate us 4.7 from 183 reviews on ProductReview.com.au.

Builder's registration CDB-U 48977, held by Latitude 37 with the Building and Plumbing Commission (formerly the Victorian Building Authority). Member of the Housing Industry Association and Master Builders Victoria.

Talk to us about your block

If you own the block and are weighing a rebuild, the most useful next step is an unhurried conversation about your site, your brief and your budget. There is no obligation. We will tell you honestly whether a custom rebuild suits your site, and whether we are the right firm for it.

Start a conversation