Covering Godalming
Our coverage around Godalming (GU7) also includes Guildford, Aldershot and Farnham.
Homes in the South East
Many South East homes are inter-war or post-war semis and detached houses with room for rear and side extensions, while historic town centres and villages bring conservation area and listed building controls.
What do you get with a knock down and rebuild?
Knock down and rebuild means demolishing an existing house and building a new one in its place, often a bungalow or poorly built post-war house replaced by a larger, more efficient home. Because the new house counts as a new dwelling, the build is usually zero-rated for VAT.
- Feasibility: rebuild versus extend and renovate
- Planning application for the replacement dwelling
- Reconnection of services and landscaping
What will a knock down and rebuild cost?
Typical ranges for knock down and rebuild. Ground conditions, access and specification move the final figure, which we fix in writing before work starts.
| Knock down and rebuild | Guide price |
|---|---|
| Demolition and site clearance (total) | £15,000 to £35,000 |
| Rebuild, standard specification (per m²) | £2,100 to £2,600 per m² |
| Rebuild, good specification (per m²) | £2,600 to £3,100 per m² |
| Rebuild, high specification (per m²) | £3,100 to £3,700 per m² |
What approvals does a knock down and rebuild need in England?
Projects in England go through two separate checks. Planning (or confirmation that the work is permitted development) comes from the district, borough or unitary council, and building regulations approval comes from the council’s building control team or a registered building control approver. Where work touches a shared wall or digs near a neighbour’s foundations, the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 applies.
This needs full planning permission from the council.
What can change the price or programme?
- A replacement dwelling is usually zero-rated for VAT where the old house is demolished completely to ground level.
- You will need somewhere to live for most of a year.
What are the steps?
- Start with a conversation. A short call or the online form is enough for us to understand what you want to build.
- Site visit. We walk the plot or existing house, look at access, levels, services and boundaries, and talk through what could be built.
- Drawings, approvals, written quote. We prepare the design, apply for the approvals it needs, and give you a fixed price in writing.
- Build and hand over. Our teams build to the programme, building control inspects, and you get the completion paperwork at the end.
Your questions answered
Do I need planning permission?
Yes, for the replacement dwelling.
What happens about asbestos?
An asbestos survey is done before demolition and any asbestos is removed safely first.
Who deals with the council for a project in Godalming?
We do. We prepare the drawings, submit planning or permitted development paperwork if needed, and arrange building control inspections.
Also covering
- Knock down and rebuild in Guildford
- Knock down and rebuild in Aldershot
- Knock down and rebuild in Farnham
- Knock down and rebuild in Woking
Learn more about knock down and rebuild, or see every project we cover in Godalming.