Buying & demolishing a house – need for engineering assessment?

Hi all,

We’re considering buying an older house (with a poor BER) on a nice site that is elevated & over-looking a river in the suburbs. House was built in the early 1970s, has a low BER and needs substantial investment. Our intent would be to radically renovate the house or even demolish & re-build (pending planning approval).

Question: Is there a need to get an engineer’s assessment of the house (given we plan on knocking it ideally)? Or are there other components of the site that needs to be assessed?

Thanks in advance.

You will probably need planning permission to demolish. It would be worth getting an engineer in to check that you have no hidden surprises such as asbestos. Also take a long hard look at drainage, septic tanks etc. If you intend to clear the site, you need to understand what you will be left with.

There is no need for much of the usual detail that goes into a pre-purchase inspection, unless there are elements of what's on site you want to maintain.

As above, there might be value in an engineer inspection if you are hoping to rely on on-site services such as septic and grey water treatment or a well. If the house is serviced by public utilities then the builder shouldn't have issue maintaining those connections throughout the demolition and reconstruction phases. Doubts over the boundary would be another good reason for an inspection.

I'd advise talking to a planning consultant or arranging a pre-planning discussion with the local authority first though to establish the chances of getting planning permission for what you are proposing to build.

Great advice.

Thanks both. Really appreciate it.