2026 MBA NSW Award WinnerContract Homes $1.9M–$2M, Southern Regions (Wombarra Clifftops)Keep the block. Replace the house.
We demolish the old house and build a new one on the same block, running the site assessment, approvals, demolition and construction under one fixed-price contract, as we did at Huskisson.
Takes 30 seconds. Keiron Moore, the builder, does the site assessment himself.
No cost, no obligation. Keiron looks at the block himself and tells you plainly whether rebuilding is worth it, before any design money is spent.
Huskisson, Jervis Bay: an old cottage replaced by the Huskisson Duplex, built by CKS Projects.
Pictured: the Huskisson Duplex, Huskisson NSW, built by CKS Projects where an old cottage stood.
2026 MBA NSW winner · Wombarra Clifftops
Member, Master Builders Association of NSW
Member, Association of Professional BuildersA rebuild has a lot of moving parts: the demolisher, the asbestos assessor, the certifier, the designer and the builder. Here they sit under one contract, and you have one person to call.
Hear it from the builderKeiron Moore, Founder and Managing Director, CKS Projects · NSW Licence 258735C
A knockdown rebuild replaces the house you own with a new one on the same land. You keep the block, the street and the neighbours, and the new house is designed for the site and built to current standards.
Plenty of Shoalhaven houses started life as holiday cottages. When a renovation would cost most of a new build and still leave the old frame underneath, rebuilding is usually the better answer.
| Builder | CKS Projects, trading as Nowra Builders. NSW Contractor Licence 258735C |
|---|---|
| We manage | Site assessment, design, documentation (engineering, BASIX, any BAL report), CDC or DA, asbestos assessment, demolition, construction and handover |
| Contract | A detailed fixed-price tender before any contract is signed, with no provisional sums hiding unknowns |
| Typical timeframe | Most CKS Projects rebuilds take 6–12 months, including design, approvals, demolition and construction |
| Stamp duty | None when you rebuild on land you already own |
| Council | Shoalhaven City Council, or a private certifier for a CDC |
The same five questions, answered for each option.
| Question | Renovate | Buy elsewhere | Knock down rebuild |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stay in your street | Yes | No | Yes |
| Transfer duty | None | Payable on the purchase | None: you already own the land |
| Wiring, plumbing and footings | Old unless replaced | Whatever the house has | New throughout |
| Layout | Bound by the old walls | Designed for someone else | Designed for your block and household |
| Knowing the cost | Surprises once walls are opened | Price plus any fix-ups | Fixed before demolition |
No two Shoalhaven blocks price the same, so there's no published rate. Your tender is built from these.
A single-storey fibro cottage and a double-brick home with a pool are very different demolitions.
Once inspected, removal becomes a defined line item instead of an open question.
On bushfire prone lots the BAL sets the standard for cladding, glazing and decks.
Sandy coastal soil, reactive clay and slope all change the footings.
Storeys, roof form, glazing and the level of finish.
A DA takes longer than a CDC, and flood or coastal overlays add reports.
The figure only moves after contract if you change the design or inclusions.
Most CKS Projects knockdown rebuilds take 6–12 months from design to handover. We map the timeline early, so you can plan where you'll live.
A free call about the block, the brief and the budget. If we aren't the right builder for it, or a different approach would suit you better, you hear that on the call.
Slope, access, soil, aspect, existing services, and the overlays on the lot, from bushfire and flood mapping to coastal controls, all of which shape the approval pathway with Shoalhaven City Council.
A design for your land and the way you live, with 3D renderings and a virtual walk-through so the layout is checked before anything is built.
Working drawings, engineering, BASIX and any bushfire report prepared together, then a detailed fixed-price tender before a contract is signed.
A complying development certificate from a certifier or council where the site qualifies, or a development application to Shoalhaven City Council, managed through to determination.
Asbestos assessment and licensed removal if needed, demolition, then the new home built by the CKS Projects team, with site meetings and an online client portal through to handover, and statutory warranties from completion.
The demolition contractor, the asbestos assessment and any licensed removal, waste disposal, erosion and sediment control and site safety all sit under the same contract.
NSW requirement
Asbestos. Houses built before the late 1980s commonly contain it. A qualified inspector assesses the house first. Under SafeWork NSW rules a licensed professional must remove any friable asbestos and any amount of bonded asbestos over 10 square metres. Demolition follows the clearance certificate.
Two approval pathways. A complying development certificate (CDC) from a private certifier or council for proposals that meet the state standards, in as little as 20 days. A development application (DA) to Shoalhaven City Council where the lot is bushfire prone, flood affected, heritage listed or in a coastal area, or where the design falls outside the standards. Every new home also needs a BASIX certificate.
Sources: SafeWork NSW, asbestos · NSW Planning, complying development · NSW Planning Portal, BASIX. Requirements change, so we confirm them for your property.
Three CKS Projects clients on the Illawarra coast, on camera.
“We were delighted with the constant updates and transparency… The home has exceeded our expectations and we now call Keiron a friend.”
John and Renee
“Before the build we didn’t really have a space to entertain. Now we have this open space, heaps of light, and everything has its place.”
Terri
“The result is a breathtaking cliff-top retreat that balances timeless luxury with the clients’ vision for their forever home.”
Mike Vail, Architect
Written on Google by CKS Projects clients. Nowra Builders is the same team.
“They made what can be the most stressful thing people ever do an absolute breeze. We were walked through every stage and there was no request that was an issue… The attention to detail is incredible.”
“Keiron oversaw a very complex build on a difficult site and he accomplished this with extraordinary attention to detail… Nothing was too much trouble for Keiron and he kept us fully updated with any issues that arose.”
“From helping us through the design stage to the professional way our job was managed. The end result met all our expectations and was delivered on time and on budget.”
Top: the living room. Below: the pool against the bush, and the charred-timber cladding.
An old cottage on a Huskisson bushland block made way for two homes clad in charred Shou Sugi Ban timber, designed by Duplex Building Design and built by CKS Projects.
Inside are polished concrete floors, black detailing and a suspended black fireplace. CKS Projects also built the pool and the landscaping.
Wombarra ClifftopsWombarra, Illawarra · Knockdown rebuild
The Barn WoononaWoonona, Illawarra · New home, BAL-40 block
Railway AustinmerAustinmer, Illawarra · New home
Sandhurst BulliBulli, Illawarra · New home
Warilla Beach HouseWarilla, Illawarra · Refurbishment and first-floor addition
Ocean WindangWindang, Illawarra · Renovation and rear extension
Where these homes are. The Huskisson Duplex is in the Shoalhaven. The six below were built by CKS Projects in the Illawarra, each with its real location. Select one to see it on cksprojects.com.au.
Keiron Moore leads the CKS Projects team of builders, designers and project managers, and does the site assessment for every Nowra Builders project himself. You talk to him, not a sales rep.
“The journey to your dream home is just as important as the finished result, built with trust, care, and vision.”
Keiron Moore, Managing Director
A rebuild is a big commitment. These protections come with building in NSW with CKS Projects.
Held by CKS Projects Aust Pty Ltd. Check it on the NSW register.
NSW law gives you 6 years for major defects and 2 years for other defects from completion.
Required for residential work over $20,000. CKS Projects holds HBC cover, plus $20M public liability.
Your block priced in a detailed tender before you sign.
Sources: CKS Projects verified credentials · NSW licence register.
Nowra Builders is the business name CKS Projects uses for its work in the Shoalhaven. CKS Projects is a boutique residential builder from Unanderra, Wollongong, and it built the Huskisson Duplex on Jervis Bay. It doesn't sell catalogue plans: each home is designed for its block.
Managing Director Keiron Moore has more than 25 years in residential building and does the site assessments himself, so the person who looks at your block is the person accountable for the build. Design, approval and construction sit under one fixed-price contract.
Read more about Nowra Builders and Keiron Moore, or check the licence on the NSW licence register.
| Business | Nowra Builders, a registered business name of CKS Projects Aust Pty Ltd |
|---|---|
| Builder | CKS Projects. Managing Director Keiron Moore, 25+ years in residential building. NSW Qualified Supervisor Certificate 69005S |
| NSW Contractor Licence | 258735C (Builder) |
| Award | Winner, Contract Homes $1.9M–$2M, 2026 MBA NSW Southern Regions Excellence in Building Awards (Wombarra Clifftops) |
| Memberships | Master Builders Association of NSW · Association of Professional Builders |
| Office | Unit 45/7 Waynote Place, Unanderra NSW 2526 Mon–Fri 8:00am–4:30pm, by appointment |
| Service area | Nowra-Bomaderry and the northern Shoalhaven, from Berry to Jervis Bay and St Georges Basin |
| Phone | 02 4271 5132 |
Nowra Builders takes on work across the northern Shoalhaven, from Berry and Shoalhaven Heads through Nowra-Bomaderry to Jervis Bay and St Georges Basin. Our office is CKS Projects' office in Unanderra, and Keiron Moore comes to your block for the site assessment. See how the councils and conditions change from suburb to suburb on the service areas page.
A knockdown rebuild means demolishing the house you own and building a new one on the same land, instead of renovating the old structure or selling up. You keep the address and the neighbours, and you get a house designed for the block and built to current standards. At Huskisson, CKS Projects replaced an old cottage with the Huskisson Duplex.
Often, once the unknowns are counted. A renovation quote looks lower because it can't price what is behind the walls: asbestos, tired wiring, termite damage, old plumbing, or footings never meant for another storey. A rebuild is priced from a survey, a geotechnical report and a complete design, so the contract figure is known before work starts and the whole house carries the statutory warranties.
No. NSW transfer duty applies when property changes hands. Demolishing and rebuilding on land you already own involves no transfer, so no duty. Council rates still apply during construction.
Approval for both the demolition and the new home, usually lodged together. A complying development certificate applies where the proposal meets the state standards for the zone and the lot. A development application to Shoalhaven City Council is needed where it doesn't, commonly because of bushfire, flood, coastal or heritage controls shown on the section 10.7 planning certificate.
A qualified inspector assesses the house before demolition. Under SafeWork NSW requirements, friable asbestos must be removed by a Class A licensed removalist, and more than 10 square metres of bonded asbestos needs a licensed removalist. Demolition follows the clearance certificate, and we coordinate all of it under the contract.
Most CKS Projects knockdown rebuilds take 6–12 months across design, approvals, demolition and construction. The approval pathway, weather, ground conditions once the site is opened, and changes after the design is fixed are what move it. Keiron gives you a stage-by-stage timeline at the site assessment.
Demolition and waste removal, asbestos inspection and any removal, service disconnection and reconnection, site works, engineered footings, construction, approvals and certification fees, and a defined inclusions list. There are no provisional sums hiding unknowns; the price only changes if you vary the design or inclusions.
Keiron visits the block, hears what you need, and tells you honestly whether a rebuild makes sense. You leave with a clear picture, even if we're not the right fit.
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