The renovation you’ve been putting off is worth doing. But the conditions you’ll be doing it in have changed significantly, and understanding that landscape will help you make better decisions — about timing, about budget, and about who you build with.
The building industry is under serious pressure
In 2025, nearly 3,600 building companies collapsed across Australia. That’s close to ten businesses closing every single day. Behind each closure are homeowners left mid-project, deposits gone, and builds sitting unfinished with no clear path forward.
This isn’t an abstract industry statistic. It’s the context in which you’re making a decision about who to hand your project — and a significant amount of money — to. The companies that are failing are largely those that took on too much work during the post-COVID building surge, priced jobs incorrectly, and are now unable to honour their commitments as costs have risen.
The businesses that are still standing, and standing well, are the ones with sustainable pricing, experienced teams, and a track record that predates the boom.
Costs are rising — and won’t be reversing
PVC pipe costs have risen 40%. Fuel prices continue to flow through the supply chain, pushing up the cost of materials and trades across the board. Industry forecasters are consistent on this: a project priced today will cost more in six months and measurably more in twelve.
Waiting doesn’t reduce your exposure to these increases. It increases it. The homeowners who are completing projects on budget are the ones who moved while their plans were ready, not the ones who held off hoping conditions would improve. In the current environment, delay is the riskier financial decision.
What this means practically
Get your plans and finances in order now. Not rushed — considered. A properly scoped project with a fixed budget, ready to go, is in a far stronger position than one that’s still being loosely planned when the next round of cost increases arrives.
That means working through the brief properly, understanding what you want to achieve and what it genuinely costs, and making decisions before price movement forces your hand.
Why the builder you choose matters more than it used to
In a stable market, the difference between a good builder and a poor one is significant. In the current market, it’s the difference between a project that gets finished and one that doesn’t.
A specialist renovation builder brings things a generalist can’t. They understand supply chain dynamics and know how to lock in material costs early. They price jobs correctly from the start — not optimistically, not to win the work and adjust later. They communicate clearly when something changes and manage the project in a way that protects your budget, not just their margin.
When you’re investing in your home — your most significant financial asset — the builder’s track record matters. Not their marketing. Their actual history of completed projects, how they’ve handled problems when they’ve arisen, and whether the people they’ve worked with would use them again.
The opportunity is there. The timing, when you look at the economics clearly, makes a strong case for moving now rather than later. The question is whether you have the right people alongside you to do it properly.
Rebilt has been operating across Sydney’s Hills District and Greater Metropolitan area for over two decades. If you’re ready to have a real conversation about your project, book a free consultation.
