Close-in Triangle lots are the ones people fight over — but the 1960s ranch sitting on one may not be worth saving. Mabrey Construction evaluates the lot, the structure, and the numbers honestly, and when rebuilding wins, we run demolition through new construction as one accountable design-build project on a fixed-scope contract.
Get Your Free Consultation in 60 Seconds.
No phone tag. Tell us what you are dreaming up and we take it from there.
Typical ranges, not a quote or an offer to lend. Your number comes from a site visit.
A knockdown-rebuild replaces an aging house on a lot you already love with a new custom home — and in Durham and the Triangle's close-in neighborhoods, the lot is often worth more than the house standing on it. Mabrey Construction handles the whole sequence under one contract: feasibility and lot evaluation, demolition permits, and a ground-up design-build.
Read more
Rebuild projects are scope-driven custom builds, typically starting around $500,000, and most run ten to sixteen months from design to keys. When the location is right and the house is wrong, rebuilding beats renovating a structure that will fight you at every wall.
We walk the structure and the lot, then put the comparison in writing. Sometimes the renovation wins — you will hear that from us too.
Permits, disconnects, abatement checks, and clearing — the messy chapter runs on our schedule, not your weekends.
From foundation to final walkthrough, the rebuild runs as a documented design-build project with one team accountable for all of it.
- An honest renovate-versus-rebuild evaluation before any design money is spent
- Lot and zoning feasibility: setbacks, trees, utilities, and what the parcel allows
- Demolition permits, utility disconnects, and site clearing managed for you
- A ground-up custom design built around the lot you already own
- Durham, Wake & Orange county permitting handled start to finish
- Fixed-scope contract pricing with allowances itemized in writing
- One accountable team from the last day of the old house to the keys of the new one
- The documented 7-step framework, so you always know what happens next
Rebuild or Renovate? Signals the Teardown Wins.
If any of these sound familiar, book a free evaluation. We walk the structure and the lot, then put the renovate-versus-rebuild comparison in writing — and if the renovation wins, you will hear that from us too.
The Renovate-vs-Rebuild Math, Done Honestly
- Both paths priced in writing, side by side
- Structure walked before any design money
- The renovation wins sometimes — we say so
Reading the Lot Underneath the House
- Setbacks re-checked — old footprints can be grandfathered
- Tree and neighborhood rules read early
- Utility age and capacity priced into the plan
Demolition: The Messy Chapter, Managed
- Demo permits and disconnects handled for you
- Abatement checks before machines arrive
- The site handed to the build crew clean
The Ground-Up Build on a Lived-In Street
- The same documented 7-step framework
- Staging planned for an established street
- Bi-weekly updates from demo to keys
The Timeline, Honestly: Ten to Sixteen Months
- Design and permits before demolition starts
- Living arrangements planned into the sequence
- The full timeline in writing at contract
Why the Whole Sequence Wants One Contract
- One accountable name, last day to first key
- No demo-to-builder gap to referee
- Surprises owned, priced, and put in writing
Cannot find your answer? A real person is one call away, no pressure.
- A real person answers. No phone tree, no pressure to commit.
- Free consultation: scope, budget, and next steps in writing — before any contract.
- Straight answers on cost, permits, and financing, even when the answer is that the smaller project wins.
It depends on the structure. When a house needs foundation, framing, systems, and envelope work all at once, a rebuild often delivers a better home for comparable money — new everything instead of patched everything. We put both numbers in front of you before you commit to either.
Rebuilds are scope-driven custom builds, typically starting around $500,000 for the new construction, plus demolition and site work that depend on the existing structure and lot. The feasibility visit turns that into a real number in writing.
Most rebuilds run ten to sixteen months from first design meeting to keys, including demolition and county permitting. We give you the timeline in writing and keep you updated as milestones land.
Usually no — the site becomes an active construction zone once demolition starts. Most families rent nearby or time the build around a move. We help you plan the sequence so the gap is as short as possible.
Start with a free consultation. A real builder calls you back, no pressure, ever.