Retain
Keep what works. Refresh for what's next.
A cosmetic and functional refresh: re-organising rooms and zones, paint, floors and, if needed, a kitchen or bathroom. No changes to the building envelope.
Real numbers on keeping, retrofitting, extending or replacing an existing home. Scored on cost, carbon, comfort and more.
ScrollFor Greater Sydney architects and building designers
Clearer conversations about homes worth keeping.
retain.solutions helps you show clients whether an existing home is worth keeping, and how: retain, retrofit or extend, with replace always shown as the honest comparison. Each pathway is compared on seven measures: cost, carbon, materials & waste, floor area, running costs, comfort & health, and delivery. It currently covers houses in Greater Sydney, and its estimates are calibrated to this region.
The home
you have
you have
- RetainKeep what works.
- RetrofitMore comfort, less energy.
- ExtendGrow with your needs.
- ReplaceOnly when it's the right call.
Checked against real projects
Real numbers, tested on real homes.
We test the engine against what Sydney homes actually cost and actually emit, and keep adjusting it as we learn. Every rate comes from a named source.
- 19built Sydney and NSW homes, checked against their final build costs
- 25homes priced by quantity surveyors, checked against their cost reports
- 5built homes with measured carbon, checked against our carbon figures
The conversation
"Should we knock it down?"
Some clients arrive set on knocking it down and starting again. Many more aren't sure, and are weighing up the pros and cons of keeping, changing or replacing what they have, without a clear way to compare them.
Making the case for the right pathway usually comes down to your persuasiveness and back-of-envelope numbers, rebuilt from scratch for every project, under fee pressure.
retain.solutions gives you a fast, defensible starting point for that conversation. It saves you rebuilding the numbers for every project and makes your recommendation easier to justify, so your expertise goes where it matters.
Four pathways
Every option, side by side.
Each pathway shows what it would cost, what it keeps and what it changes, so you and your client can see clearly what is worth keeping.
Retrofit
Improve performance. More comfort, less energy.
Insulation, draught sealing, glazing, ventilation and electrification, without adding floor area.
Extend
Add space. Grow with your needs.
Keep the existing structure and add to it: a rear addition, a second storey, a retained footprint plus more. Includes a light upgrade of the existing house: ceiling insulation and draught sealing.
Replace
A fresh start. Only when it's the right call.
Demolish and rebuild, with a fully new, compliant home and no legacy building issues.
An honest comparison.
retain.solutions starts from the building that's already there, but it isn't built to keep everything. When a home is beyond saving, or replacing it is the better outcome for the people who live in it, we'll say so. The aim isn't a particular answer. It's the right one, and a clear way to explain it.