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Ready to talk? We take on a limited number of rebuilds each year. The earlier we talk, the better we can help.
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Tear Down and Rebuild
Cincinnati's best lots aren't on the market — they're under the wrong house. We help you keep the lot and replace the house.
The right neighborhood. The wrong house.
Tear-Down & Rebuild in Greater Cincinnati
When the land is right and the house isn’t, a tear-down and rebuild is almost always the better answer than a long, expensive compromise. You keep the address, the view, the schools, the mature landscape. You end up with a home that actually fits how you live — and that was built this decade, to this decade’s standards.
We’ve been rebuilding homes in Greater Cincinnati since 1940. Four generations of the same family, working on the same streets. We handle every piece of it: walking the lot before you buy, coordinating demolition, managing historic review where it applies, and building the home that belongs there.
Why homeowners tear down and rebuild
Some of it is practical. Some of it is personal. Most of it is both.
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Stay exactly where you are
You're not leaving the neighborhood you spent years choosing. The school district, the cul-de-sac, the neighbors, the routine — all of it stays. Only the house changes.
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Work with the lot instead of around it
A new home can be designed for the site: siting for light and privacy, grading for drainage, a footprint that respects mature trees and sightlines. Most older homes weren't planned that way.
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A home built for how you live now
Open kitchens. Proper primary suites. Ceiling heights and window proportions that match the way families actually live today. None of it awkward, all of it intentional.
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Performance you can't retrofit
Modern framing, insulation, envelope, and mechanical systems deliver a home that's quieter, tighter, healthier, and significantly cheaper to run than anything that came off the same lot before it.
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The math often works better
When a house needs new mechanicals, a new roof, new windows, new insulation, a reworked floor plan, and still won't give you what you want, a rebuild is frequently the better long-term investment — and you end up with a home, not a compromise.
Custom Home across Greater Cincinnati
New Custom Homes By Dennis Ott Builders
Already have the lot? Let's go look at it.
If the home you already own is sitting on the right land for the wrong reason — or the land you just bought came with a house that was never the point — the next step is the same. We come walk it with you.
A site evaluation takes about an hour. We’ll tell you what the lot can hold, what the township will allow, what demolition will involve, and what a new home on that footprint will cost in the neighborhood you’re in.
If the property isn’t the right fit for a rebuild, we’ll say so. We take on a limited number of projects a year, and we’d rather pass on the wrong one than start it.
Tear-down and rebuild — common questions
What does a tear-down and rebuild cost in Cincinnati?
Total project cost — including demolition, site work, and the new home — typically starts around $1.5M for our smaller rebuilds and scales from there based on lot complexity, size, and finishes. We can give you an estimate of cost after the site walk, before any design work begins.
Is it better to tear down and rebuild or to remodel the existing home?
It depends on what’s under the drywall. If the original home has sound bones, a clean layout, and mechanical systems that can be brought forward, a whole-home remodel often wins. If the framing, foundation, or envelope has serious issues — or if the layout is fundamentally wrong for the way you live — a rebuild is usually the better long-term financial decision, even after demolition. We’ll walk the home with you and give you an honest comparison before you commit either way.
Do I need to own the lot before I talk to you?
No. In fact, the earlier we’re in the conversation, the better. We’ll walk properties with you before you buy so you know what each lot will actually hold — and what it will cost to build on it. We have longstanding relationships with Cincinnati real-estate agents who specialize in teardown-candidate properties.
How long does a tear-down and rebuild take?
From the first site visit to move-in, plan on 14 to 20 months. Design and permitting typically run 5 to 7 months; demolition 2 to 4 weeks; construction 10 to 14 months. We’ll build your schedule realistically and update it transparently.