Home Renovation & Building Forum
https://forum.homeone.com.au/

Extension Cost Per Square Metre - are builders serious!
https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=57926
Page 1 of 1

Author:  Methec [ Jul 10, 2012 10:53 am ]
Post subject:  Extension Cost Per Square Metre - are builders serious!

I know this can be very difficult to answer - what is an average cost per sqm for a basic extension?

I have received quotes for a 60sqm extension - weatehrboard/stumps - it is basically just one large family/meals room built onto the back of the house with a smallish laundry to one side - no access issue, flat block, only one wall to demolish - nothing fancy.

The quotes I have range from around $1,400sqm to $2,800sqm!!!

All the quotes pretty much list the same in regard to what they include (except the dearest one doesn't include painting!)

Event the Archicentre cost guide has a weatherboard extension at $881 - $1,652

Author:  doczim [ Jul 10, 2012 6:41 pm ]
Post subject:  Extension Cost Per Square Metre - are builders serious!

Methec : I know exactly what you are going through. We went down a reno track and for the cost they were going to charge us for major reno ie adding new storey and totally changing layout of existing level, we are now knocking down and building a brand new house with a different builder.

Author:  Stewie D [ Jul 11, 2012 10:02 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Extension Cost Per Square Metre - are builders serious!

You don't say where you live Methec which makes it hard for anyone to give you a comparative price.
Prices vary from state to state and from city to country.

Stewie

Author:  Methec [ Jul 11, 2012 10:16 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Extension Cost Per Square Metre - are builders serious!

Quote:
You don't say where you live Methec which makes it hard for anyone to give you a comparative price.
Prices vary from state to state and from city to country.


Melbourne

Author:  Stewie D [ Jul 11, 2012 8:09 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Extension Cost Per Square Metre - are builders serious!

Weatherboard extension I'd say approx $1800 psm add another $5000 for the laundry just as a rough guide.
I advise my clients for the average reno and extension in Sydney to allow for $2500 psm upstairs or down and after talking to a few post reno it usually comes in around this depending of course if BV, double brick, expensive inclusions, engineering needed for the existing house etc.
That's for everything except carpet and blinds and siteworks if needed.
Obviously a simple add-on involving a square room would be lower.
What are you basing this statement "Extension Cost Per Square Metre - are builders serious!" on ?

Stewie

Author:  chrisandkate [ Jul 12, 2012 2:00 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Extension Cost Per Square Metre - are builders serious!

Before we decided to go knock down rebuild I had the same problem.

Approx cost of $2500m2 for an extension with no site works/excavation, paint, flooring etc...It was the reason we decided to knock it down and start again.

My old house was only 20years old, brick veneer on concrete slab. Absolutely nothing wrong with it, but cheaper to knock down and re build than add the 100m2 to have a smaller house than the rebuild anyway.

If I were you I'd look at trying to owner build teh renovation instead and you may be able to save a lot by organising each trade your self or doing some of it yourself also.

Stewie D Stewie D
What are you basing this statement "Extension Cost Per Square Metre - are builders serious!" on ?


Stewie D, its hard to see why a builder wants $2500m2 to do basic extension when you can get a basic/budget house for less than $1000m2 if you only get base level fittings.

Add the enormous gap to the fact that (from my own experience) all building trades people strive to achieve a level of finish akin to "the lowest possible quality I can get away with" rather than the highest quality, so they can charge more for the highest quality and you get a lot of complaints.

People don't become builders/learn trades for the craft any more, they do it because you can charge a Sh1tl0ad of money from unsuspecting people.
\Rant

Author:  zahirarose [ Jul 13, 2012 7:12 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Extension Cost Per Square Metre - are builders serious!

I thought the same thing when getting quotes to enclose a single attached carport into an office/ library cum waiting room and cutting a hole for a door into the side of the house.

All that needed doing was sheeting up the outside wall (as it was rough faced block), pouring a slab on reo to level up with the slab of the house (it had an existing slab) putting one wall up, the other two had sliding glass windows in them. and builders wanted $50k ::dizzy:: for the exercise.

We ended up getting a much better job done by a carpenter for half the price :D

Author:  free will [ Jul 13, 2012 11:25 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Extension Cost Per Square Metre - are builders serious!

Looking at adding a two storey extension to our place about 70sm downstairs plus deck and 35sm upstairs including laundry two bathrooms and kitchen plus some internal work on existing house and cheapest quote was 550k. Most expensive 700k.

Author:  Stewie D [ Jul 16, 2012 11:07 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Extension Cost Per Square Metre - are builders serious!

As anything the more quotes you get the better idea you will have about what it should actually cost you.
Have a look at the archicentre guide too as the OP has done
http://www.archicentre.com.au/images/st ... -Guide.pdf
It doesn't matter what field of work you are in there will always be those who are rough , those who are cheap , those that are both and then the good guys who do a good job for a reasonable price.

Quote:
Stewie D, its hard to see why a builder wants $2500m2 to do basic extension when you can get a basic/budget house for less than $1000m2 if you only get base level fittings.


Economies of scale.
You are talking about volume builders that get a lot of their materials at a third of the price that I used to be able to buy mine at and who pay their tradies almost half what I did.
I worked out a quote for a friend of mine recently doing an average quality renovation and the materials alone came to over $900 a sqm if they didn't go overboard with really expensive tiles etc.
Most of the cost guides I used to work out as being roughly 50%/50% labour and materials so for that job labour would probably be $900 as well - total $1800 psm without any fees or builders profit taken in to account.

Stewie

Author:  BradS [ Jul 16, 2012 12:09 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Extension Cost Per Square Metre - are builders serious!

I am building with one of the better known Southern Sydney spec home builders and my house has come in at about $1300sqm and the inclusions are of extremely high quality.

I cant believe the prices some of you are being quoted for extensions on existing homes.

Author:  joeygbh [ Jul 23, 2012 1:03 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Extension Cost Per Square Metre - are builders serious!

The higher cost of renovations actually has to do with risk. The builder does not know what they are working with, and so has to add a risk premium in case their work damages the existing one though no fault of their own. They have to do a lot of work to stabilise the existing house and can't work the way they want to to maximise efficiency.

When you knock down and rebuild the slate is clean, you can do all your slab in one day, trusses next, painting etc, which is much more efficient and hence cheaper.

Author:  saandrews [ Jul 24, 2012 9:37 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Extension Cost Per Square Metre - are builders serious!

Joeygbh is bang on... Risk, working in and around an existing structure, tying in new materials with old.... It's all labour intensive which bumps up the costs.

The company I work for specialises in extensions and reno's and offers rough estimates around $2500-$3000/m2.

Like anything else, you get what you pay for.

Author:  leighton [ Aug 11, 2014 9:04 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Extension Cost Per Square Metre - are builders serious!

Hi. I just priced a 40 Sq for about $350000. Owner doing a bit himself. He said it was the same price as for the 20 Sq extension quote he had got for the alternative to knock down and rebuild.

Author:  Christoshizz [ Aug 11, 2014 10:13 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Extension Cost Per Square Metre - are builders serious!

Leighton, for 350k what kind of finish level is that? Sounds like good value.

Author:  qebtel [ Aug 11, 2014 11:51 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Extension Cost Per Square Metre - are builders serious!

chrisandkate chrisandkate
its hard to see why a builder wants $2500m2 to do basic extension when you can get a basic/budget house for less than $1000m2 if you only get base level fittings.

I'd guess the OP lives in a well heeled area. When thats the case, expect quotes to be double in comparison to what they would be in a working class suburb. In 2005 I lived in such a suburb, and been quoted 250K to do such a reno as the Op's, when a new house of similar total size would have cost $170K (at the time)

To do it myself as an OB it would have cost about $60K. After I disseminated one builders quote, I worked out he wanted $1500 a day in labour. Pffft.

chrisandkate chrisandkate
they do it because you can charge a Sh1tl0ad of money from unsuspecting people.

Exactly.

joeygbh joeygbh
The higher cost of renovations actually has to do with risk. The builder does not know what they are working with, and so has to add a risk premium in case their work damages the existing one though no fault of their own.

I dont buy that at all. A house is either stable, or not. An extension will strengthen the house, if anything.

joeygbh joeygbh
They have to do a lot of work to stabilise the existing house and can't work the way they want to to maximise efficiency.

PLease elaborate on this stabilising you are talking about, because Ive seen an extension done next door onto a pre war colonial, and I watched it being built day to day. And there was no stabilising done. Rear wall removed, and extension just tacked right on to existing.

joeygbh joeygbh
When you knock down and rebuild the slate is clean, you can do all your slab in one day, trusses next, painting etc, which is much more efficient and hence cheaper.

True, but you are only talking about the efficieny around one wall (the wall that the extension is being attached to), and I would say its a moot point that is is much less efficient. In any case, normal efficiencies to the other sides of the extension should still apply.

I dont see anything in your answer at all that justifies a doubling or tripling of price.

Page 1 of 1 All times are UTC + 10 hours [ DST ]
Powered by phpBB © 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007 phpBB Group
http://www.phpbb.com/