Browse Forums Owner Builder Forum 1 Oct 30, 2008 10:49 am Hi all,
I'm new to this forum and thought I'd share my owner builder plans/thoughts. Recently, my folks and I moved from the Gold Coast to Brisbane to buy a block of land in North Lakes that was already pre-approved by Stockland for a duplex (The idea being my parents would live in one, me in the other). We bought the block of land in July and since then have employed a draftsperson to draw up our plans and complete our owner builder courses for our permits. Since a duplex is technically a multiple dwelling (and QLD has to be freaking difficult) an owner builder cannot build it, however after consulting the QBSA, if I get an owner builder permit and my dad gets one as well, and we are both on the title, we can build it as owner builders (in essence each unit has its own owner builder permit even though it is one structure). Anyway, we completed our owner builder course through correspondence ($300 + each) and I have to say it was very very helpful. Now we are waiting for the permits (another $290+ each) to come through, consult a certifier (got a quote for certification at $1900) and begin. We are also at the process of getting quotes for all materials/labour, which is turning out to be difficult as some tradies aren't bothering calling us back. The units themselves are approx 19 squares each, double-storey on a 503sqm corner block. Brick veneer, timber-frame, waffle-pod slab design, colorbond roof, rendered brick on the ground floor, shadowclad on the top, in total it is around 356sqm (including 29sqm of patios). They're pretty basic, except we will have 9 foot ceilings down stairs to give it a more spacious feel, but still use standard height windows/doors etc. We did get some quotes from builders in the area, however, their quotes were quite high - between 400k to 450k depending on finish. Which to me seems a little unreasonable. Our budget is around the 300 to 340k mark and I don't believe any quote we get, will be in that vicinity. So OB here we go... I have a regular 9 to 5 job, but my parents being retired and wanting to help me out (bless them) are going to be managing the project (dad is pretty determined actually, and mum is a bit of pitbull when it comes to value for money!) so I am not too worried about management (though I am sure there will be delays and stuff ups as there always are). What we will be doing ourselves is the tiling, painting, floorboards, all the landscaping/fencing, and of course procuring the pc items and other materials (including on site cleaning). We have experience in all those tasks, so we are not worried about that, its the lock-up stage where we will be enganging contractors to complete. And it is lock-up stage that we need a clearer picture in regards to cost. We have procured quotes for the following items so far: Windows - $7,500, which is quite cheap, checked with Stegbar - $9,500 Colorbond roofing including all gutters and fascia - $15,000 Looked into boral bricks - for commons, std size, per 1000 - $603 plus delivery Rendering approx $50 sqm Got quotes in for the frame and plaster, should have an answer soon but can estimate how much plaster will cost approximately based on gyprock cost per sheet in bunnings. Getting quotes for electrical and plumbing. There are plenty of other things of course, such as staircases, scaffolding etc. My uncle has built 3 houses himself, and my brother in law's best friend works in the building industry, so we've been getting advice and approximate costs from them. In our preliminary estimations, we cannot see the cost of this project exceeding more than $320K. Which, makes me believe that the builder is making at the very least $50k of profit per unit. Please offer your opinions as I am very interested in hearing them. Thanks all Re: Embarking on an owner builder project 2Oct 30, 2008 12:48 pm Best of luck with your project. I'm sure you will do fine especially with the friends/relatives in the building game.
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