Advice on choosing Builder...

Hi,

Could anyone name some of the better Custom Home Builders around Brisbane, Queensland?
I've been going through the internet and only found Destination Living to have some mouth watering designs, add to that they also mention that they keep their homes affordable without compromising quality. Has anyone worked with them here?

Speaking of Builders and Custom Homes, is a $750,000 budget enough for a whole project? By Project I mean, cost of land and building combined. I do understand that the price of land will vary according to location, so I was thinking about a maximum of $250,000 on land.

This is my 2nd post here, my 1st post went unnoticed for more than a year now, I'm starting to think this forum is pretty dead.
Hopefully someone can advice this time around.

Hi Rey_ron,

Choosing a builder can a very personal thing - you really need to find someone that you feel comfortable with and can trust. With a custom design in mind you'd be looking for a smaller local builder in the area that you are planning to build.
That said, there are several national franchise builders that may suit also. Try Cavalier Homes, GJ Gardner Homes or Hotondo. All of these have the national buying power of a large group, but your local franchise will be a smaller owner/operator.
$750k on the project should be achievable if you know your parameters. Be wary of cheap land as it may cost more to build on. I generally suggest using between 25% & 40% of your total budget for the purchase of the land, and the same again for the construction of your home. If you are financing through a bank (or similar) the trick is to keep the ratios within what they consider viable loan to value ratios. (LVL) The last thing the banks want to do is lend you money for a project that is either over or under capitalized.
If you need some more help with custom designs and/or building advice feel free to ask.
Cheers,
Si.

i think your budget is right.
not sure of land prices in brisbane but thinking if you budget 250 for land then you have 500 for house but you will need to factor in site costs etc.
i had a custom home with awesome quality by adnebrook homes who is also in brisbane.
while on the gold coast i went through several dsplay home of different builders including big names and they were fantastic.
so i find your land that you like and while looking go through the display homes of builders

250k for land is extremely unlikely unless you are literally in the middle of nowhere. Here are some stats for Brisbane's far south.

Our block 582m2 was 400k in Runcorn. Rochedale 420k will buy you less than 450m2.

I think you are more likely to be looking at 400k land, 350k house. Plus lenders mortgage insurance (15-20k) and stamp duty (12k).

Land is much more expensive than you think!

Not impossible, but depends on the size of the land you want and how close to the city.
If you have 500k though for a house, its probably going to be a large house, in which case 250k is not enough.

Warner: $250k~ for 450sqm flat block.
North Lakes: $200-250k for 450sqm flat block.

Those are rough and can go up and down a bit depending on the blocks location. IE next to a park goes up a bit.

$300k will get you a 600sqm block in Warner, if you are lucky or willing to wait for new released land (600sqm is rare and sell fast).
I've waited 8 months for my 450sqm block, and still waiting :/

wow thank you Si Deziner, 1rocky, brissyguy & whzzz28 for replying.


Well I do know that before making any investment commitment I would have a soil test done, but i don't quite understand the viable loan to value ratio term you used, could be a little more elaborate about that?


Wow i wasn't aware of that kind of land prices, I would have kept my gaze lower if i did but taking into consideration the kind of prices you mention, expensive land is always a good thing, it means better surroundings, but $400k+? that would make brisbane's suburbs the most expensive in the whole of Australia.


Yes I know exactly what you are talking about, too much competition for these lands, but yes I was looking at the 600sqm+ range, since I would love a small pool and a nice yard for my pups. Its very difficult to keep track of desirable land, I have been going trough websites for months and still haven't found a single one since, I have even considered double middle blocks lately.

Keep an eye out near Cashmere.
Leafy suburb with large blocks of land (generally, 600sqm starting).
Problem is, the land is over your budget: $400k~ for a little of 600sqm on the side of a hill.
View made the land worth every cent though

$750k is not a lot for a custom build, including land. Depending on the house size your after your still in the project builders range with not a lot of changes.
If you go to a project builder and turn it into a custom build it will end up costing you as much as a specialist custom builder would.
At the end of the day you pay for a custom built house but get it built by project build trades. And believe me there is a difference.
Project trades get paid per SqM in most cases and it's purely get in get out make your money. Custom build trades often get paid hourly rate, so they can put the time into the quality of your house.

hello again,

So taking my $500k partition into consideration for the house & building costs only. How much built up area do you think thats going to get me? My wife wants a 3rd floor specifically for our bedroom, so i can assume the built up will jump to well above 300sqm. So considering price per sqm built, how much space do you think $500k is going to get?

I ask because i feel like im giving more priority to the house, compared to the land and neighborhood, ofcourse everyone wants a nice house, but a nice house in the middle of nowhere is no good either. So yes, so long as i can drop the cost of the house without compromising too much space and beauty, I wouldn't think twice about investing in a more expensive land.

Thank you everyone for your co-operation, this is a very big step for me, so yes im planning and learning anything i can to make it worth the money.

500k for house alone could buy quite a bit. I have not seen any 3 storey project home plans out of the 10 or so builders I looked at. So, sounds pretty custom if you want that.

Cost also also depends on your fit out quality, site costs, etc You are best off looking at builder websites or talking direct to get ideas if what money will buy you.

Frankly speaking a total budget of 750k is not really much for custom house. With land being around 300k~400k as others suggested, you only left with about 350k ~ 400k which is really minimum for custom house. The one you mentioned Destination Living is in Melbourne and their minimum cost is 450k+ (that's less than 20sqm for sure.) You are more or less in the project home area. Usually custom house is around 10k+ sqm without counting in site works. This will give you some idea of where you are looking at. The higher the house and/or the more complex of the house the higher the cost. Good luck and plan carefully! You can blown your budget easily.

I get the feeling this thread is a G up.

Maybe. I just think they haven't really done any research

I have same feeling. There are too many people who just believe in what the marketing brochures said and have the gut feeling that the "initial price" on these paper is what they are paying at the end. Not realizing the final sum is usually much larger and price for custom house will take them to somewhere they can't believe.

And they say Tassie is a bad place to be lol there is certainly good land here within the 250 budget and a custom design within the 500, we have just purchase 2.8 flat acres with great views in a well sort area on the North West of Tassie for 96.5 grand and just speaking with architects and builders atm to see who fits with us for our custom build ideas their indicating around $350,000 we have yet to decide custom or a franchise builder and are in no hurry so we can take our time to find the "right one" but in Tassie 750 is one healthy budget if your not wanting the royal palace that is lol good luck on achieving your dream