Browse Forums General Discussion 1 Feb 28, 2010 8:12 pm I am very new to this site so please forgive me now if I am posting in the wrong section. We have built once before so this is the second time around for us. However this is the first time we have come across HUGE site costs. We bought our block (class M) knowing there was some fall (1.2m all up where the house will be situated) and were told to allow $10k for site costs, this still seemed a lot to us as it was no where near this for our first home which needed a fairly large site cut. Today we have received our fixed price for site costs and it has blown out to 21k! I am in shock to say the least. I guess because you cant see where your money is going, I just feel like I am being ripped off and I hate that feeling! When I spoke to the person we have been dealing with, she explained that most of the price is in the cut and because they will have to push the earth from the cut to the front which will then be unstable and they will have to bore. This is all double dutch to me, does it seem reasonable? I know some people pay a lot more than that in site costs so probably think I am worrying over nothing, but to be told to allow 10k ( and that being more than enough) and then to be told 21k, it just seems a bit extreme. Do you think I am being ripped off? Re: Site Costs 2Mar 02, 2010 10:36 pm You may need to clarify this a little. When a site has 1200mm fall overall, the ideal would be to cut 600mm and fill 600mm. The site costs for this, provided there is no retaining work is generally covered by the standard allowance the builder should have in the base price. If you could provide more detail like soil class, footing & construction type I could help more. At face value, it's way overpriced. But I'm convinced it's a ploy for builders to make up "ground" on providing an initially attractive price for the home. It's all in the planning Re: Site Costs 3Mar 03, 2010 6:55 am Also depends on where your building, along with the soil. Are you sure its a class M, not M-d or anything that would require a significant amount of piering to overcome movement? How do you know its M? what does the soil test say? Is there any rock removal involved as most builders love to charge a fair wack for that. What was the base slab type included? The footing design that should have been done by a civil eng, may have required a different slab type which again they are now passing on. In your tender was there any allowance for fall, most in vic only allow up to around 300mm or 500mm. Anything in excess of that increases site costs for the cut and fill. Are there any retaining walls required, is the slab going to encroach upon an easements or close up to require piering to prevent subsidence? In terms of what sales person/csc said that is likely boring/piering as at the front of the fill portion, the fill which is considered unstable, unless retained and suitably compacted. Would be close to 600mm at one end, and from our limited investigations into the area, it seems that peiring is usually required in sections once you get over around 300mm of fill. Also you could have a look over at the site costs thread http://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=9017&hilit=site+costs which might give you some idea of the ballpark from other peoples experiences. As Estimator said, really need to clarify it a bit more. Ask your consultant to see the footing design and soil test and better yet ask them to explain it to you, or ask to contact the engineer behind the design to explain it. Our Build - Places Fairhaven 23+ - https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=28045 Our Landscaping - Belial's Backyard - https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=45375 Re: Site Costs 4Mar 05, 2010 8:38 pm Ours ended up costing around $30k! We were shocked too at the final bill, but it was a difficult site It was a really hard pill to swallow because like you said, it is not like you really see anything tangible for all this money! I would much rather have spent that on finishes in the actual house etc But it had to be done to get the house built properly, and now it is being built we have moved on past the shock into excitement Re: Site Costs 5Mar 05, 2010 9:56 pm Also check whether there's any existing fill on the block - that can blow site costs way out. If you're in a new subdivision though, the developer may be able to provide a controlled fill report, which can reduce the costs... Things like retaining walls, or proximity to an easement which needs piering can add onto costs. And if you're having a pool close to the house, foundations might need deepening for that reason. Site costs are often rubbery. We were told ours would likely be $7,000 to $10,000, then after soil testing and engineering specs were done, we were given a provisional sum of $14,500. The actual cost ended up being $12,500. Re: Site Costs 6Mar 16, 2010 5:11 pm Our soil tests came back M-D on a flat block of land and site costs have come to around $12,000. We were originally quoted $8.500 but the found some fill on the corner of the block which requires a thicker slab. I do think that this is an area in which builders can 'pad out' costs and make sure they build in a good profit margin. But I may be cynical. Handover February 2011 Happy with our home I am not sure whether Perth has its own way of doing things in regards to this. Most of Perth has class A (sandy soil), except for some areas near rivers or hills. 2 13053 Is anyone building with Mojo and have a recent site cost tender 0 15931 Henley should give you some indication of site costs. Too many variable to give you any reasonable accuracy 1 1845 |