Browse Forums General Discussion 1 Jan 10, 2014 4:52 pm Hi, we engaged an architect in June 2103, build a granny flat, move into that then knock down our old home and build a new home. We asked for excavation of a garage and man cave, a specific kitchen, and all this was discussed at our first meeting. we left the rest of the design to him, just needed 4 bedrooms etc nothing palatial. our block is only 10m wide but 50m deep. We gave him a budget of what we could afford, we knew it would be tight but close to achievable and he agreed to this. Now six months later we get the first cost estimate which is two and a half times the whole budget. He is working this out on $3000 m2. We of course balked at the cost and things needed to change.The latest drawings have no man cave, and kitchen is not where we want it. we have so far paid $12k to the architect for a drawings that we are not happy with and a house we supposedly cannot afford still $150K over budget, without the granny flat. we are trying to work out what to do, any suggestions would be welcome Re: advise needed 2Jan 11, 2014 8:29 pm Hi, you need to kick that architect to the curb, $12,000 wow! For paper?? Where are you building? You need to find a builder who is medium to small, someone with flexibility to work around your needs, what your planning is definitely doable, cut your losses now. We are building with SBG group the owner is a qualified builder/architect his partner (cousin) is also qualified builder and designer, they are a medium family owned builders, if your going to be easy going and your requirements are reasonably simple, you need to find a builder with the same attitude, can do attitude.Sorry but anyone charging $12,000 for paper lives in a different world to us! Re: advise needed 3Jan 11, 2014 9:27 pm I agree with Sanna. You will find most small to medium builders are generally family businesses and good to work with. If they can't do the design in-house they subcontract to building designers. My build is a bespoke plan to suit my needs, with a facade to suit estate requirements and my preferences. This was all worked through my builder's designer ( a subcontractor ). Alternatively, find some project-home builders that has narrow-lot designs. In my opinion though, you will get better service and a better result from a small builder. They are more flexible. Just make sure you carefully research any candidate builders. Build thread: here Land Nov 12, Contract 6/07/13, Consent 15/08/13, Start 20/09/13, Slab 25/09/13, Frame 4/10/13, Brick 21/10/13, Roof 2/11/13, Lock-up 17/12/13, Handover 3/3/14 Re: advise needed 4Jan 12, 2014 9:00 am hi , yea we tried the project home builders but with only 10 m wide most don't want to even talk or in the case of 1 want to put in half a townhouse with a couple of extra windows & forget excavation. we went with this architect as he is also a builder and our first few meetings everything was going to be achievable, only now are we realising the situation we are in, thanks for the advise so far.... off to buy lotto ticket (hopefully winning) the drawing will be construction plans ready for DA not concept ones Re: advise needed 7Jan 13, 2014 1:37 pm Hi lost and confused, Your situation seems familiar. Designers are usually at arm’s length from construction costs, and tend to go over budget. What surprises me is that the architect is also the builder and still had trouble keeping within the budget. Before any concept is offered from the designer, the brief (the framework in which the design is controlled) is defined and forms part of the contract between the designer and client - including the owner’s budget. It appears that the design brief was ‘brief’. We get designers to solve problems, that’s what we pay for. You have a narrow site and hoping that this problem is solved within your budget. The sledgehammer you have to enforce this is your contract with the designer which includes the expectations outlined in the brief. The most worrying aspect is something else. Do you have an option to get competitive quotes from other builders? The benefit of using an independent designer not associated with a builder is the competition it generates. Without that, how can you know if the construction costs are fair? I realize my comments are a little late to be of any real benefit, but are you able to get some feedback from different builders on price? Hope it works out. Re: advise needed 8Jan 13, 2014 2:28 pm we are building in sydney, the agreement is construction drawings done and ready for DA, then he quotes on building and we can also get other quotes at that time. we are going to own the plans. we did stipulate the budget at our first meeting, He is working on cutting etc to get to budget but its quite frustrating that 6 months in he has so far almost drawn a house we cant afford . hoping to get a result soon. thanks everyone so far I am looking for someone who might have tackled a similar issue as me. I have a few rendered interior walls, the surface condition is hardly flat. I can see all the bumps… 0 7951 Hi All, I engaged a tradie to install concrete retaining wall 600-800mm high over 32 meters in Victoria. Sleepers are 200*75*2000 mm installed over 17 steel posts. I… 0 6889 Building Standards; Getting It Right! Don't think they are designed for double brick. WA has a particular way of building and unfortunately that's the way a large amount of sills are finished. 3 6996 |