Browse Forums General Discussion 1 Jan 23, 2014 9:08 am Hi There, Ive got a few random and some what open to interpretation questions regarding saving money on designs. The two designs linked below come in at a base price of 158k. There is an extensive inclusion list that has just about everything covered apart from flooring in areas other then kitchen, bathroom and laundry. Heating systems (we are building in cold climate that only gets above 25 deg maybe 10 times a year). http://www.lawsonhomes.com.au/pages/des ... arvale.php http://www.craftsmanhomes.com.au/index. ... ew/pioneer Anyway regardless of the inclusion lists my partner and i are attempting a life style change and moving from a big city unit to an acreage. with the goal of spending as little as possible so we can spend a few years enjoying a life style we are after. We only require a 2 bedroom house (live in a 1 bedroom unit at the moment). We dont want to overspend so its a trade of of do we spend the extra on the 3rd bedroom or the fences for our property (damn expensive horses). Ok so my questions here Roof design (assumption of a rectangle building) what is cheaper. Hipped roof or gable design? Colorbond or Tiles? Wall design Brick or timber - we have been told because of BAL (bush fire attack levels) that going brick is the easier and more affordable to meet the BAL assessments. We basically want to shave 20k off the starting price here. weather that be reducing these styles back to two bedroom houses or making other compromises. So help us out and let us know where we can save some cash. There are a lot of things that are on the would be nice to have but we are not overly fussed. We just want a roof over our head with a kitchen and bathroom at the end of the day. Re: What is cheaper - Building design 2Jan 23, 2014 7:37 pm Hi Batey, As you will find out the cost of labour is more expensive than the materials to build a home. The simpler the home design the easier it is to build therefore less time to do it which means less labour costs. Depending on your BAL determines which product is most suitable for the exterior. Hipped roofs look better in some situations and perform better in fire areas. I could go on talking about all pros and cons of building design, sustainability etc but it would probably be quicker for you to check out my website. There is heaps of free info on there to help you consider all your options. Good luck with it! Www.greenifyconsulting.com.au Re: What is cheaper - Building design 3Jan 23, 2014 9:12 pm To answer you questions the simplest way. Roof: Colourbond is cheaper Wall: Timber is cheaper However, you need to consider the overall look of the property and the durability. Brick wall and tiled roof is more durable, dependent on the maintenance. Re: What is cheaper - Building design 4Jan 24, 2014 9:54 am wood bang To answer you questions the simplest way. Roof: Colourbond is cheaper Wall: Timber is cheaper However, you need to consider the overall look of the property and the durability. Brick wall and tiled roof is more durable, dependent on the maintenance. Most points agreed, however some of the home building companies will charge you several thousands of dollars more for a colourbond roof than a tiled roof, and the reason they give you is that they do a lot more tiled roofs than colourbond. I personally think that they just don't want to build out of the square they are locked in to. I don't think there's any durability advantage to tiled roofs anymore. A couple of years down the track in a hail storm you might have a issue, particulary as you have small air gaps between all your tiles. The favoured way to sway a person away from colourbond to tile is to tell them that when you get rain, you can hear it inside and that's the truth, particulary if you do not have insulation in your roof. Our old house was the same age as the one we're currently renting, the old one had insulation and this one doesn't, the old house you could just hear the rain and this one it is quite loud, so much so you have to turn the tv up when it is pelting down. I've been in tiled roof house and still heard the rain on the roof. I won't be putting tiles on the roof of my new house because they hold the heat in well in to the night/early am, and they don't seal the roof as well as colourbond due to all the gaps between the tiles. So to the OP, colourbond roofing is not only cheaper from what I've seen, but can be a better roofing than tiles, especially if you put insulation batts in your roof. Owner Building at Jimboomba Woods in Logan City Qld. Blog : http://bandlnewhomebuild.blogspot.com H1 thread : viewtopic.php?f=38&t=68283 . Re: What is cheaper - Building design 5Jan 24, 2014 10:43 am What about something like this? http://www.containerhomes.net.au Perfect small home option providing it meets local laws Building the Porter Davis Dunedin 29 maybe, thinking of forfeiting deposit and going with CH or UE Re: What is cheaper - Building design 6Jan 26, 2014 2:18 am I have several blog posts that may be of interest to you. It ia a canadian site but is often relevant to Australia. Check the index for topics of interest. http://boardsandbricks.com/a-house-for- ... an-100000/ From a pure legal perspective, if you've signed the variation, it is a very high bar to have it set aside. No-one can give you legal advice on a forum, but you would need… 3 5501 Once you know the basics, the rest is easy. Read my post in the thread linked below. viewtopic.php?p=1919271#p1919271 2 19623 Although I am a big opponent of using waffle pod slabs over H2/P soils under any circumstances, in your case I would certainly opt in to keep piers under central… 1 2459 |