Browse Forums General Discussion 1 Aug 20, 2014 11:56 am Hi everyone! My kids, I have a boy and a girl, are becoming grown ups. Right now my daughter and I share a bedroom while my son occupies a small second bedroom. Pretty soon, my daughter will need her own room, so I want to prepare for that time. Buying a bigger house is out of the question,so my only option is a house addition or extension, but I can’t decide if I’ll go up or sidewise. Cost is a big consideration, so can anyone tell me the pros and cons of my choices and how do I get started, please Re: Home addition 3Aug 20, 2014 1:27 pm Usually building up costs more than building a single level addition. You also need to check with your council about building restrictions and permit requirements as there may be restrictions on how high houses can be built. However, adding additional rooms to a property costs a fair bit and you have to have contingency money (ie at least 25% of what you are intending to pay for work etc in reserve). I would recommend getting in a building inspector to do a condition report on the property (dilapidation report) to see if there is any preparatory work required before building ie sub floor work etc. You may need to spend money to make sure the house is structurally sound before building commences. You need to work out what you want with the addition ie how many rooms, what size, what purpose etc. You can do that by looking at houses for sale, display homes and architectural magazines. You can have plans drawn up by an architect (expensive), a draftsperson or a builder. Some volume builders want to do their own designs. Do not go to have plans drawn up without having some idea of what you want. When working out the budget, you will have to factor in painting, fittings, lighting, furniture, floor coverings etc. Plumbing and electrical plans will also have to be designed by you or at least an idea where you want things to be (ie plumbing, lights etc). Go to the website of your Fair Trading or Consumer Affairs Dept and they usually have a lot of information about renovating ie things to know. I would recommend that you read a lot of the discussions on the forums as there are similar threads on starting out on adding to a house. Things that are important are - thoroughly investigate any builder you are considering, always see their work and speak to people who have used them. Get legal advice for the Building Contract before you sign it. Be prepared to employ a building inspector to check all the stages of the build. Make sure you understand what is involved in the Building Contract and Specifications and progress payments etc. Re: Home addition 4Aug 21, 2014 6:43 pm I guess my info is a bit sketchy, but thanks kats_meow for the suggestions. What I plan for a 2nd level is another bedroom and a family room with a small balcony. Yes, I think I need an architect to draft the plan for me since I understand it is required to get a building permit. Re: Home addition 5Aug 22, 2014 3:53 pm In Vic we had plans drawn up by draftspeople and submitted them to council. The plans were resubmitted when we had a builder and there were changes. You don't need, as far as i understand it, an architect. An architect can cot 15-25% of the build costs so if you are trying to save money, getting an architect won't help with that. Re: Home addition 6Aug 25, 2014 6:39 pm Thanks again kats_meow! I found a contractor highly recommended by a friend and he too said I don’t need an architect to draw the plans. In fact, he said he will have one of his draftsmen do it. I feel more confident now after talking with my builder/contractor, although I didn’t realize what a big project it is going to be. Maybe, I’ll discuss it further with him before I finally decide to make it a go. Hi there, We’ve recently had plans approved to add a 1st storey addition to our existing house for a growing family in Sydney. With the current cost of building… 0 4275 |