Metricon

Hi there, I am just about to build with Metricon but finding the whole process frustrating with all their extra charges. Would you expect an extra charge to have diamond gloss kitchen cabinets? a lot of other builders do not charge for this as its part of the laminar standard range.

This is where they get you, you need to read all the wording of the initial documents, the "builders range" normally will leave out a lot, they then use this as the a way to upgrade you, good luck with the build

If your own concern is about one builder charging extra for certain kitchen cabinets finish while the other is not, then you should probably reconsider the process of building your own house.

What matters in the first place is the price per sqm you pay for a high quality build and make sure that your house is built to the standards with due attention to the details. Secondly, the house should be comfortable from various aspects such as thermally (no gaps or leaks in insulation, high quality insulation is used, high quality double glazed windows, sealing of external doors) and from noise attenuation perspective (no squeaky floors, sound batts to certain walls, e.g. Hebel Floors, etc.).

The quality of the internal finishes are just secondary as it can always relatively easily replaced with the more expensive ones during your next renovation cycle. I would rather focus on the quality of the master workmanship itself, it is really more important that you invest in high quality shower mixers, bath tubs as those can be harder to replace than kitchen cabinets, floors or tiles. I also strongly suggest "custom" things like usage of electrical conduits throughout for electrical installations, etc. but I really doubt any of the project builders are using them.

Just my 2 cents.