Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Jan 15, 2009 3:20 pm Dear all,
I've looked at a lots of the inclusion/promotion list from different builder, and I've ended up having a list of items which I consider as MUST HAVE, Luxury & Wish List, etc ... For Item such as Evaporative Cooling, most builder charge $5000 while I get quote from local paper for $3000. I just wonder what type of inclusion is absolute a must / and might be cheaper to do with the builder right from the start? eg. I love high ceiling 2.55m or even better 2.7m, so I guess I absolutely need the builder to build that as part of the contract right? But how about things like Carpet / Tiles / Driveway / Timber Decking / Alfresco? Also for luxury upgrade like stone benchtop, you either pay for it right upfront rather than pay for it later right? Could you share your ideas like what you would prefer to have it done by the builder, and what you would do it later with local builders from local builders (eg. Landscaping? TV Antenna? Letter Box?) Thank you! Re: What major inclusions/upgrade should be done by builders? 2Jan 15, 2009 3:30 pm Hi
We are also deciding the same things. I went out today and got prices on tiles, carpet and airconditioning all of which we are not going to get the builder to do as we can do it cheaper. i got quoted $4500 for evaporative airconditioning to 8 points from a shop compared to the builder asking nearly $5400. We are also doing our own driveway and landscaping as this came in much cheaper. What you need to remember is the builder is going to put mark up on whatever they supply therefore it usually goes above what you would pay to do it yourself. So if you can and know how to do it yourself or get it done after. I was given good advice the other day - get the builder to do structural changes and anything that can be done later get it done later it will be cheaper! Hope this helps Jacinta 2nd build here we come in Whittlesea! https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=92617 1st Build - Henley - Cooper in Doreen! (2009) https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=17354 Re: What major inclusions/upgrade should be done by builders? 3Jan 15, 2009 3:31 pm In general, anything you can do separately yourself is cheaper to do so as you won't be paying builders markup and can shop around.
Raised ceilings, as discussed on a recent thread, will obviously have to be done by the builder, you cant change that afterwards. Also on that thread was discussion of stone bench tops- a popular promotion by many buildrs atm and if doing separately you would have to factor in the cost of the laminate benchtop the builder supplies that you are replacing. Floor coverings, cementing, letter box etc: easily done yourself after handover. Aircon - may depend if the builder allows other parties on site during construction - we did ours separately, builder gave permission fo air con installers to access house and install during construction but many builders won't do this. Re: What major inclusions/upgrade should be done by builders? 4Jan 15, 2009 3:36 pm Helyn Aircon - may depend if the builder allows other parties on site during construction - we did ours separately, builder gave permission fo air con installers to access house and install during construction but many builders won't do this. You can get the builder to put vents in for future air conditioning systems. This is what gets done in double storeys if you're not putting it in straight away because it can't get done later. Stevep79 & Principessa Finished building Wisdom Homes Impression 33mkII in The Ponds, Sydney http://lilypadintheponds.blogspot.com Re: What major inclusions/upgrade should be done by builders? 5Jan 15, 2009 3:39 pm For us all structure things we got done by the builder, to be honest i couldnt tell you if it was cheaper or not, thought it was safer, for the reason that if anything goes wrong your dealing with one company and you'd have the 7 year structure warrenty! Plus its usually one well know bigger company, not saying a one man band is risky, there are a lot of good one man bands who would be WAY better then the bigger companies, just personal preference. Didn't want to deal with pushing the blame game should anything go wrong!
l did get told its more expensive in some cases to get evaporative cooling after you build that was the one thing my friend who built before me said i MUST get done by the builder! i have no idea if that is true for everyone or anyone for her it was! Carpet, tiles, driveway we got through the builder because they had a deal that was pretty good, wouldnt been able to get it cheaper then what they were offering, for us that was a the case of us signing at the right promo! Things like letter box, TV antena, front landscaping we did ourselves, the cost for a letterbox $150, TV Antenna for three points $279, front landscaping without the decking $1400! (i think builders quote mini $3000) For us it was about getting a house that was ready to move in and that we wouldn't need to do any additionals too, especially since there are a lot of other expensives associated with the house once you hand over that you need money for! thats what we did, through our builder we got them to do everything structure we wanted, plus tiles, carpet electricals, driveway etc we did the front landscaping a week in the dirt (hard work!) but very rewarding because its your design and you hard work! and letter box so easy to put one in, and bunnings has a great range. Re: What major inclusions/upgrade should be done by builders? 6Jan 15, 2009 4:39 pm In my experience it depends on the builder
Ive had 2 different builders fighting for my business and the large builder was terribly expensive for anything, whilst the smaller builder was comparable to doing it myself for nearly everything, lighting, fans, ducted ac, landscaping, fencing etc etc Ive also had both builders either offer me a discount on certain items or include additional items to keep in the race Blog - http://snakedr.blogspot.com/ Build Thread - viewtopic.php?f=31&t=12084&p=307406#p307406 Status - PCI 15/10. Things nearly done. Re: What major inclusions/upgrade should be done by builders? 7Jan 15, 2009 5:38 pm Landscaping will certainly be cheaper if you literally do it yourself - not just pay someone other than the builder - as much of the cost is labour which you can easily do yourself, no special skills required.
I enjoy gardening, (especially when DH does the hard yakka ) apart from bobcatting the ground to level it out, we did the rest with our own 2 hands. Fairly large front yard, 18 shrubs/small trees, plus a row of 7 agapanthuses. Re: What major inclusions/upgrade should be done by builders? 8Jan 15, 2009 9:24 pm I always believe in having (if you are going concrete) the alfresco slab poured with the main house slab. Whilst it may cost more, the alfresco area is then crafted with the same technique and foundations as the main slab and termite barrier wise is much more secure than a slab poured later for patios. Thanks. There are plenty of builders around my suburb. I'll make sure to do some door-to-door knocking, or note their building details on the temp fence. 4 4752 I work with owner, he/she is my man on the ground and I instruct them when to visit the site and take photos and I have other tools in the bag. 4 15284 I am in the same situation, would you be able to give some insights in to this? I am in SA 8 17055 |