Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Sep 23, 2009 7:14 pm Hi Everyone! This is such a newbie question but DH and I are going through our building budget at the moment and are already looking for places to pull it in. We are hoping that our estimated site costs and council costs will not be as bad as we have allowed for........ anyway...... The question I have is.....when you choose an upgrade package, it is customary for the builder to credit you back the old options that are already included in the price you are paying? I know that this may be dependent on different builders but thought it might be worth asking. For instance if we are now receiving caesarstone benchtops do we get a credit for the laminate benches that are included in our base price, which we will not use? I know I have read here that with big builders there is no room for negotiation at tender but I am really hoping that I have a little bit of hope..... otherwise we may have to start trimming down on some of the things that I think will make our house worth more. I look forward to hearing your thoughts. Cheers! Micklou Re: Question about upgrades 2Sep 23, 2009 7:31 pm Hi Micklou, usually the upgrade price is only the difference between purchasing the cheaper item and the item that you are upgrading to. Therefore there would not be a refund of the cheaper price. Re: Question about upgrades 3Sep 23, 2009 7:44 pm Also if you do something like change a normal door to a sliding door you will get a credit for the original door - this usually comes off the cost of the slider & you pay the difference. Good for times when you want to delete something altogether - like a wall or cupboards - you get a credit then. Cheers Kim Re: Question about upgrades 4Sep 23, 2009 8:37 pm Hi Micklou, The watchout is if you choose to upgrade appliances if they come in your base package. You will find that the volume discount that the large builders get on the appliances make it unfavourable to upgrade as you get a very small credit back if you choose not to go with there brands. The other place where people tend to get stung with upgrades is in the electrical plan. Ask you builder if they can give you a list of what is included before your electrical appointment, as well as the costs for upgrades so you can do your homework before the appointment. Good Luck with the tender process. Cheers, CMET Re: Question about upgrades 5Sep 23, 2009 8:42 pm By upgrade package do you mean the promotion where you pay $1000 and get $30k worth of extras of something similar? Its a nice thought, but I dont by removing part of the upgrade package they will give you a bit credit. One thing you can do is look through the house for little things you can remove. We removed some mouldings off the front facade and got a credit of about $400. You can really use anything you want the main consideration would be how it looks once painted/finished - or the look you want. Cabinetmakers use MDF because its cheap… 2 9960 I would say both styles you have pictured are steel. The lower chord of the first pic would be a massive lump if made using timber considering the size of the rafters. If… 1 6151 1 13125 |