Maybe building with EB. Is the package worth the $50K??

We are looking at building a new house (knockdown) in Baulkham Hills in Sydney.

EB have a package deal where you pay an extra $50k and get

Basix
Standard Site costs
Standard council fees and requirements
Carpet 50% wool
Tiles
Standard insulation to walls and ceiling
Roof Sarking
Alarm System
Remote control garage door
Concrete to alfresco
Paved Driveway (they dont include this on a knockdown so we get a $3.7k credit)

My question is Is it worth the $50k?

Any feedback is enormously appreciated

Thanks in advance

As a general rule.... there are NO deals out there that favour the buyer. The builders are good at making these kinds of deals look attractive.
For example. quite a few builders offer fancy package deals including 'wall & ceiling insulation'. They make out that they are throwing this in for free or at a special price. Wall & Ceiling insulation is required in new homes to meet basix/5 star/nathers etc anyway.
Try getting your builder to give you a price for the house WITHOUT wall & ceiling insulation.

Imagine a car dealer promoting a special offer on a new car where for just $2K extra they will throw in $10K worth of bonuses including a Steering Wheel, 4 rubber tyres and seating for 4 adults......

In this case, ask EB to price all these items individually. Then you can decide if it is a 'deal' or not.

As a general rule.... there are NO deals out there that favour the buyer. The builders are good at making these kinds of deals look attractive.
For example. quite a few builders offer fancy package deals including 'wall & ceiling insulation'. They make out that they are throwing this in for free or at a special price. Wall & Ceiling insulation is required in new homes to meet basix/5 star/nathers etc anyway.
Try getting your builder to give you a price for the house WITHOUT wall & ceiling insulation.

Imagine a car dealer promoting a special offer on a new car where for just $2K extra they will throw in $10K worth of bonuses including a Steering Wheel, 4 rubber tyres and seating for 4 adults......

In this case, ask EB to price all these items individually. Then you can decide if it is a 'deal' or not.

I took up this package for my Esperence32 house. I can't say how much to the total deal it is really worth, but we were told by an
AV Jenning sales consultant that standard site costs alone is around $20k. I suspect it would be cheaper to do the package than
add each item separately the build, considering the builder's markup involved.

Are you sure you can't get paved driveway for a knockdown? I did a knockdown and I've got the paved driveway included.
Mine goes up to the Council cross-over point where it'll join the existing concrete driveway entrance.

Regards
Esperence32

Do you mean you pay $50k more for the list of upgrades you listed? If yes then it's very expensive. Can you get a breakdown from your builder?

Standard Site costs
This can be very dependent on the class of slab required for your block but mine was $10k (H class). Even if there's rock exacation, you just need about $5-8k extra.

Standard council fees and requirements
Do you mean the application fee by your builder to council? That's about $350 for mine. Not sure what other "requirements" there could be.

Carpet 50% wool
Given room size nowadays is 3m x 4m, I have 5 rooms amounting to around 70 sq m and my capet cost is $2k including installation. But then again I did not choose 50% wool carpet, the standard builder range cost about $30 per sq m - I went to Carpet Call to check. Of course I am sure my builder pays less than $30 per sq m.

Tiles
Can't help on this. I have spotted gum floorboard for the rest of my house excl wet areas, at $120 per sq m including sub-floor.


Standard insulation to walls and ceiling
Isn't this in the builder standard inclusion list?

Alarm System
Starting from $1,200, 3 points.

Remote control garage door
~$800

Concrete to alfresco
Paved Driveway (they dont include this on a knockdown so we get a $3.7k credit)

Coloured concrete up to 40 sq m ~ $3,800

hi im also building with EB (nearly finished - handover within the next fortnight)

i wouldnt say the package is worth it when it comes to $$$ but i must say it was convenient to have them do everything. i have found building to be a very busy and stressful process. just easier to have someone else do part of the work.

also if its all done by EB if future problems arise they cant say its the result of your contractor etc.

only bad thing would be you have less control of the build if EB do everyting. if you employ contractors direct you can ensure things are done the way you want and you can keep a close eye on, not the way EB does it which you may not be 100% happy with.

up to you really.

hope this helps.

My vague replies are included within . . .

Basix
My BASIX costs were $4000, but it'd depend on your home
Standard Site costs
My site costs were $700, but this could be good value if your site contains rocks or is on a hill
Standard council fees and requirements
Included in my quote
Carpet 50% wool
my carpets were only a few thou, but they were from the standard range
Tiles
Depends on where they're included, but I believe a standard contract must have tiles to the wet areas. If they're tiling the house completely, this could add up
Standard insulation to walls and ceiling
Core part of the house and BASIX certification
Roof Sarking
as above?
Alarm System
Shouldn't be too expensive
Remote control garage door
Remote double panel lift "upgrade" - $1400
Concrete to alfresco
I THINK my concreter charged $59 per squre metre
Paved Driveway (they dont include this on a knockdown so we get a $3.7k credit)


My question is Is it worth the $50k?

I think they're making it out to be better than it really is. Once you take out the "standard" and mandatory items, you're left with a much smaller list and you'll need to deceide from there.