First off I guess I should tell you a little about ourselves. Well we are both in our mid to late 20's with a 10 month old daughter. We live in south western NSW, prefer not to say exactly where. We currently have a small weatherboard home and have recently purchased a 1500m2 block that is narrow at the front (13m wide) but quickly opens up at the back. It is sort of like a rectangle with a triangle on top and off to the side if you get my drift. We are in the fortunate position (through unfortunate circumstances) to be able to pay for our new home without needed a loan. We have a budget of up to $280,000. We want a 4br home with meals/family and seperate lounge. We would like to have an alfresco area. We are thinking of a home size of around 200-220m2 living (+ garage and alfresco etc). So probably around 280m2 total.
Now to the questions.
How do you choose a builder? We have asked for a few quotes off a few different builders and they can range over $100000 between them. The cheapest quote we got actually had the most inclusions.
The best quote we have received is $275000 260m2 home with: 4br, double garage, CB roof, 10m patterned concrete driveway, 1000mm footpath around house, waffle pod slab, fancy cornice in living areas, ducted RC air con, blinds, floor coverings, 2550mm ceilings, tiles to ceiling in bath and ensuite, technika appliances (no dishwasher incl), 2pac kitchen doors, caesar stone benchtop, spa, downlights, termite protection (spray under slab plus pest control pipe under path) plus a few other things. Opinions? With alfresco (282m2 total house) the price would be $300000.
This builder generally builds and sells spec homes and has only actually built a small number directly for clients. I have only heard of one minor complaint about his work. As I have for most builders in the area.
Would a 6hp ducted RC air con be big enough for the house in the above example? Would this need 3 phase?
In comparison to the above the example with have had quotes of a similar price but without that level of inclusions. One with similar inclusions was $100000 more with another builder.
As I said we wont need a loan to build, so would it be an advantage to ask for a cash discount? What would be the disadvantages? I would still want a written contract detailing everything included.
What other things do I need to consider when building?
Would treated pine frames, pest control spray under slab and a pest control pipe under the path be good enough to control white ants, as there are a couple of neighbours with problems?
The block has some largish trees on it and some would be where the slab will be going. Some of them would be approx 40 - 50cm in diameter. Will removing them cause any movement down the track?
That will do for now, but I am sure I will be adding to this as time passes.