Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Mar 29, 2011 4:10 pm Long time reader, first time poster, looking for advice! I have recently purchased a sub-divided block of land in WA, in an established area. The block is small (270 sqm) with a narrow frontage (8m approx) but it expands towards the back of the block to about 20m. It is a trapezoid shape, if you follow This will be my first house, so I find the task of designing the house and selecting a builder quite daunting. Especially with an odd-shaped block, the major builders don't have anything "off the plan" to suit. I am planning on a two-storey design, to maximise the living space on the small block. As I see it I have a few options: 1) Get plans drawn up by an architect\designer, and shop them around some small builders; 2) Get plans drawn up by an architect\designer, and shop them around some project builders; and 3) Go to a project builder for the design + construction. Do large project builders normally accept external house designs? Would a project builder be better value for money than a small builder, in the hope that savings are passed down by their ability to bulk-buy materials? What process did others follow in selecting a builder? Has anyone used a building broker before? Keen to hear other people's similar experiences\advice. Re: Builder selection for custom house design 2Mar 29, 2011 7:19 pm A fair bit of a project builders advantage is that they are bulk buying for standard plans. As soon as they have to start redesigning and using non standard plans they tend to lose most of the cost advantage over the mid size to smaller builders. If you cant find a standard plan thats close to what you like I would suggest you either Talk to a smaller builder about design and construct packages (which will probably be the cheapest) or Go the architect route The Harder You Try - the Luckier You Get ! Web site http://www.anewhouse.com.au Informative, Amusing, and Opinionated Blog - Over 600 posts on all aspects of building a new house. Re: Builder selection for custom house design 3Mar 31, 2011 3:39 pm Thanks bashworth Have recently found some standard plans that could be modified to suit, its just a matter of determining the cost involved in modifying the plans. Architect route would be a last resort. Yep, very good point. I’ll do more research and see what figures I get. Thank you! 8 2462 ideal house depends on the site and location as much as internal floor plan....what is the distance from the house to all four boundaries, where is north, describe your… 3 10209 Hello, we can help you please get in contact 0421019219 thank you 3 24560 |