Browse Forums Building A New House 1 May 05, 2012 7:58 pm Hi We have just purchased a 600sqm block in WA and are going through the process of selecting a builder to build with. But we have hit a bit of a wall and are really confused as to the most cost effective - value for money way to go. Our budget is $250000 for the home and we have allowed $30000 on top of that for finishing costs. We want to get as high of a spec as possible and are looking to build a 4x2 single story home with 31c ceilings etc. We have been through nearly all the builders but are so confused when it comes to pricing because not only are there different quality level builders there are also different specification levels. E.g. Nearly all builders offer a display spec, then medium spec and base spec level on a home. But then there are middle ranged builders such as New generation who offer display spec homes which are at the same level as a high level builders base spec offering. Generally is it better value for money to buy a display spec home with a mid range builder? or will we get more value for money and better quality building with a high range builder but at a lower specification? Our budget is in between high range builders display spec and middle range builders display spec making it hard to choose. At least when you buying a display home you can see what your going to get but if we build a home with a higher quality builder at a reduced spec we're not sure what we will end up with. When you reduce the spec of a display spec home it seems everything changes - kitchens, ceiling heights, front elevations etc etc. We are at the point now where we need to make a decision on our budget weather to leave it as it is or work out if we can build to a spec that will satisfy us in this budget range. Any help would be great! Cheers! Re: Better to build display spec or base spec? 2May 05, 2012 10:22 pm I would say look for a good deal in the mid spec builders (dales, summit, ventura, etc), build there base model home and hopefully get some great inclusions. then just upgrade what ever you feel necessary. Thats what we did and I feel we got a display spec home for 50k less. All building companies use the same suppliers and are constructed in a very similar way. I seriously doubt your home would be worth anymore from a quality builder compared to a mid spec builder. Building with Dale Alcock in Piara Waters Re: Better to build display spec or base spec? 3May 06, 2012 9:21 am Just generally, the "base spec" does not match the display home at all. The display home always has a lot of upgrades....often different window sizes I would go middle spec personally... Re: Better to build display spec or base spec? 4May 06, 2012 10:04 am Don't think if you go display style you will get everything you want in your house and you don't have to think about anything. You will get lots of flashy units and fittings but you won't get power points. You will also get lots of large windows, probably facing the wrong way, which limit where you can put your furniture. This link talks about display house tricks http://www.anewhouse.com.au/?p=20 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: Better to build display spec or base spec? 5May 06, 2012 12:50 pm Cheers for all the replies It seems most people are recommending it is better to build base or medium spec and then add everything that is required under our budget. We have now decided to increase our budget to 280k. The problem with building base or medium spec is that its nothing like the display spec. We had a look at two specification sheets for a home display spec vs medium spec and literally everything you can think of had been removed or changed. I guess we need to start at a medium spec and then work our way through ensuring that all additions and fittings suit our needs. It is amazing the drop in price from display to base spec - often we have found it can be a drop of up to 70k. Re: Better to build display spec or base spec? 6May 06, 2012 2:01 pm My thought is that adding $30K on top of base price is not enough either. $100K on top is pretty common. SunshineT's Build: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=34585 Designs start: 4/12/09 DA: 5/7/11 Demo: 22/12/11 Slab: 24/2/12 Keys: 31/8/12 Re: Better to build display spec or base spec? 7May 07, 2012 11:47 am SunshineT My thought is that adding $30K on top of base price is not enough either. $100K on top is pretty common. 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