Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Oct 27, 2012 8:36 am I am a newbie on my way to my first home build. I am into my land settlement next week. I got my soil test and contour survey completed with an E/P classification and a fill across the block that goes from 800-2000mm depth. I am shattered when the initial estimate from my potential builder came back with a whooping $23,000 site cost - with ~75% of the cost for the slab, and the rest is for the earthworks, ie compaction. Is this a reasonable cost? Is there any other relevant cost that I should know of that could be affected because of the soil quality? -really worried cause I am on a very strict budget - My First Home Build Journey Land Contract, 19/09/12 C@ Builder Initial Deposit, 30/09/12 ⛳ Land Settlement, 31/10/12 HIA Contract Signed, 10/11/12 Colour Selection, 06/12/12 Re: Reasonable cost for a bad soil class 2Oct 27, 2012 9:45 am Hi Conmark, and welcome to the forums I'm not sure what other people think, but I unfortunately think that 23k is quire reasonable given the amount of fill, and the soil classification. You'll probably find that you'll have to have a deeper slab pour which obviously costs more. Whats the size of your block? I don't imagine that you'll incur any other costs Feel free to follow our build! viewtopic.php?f=31&t=59958 Re: Reasonable cost for a bad soil class 3Oct 27, 2012 12:47 pm Our block was H and site fees were $17k so I think yours are pretty reasonable. It does come as an initial shock but if you think about the fact that this is the foundation to your home and it needs to be done correctly. Best of luck Re: Reasonable cost for a bad soil class 4Oct 27, 2012 2:52 pm HI Conmark, We too have a E/P site. Originally we were planning on going with a large project builder who wanted $$$$ for fill (0-1.8m worth), retaining walls and then the slab on ground with a number of piers along two sides for a sewer cross over on side and a pool against the other. If budget is tight it may be worth changing the design to suit your block of land. We have now changed designs and builder to one that will build on piers. Now there is no need for the fill or retaining walls and there is no longer a slab on ground. There are a lot more piers but this has ended up being cheaper than the slab on ground which 99% of project builders do. ----------------------------------------------- http://pab34newdigs.blogspot.com.au/ ----------------------------------------------- Re: Reasonable cost for a bad soil class 5Oct 27, 2012 5:34 pm where is the block located? $23k doesn't sound too bad, considering the amount of fill, is it a flat or steep block? By and large, language is a tool for concealing the truth Re: Reasonable cost for a bad soil class 6Oct 28, 2012 5:58 pm Thanks for your replies, appreciate it very much. Settled me down a bit. The land is 450sqm block, fairly flat. I found a single story plan that suits my requirements. With around 237sqm floor area. I would have my contract signing appointment next week. Don't know what other surprises should I expect at that stage. Additional costs in estimates already amounted to $50,000 on top of the house base price with all the initial customisation I have discussed with the sales consultant and yet I haven't been to the colour selection yet. I guess my heart can keep up with stress, but not my pocket - My First Home Build Journey Land Contract, 19/09/12 C@ Builder Initial Deposit, 30/09/12 ⛳ Land Settlement, 31/10/12 HIA Contract Signed, 10/11/12 Colour Selection, 06/12/12 I am not sure whether Perth has its own way of doing things in regards to this. Most of Perth has class A (sandy soil), except for some areas near rivers or hills. 2 13100 Seems good to me. I've been told $4-5k/sqm is reasonable in Perth. 2 11178 I don’t think so as the floor area over 300 square meters then it is class 3…. 12 17936 |