Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Jun 16, 2013 10:12 am Hello I've been reading this forum for a while, there's some great info here My husband and I have been saving hard to buy some land and build a home for our family. We've spoken to a broker and we can borrow enough to build a biggish house, however we only want to build a small three bedroom of around 100 - -130 sq m. We don't want a huge mortgage and we'd rather add on to the house later with savings than have more debt now. Is there anyone else out there building small? Most of the threads I've read have been for big project homes so it's been difficult to get an idea of whether our budget is realistic (with nothing to compare it to). We'd like to spend no more than 200K (on the house not incl land). In order to stick to our budget we are happy to have things pretty basic eg. Plywood floors until we can afford to make changes over time. The house design we like is a simple long rectangle, one room wide with open plan living/kitchen and three bedrooms. I'd love to hear from anyone out there who is also trying to keep things modest and simple, especially any cost saving tips and things you did yourself. Thanks Re: Building a small home on a tight budget 2Jun 16, 2013 10:51 am I would have said you should be able to build a house that size with some good upgrades for your budget. To keep costs down I think its probably best to be a bit more than room deep. Here is the floor plan of a 160m2 house I designed and built. http://www.anewhouse.com.au/?p=636 I built it in a regional area in 1991 so no up to date price information. If it was me I would be going for a floor slab and a combination of tiles and carpet. 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: Building a small home on a tight budget 3Jun 16, 2013 11:10 am House were building is about 120m2. Though we were limited due to the block size we went with smaller to be in an area we liked. We've also discussed one day we may extend up... If you do want to extend later consider how when designing the house some designs are easier to extend then others. Also consider the size of your kitchen/living/dining. If you were to extend later will they still be a good size? While ours isn't huge by some standards it is bigger then most in similar sized houses. Our thought is with no second living area we need space there do it doesn't feel crowded. Also consider what you can do after handover, like the flooring to save money. Re: Building a small home on a tight budget 4Jun 16, 2013 11:55 am It is possible Jeremybec, my partner and I built last year and our house was less than $180k. We saved $18k before moving in and used that for the finishes, eg flooring, painting, landscaping etc. We now have a small mortgage but a beautiful house. Good luck! Re: Building a small home on a tight budget 5Jun 16, 2013 6:04 pm Definitely possible, our house is quite big, 4x2 with activity room and theatre and total house plan including site works and extras (air conditioning, blinds, stone benchtop in kitchen, 900m wide appliances for kitchen, raised ceilings etc) and the total is under $200k. Re: Building a small home on a tight budget 7Jun 16, 2013 9:27 pm Great thanks! We would love to get away with under 200K but that is our absolute max. The plan is to build in three stage, the first is the basic three bedroom, then after saving for a year - two years we want to add a master suite which is connected via an enclosed walkway, and stage three is a granny flat for visiting family. We've already looked at where the connection would be from the three bedroom house to the master suite, so that would be taken into account when we look at where to place the house on the land. Our idea is that if our mortgage is low it gives us the chance to save and then we can do stage two and three without increasing our debt. Re: Building a small home on a tight budget 8Jun 16, 2013 9:44 pm I know it depends on where you're building on what the price to build is like but here in SA we are building a 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom, 2 living area home for $162,000 before selections including carpet to bedrooms and lounge, siteworks, overhead cupboards, BIR to all rooms except 2 which have WIR, RC aircon and so on and so forth. Most of our cost has been due to requirements we need for where we live like extra insulation, double glazed windows, aerobic septic (much more expensive than a regular septic) as we are semi-rural. I have picked out my selections which are coming up and as most was included in the contract the main cost there is upgrading cupboards and benchtops to glossy ones and I don't expect to go over the $170,000 mark once I am done. Definitely doable! Building the Leabrook with Fairmont Homes in Mallala, SA. Building contract 24/3/13 Council Approval 18/6/13 Selections 29/6/13 & 1/7/13 Site works 21/10/13 Slab 7/11/13 Re: Building a small home on a tight budget 9Jun 17, 2013 8:30 am We are building with New Generation, they may only be in WA though (in case your inter state). If you find what you like, take it to as many builders as you can to get quotes and ask for quotes to include things like extras. I don't think they can add site works until they test the land which they won't do until you pay a deposit with them. Re: Building a small home on a tight budget 10Jun 17, 2013 9:43 am I agree with the other posts and you should be able to build your home for your budget. Allow about $1,500-$1,800 per M2 of average standards. Your idea of saving on finishes is the best way to cut corners. If you are going for a concrete slab you may like an exposed steel trowel finish sealed with a full gloss sealant and rugs. The plywood floor would also look nice sealed with gloss or satin but you need to fill the joints with a flexible sealer. Plasterboard is the cheapest for walls and ceilings and there are lots of ways to dress this up with paint and texture. Joinery is expensive so stick to the basics don't include fancy inserts into cupboards-just the basic doors and shelves. Dress the joinery up with laminate colours (be adventurous) keep a tight rein on your fittings and appliances. Generally stick to standard products. External finishes can be dressed up even with the cheapest products. Appearance depends on details. take care that the documentation for your house is detailed enough to avoid variations if you're building a one off and carefully check the inclusions and contract if you are getting a kit home or a project home. When the build starts organise regular site visits to make sure that you get what you pay for. Good luck. Coming back to your old stomping grounds, huh? Renovations on a budget can be quite the journey. It's like giving your house a new lease on life. The twist of not knowing… 1 3456 Hi all, We are looking to build a new two storey house in western Sydney. Can anyone recommend a smallish builder to go with? We are trying to stay away from the big… 0 12042 consider putting in wall WC instead of robe in the same bedroom, then it might be doable to hook up to the existing piping. 4 6602 |