Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Apr 03, 2014 12:15 pm We have recently bought a block in Sanctuary Cove (a golf/marina resort in SE QLD) and are researching builders. So far we've only looked at project builders and in general I'm quite happy with what I'm finding. But something is nagging at the back of my mind, should I be looking at a custom build? The area has a combination of architectural homes and more traditional ones, some are very large and upscale, we couldn't afford that but want to build something that's in keeping with the area, basically don't want to under captialise. I know costings to build a 45ish sq two story home from a project builder and this is seems do-able within our budget - something like http://www.plantationhomes.com.au/new-h ... ire-series or http://www.metricon.com.au/queensland/homes/franklin I'm guessing if we went custom we'd need to look at a smaller plan, still sufficient for us. Before even approaching a custom builder I'm looking for opinions on: - Roughly how much more does a custom build over a project one (double? 50% more?) for a similar house - Is a custom build likely to take significantly longer? Cheers, Re: Project vs custom build? 2Apr 03, 2014 12:22 pm In my experience of shopping around it depends on different factors. Shouldn't take longer. Cost wise custom builds in Victoria I found started at $10000 per square and the average was 12-15 per square depending on the finishes. A highly finished house with architectural detail was about 15- 20 per square. You could start with some plans and get an idea of costings. Most builders I approached were pretty solid with estimates once they looked at my plans. Re: Project vs custom build? 3Apr 03, 2014 12:39 pm i built a custom home living in a country town and having limited builders . i went with a builder new to town and i got the custom home i wanted within budget including the black and white bath living areas that took advantage of pool and views. Re: Project vs custom build? 4Apr 03, 2014 4:39 pm freemike I know costings to build a 45ish sq two story home from a project builder and this is seems do-able within our budget - something like http://www.plantationhomes.com.au/new-h ... ire-series or http://www.metricon.com.au/queensland/homes/franklin I'm guessing if we went custom we'd need to look at a smaller plan, still sufficient for us. I don't know you or your family situation or anything, but do you need a 45sq home? Our house is custom, but 35sq including garage, and it's HUUGE as far as I am concerned. Any bigger and I would honestly start to think the extra space a waste, plus more to heat, cool and clean. If you went with something smaller you could have something more suited with extra detailing/features. Also I much prefer a custom builder & it doesn't have to be a builder that only builds say 4 houses a year, but maybe 40, as opposed to hundreds. That's just my opinion! My Hamptons build (completed): viewtopic.php?f=31&t=63370 Moved in Wednesday 11th Dec 2013 Front landscaping completed June 2016 Re: Project vs custom build? 5Apr 04, 2014 4:23 pm cinder freemike I know costings to build a 45ish sq two story home from a project builder and this is seems do-able within our budget - something like http://www.plantationhomes.com.au/new-h ... ire-series or http://www.metricon.com.au/queensland/homes/franklin I'm guessing if we went custom we'd need to look at a smaller plan, still sufficient for us. I don't know you or your family situation or anything, but do you need a 45sq home? Our house is custom, but 35sq including garage, and it's HUUGE as far as I am concerned. Any bigger and I would honestly start to think the extra space a waste, plus more to heat, cool and clean. If you went with something smaller you could have something more suited with extra detailing/features. Also I much prefer a custom builder & it doesn't have to be a builder that only builds say 4 houses a year, but maybe 40, as opposed to hundreds. That's just my opinion! That's fine and I totally understand, the answer is no we don't but our previous home was about 45 squares and to be honest the location kind of warrants 40+ sq, the land is quite expensive and the street has homes up to 60 sq (and maybe more) so we need to find the right balance. Re: Project vs custom build? 6Apr 04, 2014 4:28 pm I agree with you mike. What you can get by on is different to what you want and if you can afford then go for it. You are absolutely correct about building for the area. Nothing will lose you money quicker than under capitalising on your build. Cinder, glad 350 works for you, I respect that but please appreciate that many people have many opinions. Re: Project vs custom build? 7Apr 04, 2014 4:32 pm Our custom build is around $1050 per metre squared. For 38sq single story. http://www.betterthansheets.com.au - Why use sheets for curtains in your brand new home use Better Than Sheets Temporary Paper blinds instead! Re: Project vs custom build? 8Apr 04, 2014 4:35 pm Both the plans look nice, though I think I prefer the Plantation design as it isn't quite as square. But that is just personal. The best thing you can do is start up a comparison, between the two project builders you are looking at, their standard inclusions and any promotions you can take advantage of and see if price wise they are similar, or if one gives you more/etc. Then I guess you can either sketch up your own idea for your house and take it to builders for them to draft it, and give you costings for what kind of fittings, etc you'd be after. Once you've got all that, I'd say only then you can make a real decision if you aren't sure which way you'd like to go. I know my partner and I had a real headache finding a house plan from a project builder than met our requirements, but in the end found one, and to us it was easier than going through finding a custom and going through a lot of plan iterations that way around. That, and we could get a ballpark figure easier (well in my mind). Re: Project vs custom build? 9Apr 04, 2014 4:59 pm The price of a custom build also depends on if you use a big builder or architecht. When we did our last project, we used a draftsman and then went to tender with a number of builders on the same set of plans. We ended up using a small builder. The advantage is the direct communication line with the builder. BLOG: http://www.ourphoenix38.blogspot.com.au H1 THREAD: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=70454 Re: Project vs custom build? 10Apr 05, 2014 4:47 pm We went with a project home builder because we both work full time and have kids. It seemed like the easy option. Boy were we wrong. Its taken such an insanely long time, and I don' t have what I would have put in the home in terms of fittings. If I were to do it again, I'd go a custom build. Re: Project vs custom build? 11Apr 05, 2014 4:53 pm We went with a project builder because we had a fair idea of what we wanted, and what we wanted was estimated to cost $1.2m via a custom builder. It was something of a shock, not realising that what's standard elsewhere in the world attracts a stupidly high premium here; so we effectively "gave up" and just went with a project build. Re: Project vs custom build? 12Jul 23, 2014 2:41 pm Forg We went with a project builder because we had a fair idea of what we wanted, and what we wanted was estimated to cost $1.2m via a custom builder. It was something of a shock, not realising that what's standard elsewhere in the world attracts a stupidly high premium here; so we effectively "gave up" and just went with a project build. How much did you save approximately going with the project builder? I was thinking of going the other way from project builder to custom builder just because we felt that the project builder is not being competitive enough. Re: Project vs custom build? 13Jul 23, 2014 2:47 pm Shambini The price of a custom build also depends on if you use a big builder or architecht. When we did our last project, we used a draftsman and then went to tender with a number of builders on the same set of plans. We ended up using a small builder. The advantage is the direct communication line with the builder. I am looking at both avenues. Do you think there was cost savings by the path you took? Re: Project vs custom build? 14Mar 17, 2015 5:14 pm I'm not sure if you are still looking at your options (you've probably made your decision by now) but I thought I'd share what we found when we were looking at the same thing. We're based in VIC and were looking at working with Independent builders as we had already completed an owner-builder reno and thought it would be better to go that way than with a volume builder. Once we started comparing the costs of working with multiple trades (architects, surveyors, demolishers, carpenters, painters, electricians, etc) and the effort in managing all of it versus working with a boutique builder we found the cost to be approx $100k in difference. However, after talking to Metricon, Latitude 37 and POD we ended up going with Carter Grange. It's a fully custom home with some hefty upgrades but it's still comparable to working with an Independent Builder - around $13-14k per sq for a large double. You can see more detail on our blog: http://cartergrangecustom50.blogspot.com.au/ Hope this is helpful. Our Sperway Homes Custom Build: http://sperwayhomescustom.blogspot.com.au/ Our Carter Grange Custom Home: http://cartergrangecustom50.blogspot.com.au Thank you so much everyone. This all makes a lot of sense. I guess when you talk to a builder who butters up everything to look very polished, you get to start believing… 8 2249 I'd get the gutters to match your roof and pipes to match the paint - otherwise they become a feature. Nice pick with the paint colours! 1 26303 6 43127 |