Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Oct 23, 2015 2:23 am Hi everyone, I want to design and build a custom house spending in the vicinity of $1mil. I'm not sure whether it will be better to use a custom builder that has homes on display that I can customise and will take me through the whole process from start to finish, or if I should go through an architect and individual builder. Has anyone here had experience designing and building with an architect? I'm in Sydney so if anyone has a builder/architect they want to recommend I would appreciate it. I want to get started but feeling completely lost! Re: Architect design and built house 3Oct 23, 2015 8:01 am Hi Iwannahouse It depends how far you want your million dollars to stretch. Both approaches have strengths and weaknesses eg How complex is the design and will it require an architect to administer it,that will cost $100k Project builders have a pretty good formula for delivering homes but.... but the salesman might get $30k commission and so on? Commissions , high fees and profits, lower the amount you are left with to physically build with. Approx Fees Engineer..1% Salesman..3% Architect.. 10% Builders margin..20% and that is before a brick is laid. Know where your money is going is what I tell my clients Designer,Engineer (Civil,Const & Envir),Builder,Concrete & Masonry Contract.Struct Repairs Re: Architect design and built house 4Oct 23, 2015 8:20 am I'm interested in the same thing. I'm in Sydney too. A friend's builder husband did her newly completed house but they had architect friends come twice to advise on layout / light. I was so impressed with her house - what I loved most are the huuuge windows and doors everywhere, timber hardwood stained. It made such a difference. (I did a reno last year in my current home and used wood bifolds, windows and looks amazing too) So I'll probably go custom builder after I give him my ideas, with emphasis on the biggest possible windows and widest doors (except in the west facing walls where it'd be too hot) and very very high ceilings but still considering... Re: Architect design and built house 5Oct 24, 2015 12:08 am I'm in Sydney and we went custom with house designer team. Expect to pay around 20-30K to get you pass DA. That includes hydraulic engineer, all working plans, statement of environmental effect, landscape plans. $1mil is a great budget how big of a house you want? Do you want full brick? Polished concrete floors, underground carpark, commercial grade windows, render or bricks. Everything adds up, best to do all your research and ask people around your suburb who have build or are building, if they recommend their builder. That's how we found ours. What suburb your building in? Some time you don't want to over capitalize, and better off just going project home. I'm loving the flexibility of my builder tho, I can change on the go if it's doable he give me the ok. viewtopic.php?f=31&t=75739&p=1299716#p1299716 Re: Architect design and built house 6Oct 24, 2015 8:20 am You may also want to check out some homes in your area that were built say 5-10 years ago? eg, coastal builds, may require high maintenance and structural repairs which may not be evident straight away. Designer,Engineer (Civil,Const & Envir),Builder,Concrete & Masonry Contract.Struct Repairs Re: Architect design and built house 7Oct 25, 2015 9:57 pm Hades I'm interested in the same thing. I'm in Sydney too. A friend's builder husband did her newly completed house but they had architect friends come twice to advise on layout / light. I was so impressed with her house - what I loved most are the huuuge windows and doors everywhere, timber hardwood stained. It made such a difference. (I did a reno last year in my current home and used wood bifolds, windows and looks amazing too) So I'll probably go custom builder after I give him my ideas, with emphasis on the biggest possible windows and widest doors (except in the west facing walls where it'd be too hot) and very very high ceilings but still considering... Yep! I want high ceilings, full length panels of glass, large windows, large doors and lots of light everywhere! May I ask which custom builder you are considering? Re: Architect design and built house 8Oct 25, 2015 10:09 pm Building4my3tots I'm in Sydney and we went custom with house designer team. Expect to pay around 20-30K to get you pass DA. That includes hydraulic engineer, all working plans, statement of environmental effect, landscape plans. $1mil is a great budget how big of a house you want? Do you want full brick? Polished concrete floors, underground carpark, commercial grade windows, render or bricks. Everything adds up, best to do all your research and ask people around your suburb who have build or are building, if they recommend their builder. That's how we found ours. What suburb your building in? Some time you don't want to over capitalize, and better off just going project home. I'm loving the flexibility of my builder tho, I can change on the go if it's doable he give me the ok. viewtopic.php?f=31&t=75739&p=1299716#p1299716 I am building in inner west and have a flat block of land. I want to put in an underground garage and full brick house with render. I would also love the flexibility to change anything throughout the build without penalty. I have shortlisted architects BC&A based in Strathfield and custom builder Morrison Homes. Any thoughts on them? So would it be less expensive to go through custom builder than architect + builder?? Re: Architect design and built house 9Oct 26, 2015 7:55 am I haven't dealt with either of them, you should take to jsmi who is on the forum, he is in the same boat as you bespoke house with basement carpark plans. Inner west too. My builder is very small. Very experienced, but only does 2 house in a year; he's not free until this time next year. In saying that I took me nearly a year to get everything planning was sorted. viewtopic.php?f=31&t=75739&p=1299716#p1299716 Re: Architect design and built house 10Nov 15, 2015 8:37 pm Hi Long time reader first time poster. I am currently building with Morrison Homes. I can recommend them. But it does depend what you're looking for. If you are still weighing it up feel free to send me a personal message and I can give you more info. Your build is relatively simple, I believe your job can be easily done by a good building designer, you really do not need to pay for the architect. 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