Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Nov 17, 2006 11:44 pm Hi All,
We are thinking of building a double storey house with Porter Davis at the moment. The title for our land won't be released until Aug-Sep next year but they are happy to book in for early Oct site start. I realize that it is bit early for us to lock down to a builder but one of the sales consultant at PD has told us that there are going to be couple of price rises by the time our land will be released and our building cost will go up. Speaking to few of my friends they have suggested that we should wait as due to recent interest rate rise and possibility of another one in next year builders will probaby throw in more promotions and better deal next year and probably won't increase their price that much. However I'm bit skeptic that I might be loosing this opportunity of locking down the price now and not worry about the price rise later. The sales consultant that we are dealing with has also given us an option of capping the price rise with a reasonable cap limit. I was wondering if any one can express their views on this and suggest whether it will be wise for us to lock down the price now or should we wait until next year? Thanks Rajeev Re: To build or not to build??? 2Nov 18, 2006 7:52 pm Hi Rajeev.
I would look at the promotions being offered and find one to your liking, and that will give you the best possible deal. For example, we built a 27 square home, but the deal for an extra 4 squares gave us about 20 cms per room, not really worth the rpomo. The pack we got was for a few upgrades which saved us some $$$$. Bear in mind that if you wait, the house prie can go up, ours went up 10$k since we signed up in March this year. Adrian B Re: To build or not to build??? 3Nov 20, 2006 1:58 pm Hi Rajeev,
I think that's one of the risks you take when you lock in to a fixed price builder (such as PD). We are building with PD (just waiting on the land to be released) and fixed the contract back in May/June this year. The promotion that is out now (with granite benchtops etc.) is one that we would have loved and when we look at all of the upgrades/extras we put in to our home, we are kicking ourselves that they have brought this promotion out now. But then again, it's the risk we took. I agree with Adrian that it is best to weigh up the 'extras' as opposed to the base house cost and what you actually want in your house. Hope it goes well with PD .... looking forward to hearing about it. Amber http://ourdreamhouse.blogspot.com/ Re: To build or not to build??? 4Dec 04, 2006 10:22 pm Amber & Adrian
First of all my applogise for not thanking you for your replies as I have been quite busy lately. We have now been booked for a tender appointment in the Feb next year and are hoping that we won't come across any surprises as it has been talked about in other topics in this forum. One thing that has come to us by surprise so far is the allowance that PD has quoted for the site cost. Thay have included $15000.00 for our site cost in the quote and to me this seems to be way over the price they are quoting to some other customers. I asked the sales person and she said that as they can't do the soil test and don't know the condition of land now, it is hard to estimate the exact site cost and as such she has included more that what it would cost. But I still think the allowance is too high and not sure whether it would actually reduce much when they will give us final site cost, i.e. after they have done the soil test. Re: To build or not to build??? 5Dec 04, 2006 11:31 pm That site allowance seems awefully high. We're also building with PD & had issues with our soil test back when we were purchasing...the developer didn't lodge the site compaction reports & so the soil test initially came back as a P (it later got re-rated to an H after the reports were filed & independant testing was done...long story)...we were quoted $20000 for full on drilling & piling & other expensive things we wanted to avoid...so $15000 for a normal block seems excessive.
Obviously your site costs will depend on a variety of factors but to give you an idea, our site costs & connections (over & above the standard "included" package, which includes termite protection, etc) for an H class slab in our area with virtually no fall was $3324. Then our temp fencing was quoted as $1918 for all 4 sides (obviously this would have reduced if we'd been able to get our fences up before they went onsite). Are you not able to organise a soil test now? It should be a standard clause in your land purchase agreement that the sale is conditional on an acceptable soil test - we got ours done through PD, which meant we essentially had paid our deposit...so when it came time to sort out the house, etc, we were able to take advantage of the package deal they had going at the time we paid for the soil test (which was far better than anything else I've seen them offer this year). I personally would weigh up whether the package deal they have now is suitable for your needs...& if it isn't, maybe wait until the new year & see what they're offering. The prices might not go up...no point in getting pressured into signing anything yet on the offchance they might. But I *would* get a soil test done if you haven't done so already. PD will charge you $600 for it but it goes towards the deposit on your home plus it'll give you a better idea of site costs...only catch is you need to know what type of house you're building. Good luck. Re: To build or not to build??? 6Dec 05, 2006 11:46 am Hi rajmicky,
I totally understand your situation regarding this whole to build or not to build matter. We are also building with PD (post Tender stage at the moment) and I think that the advantage with the PD is that upon paying the $600 to secure price etc. you don't really need to front up any other money until Tender stage. That is assuming you want to proceed. So essentially, the only money you do not get back is the $600 which they use for the soil test and a basic drawing of the house you want plus/minus any structural changes. But indeed the catch is you need to know what house you want to build. However, a PD employee once told me that one couple completely changed their house two weeks prior to their original tender. I, too, questioned the quote they gave us for site cost ($12k) as I thought it was a bit steep. My friend built with PD also and their site costs were considerably less (around the $7k mark). However, we found out at our Tender appointment that our block of land - while it looks really flat with no rocks - is actually a P class land. But they are actually going to place a H class slab with piers. Something about if the fill is greater than 30cm you then need piers. I don't know how much exactly piers cost. All I know is it's a lot. Anyway, so apparently there's another stage to this whole site costing/slab thing but because we got a house and land package our site costs is fixed. So, if they come back saying there's more work or piers needed then it's out of PD's pocket and not ours. My point is, is exactly what epiphany said, and get a soil test done to see what you're up against. In regards to wether you should even proceed, I also agree with other posters. Determine what you want right from the very start and that will help you decide if the timing is right with promotions and prices etc. One of the main reasons we went with PD is that a lot of the stuff we wanted is included in their base price and promotions. The house we are building already has an alfresco (others would charge extra for it) and their current promotions allowed us to have a lof of extra stuff that would've otherwise cost a lot - eg. stone benchtops. The only thing we really added was a 1.9m extension to the alfresco, some overhead kitchen cupboards, spa in the ensuite and an upgrade on some taps and handles. Everything else as standard was a-okay! [sneakersss] Re: To build or not to build??? 7Dec 05, 2006 12:16 pm It is important to distinguish between provisional allowances and actual cost that you will pay.
Smart builders will give a higher figure so that when building starts, if it turns out that it is going to cost a lot, you already have the allowance. If it turns out that it costs a lot less than quoted, you won't have to pay it. You don't have to pay the full provisional allowance if it turns out not to be needed. It does mean that if you are getting a bank loan, you are more likely to be able to reduce the loan rather than need to increase it. It is prudent and it is sensible for such unpredictable items. Ultimately, it is probably more important to check the need for the slab type/footings etc when finalised. In some cases, this will only be after soil tests and possibly even after site works. 3timesbuilder Re: To build or not to build??? 8Dec 06, 2006 8:07 pm Our land developer is VicUrban and they did mention at the time of land release that they are going to provide the site compaction report, however, I'm not exactly sure what difference the site compaction report makes, as speaking to few builders they don't seem to care about it (Pardon my ignorance but we are still getting familiar with all the building related terms and process as we are going along) .
Just to answer your question epiphany, PD has quoted us based on H class slab and unfortunately, we can't have our soil test done now as VicUrban hasn't started the process of sub-dividing etc. yet. They are quoting May-June'07 as the start date and settlement of land to be in August next year. These all things has sort of put us in a difficult situation....as the way I understand the soil test couldn't be done until the land is ready and the land won't be ready at the time of tender stage in Feb next year - so we wouldn't know the actual site cost until the contract stage or may be later. I totally agree with you all that my decision to proceed ahead should be totally based upon what I need and what special promotions & prices etc. are currently being offered and this was one of the major factor that has made us decide to go ahead with PD. However, I was just bit worried about few unknowns (site cost & price rise etc.) which I thought may go in my favour or go against me. As 3timesbuilda suggested provisional allowance is a not a bad thing to be quoted by the builders so that you know the ball figure that you would probably end up spending, and which can also assist in managing your finances better. But, my problem is that I'm not sure whether PD will actually reduce my cost as I would have already signed the Tender (may be Contract as well) by the time the soil test is done and total site cost is re-calculated. Please bear with me if I'm unable to understand anything here. rajmicky advantages of modular homes!! 9Dec 18, 2006 9:35 pm Hi,
We are introducing a new idea in home building area i.e., Modular homes. The quality of modular housing is superior to conventional building. The modular process moves more quickly because the house is fully specified when ordered. The range of modular homes styles, quality of the modular homes, advantages of modular homes in the modern world and how long it take to build a modular homes? These all are general worries we clearly define via our site. We want to know about the popularity of the modular homes in new level of construction except than schools, homes, and churches? With Regards, Eimee Theresa James http://www.sandcastlegroup.net Re: To build or not to build??? 10Dec 20, 2006 2:40 pm Hi Eimee,
These look like nice homes. Are you based in Australia? Which state? What would something like the 4 bedroom Cape cost as presented on your web site (rougidea, within $25K and with typical inclusions? Are your delivery and completion times for real? I am not being sarcastic or anything, you just seem to be too good to be true. I would really appreciate some answers on this. I am still trying to get around that you can have a home completed in (according to the info below) as little as 3 to 5 weeks. Am I getting the wrong idea here? Please answer my questions so I can understand what you are about. Regards 3timesbuilda Q: How long does it take to build a modular home? A: Speed and consistent quality are two of the many advantages for choosing a modular home. The factories range from 3 to 5 working days to produce a house in their facilities. While Sandcastle Group prepares the foundation at your site, the factory's craftsmen construct the modular sections of your home. By producing your home indoors, building materials are kept out of wind, rain, and snow as well as protected from vandalism and theft (common job site dilemmas). Most framing, drywall, electrical and plumbing components, bath fixtures, countertops, cabinetry, and the flooring are installed at the factory, which means you don't have to hire more people to install different components in your home. This greatly enhances affordability and saves valuable move-in time. After the home is delivered to your site, it can take anywhere from 2 to 4 weeks (depending on style and complexity) for Sandcastle Group to complete the finish work. 2 4465 The gap can be adjusted so it's tighter. You can definitely set up corner cabinets to have the same gap as standard doors. 2 8587 The HIA contract, in the term & conditions section states that "Commencment" is deemed when the drainage is started or the piers are dug or the slab is formed up (incase… 2 4805 |