Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Nov 16, 2016 10:13 am Good morning, I wanted to bounce some assumptions off some more experienced people than myself in building and costing. I have a small parcel of land in a nice suburb, only 200 sqm, and intend to build on only half of it, the remaining to be garden and yard. My intention is to build a two bedroom house (townhouse style), two story with a single lock up garage on the bottom. The base to be lounge/kitchen and garage , upstairs, bathroom, two bedrooms with a possibility of making it three down the track. So: Lower floor: (11.5m X 5m) = 57.5 Sqm Upper floor: (10.5m X 4m) = 42 Sqm Total 99.5 Sqm or 10.72 Squares. Costing (high level) assumptions Lower floor: *Since half the bottom floor is garage, I would expect to pay less than for the rest of the house. Garage 5.5 * 5 = 27.5 Sqm @ $1,100 = $30,000 Lounge/kitchen Remaining 30 Sqm @ $1,500 = $45,000 Upper floor 42 Sqm @ $1,500 = $63,000 Total $138,000 Does this seem like a reasonable estimate? I assume there are fixed costs that remain constant disregarding how big the job is – how would I factor this in? Appreciate any constructive thoughts and feedback. Thank you. K Re: Small Block, small house build - high level assumptions 2Nov 16, 2016 10:38 am I'm building a small house! 245m2 block. 8.75x28m the price sound good! Mine is $187,000 for single storey.. My blog: http://thesmallhousestruggle.blogspot.com.au/?m=1 Re: Small Block, small house build - high level assumptions 3Nov 16, 2016 11:28 am valerie3e I'm building a small house! 245m2 block. 8.75x28m the price sound good! Mine is $187,000 for single storey.. My blog: http://thesmallhousestruggle.blogspot.com.au/?m=1 Thanks Valerie, I will follow with interest. Any links to that design? My costs are estimation only - using https://www.bmtqs.com.au/ figures - which are much more than what Melbourne builders have quoted per sqm. Re: Small Block, small house build - high level assumptions 4Nov 16, 2016 11:39 am I think I was quoted about 7-10k per square meter. The design is the Cherry 17 with beachwood constructions. I will inbox you My blog: http://thesmallhousestruggle.blogspot.com.au/?m=1 Re: Small Block, small house build - high level assumptions 12Nov 18, 2016 3:29 pm Hey. so glad to find someone wanting to build a small house instead of a McMansion. I would always urge you to include at least 20% for contingency for when things go wrong (and they will) or you change your mind (which you will). Also it is always worth investing in quality of size when it comes to construction. Try to get the best builder and materials you can afford and it will save you much more in maintenance and repairs later. Likewise with insulation and double glazing. Don't be tempted to scrimp on these as you would just pay for it later in your heating and (occasionally in Melbourne) cooling costs. You might want to check out this article: http://www.architectyourself.com/how-mu ... ou-afford/ Also, do you have a design for the house yet? How are you thinking you will get one? Re: Small Block, small house build - high level assumptions 13Nov 18, 2016 5:30 pm I would think you'd be paying more then $138k... my house is 150m2 and is costing 180k.. single storey though, and doubles are always a lot more (same house as mine in a double is around 240k+). Also depends on your specs, and whether you go custom or project builder.. good luck though, sounds like an interesting build. Re: Small Block, small house build - high level assumptions 14Nov 21, 2016 8:48 am architect_yourself Hey. so glad to find someone wanting to build a small house instead of a McMansion. I would always urge you to include at least 20% for contingency for when things go wrong (and they will) or you change your mind (which you will). Also it is always worth investing in quality of size when it comes to construction. Try to get the best builder and materials you can afford and it will save you much more in maintenance and repairs later. Likewise with insulation and double glazing. Don't be tempted to scrimp on these as you would just pay for it later in your heating and (occasionally in Melbourne) cooling costs. You might want to check out this article: http://www.architectyourself.com/how-mu ... ou-afford/ Also, do you have a design for the house yet? How are you thinking you will get one? Thanks - I just want to build a house I can afford (sensibly) and to have a yard for a dog and eventually kid / kids. I'm thinking a small townhouse design; I have sketched a rough model in a Linux CAD program, more to do with space, position on boundary/shadowing models and building height, setbacks, easements and fencing heights - than focusing on appearance, and visiting council on Friday to see how far I can push the boundaries (literally). I have a feeling the cost of building a small house won't be that different to building a larger house, that the fixed costs for just building "a" house are already high, so I'll try and make a balance between size, fair capitalisation, and not over cooking it. When I look at the existing design for the land I bought, the house was 280k for a 240 sqm two story house, now if I build half that size, a simple assumption would be 160k, but I don't think it works that simply. I probably have simpler taste than most of the production homes, my kitchen can be simple and smaller than most, the bathroom can have the toilet and only one toilet in the house (for the moment). I aim to design so that two bedrooms can expand to three (or reduce), and another toilet added downstairs in the future, so locate that near required plumbing. I've put a lot of thought into it, and future extensions..... Re: Small Block, small house build - high level assumptions 15Nov 21, 2016 8:54 am aloenyx I would think you'd be paying more then $138k... my house is 150m2 and is costing 180k.. single storey though, and doubles are always a lot more (same house as mine in a double is around 240k+). Also depends on your specs, and whether you go custom or project builder.. good luck though, sounds like an interesting build. Can I ask who you used to build? Thanks for responding. And agree - I don't think its so clear cut in the pricing. If I could get it all done for 160k I'd be happy. Re: Small Block, small house build - high level assumptions 16Nov 21, 2016 9:01 am KyouRTee architect_yourself Hey. so glad to find someone wanting to build a small house instead of a McMansion. I would always urge you to include at least 20% for contingency for when things go wrong (and they will) or you change your mind (which you will). Also it is always worth investing in quality of size when it comes to construction. Try to get the best builder and materials you can afford and it will save you much more in maintenance and repairs later. Likewise with insulation and double glazing. Don't be tempted to scrimp on these as you would just pay for it later in your heating and (occasionally in Melbourne) cooling costs. You might want to check out this article: http://www.architectyourself.com/how-mu ... ou-afford/ Also, do you have a design for the house yet? How are you thinking you will get one? Thanks - I just want to build a house I can afford (sensibly) and to have a yard for a dog and eventually kid / kids. I'm thinking a small townhouse design; I have sketched a rough model in a Linux CAD program, more to do with space, position on boundary/shadowing models and building height, setbacks, easements and fencing heights - than focusing on appearance, and visiting council on Friday to see how far I can push the boundaries (literally). I have a feeling the cost of building a small house won't be that different to building a larger house, that the fixed costs for just building "a" house are already high, so I'll try and make a balance between size, fair capitalisation, and not over cooking it. When I look at the existing design for the land I bought, the house was 280k for a 240 sqm two story house, now if I build half that size, a simple assumption would be 160k, but I don't think it works that simply. I probably have simpler taste than most of the production homes, my kitchen can be simple and smaller than most, the bathroom can have the toilet and only one toilet in the house (for the moment). I aim to design so that two bedrooms can expand to three (or reduce), and another toilet added downstairs in the future, so locate that near required plumbing. I've put a lot of thought into it, and future extensions..... This sounds like a very sensible approach to me. Don't think that you have to sacrifice appearance for cost though. Good design doesn't have to be expensive, it is just about thinking about things a bit more before diving in - something you see to be good at! Re: Small Block, small house build - high level assumptions 17Nov 21, 2016 9:08 am KyouRTee aloenyx I would think you'd be paying more then $138k... my house is 150m2 and is costing 180k.. single storey though, and doubles are always a lot more (same house as mine in a double is around 240k+). Also depends on your specs, and whether you go custom or project builder.. good luck though, sounds like an interesting build. Can I ask who you used to build? Thanks for responding. And agree - I don't think its so clear cut in the pricing. If I could get it all done for 160k I'd be happy. The easiest way to get an accurate price for you designs is to go to the market. Speak to a builder whom you trust and offer to pay him to price the job for you as it currently stands. If he thinks he is getting the job he may be tempted to make the figures seem a bit more optimistic, and if he is doing a free 'estimate' then he is likely to apply a simple sq. rate plus a few preliminary costs and it won't be that reliable. If you offer to pay him for your time and explain why you are doing it, he will be able to go out and get prices from all of the various trades and work out material costs etc and you will have a much better idea of what you are looking at. hope this helps! Re: Small Block, small house build - high level assumptions 18Nov 21, 2016 9:18 am architect_yourself You might want to check out this article: http://www.architectyourself.com/how-mu ... ou-afford/ Also, do you have a design for the house yet? How are you thinking you will get one? I don't have a formal design yet, I'm likely to use either the builders draftsman, or a local draftsman in the area I'm building. Architect is too expensive for me, and I'm going to keep it all very simple and easy to build. Re: Small Block, small house build - high level assumptions 19Nov 21, 2016 9:25 am Thats very interesting. I think a lot of people assume that Architects are expensive and make the project more complex. Not always the case but, to be honest, I am an architect and I couldn't afford an architect! ha ha I would be wary of a draftsmen, and especially a builders draftsmen (who essentially has the builders best interest, rather than your own at heart). They won't do much design for you. They tend to know how to drive CAD and what to do to get the relevant permits but, much like builders, tend to have a 'this is the way we always do it' mentality - which may or may not be right for your project. Remember a builder is in the business to make money. He will always try and make the project bigger or more expensive for you if he can because he has a vested interest (a drafty working for him will do the same. I would recommend getting someone independent to do the design work for you so that you can get the simple, affordable home that you want. You could also have a go at doing it yourself, at least at a sketch design level, before getting a drafty involved to draw it up and make the applications? It is not as hard as you think. maybe have a look at this: http://www.architectyourself.com/design-your-own-home/ Re: Small Block, small house build - high level assumptions 20Nov 21, 2016 9:33 am architect_yourself KyouRTee aloenyx I would think you'd be paying more then $138k... my house is 150m2 and is costing 180k.. single storey though, and doubles are always a lot more (same house as mine in a double is around 240k+). Also depends on your specs, and whether you go custom or project builder.. good luck though, sounds like an interesting build. Can I ask who you used to build? Thanks for responding. And agree - I don't think its so clear cut in the pricing. If I could get it all done for 160k I'd be happy. The easiest way to get an accurate price for you designs is to go to the market. Speak to a builder whom you trust and offer to pay him to price the job for you as it currently stands. If he thinks he is getting the job he may be tempted to make the figures seem a bit more optimistic, and if he is doing a free 'estimate' then he is likely to apply a simple sq. rate plus a few preliminary costs and it won't be that reliable. If you offer to pay him for your time and explain why you are doing it, he will be able to go out and get prices from all of the various trades and work out material costs etc and you will have a much better idea of what you are looking at. hope this helps! Thanks Mark it does. Appreciate the help and your PM. I'm at the point where once I know what the council will and won't allow, I can discuss with builders / designers with some knowledge of what I can and can't do. Geelong council have been quite helpful. I am a little chicken or the egg at this point. I don't want to burn through and annoy builders with low ball estimates and demands, and want to approach them well informed, giving them confidence I’m serious about my budget and goals, and that I can see a fair price, and they can too. I’m wondering, should I try the builders first with my CAD design and floor plan with a generic square costing assessment, or leave the costing out of it and see where they come back on. My concern is it might be too little a job to attract interest…….. I don’t want to muck up the first contact points. isn't a garage level with the rest of the house a given? pretty sure they 'came around' long time ago. if you have a flat block, the garage is usually level with the rest… 1 17511 It will be neat but you won't have much freeboard. At least they are not weep holes. Are you in a high intensity rainfall region? The regulatory slope is only required… 3 8245 Thanks mate. Yeah good points! Leaning towards Option 3 to get a bit extra space in the cabinets but not going too crazy high (and expensive). Would require a mini… 13 39469 |