Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Jun 17, 2017 1:45 pm Hi all! My husband and I have decided to start the journey of a KDR. We've been doing our research (read: I have been doing all the research haha) and finding everything quite overwhelming at the moment. We want to build single storey and have a square block, so having trouble finding existing designs with builders without having to do modifications. Have had some wonderful conversations with various builders and have 2 appointments booked in tomorrow for further chats. On the other hand, we had another well-known company contact us back and when I told him we had a budget of $350,000 for the build (knock-down, landscaping and other we will do later, not included in the 350) he ascertained that we would NOT be able to get ANYTHING for that. They basic gist of the conversation was... increase your budget to high 300's and we can talk, otherwise enjoy getting an inferior product. I guess I wanted to start this topic because we're new to this and want all the advice we can get. - What questions should we be asking at these initial consultations? - It's great to know the inclusions, but what are the things that are generally not included we might otherwise forget about? - If you could give us one piece of advice what would it be? We appreciate the help; two very stressed and worried first time builders. Re: First time building - conflicting information... stresse 2Jun 17, 2017 1:59 pm When you are starting out one of the first things to understand is the basic builders price should say FROM $x If you go around a builders display home and want to duplicate all the upgrades you could add tens of thousands of dollars to the price (check this link; Can you afford the display home) In addition to the upgrade prices its most likely for a knock down rebuild there are going to be extras for:
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: First time building - conflicting information... stresse 3Jun 17, 2017 3:10 pm Are you going to handle knockdown, I would speak to customers of whomever you choose, try to minimise add ons after signing contract, you could also do savings such as, tiling only one wall right up to ceiling. Try and check your power points if needing more before contract, don't do too many downlights with builder as they are generally real expensive, you can do wallpaper, furniture, etc after wards as you save more, it's a marathon not a race, your on the right track with, can do some things later, keep doing research, it's invaluable, best of luck. Re: First time building - conflicting information... stresse 4Jun 17, 2017 3:17 pm What a load of bull our house is $280k plus site costs this including flooring and an amazing range to chose from. Don't build with a builder your not comfortable with they are always looking out for them selves Re: First time building - conflicting information... stresse 5Jun 17, 2017 3:35 pm Although narrow frontage blocks & narrow house designs are more common, I'd much rather have a square-shaped block. A square block greatly reduces the chance that you will be overshadowed by your neighbours, & increases opportunities to orientate your house correctly, with your living areas facing north. Designing your house with your living areas (& a large proportion of your glazing) facing north is called 'passive solar design'. This takes the suns path, across the northern sky, into account. Choosing a plan that follows passive design principles will result in a house that is light & bright, will be warmed by abundant sunshine in winter, & shaded in summer. Not only will the house be more comfortable, but you'll save money on your energy bills too. More information on passive design & orientation can be found on this extremely informative government website, http://www.yourhome.gov.au/passive-design/orientation Re: First time building - conflicting information... stresse 6Jun 17, 2017 10:14 pm How wide is your frontage? And what is the orientation of the block? You should be able to get a single storey house easily under $350k. I'd be looking at houses with a base price under $250k though. Is there more than 1 metre fall across your block? In these initial consultations you just want to find out as much about the inclusions as possible IMO- do they include site costs, rain water tank, sarking, alfresco slab? What is their upgrade package? How long can you fix the tender price for (especially important for a KDR)? What is their build contract timeframe for KDRs? Ask for the price list for the upgrades in their display home. There's a whole thread pinned on here about things you may forget- very helpful. Things not included that spring to mind- nowhere near enough powerpoints, we added 22 extra doubles. Soundscreen insulation. Privacy locks and privacy glass. Flyscreens. Gas point to alfresco. Tap for fridge space. NBN provisioning and data points. Building Monte Carlo 40- Wisdom homes Building Monte Carlo 40- Wisdom homes Re: First time building - conflicting information... stresse 7Jun 18, 2017 12:25 am Needamoneytree What a load of bull our house is $280k plus site costs this including flooring and an amazing range to chose from. Don't build with a builder your not comfortable with they are always looking out for them selves Thanks needamoneytree for restoring our confidence. He really took me for a loop. Pretty rude, pretty blunt and did nothing but bag out another company who we have received an estimate quote from. Re: First time building - conflicting information... stresse 8Jun 18, 2017 12:29 am MandM+4 How wide is your frontage? And what is the orientation of the block? You should be able to get a single storey house easily under $350k. I'd be looking at houses with a base price under $250k though. Is there more than 1 metre fall across your block? In these initial consultations you just want to find out as much about the inclusions as possible IMO- do they include site costs, rain water tank, sarking, alfresco slab? What is their upgrade package? How long can you fix the tender price for (especially important for a KDR)? What is their build contract timeframe for KDRs? Ask for the price list for the upgrades in their display home. There's a whole thread pinned on here about things you may forget- very helpful. Things not included that spring to mind- nowhere near enough powerpoints, we added 22 extra doubles. Soundscreen insulation. Privacy locks and privacy glass. Flyscreens. Gas point to alfresco. Tap for fridge space. NBN provisioning and data points. Building Monte Carlo 40- Wisdom homes We're on a 26 frontage and 27 length. Pretty much a box! Yes there significant fall, but hubby has mates who do the earthworks for slab before they are laid for various building companies, so hubby and mate sorting out the block before we build. Didn't think about the tender price fixing duration, thank you. Re: First time building - conflicting information... stresse 9Jun 18, 2017 1:00 pm CC555 Needamoneytree What a load of bull our house is $280k plus site costs this including flooring and an amazing range to chose from. Don't build with a builder your not comfortable with they are always looking out for them selves Thanks needamoneytree for restoring our confidence. He really took me for a loop. Pretty rude, pretty blunt and did nothing but bag out another company who we have received an estimate quote from. No worries you need to be happy when spending that amount of money Can anyone give me any onfo on New Homes WA? Good or bad, hopefully good just need to know if my choice was good or not? Thanks ❤️ 0 9185 0 5137 We are at the stage on our build in Kilcoy, Queensland where we need to get our fencing installed but we cant get any contact details for our neighbours to give them… 0 6412 |