Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Aug 30, 2008 10:41 pm Hello everyone. This is my first post after reading through quite a bit and it's a great forum.
My husband and I are putting together a budget for our dream home and I am just wondering as we are going through a project builder is it best to get them to arrange the extras like floor coverings, blinds, decks & light fittings etc or are we best to get that done externally? Or would it really come down to the builder we choose? Thanks! Re: Flooring/Lighting/Decks etc 2Aug 30, 2008 11:01 pm Hi and welcome.
Personally, i'm getting all that stuff done after handover. If you get the builder to do it, they put their markup on everything, which can be anything from 10% to 20%. You may also find you have to upgrade from their standard stuff, which is extra again. If you do it yourself you get a much wider choice and better prices. Judie Re: Flooring/Lighting/Decks etc 3Aug 30, 2008 11:10 pm This all depends on what your priorities and circumstances are. We are getting tiles and carpet through the builder. Most people don't.
Our tiles worked out about $45 per m2 for laying on top of the cost of the tiles. A tiler costs at least $40. Then we would have to find a decent one to come out to where we are. Also they are rectified porcelain so the slab has to be really level and I just want it done so it's the builder's problem. For us it was just easier to get the builder to do everything instead of mucking around. Even if it does end up costing a bit more. But floor coverings would be all I'd consider getting the builder to do. Everything else is easy enough after handover. Jo I leave you to fend for yourself, figure things out yourself. Terrence Malick Re: Flooring/Lighting/Decks etc 4Aug 31, 2008 9:06 am Here's an example of builders mark-up, and why it is sometimes worth paying for it.
We were going to get carpet included as part of the package; the line item on the contract meant that an allowance of just over $6k was made for builders range carpet. We organised our own carpet, of superior quality, to be installed for around $5.5k. The thing to remember though is that we were extremely lucky to have had the carpet installed before handover; you may or may not be so lucky. The value you get out of supplying some of your own inclusions such as carpet may well be eroded by not being able to have them installed before handover, depending on your builder. If your supervisor is not very friendly, you could be living on concrete floors for weeks. Geoff - Decophile. Re: Flooring/Lighting/Decks etc 5Aug 31, 2008 1:47 pm Another example (but this is crazy WA pricing)
If we get the builder to paint our house internally......just our walls......(ceilings,doors and door frames are included in build price).......he will charge us $12,000 for a 2 storey 150m2 house...... If we paint ourselves(mostly hubby), it will cost us in paint about $2000. Thats $10,000 in labour............... So thats a good reason to do what you can after hanover or if the builder allows, get your own trades in before the home is finished. Hi there, We've just build a new hardwood (Greybox) deck and am wondering whether firepit protective mats/surfaces are sufficient? I'm not sure that they're heat… 0 2115 Building Standards; Getting It Right! 1. optional, you can but normally just use the earth from the main switch board 2. should be enough but the distance determines voltage drop - sparky should work it… 1 28812 I have a really long hallway which is 1100mm W x 11500mm L I would appreciate if anyone can give suggestions to light it up with Linear LED lights that goes from wall to… 0 8813 |