Browse Forums Building A New House Re: First Time Builders/Buyers 5Apr 24, 2019 11:33 am alexp79 The best advice will be to buy yourself a good quality house and renovate it to your taste later Don't mess with the building, it is likely to be relatively stressful and expensive exercise. Thats still a possibility however we are looking in the lower blue mountains and would get a lot more for our money if we built! Re: First Time Builders/Buyers 6Apr 24, 2019 1:22 pm It depends, new houses generally cost more. But talk to the builders and see what they are offering. You would need a very warm and energy efficient house down there, ideally with a lot of thermal mass, I would be strongly considering either reverse brick veneer or ICF/double brick construction with good quality double/triple glazed windows for that area. This won't be cheap. Re: First Time Builders/Buyers 7Apr 24, 2019 2:18 pm I agree that new houses generally cost more. But then you can tailor everything to what you want, and there's less compromise. You're building the house with the layout you want, not what someone else built for their own needs. I'm building now and would happily build again - we couldn't find anything existing on the market, or that could be renovated to what we wanted for anything close to the price that we're building for, so there are a lot of things to weigh up, pros and cons for each. Re: First Time Builders/Buyers 8Apr 24, 2019 3:00 pm This is exactly what we are finding - and also a lot of the blue mountains houses are a lot older with structural issues (termites ect) and close to the top of our budget - wouldn’t leave much money for renovation! Re: First Time Builders/Buyers 9Apr 24, 2019 3:09 pm I always wondered how come people are still building wooden framed houses in termite infested areas. This is the one of the most insane things one would ever imagine and it is happening right in the middle of the 1st world country with the most expensive houses in the world. Monitor the offers, but I am quite sure you should be able to find some good older double or solid bricks in the area which will have much better quality than the "stick" house that you are considering to build. Keep in mind, it is the "buyer" market now, so you can always negotiate prices down and at the same time a lot of people decide not to sell at all, however, some who have no other choice and still want to sell and sell fast would have to go down for up to 30% off from the peak prices in 2017. Renovation can be done in iterations and gradually over time, count in the fact that you can start living in the house straight away, so save tons of money on rental, permits, earthworks etc. which is generally NOT part of your typical building contract. I can bet you $100 that you won't be able to build a high quality custom house with the total cost (land, registration, permits, design, earthworks, build, landscaping, rental during the build) cheaper than similar sized houses that are offered on the secondary market. Project home - may be, but the quality is likely to be subpar (read about issues and problems people are experiencing) and you won't be able to customise much either. Custom home - very unlikely. Re: First Time Builders/Buyers 10Apr 24, 2019 5:09 pm Thinking about a build? You really don't want to see these latest ABS (10/4/19) lagged figures on residential building starts "NEW PRIVATE SECTOR HOUSES
Folk are making their own decisions. How the building sector will respond to these rapidly changing conditions will be revealed as the year progresses. Re: First Time Builders/Buyers 11Apr 24, 2019 9:42 pm I would first find a house design that I really like. One that ticks all the boxes. Then find the best orientation for that house. Look for a block that fits the house. Before buying block get a soil test done or find out what you are up for foundation wise. Then throw arms up in air and realise all the good cheap blocks are gone and the t will cost too much to build Re: First Time Builders/Buyers 12Apr 25, 2019 5:09 pm First decide build or buy, If building decide volume or custom or some body like hotonda homes whom are a buying group for local builders. Then do your homework by talking to clients of your chosen builder,as this is a good way of knowing what to expect from your builder. Get a building inspector who has vast experience and qualifications such as building expert from this forum,this is a must to let builder know you have knowledge on your side. If buying land flat is better for waffle slabs and absolutely ensure that you have concrete right around your new house with a fall away from house so moisture levels around your slab are even,which makes slab heave and subsidence much less likely. Make sure builder uses temporary down pipes so no water sits next to slab, although this is mandatory ,many builders still don't do this. Listen very little to salesman who are not builders but trying to sell to you for their commission,get a pre contract inspection has hia or MBA contracts are unfairly heavily in favour of builders,be prepared before signing contract to walk away, keep learning about best practices as builders will appoint trades often on how easy the home owner is to please, good luck,learn and be rewarded. 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 4946 Thanks NativeZen! I can't wait to start landscaping, though it's going to be a while away yet. No movement on site yet as of the weekend. Hoping to see some earthworks… 3 2148 I’m curious about how you went with this. We are planning a KDRB and considering Plantation Homes as a builder. I’m aware that after the demolition another soil test… 1 6321 |