Browse Forums Owner Builder Forum 1 Jul 04, 2009 3:54 pm I'm designing my house plan - the usual 3 (maybe 4) room - maybe two living areas - one bathroom.... Are there any house design tips that could save me costs in the long run? IE I read someone say a square house is cheaper than a rectangular house to build? (not sure how true this is?) And or of course things like no inbuilt cupboards in bedrooms.... any other ideas or suggestions would be great! Re: Any tips for saving building costs in designing house plan? 2Jul 04, 2009 5:23 pm ok keep all plumbing on one side if possible always work in increments of 300mm as everything from wood doors ect... comes in that format go visit a window place and ask for a copy of their standard windows as standard anything is cheaper built in robes in all rooms are a must so totally out way the cost factor think of resell keep your roof pitch below 25degrees as any higher you need scaffolding keep the roof line simple gable ends as hip and valley roofs are dearer flat roofs are the cheapest but im not partial to them and if not done properly they can leak draw your plans up measure current room sizes in the house your in to make sure you are happy changing your mind costs money so make sure you sit down and think of every room and its purpose now and in the future good luck and enjoy the journey stay safe happy building Re: Any tips for saving building costs in designing house plan? 3Jul 04, 2009 5:56 pm Thank you so much! I really appreciate it! Re: Any tips for saving building costs in designing house plan? 4Jul 04, 2009 8:54 pm Hi O/B1, what BS said is spot on - if anyone can build to a budget BS is the best in the game... & i've built a few but shes way better at it than me. rect angle is cheaper than square, as u need to keep span distances down. definately put ur own built ins in - we're doing it now & total material cost for 3 @ 2.000 X 2.720 X .600 was $280. plumbing on one line is a must - if u can always try to get a high volume waste water outlet (ie shower or laundry trough) behind a toilet line ( helps to keep the poos moving & saves blockages over the long life of house ) but the other big issue in saving is what materials u r going to use - thats where there r big savings in building cos the more u physically do the more u save! imo timber frame with metal clad roof is the best way to get best area of build for money. hope that might help. cheers tony Re: Any tips for saving building costs in designing house plan? 5Jul 04, 2009 9:13 pm Research... Research...Research... Plan...Plan...Plan... Keep it simple... Rectangle is best, but don't make it boring... There are plenty of "Standard" size doors and windows, but within this range you will find more ecomonical sizes... These are due to the quantity that the project builders are using... i.e. Internal doors come in 620 through 1020 in 50mm increments, but the most economical size is 820! You are far better off to spend a couple of months working on a design, than rushing a design and making changes during construction... Draw up what you think you want.. Go look at display homes and have a good look at layouts.. Leave your design on the fridge for a month and look at it once a week... Leave it for another month, without looking at it and you'll change things that you hadn't thought of before! If you are new to building/construction, get a professional or expert to assist...Knowledge is invaluable! Get on board with good contractors... They can make or break you! Cheap, may be cheap upfront, but will more than likely cost you down the track! Quality doesn't cost, it pays! Plan well when construction starts...Know how the trades interlock... Allow time in between trades for the unforeseen! It will happen! Electrical Engineer... Don't hold that against me... And keen owner builder... Mainly the building part!! Re: Any tips for saving building costs in designing house plan? 6Jul 04, 2009 9:25 pm The main things my architect has told us to do in order to keep costs down (these were suggestions and we couldn't do them all): * have no steel beams (so no massive open areas with no support) * build wet areas above wet areas * minimal balconies * standard windows * have most walls directly above eachother (if a 2 story house) * something about a standard roof DA approved Waiting on a few more Builder's quotes. Re: Any tips for saving building costs in designing house plan? 7Jul 04, 2009 10:08 pm Thank you so much everyone! There have been some great ideas and suggestions I will incorporate into the plan as much as possible! Re: Any tips for saving building costs in designing house plan? 8Jul 04, 2009 11:49 pm What a fantastic idea for a thread! great replies... My block is very narrow... 11 x 35 and after the setback it'll be abt 8.5 mtrs wide. my laundry and kitchen are right opposite each other. all the plumbing is on the same side, except the kitchen.. how much is the difference monetarily? Re: Any tips for saving building costs in designing house plan? 9Jul 05, 2009 3:34 pm mandystoj The main things my architect has told us to do in order to keep costs down (these were suggestions and we couldn't do them all): * have no steel beams (so no massive open areas with no support) * build wet areas above wet areas * minimal balconies * standard windows * have most walls directly above eachother (if a 2 story house) * something about a standard roof Structural steel is costing us a small fortune, due to having a massive open living areas and not having walls on top of eachother. Even though we hate the look of BOXY houses, we would reconsider due to the costs associated with a non-boxy two storey house. Re: Any tips for saving building costs in designing house plan? 10Jul 05, 2009 3:43 pm We will need a steel beam for support of our open living/dining/alfrecso area... Is this a significant extra cost? The walls are around 4x4m and Im assuming we'll need a beam to span the gap, so about 8 meters? Im guessing, I have no idea Custom European Cabinets - Melbourne Kitchen Specialist PM for business details as website currently being updated! Our Crazy Owner Builder Journey! Re: Any tips for saving building costs in designing house plan? 11Jul 05, 2009 3:53 pm when you are designing your windows / external glass doors it is more expensive to design to ceiling height. Our builder advised us to modify to allow for brick / blueboard allowance under ceiling line. Also consider BASIX implications before finalising design. progress viewtopic.php?f=31&t=20401 sculptures viewtopic.php?f=36&t=26607 pole trouble viewtopic.php?f=3&t=25988 Re: Any tips for saving building costs in designing house plan? 12Jul 05, 2009 9:13 pm Thanks so much everybody! I was planning on having a open living/dinning/kitchen - about 9 meters by 5 - so you guys are saying have a wall in there somewhere instead? what would be a ball park figure on savings over $5000? or more around 2-3 tho? Re: Any tips for saving building costs in designing house plan? 13Jul 05, 2009 9:19 pm Moodyfish What a fantastic idea for a thread! great replies... My block is very narrow... 11 x 35 and after the setback it'll be abt 8.5 mtrs wide. my laundry and kitchen are right opposite each other. all the plumbing is on the same side, except the kitchen.. how much is the difference monetarily? let me know if you find out to? as thats how mine is planned! Re: Any tips for saving building costs in designing house plan? 14Jul 05, 2009 9:21 pm Ownerbuilder1 Thanks so much everybody! I was planning on having a open living/dinning/kitchen - about 9 meters by 5 - so you guys are saying have a wall in there somewhere instead? what would be a ball park figure on savings over $5000? or more around 2-3 tho? anything up to 9 meters is relatively ok over that you get probs our open plan area is 8.4 x 6.5 we dont have any steel at all we used wood frames stay safe happy building Re: Any tips for saving building costs in designing house plan? 15Jul 05, 2009 9:23 pm Thank you so much BingoShelley! Again!! Re: Any tips for saving building costs in designing house plan? 16Jul 06, 2009 12:54 am Bam & O/B1 - go & see a timber truss manufacturer & talk to them about their spanning distances. Like Chuth77 says - research!!!! if u look at my thread "our last o/b & still enjoying it.." & look at the 4th & 5th pic UP from the BOTTOM of page 1 u will see an open area of 7m X 14m all held with 5 X double trusses (only 3 r exposed other 2 a hiddden in the ends of the cathederal ceiling. i used a double brick peir & built in brick glass cabinet (not shown there) to give extra support to middle bottom cord. all the bottom cords will be encased in Jarrah boxing. now that fancy ceiling (Mrs V's dream - my nightmare to build) cost me $1,000s to build - (jarrah casing alone $1,200 + labour) keep it simple if u want to build to a budget, also keep ceiling at standard heights. that way whether u use b/veneer or timber & cladding u want need metal lintels. also keep away from elaborate bay windows - again a big expense for me there (see pic as above). we designed the bay windows as a sun trap for winter & its working beautifully, but u can do the same cheaper by keeping a straight front verandah line & just bring a small section partly out over verandah if u can use a northerly aspect. again researching solar passive design is well worth the time. or build was to what we wanted, not so much to a price, but i've spend a lot of time & money on insulation, solar passive, northern aspect, ect to keep operating costs down - again research, research, research.... moody fish, No minimal cost - if u can bring the kitchen waste line back thru or under the slab/floor to the back line it won't cost much - sink waste pipe is smaller pipe & usually has good fall to keep it moving. i always insist Mrs V uses sink strainers - it just saves dollars & dollars on blocked lines!!! i've built 2 houses with kitchen waste coming back under the slab & never had any trouble. cheers tony Re: Any tips for saving building costs in designing house plan? 17Jul 06, 2009 1:25 pm Thanx for your reply Tony! Thank God for the minimal cost! I'm like Cujo when it comes to strainers..I'm obsessed with strainers in every sink,esp the kitchen sink. All my family members and even guests know that the strainer stays in place! Re: Any tips for saving building costs in designing house plan? 18Jul 08, 2009 12:28 am Ownerbuilder1 Thanks so much everybody! I was planning on having a open living/dinning/kitchen - about 9 meters by 5 - so you guys are saying have a wall in there somewhere instead? what would be a ball park figure on savings over $5000? or more around 2-3 tho? Just to let you know with my experience....you wont be needing any support beam for these dimensions, but let us know what happens. ALSO I believe there are different types of beams, steel and I think wood....the wood is cheaper. DA approved Waiting on a few more Builder's quotes. Re: Any tips for saving building costs in designing house plan? 19Jul 08, 2009 11:50 am chuth77 Research... Research...Research... Plan...Plan...Plan... Draw up what you think you want.. Go look at display homes and have a good look at layouts.. Leave your design on the fridge for a month and look at it once a week... Leave it for another month, without looking at it and you'll change things that you hadn't thought of before! absolutely fantastic advise! oh how my design has changed SO much since i first started! certainly don't rush into any design, there are so many things to consider and you want to be happy with the result after you've spent 200K+ of your own money! * plan for mistakes, problems and costs to blow out * look interstate for other suppliers * get on to orientation, its REALLY important! * research different materials, theres other things than brick out there! * try to keep wet areas, on the same side of the house * lots different programs out there to help you visualize, (punch3d home suite) (my virtual home) (autocad) * start buying better homes and gardens and get a scrapbook going, collate your ideas with your partner! brainstorm! and finally buy Australian if you can! 2nd-Fix | Blog Building with Desyn Homes previously with the insolvent [url=https://www.facebook.com/7NewsAdelaide/videos/1162546323776021/]Endeavour Homes[/url] Always handy to have the facts on hand when relying on agents advice, a lot of times sale agents advice is only good anecdotally, and when you actually dive deeper it's… 33 52710 brokers will also be in a position to get you a better rate than the advertised rate most times. 6 7575 Thank you so much. This has been very helpful. We definitely wish to settle and get these people out of our life. They are trying to charge us interest on late… 7 14266 |