Browse Forums Owner Builder Forum 1 Nov 13, 2009 11:32 am Hi, can anyone tell me......do you really save any money being an owner builder or should I just stick with the project home builders ...... Re: owner build v project home 2Nov 13, 2009 3:43 pm generally, you'll save money on OB'ing if you: - have trade contacts for supplies @ trade costs - have tradies in your back pocket giving you good rates - willing to do odd jobs yourself the biggest cost are the materials.. if you dont have contacts for them, you'll be paying retail and before you know it you'll be at the same $$ as a volume builder.. if you've already got a plan designed that you want to build, cost the whole thing out... it will take you a long time doing this (quotes from tradesmen & materials), but you will get an understanding of the overall cost and if its worth the headache in building I saved a lot of money on my last OB project but i've got a lot of contacts in the industry.. to give you an idea - I built my house cheaper than the project builders wanted and I ended up with a far better finish (i.e. 9 foot ceilings VS 8, emporite kitchen VS laminex, timber bi fold doors VS standard sliding door, solid timber flooring throughout VS carpet and tiles, and the list goes on) theres a lot more to it than the above, but that should give you a rough idea (ps - I accidently PM'd this to you instead of replying here, sorry beer o'clock moment ) Re: owner build v project home 3Nov 13, 2009 5:03 pm Thanks.....that was the plan to cost things out once we get it back from the draftsman. We have a few contacts and want to do some things ourselves, so will keep going this course at the moment Re: owner build v project home 4Nov 13, 2009 6:44 pm Yes, i agree with XT4V. I've used all my contacts through work for materials so have been able to get the same price, if not better and also plan to a lot of stuff myself. Good luck with which ever way you decide to ge though. Dirk Re: owner build v project home 5Nov 13, 2009 6:46 pm bonnie view Thanks.....that was the plan to cost things out once we get it back from the draftsman. We have a few contacts and want to do some things ourselves, so will keep going this course at the moment awesome, hope it works out. Re: owner build v project home 6Nov 13, 2009 7:42 pm I am sure there will be more questions along the way.....am both excited and nervous about the project....will be sure to report on my progress. Re: owner build v project home 7Nov 13, 2009 8:45 pm what ever questions you have, post them up as i'm sure there is more than enough experience on this board.. Re: owner build v project home 9Nov 14, 2009 9:25 am So glad I found this site......but not so keen that I would go a kit home....thanks anyway, I think my ambitions are far greater than my ability. Re: owner build v project home 10Dec 28, 2009 2:03 pm Bonnie, What most of my clients do is Owner Build and become the principal contractor, they then contract out the Project Management and supervision functions to my company, that way they get the best of both worlds They keep the builders margin, utilise our expertise and trade base and trade pricing. Most end up saving 15-30% hope this helps you in your decision Re: owner build v project home 12Dec 29, 2009 1:25 pm Striking Bonnie, What most of my clients do is Owner Build and become the principal contractor, they then contract out the Project Management and supervision functions to my company, that way they get the best of both worlds They keep the builders margin, utilise our expertise and trade base and trade pricing. Most end up saving 15-30% hope this helps you in your decision Anyone know of anyone providing this service in South Australia? forum post or PM me please. rgds Warren Slab poured 21/04/2011 Frame finished 27/05/2011 Moved in 07/11/2011 Re: owner build v project home 13Jan 03, 2010 10:22 pm If you engage a project or construction manager then in Victoria (and also in most other states I believe) the Building Act is specific in that anyone who manages the construction of a building is by definition the Builder. No if's nor buts - even if you register the job as an Owner Builder - the manager MUST be a registered builder. There are heaps of Project Managers out there capitalising on the OB market but very few of them are registered. Like most things, there are no problems until things go wrong and if they go wrong with an unregistered manager then you have an instant nightmare on your hands. Be careful and check the status of your manager. Builders are people too.... Re: owner build v project home 14Jan 05, 2010 8:35 pm Bonnie, As Builda said, there are a lot of Project Managers out there that are simply not qualified to manage and cordinate on site works including supervision, so the PM you engage must also be a Builder if you want them to solely supervise the job. The reason most PM are getting away with this is that by definition of Owner Builder you are accepting the responsibility as principal contractor and supervisor for you build... a PM is only technically qualified to manage the paperwork side of things. licenced Chris Re: owner build v project home 15Jan 05, 2010 8:55 pm builda If you engage a project or construction manager then in Victoria (and also in most other states I believe) the Building Act is specific in that anyone who manages the construction of a building is by definition the Builder. No if's nor buts - even if you register the job as an Owner Builder - the manager MUST be a registered builder. There are heaps of Project Managers out there capitalising on the OB market but very few of them are registered. Like most things, there are no problems until things go wrong and if they go wrong with an unregistered manager then you have an instant nightmare on your hands. Be careful and check the status of your manager. Care to point out where in the Building Act it states this? Thanks, Andy Re: owner build v project home 16Jan 06, 2010 7:18 am In the Building Act: building practitioner means— (a) a building surveyor; or (b) a building inspector; or (c) a quantity surveyor; or (d) an engineer engaged in the building industry; or (e) a draftsperson who carries on a business of preparing plans for building work or preparing documentation relating to permits or permit applications; or (f) a builder including a domestic builder; [See definition in the Domestic Buillding Contracts Act] or (g) a person who erects or supervises the erection of prescribed temporary structures; or (h) a person responsible for a building project or any stage of a building project and who belongs to a class or category of people prescribed to be building practitioners— In the Domestic Building Contracts Act: Definitions Section 3 (1) In this Act— architect means a person who is registered as an architect under the Architects Act 1991; builder means a person who, or a partnership which— (a) carries out domestic building work; or (b) manages or arranges the carrying out of domestic building work; or (c) intends to carry out, or to manage or arrange the carrying out of, domestic building work; Links are here: http://www.legislation.vic.gov.au/Domino/Web_Notes/LDMS/PubLawToday.nsf/2184e627479f8392ca256da50082bf3e/DB49F5327E2948AFCA2573EC000EACD0/$FILE/95-91a065.doc http://www.legislation.vic.gov.au/Domino/Web_Notes/LDMS/PubLawToday.nsf/a12f6f60fbd56800ca256de500201e54/DB68ACE1BB0B997CCA257528007A4E7D/$FILE/93-126a076.pdf Hope that helps. Builders are people too.... Re: owner build v project home 17Jan 26, 2010 12:14 pm Brett J Contact UBUILD Homes as they will take all the hassle out of owner building guaranteed. Cheers Brett Hello, did you use Ubuild for your build? Can you please tell me how it works, from their website it looks pretty good. Do they quote a fixed price to lock up stage? I just emailed/contacted them today. Thanks for your help. DA approved Waiting on a few more Builder's quotes. Re: owner build v project home 18Jan 30, 2010 9:18 am Hi The system is that they supply materials to lockup for a package price. A full quantity survey is done so you can keep track of budget. The best thing is knowing there is someone at any time to answer questions along the process. I have just done a 1200 square metre OB which would have been a bit daunting without the professional help of Ubuild. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Thats it in short. No complaints from me. Cheers Brett Re: owner build v project home 19Feb 04, 2010 8:04 pm Hello Brett J, I have been contemplating using Ubuild for some time now and would appreciate some feedback on the services he provides. The website information looks good but it would be great to hear from someone like yourself who has had first hand experience. Any information on quality of materials, selection process, comparative costs with say project home or owner build or building with a builder would be greatly appreciated. Obviously your project is a large one and certainly looks great. Do you think there may be any downsides to building using Ubuild? Cheers Map Thank you so much everyone. This all makes a lot of sense. 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