So, we are trying to build a 260sqm home(which needs to be 2 storey due to our block shape and size) with the following features: 4 bed, 2 bath, 1 'large' lounge area, plus all the usual things. Our goal is simple. A warm house in winter, a cool house in summer. A house that meets our needs. We would like to use the following in our home: double glazing, polished concrete floors, well insulated ceilings and walls. We have a north facing block.
Our budget is $300K. Are we completely delusional thinking that we can build a house of that size with those features for that price? I would love some feedback as we are in the designing phase of the process.
The cost of building
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Hi, not sure about the cost double-glazing, but there are cheaper options like the Tinting, what's been recently advertised on radio. It may help keeping the heat inside/outside as required and more insulation which is relatively inexpensive.
You could also opt for using second hand bricks + rendering, which would again keep the house more insulated.
Alternatively, my understanding is that using Polystyrene is also a good option, as compared to the bricks, polystyrene doesn't go stone cold as soon as there is no sunlight on it. Polystyrene is good insulation, weighs less, and when finished with Render + Patch you are getting about half an each of render on top of it, which should keep the house warm as well.
I just finished my double-storey plans, I got 6.1* Star rating, and with no double-glazing at all, and the second unit which is more in shade, i'm adding only 3 double-glazed windows to still meet the 6.1 stars.
As for your budget, 300K for 260square meter is doable. It all comes down to finishes (i.e. Standard vs. Premium). The price can easily jump 50-100K extra depending on the finishes you want (i.e. Premium Kitchen, floor boards, appliances, doors, vanity's, bathrooms, tiles, etc).
So you should be able to adjust.
p.s. these are Melbourne Prices that I'm talking about, but i'm sure are similar for other states too.
You could also opt for using second hand bricks + rendering, which would again keep the house more insulated.
Alternatively, my understanding is that using Polystyrene is also a good option, as compared to the bricks, polystyrene doesn't go stone cold as soon as there is no sunlight on it. Polystyrene is good insulation, weighs less, and when finished with Render + Patch you are getting about half an each of render on top of it, which should keep the house warm as well.
I just finished my double-storey plans, I got 6.1* Star rating, and with no double-glazing at all, and the second unit which is more in shade, i'm adding only 3 double-glazed windows to still meet the 6.1 stars.
As for your budget, 300K for 260square meter is doable. It all comes down to finishes (i.e. Standard vs. Premium). The price can easily jump 50-100K extra depending on the finishes you want (i.e. Premium Kitchen, floor boards, appliances, doors, vanity's, bathrooms, tiles, etc).
So you should be able to adjust.
p.s. these are Melbourne Prices that I'm talking about, but i'm sure are similar for other states too.
Esco is right when he says the cost will link directly to the quality, but $300k to me does seem pretty tight. My little two bedroom + study house is currently at $409k, but there have been numerous challenges to overcome (slope, fire rating, Council, building height, etc). The problem with owner/building is that you can't help but "improve" things as you go along, raising the cost in tiny bits. But those tiny bits can really add up...!
As an O/B just about any hardware store will give you a trade account and appropriate discounts -- use them! Buy your insulation as a bulk lot and ask for further discounts (and install it yourselves). Don't be afraid to haggle for your windows and doors -- although be careful, as quality can be closely linked to price. Definitely double glaze (window films are okay, but an air gap is far superior, the bigger the gap the better). Read up on thermal bridging, acoustic insulation, and heat transfer. And do a flow-through diagram of the house, to make sure you have adequate ventilation and no pockets of stale air.
It can be a bit daunting, but all the info is out there. Good luck!
As an O/B just about any hardware store will give you a trade account and appropriate discounts -- use them! Buy your insulation as a bulk lot and ask for further discounts (and install it yourselves). Don't be afraid to haggle for your windows and doors -- although be careful, as quality can be closely linked to price. Definitely double glaze (window films are okay, but an air gap is far superior, the bigger the gap the better). Read up on thermal bridging, acoustic insulation, and heat transfer. And do a flow-through diagram of the house, to make sure you have adequate ventilation and no pockets of stale air.
It can be a bit daunting, but all the info is out there. Good luck!
After our experience I'm not sure that cost does always relate to quality in building.
Our house is 167 square metres single storey including garage and cost us around $360,000 (including professional fees) and it still isn't finished. The building designer and the builder used the star rating (7.5) and "quality" as a reason for the high cost of building it. It does have wood framed double-glazing and good insulation( R5 in the ceiling and R2.5 in the walls) and we have a gas log fire. We have a rainwater tank installation which is problematic and we are going to have to foot the bill to fix it. The house is greywater ready but only one bathroom is connected to the line and they linked the kitchen plumbing to it, which I have now found out is not recommended. The house is mainly weatherboard (pine) with a bit of facade brick to satisfy the estate. We have had to do the tiling (with the exception of wet areas) and all of the painting inside and outside ourselves. We have had to varnish all the wood ourselves. We have no skirting boards and will have to do that ourselves. On top of that there is just some poor workmanship on electrical and light fittings and doors which we have to fix. And the joinery is all IKEA; we had to pay the builder extra to install that. Initially he didn't even leave enough height under the overhead cupboards for our fridge and asked us to buy a new one! (We didn't.)
I hope you have better luck than us but one way to ensure you have better luck is to never take anyone in the building industry at face value. Always ask for references, follow the references up and get several quotes. If you are owner building then you can at least avoid hiring a builder but from my experience with concreters you can't even be sure that the trades know the building regulations or will stick to them.
Our house is 167 square metres single storey including garage and cost us around $360,000 (including professional fees) and it still isn't finished. The building designer and the builder used the star rating (7.5) and "quality" as a reason for the high cost of building it. It does have wood framed double-glazing and good insulation( R5 in the ceiling and R2.5 in the walls) and we have a gas log fire. We have a rainwater tank installation which is problematic and we are going to have to foot the bill to fix it. The house is greywater ready but only one bathroom is connected to the line and they linked the kitchen plumbing to it, which I have now found out is not recommended. The house is mainly weatherboard (pine) with a bit of facade brick to satisfy the estate. We have had to do the tiling (with the exception of wet areas) and all of the painting inside and outside ourselves. We have had to varnish all the wood ourselves. We have no skirting boards and will have to do that ourselves. On top of that there is just some poor workmanship on electrical and light fittings and doors which we have to fix. And the joinery is all IKEA; we had to pay the builder extra to install that. Initially he didn't even leave enough height under the overhead cupboards for our fridge and asked us to buy a new one! (We didn't.)
I hope you have better luck than us but one way to ensure you have better luck is to never take anyone in the building industry at face value. Always ask for references, follow the references up and get several quotes. If you are owner building then you can at least avoid hiring a builder but from my experience with concreters you can't even be sure that the trades know the building regulations or will stick to them.
Yes they say "you get what you pay for" but that is not always true as we find with Liliana's experience. You can pay for it and still not get it.
That is why your own project control is indispensable. If you don't have the expertise, buy it, it's cheaper than hair replacement.
That is why your own project control is indispensable. If you don't have the expertise, buy it, it's cheaper than hair replacement.
We just finished owner-building and moved in in a very similar house to your description (double-storey, double-garage, 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms+powder room, big pantry, 1 big living area, big deck and balcony. all around 250sqm) and we spent $300k flat
However our house is slightly not standard...
We used Thermacell ICF for the ground floor and 140x35 timber frame + light cladding (hebel panels + scyon matrix) for the first floor. we used R3.5 insulation in the walls and R7.0 in the roof, Upvc double glazing windows, Only quality materials everywhere. we also imported sliding systems for build-in robes and kitchen cabinets. But my husband did most of the job himself, for some parts with the help of 1 carpenter. We hired tradies only for suspended concrete slab, structural steel-work, roofing, plastering and rendering.
So yes, 260sqm for $300k is possible depending which state you build in, how much you are going to do yourself and desired quality of the house.
However our house is slightly not standard...
We used Thermacell ICF for the ground floor and 140x35 timber frame + light cladding (hebel panels + scyon matrix) for the first floor. we used R3.5 insulation in the walls and R7.0 in the roof, Upvc double glazing windows, Only quality materials everywhere. we also imported sliding systems for build-in robes and kitchen cabinets. But my husband did most of the job himself, for some parts with the help of 1 carpenter. We hired tradies only for suspended concrete slab, structural steel-work, roofing, plastering and rendering.
So yes, 260sqm for $300k is possible depending which state you build in, how much you are going to do yourself and desired quality of the house.
...we also imported sliding systems for build-in robes and kitchen cabinets...
Thinking to do the same to save on building cost. Where did you import the stuff? Are you happy with the quality of the products?
Thinking to do the same to save on building cost. Where did you import the stuff? Are you happy with the quality of the products?
Must ask Nika25, who did the electrical, and plumbing etc which have to be signed off on if your hubby did nearly all the work. I assume this was also extra?
Wannabehomebuilder. having done this recently I can only suggest that you do your sums to get an accurate price of everything you want and cost it properly. When you have done that, revisit it all again to ensure you are correct. Then have a very good contingency allowance to allow for unknowns. This is guaranteed to happen. If you do not budget for this you WILL run over.
The more homework you do the better prepared you will.
Any "quality" is possible. It all comes down to costings and whether or not it can be fitted into your budget.
Wannabehomebuilder. having done this recently I can only suggest that you do your sums to get an accurate price of everything you want and cost it properly. When you have done that, revisit it all again to ensure you are correct. Then have a very good contingency allowance to allow for unknowns. This is guaranteed to happen. If you do not budget for this you WILL run over.
The more homework you do the better prepared you will.
Any "quality" is possible. It all comes down to costings and whether or not it can be fitted into your budget.
...we also imported sliding systems for build-in robes and kitchen cabinets...
Thinking to do the same to save on building cost. Where did you import the stuff? Are you happy with the quality of the products?
Thinking to do the same to save on building cost. Where did you import the stuff? Are you happy with the quality of the products?
We imported from Eastern Europe, we have relatives there, so it was easy to organise. Very happy with the quality, you can't get much better than this. For similar quality and size kitchen we were quoted $30-35k locally, yet only $6k overseas for top of the range kitchen (not including benchtop though. We bought Quantum Quartz benchtop locally, as it was too heavy and fragile for shipment). Laundry cabinets cost only $1000 there, were quoted about $4000 here.
Build-in robes sliding system cost us about $300-400 each. Again for something similar (but still not as good) we were quoted more than $2000 each. And we also imported many sheets of particle board for the shelvings in the robes. Timber looking similar to laminex range, not plain white. Cost us 3 times cheaper than cheapest crappiest white melamine from Bunnings.
I've heard about someone who imported kitchen and robes from Vietnam and was impressed with product quality and prices. If we didn't have relatives in europe we would definitely took a journey to Asia, for same purpose
Must ask Nika25, who did the electrical, and plumbing etc which have to be signed off on if your hubby did nearly all the work. I assume this was also extra?
Yes you are right. I didn't mention it because licensed electricians/plumbers are compulsory anyway. They cost us about $12k each and it's included in $300k total building cost
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