Browse Forums Renovation + Home Improvement 1 Sep 28, 2011 9:32 pm Hi folks So we are trying to figure out whether to extend out or up. We will get proper drawings done up (once we have a clearer idea of what layout we prefer) and get proper quotes from builders, but we just want to get a gauge before we even get plans drawn up incase it is totally out of our range. First question... if, for eg, we wanted to have 3 bedrooms and a bathroom built upstairs - and if each bedroom was to be 4m x 4m and the bathroom was 2m x 2m (I'm totally just plucking these round figures for the purpose of easy calculation and to see if I am calculating correctly) - am I correct that this equals 52m2? (I've always been a bit unclear when it comes to squares and square metres ). I was then looking at Archicentre Cost Guide and they estimate upstairs extensions to cost between $1142 - $1723 per m2 for weatherboard (which is what we would need). Even if we took the higher end - $1723 x 52m2 = $89596. Plus the cost of the bathroom fitout - say $10k (give or take). So is it totally realistic to expect that we could possibly get an extension of 3 bedrooms and a bathroom built upstairs for $100k? Or is this totally unrealistic? I understand there are other costs - like getting the plans drawn up and having an engineer inspect the structure downstairs, and getting council permits etc etc.... but for the actual build... is this a realistic figure that we could VERY roughly work around?? If not, what would be a more realistic figure per m2 for an upstairs extension?? HHCIB Re: Archicentre extension costs Vs Reality??? 2Sep 28, 2011 10:20 pm Our last extension quote was $250k for 100m2 without including a new kitchen or updating the existing bathroom or laundry. Also did not include paint or floor coverings (did have tiles to wet areas) That was with a so called all inclusive extension specialist. I would work on a figure of $2500m2 minimum. I think you will get quotes of around $2500-3000m2 so anywhere between $130k-$156k The sole reason we decided to knock down and rebuild was because the cost extend was the same as a rebuild and we got more room with the rebuild. The FIRST thing you need to do is work out how much you can afford to borrow/pay so that you can have an idea of what you can get if the quote comes in too high. We have found that for the most part second storey additions are no more expensive anymore than ground floor. Re: Archicentre extension costs Vs Reality??? 3Sep 28, 2011 10:55 pm Thanks chrisandkate... always good to get some kind of reference point to start from. Hmmm... so $2500 - $3000 you reckon . I wonder why Archicentre seem to be so far off the mark?? (I mean, it's not far off double what they are quoting - but I've also heard comments that quotes are always more than what they estimate). I have heard that going upstairs may not be as expensive any more - but we'll see about that . And I fear that we might need 'some work' to get our house strong enough for a double storey. I have no idea what may be involved there, or the costs, but am expecting to have to go down that path. Thanks again. Any other input welcome.. would love to hear from others what they think we should expect. Oh, and another question, so once we got plans drawn up, and then got some quotes, how long do quotes usually last for with builders? For eg, we would want to get quotes and then depending on how much it was, that would determine when we could go ahead with it - we might be able to start straight away, or we might need to wait 12 or 24 months and save a bit more (we want to borrow as least as possible). And.... if, for eg, the quote came back $50k over budget, can we then say to the builder "Ok, shave 'x' amount of these rooms to make them smaller" and they will requote... or do you have to get plans totally redrawn up again. Sorry to be so 'green' about it all, but we are just trying to be armed with as much info about what we might be up for (not just in costs, but in processes also) before we start anything. HHCIB HHCIB Re: Archicentre extension costs Vs Reality??? 4Sep 29, 2011 12:14 am HHCIB, cake by the slice works out more expensive than buying an entire cake. ie. build a small extension and expect to pay more per m2. as for the validity of a quote.....a builder should quantify the period the quote remains valid in the price they give you. i would expect 28days. i did chuckle at your comment about quotes being valid for 12-24 months. as for shrinking the rooms to shrink the price......shrink by 50%, dont expect price to shrink by 50%. if you change the plans you should have amended plans resubmitted to the local authority. architect Re: Archicentre extension costs Vs Reality??? 5Sep 29, 2011 10:58 am architect as for the validity of a quote.....a builder should quantify the period the quote remains valid in the price they give you. i would expect 28days. i did chuckle at your comment about quotes being valid for 12-24 months. Thanks for the input Architect.... I hear you on all points. Gee, 28 days though... doesn't even really give you time to think does it? Or get other quotes if necessary? I guess thinking about it (which I really haven't done) 12 or 24 months is being a bit ridiculous... but I honestly didn't expect it to only be 28 days. You'd have to be ready to move I guess and totally serious about starting (immediately) before bothering with quotes. Anyway, like I said, just gathering up as much info as possible about how the process works. Even though we probably won't do this for 12 or 24 months, I just like to know what our plan is and how much it will cost so that I can then 'put it aside' and just aim towards it (otherwise it is on my mind constantly - in case you hadn't noticed ). Also things like our landscaping (and drainage) needs serious attention and we really want to get some of that underway, but we don't want to do anything that will then be effected when we extend, so we want to know the house plans so that we can plan and start some of the landscaping. Thanks again.. HHCIB Re: Archicentre extension costs Vs Reality??? 6Sep 30, 2011 12:14 pm It also depends where you are and also how keen the local builders are to get your work. A tiler we know moved from Dural in Sydney ( charging back then $25 per sq m to lay tiles ) up to Townsville where the local rate was $15 per sq m. All the other trades were similarly priced. Chrisandkate are pretty close to the mark for what I allow. With any of my clients here on the Northern Beaches I always tell them to allow $2500 per sq m for renovation/extension work for the bare rooms - no painting , curtains or floor coverings and yes, that is the same amount for extending a ground floor or adding on a second level. That is for basic rooms like family rooms , bedrooms etc. Then if any of these rooms need special fitouts then allow bathroom costs of say $15,000 , kitchen $30,000 ,ensuite $10,000 etc . Any structural stuff like steel beams or beefing up the existing house adds to the cost obviously. Project home builders because of their economy of scale can do new homes for $1100-$1700 psm. Another reason why so many people these days do knock down and rebuilds. Stewie Re: Archicentre extension costs Vs Reality??? 8Sep 30, 2011 5:59 pm Thanks StewieD.... good to get back up info and like I said, gives us something to work out loose calculations with before we take any real steps. Eyespy - sd998kl;;;;;**&65 - that's the sound of hitting a raw nerve ( ). Yes, DP and I both wonder if we wouldn't be better off moving, and, it is still a very vague possibility as an option. I won't bore you with the whysand what-fors, but it is more likely we will stay. Dunno.... anything could happen, to be honest. HHCIB Re: Archicentre extension costs Vs Reality??? 9Sep 30, 2011 10:03 pm How Hard Can it Be I wonder why Archicentre seem to be so far off the mark?? Because Archicentre don't quote for profit on their own builds. Every builder can quote what ever they want. If they are having a dry patch they might lower the regular rate but they are more likely to bump it up so if you do take them up, they'll have more room before the next one. Best you'll get is 60 days for a quote validity. The best advice I can offer is that you need to get a quote from a draftsman to draw up a set of plans, set the money aside and forget that money, its gone. Then work out your area you want and use the 2500m2 formula. Then work out how much you will need to borrow to cover that cost. Take that figure and work out the repayments for the mortgage you'll have at around 10% (never know what the rates will do in a year or 2) and if you can't pay that figure back, then you can't afford that design (IMO) Re: Archicentre extension costs Vs Reality??? 10Sep 30, 2011 11:24 pm Sound advice chrisandkate - and all taken on board. Thank you - very greatly appreciated. Along with everyone else's advice - thank you. (Naturally we need to get plans and quotes, but even at the $2500m/2, the overall price of what we want might not be quite as high as we anticipated - so although we could be in for a rude shock, it's good to know that we might be in the ball park of being able to achieve it - maybe ). HHCIB Being an owner builder is no walk in the park. It’s a challenging endeavour that requires dedication and hard… 0 555 Hi, We have a single story MacDonald Jones house, on a waffle pod slab with steel frame. Are we able to build a second story extension? 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