Cost per meter squared free standing room or extension

Hi all

We are considering either building a free standing rumpus room or building an additional living room onto the house of about 32 square metres.

The rumpus room would have a concrete floor, steel framed & be clad with something like a hardiplank or some modern alternative & gyprock internal walls,if we go that way.

The house is double brick with concrete tiled roof. If we go this way we would need to knock out an internal wall & built in cupboards and then build onto the back of the house.

With option 1, a home reno company told me the expected cost would be about $1000/sqM, vs $2000-$2500/sqM for option 2. Do these prices sound right?

Cheers
JT

If your existing house is double brick why not build the extension in the same to match otherwise it could end up looking like a shed compared to your house ?
I hate seeing second storey or rear extensions done in something totally out of character with the existing. They look cheap and tacky in my opinion.
I usually quote my clients $2500+ per sqm for extension/additions too.

Stewie

Ive always been told, you are looking at around $1500 per sqm for a new build and $2500-$3000 per sqm for a renovation due to the inefficiency of a reno compared to new build (eg. those unexpected construction hurdles, such as large beams to open up rooms ect). Id probably look towards the $2000 per sqm mark as Stewie said? Hope it comes in at a price you can afford!

It isn't the inefficiency of the reno work done by small builders Lauren it is just the economies of scale.
As an ex builder and I'm paying $2.75 per lineal m for 90 x 45mm framing timber, you can bet the big project home builders would be paying less than $1.90. They also pay their subbies a lot less per hour too. It all adds up.
Kind of like what your corner store pays for a packet of chips compared to what the big supermarket chains pay.

Stewie