Browse Forums Building A New House Re: Building in these uncertain times 4Apr 08, 2020 8:40 pm I'm worried with the current lockdown situation & people aren't aloud to leave homes that we won't be able to travel to the Gold Coast for colour selection etc. Dont want to end up being pulled over & copping a fine. Is building a house classified as being essential. We don't know when the current situation is going to end with virus, i don't really want to wait another 6-12 months to build a house. Feeling lost at the moment Re: Building in these uncertain times 5Apr 09, 2020 2:30 pm Some have no choice, their builders have put their jobs on hold. Others are happy to keep working when and while they can. Our build is continuing, which we are grateful for, as long as everyone stays safe and healthy. A tricky time for lots of sector. Construction is such a huge industry, should it shut down altogether, that's a huge recession right there. https://thomasarcherbuild.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html - Thomas Archer Homes - Custom Nouveau 41 Re: Building in these uncertain times 6Apr 09, 2020 5:19 pm I am a big believer of moving forward, perfect time for it, if everyone holds off, then there will be an influx of new builds putting stress on the trade base, this then inflates the prices and the costs of building increase. If you are in the position to keep moving, do so, you may save $'000's. I'm that confident that now is a good time, that I am about to start my own building company Re: Building in these uncertain times 7Apr 10, 2020 9:57 am Hi Everyone, Is there an opportunity for those who are just starting to negotiate with builders to get a better deal. Is it better to ask for upgrades or price reduction when negotiating at the moment? Re: Building in these uncertain times 9Apr 10, 2020 11:38 am What sort of things do you think are up for grabs in negotiation? Is it better to try for reduced price or upgrades/inclusions? What are they more likely to agree to? Never really know how far to push these things. Re: Building in these uncertain times 10Apr 10, 2020 11:41 am Hilly64 What sort of things do you think are up for grabs in negotiation? Is it better to try for reduced price or upgrades/inclusions? What are they more likely to agree to? Never really know how far to push these things. Hilly Its neither here nor there, it costs the builder the same, best off asking for a cash discount at contract time, if you go in early with "Upgrades" the pricing you get back from your colours will be inflated, so it will reduce the damage done to the builder Re: Building in these uncertain times 12Apr 10, 2020 9:14 pm I wouldn't take a big step in the current situation. Weather the storm and go for it later. Who knows may be the government gonna tight up regulations and you will be obliged to stop the construction work halfway through. Re: Building in these uncertain times 13Apr 11, 2020 8:19 am Hilly64 Cheers - that makes sense as I'm sure they claw the costs back somehow. With Increased engineering Costs the soft target LOL why make an extra $2k on kitchen upgrades when the builder can make $20K on upgrading footings and siteworks. From an engineers perspective you can always remodel your kitchen later on.. not so with your footings BTW there are plenty of instances where Battlers and punters have been buried under siteworks increases. OT. With the way the economy is atm it will take battlers 10 years to recoup inflated prices. Check your Geotech/Engineering beforehand Forewarned is forearmed Cheers Chris Designer,Engineer (Civil,Const & Envir),Builder,Concrete & Masonry Contract.Struct Repairs Re: Building in these uncertain times 14Apr 11, 2020 9:34 am We don't really have the luxury of just waiting it out having bought an uninhabitable house in Sydney we need to knock it down and get it re-built asap so we can reduce costs of rent and mortgage together. We'll be looking to build a house which provides the best dimensions and living environment for our family. We can always upgrade interior fittings later (other than lighting and air con) but getting the space right is the first priority. Is it possible to upgrade interior fittings (Kitchen etc) after we know what the site costs, engineering requirements etc are done? Or do they charge astronomically for upgrades after the "final" consultation for internal materials etc? Re: Building in these uncertain times 15Apr 11, 2020 11:30 am We a just about ready to go, just don't want a fine if we get pulled over going 200km to Gold Coast for colour selections etc. Do they class it as essential because your building a house. Don't know how we can get around it. Re: Building in these uncertain times 17Apr 11, 2020 11:44 pm I wouldn't be holding off building at the moment, get in as soon as you can, we have prices rises left right and center (I work for a builder) basically daily we are getting notifications on price rises, we source as much as we can locally but inevitably a lot comes from China and some from Europe, with the Aussie dollar getting smashed we have seen on average a 10% increase in pricing. Once it goes up it never comes back down Re: Building in these uncertain times 18Apr 12, 2020 8:39 am In every chaos there is an opportunity I remember PM telling us on TV if you have the job its essential I am with GrahamB and Doozer1905 Good luck Foremost Building Expert in Australia,assisting with building problems/disputes, building stage inspections,pre-contract review advice for peace of mind 200 blogs http://www.buildingexpert.net.au/blog Re: Building in these uncertain times 19Apr 12, 2020 3:19 pm MICHAELJ What is everyone's thoughts on starting a new build with COVID-19 around at the moment. Hi Michael Our build with Hallmark commences in 2 weeks and they are saying they have had no problems to date with other builds (but they would say that of course). The fencer contacted me and said that chain-link fence has gone up 20%, and same goes for steel prices for the shed build, which is a bit of a bummer. Where about's are you building, it must be acreage if you are going with the 305 or 348 from Hallmark? We could be Neighbours. Cheers Col Re: Building in these uncertain times 20Apr 12, 2020 5:50 pm colburge MICHAELJ What is everyone's thoughts on starting a new build with COVID-19 around at the moment. Hi Michael Our build with Hallmark commences in 2 weeks and they are saying they have had no problems to date with other builds (but they would say that of course). The fencer contacted me and said that chain-link fence has gone up 20%, and same goes for steel prices for the shed build, which is a bit of a bummer. Where about's are you building, it must be acreage if you are going with the 305 or 348 from Hallmark? We could be Neighbours. Cheers Col Hi Col We are building in Gatton Qld. Yes we have nearly 3 acres & are in the process of finalizing details for the 253 which we modified, 348 was way way out of our price range & 305 come in to high for us to get a loan as well, so we decided on the 253 which i think will still work for us with the changes we done. Still waiting on final plans with changes & i have to change the siting of the house position as they put it to far up the block. Don't know at this stage weather we will start this year due to Covid-19, with the restrictions on travel not sure if we are able to travel to Gold Coast for colour selections etc. Where about's are you building & what design? Cheers Michael Hi Minho I have heaps of experience in Ku-ring-gai with both DAs and CDC ( this is the main area we build in). DA's are taking 12-18months and CDC's we have been doing… 1 3164 |