Browse Forums Building A New House Re: Building a custom design 5May 22, 2007 9:08 pm We designed our own home and were quoted at around $850 - $930 per square metre. It was worked out at the same rate as the standard designs the builders offered themselves. Re: Building a custom design 6May 22, 2007 9:24 pm Way to hang in there Perry.
Everyone has one of these stories. But I've got a good mate that designed his own home and owner built, morelike owner supervised. He tendered out the whole job and then ran it himself. Saved a packet and still got a fantastic finish. He got three or four quotes for each area and then contacted their references to help make his selection. Took him roughly 22 weeks to build a 29 square house. Would you consider doing the same? Re: Building a custom design 7May 22, 2007 9:49 pm perryr Wow. At $13.5k per square, building a 30 square home will cost $405k. That's waaaay over the top. Looks like we might be buying established if that's how the prices pan out. Perry Perry, Remember the $13.5k figure is for a full brick house. For a brick veneer, which is what I think you were considering, it would come to $336k. Still a lot of money, but the quality will be very good. Cheers, Casa Re: Building a custom design 8May 22, 2007 10:57 pm The thing that my research hasn't been able to pin down is exactly what areas are the main cost variables.
For example, is it the level of finish; the complexity of the build, roof area, site prep, complexity of wiring, plumbing etc etc. The easy answer is "everything", but then some areas must be more open to smart design (and therefore lower costs) than others. If I knew the answer hopefully I'd be able to better craft my design. Anyway, am hoping to meet with another possible builder in the next week or so, and will try to eek out more useful info. Re: Building a custom design 9May 22, 2007 11:13 pm Cabinfever,
Here's a strategy I'm planning to use. I'm going to start by asking for a building to my design using the same fittings and finishes as a display home and ask, how much? There would be builders out there that should be close to the display home price. Once I have this base I will selectively ask for items to be replaced to meet my preferences. I would want to know what credit I would get for the item that is being removed and how much would the replacement item cost. I should be able to find out the recommended retail price for comparison. The labour cost should remain unchanged as I am only changing selections and there is no extra work on the part of the builder. I would do all this before signing the contract and get several builders to competitively bid. (Would like to know what the typical builder discount is but I'll assume 33% until I get a better handle on things.) This way I should get a competitive price and know exactly how much each of the extras are (and determine if they are justified on a case by case basis). I’m sure you can end up paying much more than you should just by not being careful, signing too early, not having competition or just rushing things. Cheers, Casa ideal house depends on the site and location as much as internal floor plan....what is the distance from the house to all four boundaries, where is north, describe your… 3 15511 From a pure legal perspective, if you've signed the variation, it is a very high bar to have it set aside. No-one can give you legal advice on a forum, but you would need… 3 5535 |