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Hello all,
I am after some simple advise on building your own place, and a few realistic costs. It seems the builders will tell you exactly what you want to hear which is not what i want.
I have found a nice bit of land that would suit me very well. its a very narrow 5.1m by 25m and there is rear access only for a car.
What i want to build is a two storey two bed one bath place with an internal garage (or even two spaces boot to bonnet style).
I have a realistic budget if i went ahead of about 150-160k aus and i want a uk standard, not the aus standard i have had to suffer for the last few years. Double insulation in all walls, brick veneer, maybe even a bit of double glazing and gas heating
Are my aims unrealistic? How much does an architect cost as there will be nothing off the shelf that will fit on the site.
I am after some simple advise on building your own place, and a few realistic costs. It seems the builders will tell you exactly what you want to hear which is not what i want.
I have found a nice bit of land that would suit me very well. its a very narrow 5.1m by 25m and there is rear access only for a car.
What i want to build is a two storey two bed one bath place with an internal garage (or even two spaces boot to bonnet style).
I have a realistic budget if i went ahead of about 150-160k aus and i want a uk standard, not the aus standard i have had to suffer for the last few years. Double insulation in all walls, brick veneer, maybe even a bit of double glazing and gas heating
Are my aims unrealistic? How much does an architect cost as there will be nothing off the shelf that will fit on the site.
Have you thought about a steel and aluminium kit home? Do a google, there are heaps of them out there.
I think it would be cheaper than brick and tile to have one designed from scratch. You should be able to tighly control costs if you take over full project management of it and organise your own fit out. I looked at them a while back and saw one that was like a looong workhop / warehouse / barn looking thing with living over the top with a veranda on the front.
I think it would be cheaper than brick and tile to have one designed from scratch. You should be able to tighly control costs if you take over full project management of it and organise your own fit out. I looked at them a while back and saw one that was like a looong workhop / warehouse / barn looking thing with living over the top with a veranda on the front.
Had a look mate at the ally kits, and i would prefer not to do it if it meant using one of those. Went to a display village with lots of different designs and they were like ovens and that was on a 20 degree day. Add to that the echo chamber effect and i wasn't impressed. They could clad in brick for an extra 30k, but wern't very keen on two storey dwellings, which is a must on a 125sqm plot.
It's quite a small block so you might have no choice but to employ someone to design something for you that can also make sure you meet local regs...you are not going to be able to build right up to the fencline for example so that reduces the size of useable land straight off.
I wonder how a steel / ally home compares in cost once you have done stuff like properly insulating and cooling it...maybe cheaper for a standard design but I bet anything custom made would be a similar price.
Is this block in Adelaide or are you moving on? Perth is supposedly about to hit boom time again and we need to restock our PH numbers...
I wonder how a steel / ally home compares in cost once you have done stuff like properly insulating and cooling it...maybe cheaper for a standard design but I bet anything custom made would be a similar price.
Is this block in Adelaide or are you moving on? Perth is supposedly about to hit boom time again and we need to restock our PH numbers...
The land is in Adelaide, and it is a new housing estate. Looking at the other houses around the estate less than a 5cm gap between houses seems to be fine
The house i am renting now is only 5m wide, and the house i rented before that was the same (but 3 storeys). Its perfect for me, no want of kids, no fleet of lovely cars to garage, no desire to have a pool or a huge garden. The land has a nice outlook which is what attracts me to the idea but maybe the timing is wrong.
The house i am renting now is only 5m wide, and the house i rented before that was the same (but 3 storeys). Its perfect for me, no want of kids, no fleet of lovely cars to garage, no desire to have a pool or a huge garden. The land has a nice outlook which is what attracts me to the idea but maybe the timing is wrong.
To answer the first question, to appoint a registered architect, will cost you around 10% of the total building price, but this could go up or down subject to what services you ask them to do. You may want to get them to do the initial design and then you take the drawing to a builder to price and get the approvals. Or you may wish to engage the architect to design, detail, seek approvals and provide site supervision. 4% minimum for base level involvement.
Finding an architect for your project would be the first and most important thing, as they need to understand exactly what your requirements are. Some firms are more commercial and others (usually the smaller practices) enjoy working out the spacial and ergonomics of the restricted site.
With regards to costs, you should be looking at $2000 - $3000 per sq metre of floor space as a minimum for a standard Australian house. This doesn't include paints, flooring, curtains, blinds etc. However, you are looking to make it UK specification, which could easily increase your costs. I would allow another 50% ontop of the base price. UK specifications are problematic here in Oz, for example, most brickies etc are paid per brick laid, and if you introduce additional complexity (yes I know insulation isn't complex to us, but it's unusual here) the costs go up.
You also need to find out from the council the plot ratio of the site that you can build on. In other words, how much of the land you buy, that they allow you to build your house on. I know the smaller the plots, the higher the ratio, but don't assume you can build a house the same size as the land. You may be only allowed 80 - 90%. Larger blocks usually carry a 60% plot ratio.
So, the basic maths, your budget to build is 150k, allow 10% for fee's, also allow a contingency, for all those bit's you forgot, 10% is standard practice. So your budget to base your build on is now $121,500. If you then base your figures on a mid value cost per square meter, $2,500. Then you could expect to build a house with an area of 48.6 square metres.
Your land area is 25 x 5 = 125 sq metres, so you can afford a house that will cover 40% of the land.
Info above should not put you off. I don't do residential stuff, so advice above is my understanding, and may (proberly is) wrong. But I hope it's of help. Keep ya chin up, research and you'll get there. I mean when has money stopped people in the past. Like the saying, there's more than one way to skin a cat.!
Finding an architect for your project would be the first and most important thing, as they need to understand exactly what your requirements are. Some firms are more commercial and others (usually the smaller practices) enjoy working out the spacial and ergonomics of the restricted site.
With regards to costs, you should be looking at $2000 - $3000 per sq metre of floor space as a minimum for a standard Australian house. This doesn't include paints, flooring, curtains, blinds etc. However, you are looking to make it UK specification, which could easily increase your costs. I would allow another 50% ontop of the base price. UK specifications are problematic here in Oz, for example, most brickies etc are paid per brick laid, and if you introduce additional complexity (yes I know insulation isn't complex to us, but it's unusual here) the costs go up.
You also need to find out from the council the plot ratio of the site that you can build on. In other words, how much of the land you buy, that they allow you to build your house on. I know the smaller the plots, the higher the ratio, but don't assume you can build a house the same size as the land. You may be only allowed 80 - 90%. Larger blocks usually carry a 60% plot ratio.
So, the basic maths, your budget to build is 150k, allow 10% for fee's, also allow a contingency, for all those bit's you forgot, 10% is standard practice. So your budget to base your build on is now $121,500. If you then base your figures on a mid value cost per square meter, $2,500. Then you could expect to build a house with an area of 48.6 square metres.
Your land area is 25 x 5 = 125 sq metres, so you can afford a house that will cover 40% of the land.
Info above should not put you off. I don't do residential stuff, so advice above is my understanding, and may (proberly is) wrong. But I hope it's of help. Keep ya chin up, research and you'll get there. I mean when has money stopped people in the past. Like the saying, there's more than one way to skin a cat.!
Been looking at a home and land package (well a few in fact) as i now fully realise my initial idea's were pie in the sky.
But WOW. These builders want arms and legs to do the simplest things;
$175-275 to strenghten the ceiling to allow a fan.
$175 a sq m for timber floors.
$90+ a sq m to lay 600x600mm tiles! Obviously not including the tiles there.
$250 for a diswasher provision (that actually means not putting a unit in, so how it is so expensive i will nevwer know!!!)
$500 for an ariel
$3000 for a 3hp air con unit
$110 to fit a downlight. Bargain!!!
Has anyone had a house and land package done before? Is there scope to rock up to site and wave some cash around?
Also asking for the cost to mount my TV to the wall, but i think his calculator exploded while trying to do the sums!!!
But WOW. These builders want arms and legs to do the simplest things;
$175-275 to strenghten the ceiling to allow a fan.
$175 a sq m for timber floors.
$90+ a sq m to lay 600x600mm tiles! Obviously not including the tiles there.
$250 for a diswasher provision (that actually means not putting a unit in, so how it is so expensive i will nevwer know!!!)
$500 for an ariel
$3000 for a 3hp air con unit
$110 to fit a downlight. Bargain!!!
Has anyone had a house and land package done before? Is there scope to rock up to site and wave some cash around?
Also asking for the cost to mount my TV to the wall, but i think his calculator exploded while trying to do the sums!!!
Search long and hard for an existing home that comes close to what you want or get good at DIY.
The builders charge an absolute fortune for this kind of thing, lots of the people I work with that have had homes built basically got them to build the shell and did all the finishing themselves or found their own tradies to do it. The only things they let the builders do were the things that had to be done during the build...running network cables and home entertainment cables in the walls and the like.
The builders charge an absolute fortune for this kind of thing, lots of the people I work with that have had homes built basically got them to build the shell and did all the finishing themselves or found their own tradies to do it. The only things they let the builders do were the things that had to be done during the build...running network cables and home entertainment cables in the walls and the like.
Spot on James.
When I got mine done I did most of that expensive stuff myself (I.e hired in after build)
$30 per downlight (cash to sparky I hired)
Flooring was nearer $100 fitted including flooring itself.
$5-8k will get you a reverse cycle aircon(wish I'd done that).
If you get the builder to do it you are paying not only their contract in rates but also fully trade rates.
If I did it again I would buy a bog standard design and have all the finishes upgraded once in, apart from integral work that is hard to do after the finish e.g dont get them to fit the tv just get conduit chased into the wall and YOUR sparky can the cut in and fit plugs and sockets at your required height with less mess.
You can save $0000's by not having the builder do stuff and just organise it after the fact.
When I got mine done I did most of that expensive stuff myself (I.e hired in after build)
$30 per downlight (cash to sparky I hired)
Flooring was nearer $100 fitted including flooring itself.
$5-8k will get you a reverse cycle aircon(wish I'd done that).
If you get the builder to do it you are paying not only their contract in rates but also fully trade rates.
If I did it again I would buy a bog standard design and have all the finishes upgraded once in, apart from integral work that is hard to do after the finish e.g dont get them to fit the tv just get conduit chased into the wall and YOUR sparky can the cut in and fit plugs and sockets at your required height with less mess.
You can save $0000's by not having the builder do stuff and just organise it after the fact.
Thanks for the advise.
I have found a particular house/land package which i am interested in which is a little two bed two storey 90sqm shack, and now down to the point of pricing it up with "extra's". I have been getting in quotes and found a few things a can save money on, and until last week i didn't know i could use my own tradies and add their quotes into the mortgage. TBH i will be completely broke after buying the place so money will be scarse for extra's
Why ducted over single units? Every house i have lived in over here has had ducted and i think the units must have been too small as it has been terrible trying to have heat or cool in more than one zone at the same time.
I am pretty handy at DIY. No Handy Andy, but i do alright. I dont have the tools here though which is a problem, but there is always Kennards.
There are quite a few tiling and kitchen changes i want to make happen while in the build stage, as these are a pain to do after. The home entertainment wiring they are really struggling to get their head around, which is so so worrying! These homes already come with a network built in, but it is only one cat 5 to each room.
Anyway, thanks for the replys.
I have found a particular house/land package which i am interested in which is a little two bed two storey 90sqm shack, and now down to the point of pricing it up with "extra's". I have been getting in quotes and found a few things a can save money on, and until last week i didn't know i could use my own tradies and add their quotes into the mortgage. TBH i will be completely broke after buying the place so money will be scarse for extra's
Why ducted over single units? Every house i have lived in over here has had ducted and i think the units must have been too small as it has been terrible trying to have heat or cool in more than one zone at the same time.
I am pretty handy at DIY. No Handy Andy, but i do alright. I dont have the tools here though which is a problem, but there is always Kennards.
There are quite a few tiling and kitchen changes i want to make happen while in the build stage, as these are a pain to do after. The home entertainment wiring they are really struggling to get their head around, which is so so worrying! These homes already come with a network built in, but it is only one cat 5 to each room.
Anyway, thanks for the replys.
ajg31 said:
Thanks for the advise.
I have found a particular house/land package which i am interested in which is a little two bed two storey 90sqm shack, and now down to the point of pricing it up with "extra's". I have been getting in quotes and found a few things a can save money on, and until last week i didn't know i could use my own tradies and add their quotes into the mortgage. TBH i will be completely broke after buying the place so money will be scarse for extra's
Why ducted over single units? Every house i have lived in over here has had ducted and i think the units must have been too small as it has been terrible trying to have heat or cool in more than one zone at the same time.
I am pretty handy at DIY. No Handy Andy, but i do alright. I dont have the tools here though which is a problem, but there is always Kennards.
There are quite a few tiling and kitchen changes i want to make happen while in the build stage, as these are a pain to do after. The home entertainment wiring they are really struggling to get their head around, which is so so worrying! These homes already come with a network built in, but it is only one cat 5 to each room.
Anyway, thanks for the replys.
What type of AC have those houses had? If it is ducted refrigerated you should have no problem getting the house cold. If it evaporative then it can be a bit trickier, they do not work very well in humid weather and because they pressurise the house you need to get the air flowing in the right direction to cool the bit of house you are in. You have to have a door or window open a crack anyway with evaporative but say you are in the lounge then you would close the windows at the other end of the house and open the lounge window a crack.I have found a particular house/land package which i am interested in which is a little two bed two storey 90sqm shack, and now down to the point of pricing it up with "extra's". I have been getting in quotes and found a few things a can save money on, and until last week i didn't know i could use my own tradies and add their quotes into the mortgage. TBH i will be completely broke after buying the place so money will be scarse for extra's
Why ducted over single units? Every house i have lived in over here has had ducted and i think the units must have been too small as it has been terrible trying to have heat or cool in more than one zone at the same time.
I am pretty handy at DIY. No Handy Andy, but i do alright. I dont have the tools here though which is a problem, but there is always Kennards.
There are quite a few tiling and kitchen changes i want to make happen while in the build stage, as these are a pain to do after. The home entertainment wiring they are really struggling to get their head around, which is so so worrying! These homes already come with a network built in, but it is only one cat 5 to each room.
Anyway, thanks for the replys.
If you want ducted in a 2 storey house get it in the plans now so they can design in the vents for the gound floor. I know someone that bought a 2 storey house with ducted but it was only on the top floor so they ended up buying splits for the ground floor to.
If you want to change the kitchen and tiling around a lot it would probably be better to find your own cabinet maker and get them to design it, they will be cheaper than a kitchen company with a flash showroom full of kitchens all set up.
You can save money on tiles by using something like Laminex http://www.laminex.com.au/
Looks like tiles but is actually a big sheet of material with the tiles printed on it. They do wet area paneling to. We are going to re-do our bathroom with it...Mrs D's brother works there and can get enough to do our whole bathroom for about $100
Laminex is very good, especially for 100 bucks Didn't know they did tile style though. Onle ever seen it as a kitchen worktop.
I have had ducted RC AC in my last two homes and they have been s
t. The problem i think stems from open plan style arrangements and no fans to circulate the air properly. The last place was a 3 storey house and i think the unit was WAYYYY too small.
The kitchen in the proposed home is actually all bespoke and can be tailored to each home, so anything goes really so long as it is not bigger than 4.4 lineal metres long.
Didn't know they did tile style though. Onle ever seen it as a kitchen worktop.I have had ducted RC AC in my last two homes and they have been s
t. The problem i think stems from open plan style arrangements and no fans to circulate the air properly. The last place was a 3 storey house and i think the unit was WAYYYY too small.The kitchen in the proposed home is actually all bespoke and can be tailored to each home, so anything goes really so long as it is not bigger than 4.4 lineal metres long.
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