builder advice needed

[browny]

Hi. We are looking to build a house seen the land etc. However in order to maximize all the grants we need to keep the build to under $400k. We can knock off the externals, they are $25,500 and the sums add up however how much would it cost after settlement to complete. The list is:-

 

Water tank

Stormwater system

Soft landscaping

Internal & external fencing

Clothes line

Letter box

Paving and supply and install

Crossover and footpath repairs

 

Hope someone out there can shed some light on the costs. We may need to call on your services in a few months!

[NicF]

A lot! We've had our block of land since October and are still waiting for planning permission for our house but we have had a few of those things you mentioned priced up. The storm water system will depend on what the requirements for your house and land are and how big a reserve tank you want, but we are looking at about $15k for ours. Fencing depends on the size of your block, whether you need retaining walls and what type of fencing you opt for. We've gone for colourbond fencing, our back fence and one side need/ed retaining walls and the other side is mostly just the fence, the land is 41m deep and 9.15 wide. Our total fencing cost will be about $22k all up. Not too sure about the rest at the moment.

 

One thing I will say though is what ever the base price for the house plan you like is you need to add on at least 50% extra to get an idea of the price you are actually likely to pay. How much extra you pay will depend on just what is included in the base price, the land you are building on and whether you opt for any extras or upgrades. The base price of our house is $130k but the price we are looking at actually paying is around $230k. Some of that is extras, upgrades and making the house bigger but over $30k is for extra footings allowance and there are other costs for things that we don't have any choice about.

[jim and adel]

Hi. We are looking to build a house seen the land etc. However in order to maximize all the grants we need to keep the build to under $400k. We can knock off the externals, they are $25,500 and the sums add up however how much would it cost after settlement to complete. The list is:-

 

Water tank

Stormwater system

Soft landscaping

Internal & external fencing

Clothes line

Letter box

Paving and supply and install

Crossover and footpath repairs

 

Hope someone out there can shed some light on the costs. We may need to call on your services in a few months!

 

Hard to judge without any sizes or details e.g. rain water tanks (RWTs as you'll see them called) come in all shapes and sizes and in different materials. Similarly, 'fencing' could be anything from a few hundred dollars to thousands.

 

​Jim

[browny]

Only need a fence on one side which is about 20m. Plus a gate. The deal is fixed price but takes it over $400k which means we dont have enough deposit so developer has suggest omitting the externals @ $25k to get it on budget.

 

Just concerned about the stormwater system and the implications if we leave it out to do later.

[Guest Guest5035]

fencing is shared cost with your neighbours

 

Stevo

[Guest Guest5035]

Only need a fence on one side which is about 20m. Plus a gate. The deal is fixed price but takes it over $400k which means we dont have enough deposit so developer has suggest omitting the externals @ $25k to get it on budget.

 

Just concerned about the stormwater system and the implications if we leave it out to do later.

 

if you are having the builder do all the extras, then the cost will be big, leave them out for later and get your own contactors, re the storm water, DO get the builder to do as it will be part of the house.

 

stevo

[NicF]

fencing is shared cost with your neighbours

 

Stevo

 

Only if they agree to pay it is. Our neighbours on one side are building as well so we shared the cost of that fence. On the other side there is a fence there already and the neighbour doesn't feel the need to replace it so not happy about paying half but is happy for us to replace it if we pay for it.

[NicF]

if you are having the builder do all the extras, then the cost will be big, leave them out for later and get your own contactors, re the storm water, DO get the builder to do as it will be part of the house.

 

stevo

 

Our builders don't do storm water. We have to have it put in after handover but before moving in.

[NicF]

Only need a fence on one side which is about 20m. Plus a gate. The deal is fixed price but takes it over $400k which means we dont have enough deposit so developer has suggest omitting the externals @ $25k to get it on budget.

 

Just concerned about the stormwater system and the implications if we leave it out to do later.

 

Our deal is fixed price as well, but the price didn't get fixed until they did all the site engineering reports and worked out how much footings and other stuff they need. And until we went through and decided all the other things we wanted in the house. and even once it's fixed and you have signed a contract they are still able to raise a contract variation if something comes up. Make sure you check very carefully what is included in the price before committing to anything. The base price of our house doesn't include air conditioning for example, and only has a certain amount of electrical sockets and lights. Any extra things cost more.