Build costs for a 4 bed + study in Western Sydney

[monalisa]

Hi all

Just after rough costs for building a house (single story and double story).

We would like a 4 bed + study, formal dining and lounge, family room and meals.

What does it cost? What should we keep in mind when building our own home?

Anything you would have done differently when you built your home or IPs?

Thanks
Monalisa

 

[DaveM]

At a rough costing, $1500-2000 per square metre for standard project home turn key, $2500-3000 for higher end spec.

Main thing for me in PPOR vs IP is the build quality... I dont care if the IP is a lower end build quality but I did for a PPOR and I was very picky. I looked for over a year and during that time, only 4 houses met my quality and criteria. I ended up with a house that was built by Masterton and when it was built it by the vendor back in 1990 it had the higher end finish and build cost pack so its better finished by a long way than many comparables

 

[devank]

In 2009, we completed building a project builder (Allcastle Homes) home. So you may need to add a bit 10% inflation .

Land size: 680 sqm
House size : 382 sqm (excluding garage and unclosed areas)

Demolition - $11990 - 2%
Builder cost - $356658 - 73%
Drainage - $33660 - 7%
Outside works - $51468.53 - 11%
Fittings - $28725 - 6%
Miscellaneous - $3235.67 - 1%


Drainage - Detention tank, absorption trenches and all other goodies(?!) come with it. Damn council

Outside works - Synthetic Grass in the backyard, Driveway, Fence, Automatic Slide Gate, two side gates, Deck and other landscape works.

Fittings - Flooring, Wardrobe, Lightings and extra Wiring.

I only gave a summary. Let me know if you want more detailed info.

 

[Aaron_C]

Budget for $2,000 per sqm at least.

 

[beachgurl]

We built a 22sq 4 bed plus study double storey in western Sydney in 2011. Was with cosmopolitan who fell over 4 days before we got our keys which was a lot if fun being 7.5monthz pregnant and living in a hotel waiting for a government builder to finish it off...

The house itself was 260k. Adding ducted air, landscaping, blinds, a deck and other finishing bits and pieces was an extra 35k.

Single storey houses are generally cheaper than double storey, maybe by 20-40k?

It's almost impossible to compare apples with apples when choosing a builder. Some have a fixed price which includes items which are deemed upgraded by other builders. Some don't include floor coverings, driveways, top cupboards in the kitchen so look like good value initially. Take note on the piers too (the concrete pour prior to the slab laid). Some builders allocate an allowance which is well under the requirement while others cover the full cost.

Ours was built for the purpose of on selling, so we went with only a small upgrade package and the home was fine. Ensure the builder is fixed price so u don't get hit with extra costs as the build progresses. They can hold u to ransom to pay or u don't get your house. One of my former neighbors got a big bill from their builder for balustrades, saying they were not part of the contract. Very strange that it was an exclusion for a 2 storey house. Also ask how often and how the site manager updates you on progress. Some builders are awesome while others don't contact u at all,

It can be lots of fun choosing everything yourself and its exciting watching the build but can also be stressful. On a building forum I used to frequent it was commonly said that your 3rd build is your perfect house, taking 2 earlier attempts to get it exactly right.

Lastly, get to know your neighbors. If building in a new estate it's much easier to discuss issues with the neighbour rather than dealing with their builder. If a Knockdown rebuild it could be handy being on good terms in case u need access or potentially make mess on their land. They would be less likely to report your builder to council or make life difficult.

 

[monalisa]

Thank you all.

Thank you Beachgurl - this is very helpful and good starting point for us.