Drawing cost (6 townhouse devl) - is this reasonable?

K

kristaje

Hi All,

This is my first devl venture, so please be tad patient with me :)

I have a piece of land that I plan to develop. From an early discussion with Surveyor and architect/draftsman, they indicated that 6 townhouses could be build on the land. The architect/draftsman also provided me with a quote of 3K to get the drawing done to DA: 1.5K to get the drawing for DA submission and another 1.5K for revision etc. until DA is completed. Just want to pick your brain if this is a reasonable cost? Or will it be more cost effective to use a specs home plan?

Thanks.
 
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price is reasonable considering it is a decent size job.

hunt around, youll probably find cheaper, youll definately find more expensive

more important is experience and reliablity. does the architect/draftsman have experience in townhouses and DA aaproval with your council?

hope that helps
 
something amiss, sounds way too cheap for a whole development like this....

hope hes including full elevations all scaled?? lol :))
 
I agree, very cheap. My three townhouse development was quoted at $20K for DA, $20K for CC and $10K for project management through completion.

I only used the DA from this architect and sourced cheaper CC drawings from another architect for only $5K. But still, all a lot more expensive than your plans. I presume its a simple site.

Cheers,
Michael
 
i have normally been quoted on size of build. So 6 x 12sq townhouses would be different to 6 x 24sq townhouses.

just something to note.
 
When you're doing a townhouse development it's important to keep your eye on the bigger picture. Your 6 townhouse site is probably going to cost $1m or more to develop, with the vast majority of this money spent on building costs. The building design/drafting costs are a tiny fraction of the total; maybe 1-5%?

Now, does it make sense to save money on the building design? Remember, the majority of the development cost is tied up with construction; a poorly designed townhouse will cost about the same to construct as a well designed townhouse of the same size.

Let's throw some numbers around. Say it costs you $12k more to get the building design done by a good designer; that's $2k per townhouse. Will a well designed townhouse be worth $2k more than a poorly designed townhouse? I bet the better design will be worth MUCH more than $2k. Say it adds $10k to the selling price of each townhouse; your initial $12k investment has suddenly brought in an extra $60k in revenue, or $48k in profit.

JD86 said:
more important is experience and reliablity. does the architect/draftsman have experience in townhouses and DA aaproval with your council?
Click to expand...

Definitely important. Saving say $5k by going to a less experienced/reputable firm might seem great at the time, but if the process gets held up for months on end in Council the extra holding costs will soon overtake the initial $5k saving. Don't be penny wise, yet pound foolish!
 
What if you pay the extra money and you get a crap design that gets help up forever?

To believe paying more money will avoid these things is naive imo. And i've developed.
 
Depends on what you're getting too.

If you're going for a nice boutique style with each townhouse a little unique, from a reputable and proven architect, this will obviously be more expensive than a row of plain and ordinary townhouses aimed at the lower end of the market.
 
Sheryn said:
MichaelW
10K for project management seems a reasonable good figure price for your development.
Click to expand...
Hi Sheryn,

I agree. In hindsight I might have been better off just paying the next $30K odd to this architect and have them do the lot for me but I saved $25K of that by using another architect for the detailed drawings and selecting a builder who could work with me closely to get around the need for project management. But it would be good to have an architect on the team still to see that it is built to spec etc. Next time I'd probably pay that extra $30K as I think it would be worth it.

Cheers,
Michael
 
cdd said:
a poorly designed townhouse will cost about the same to construct as a well designed townhouse of the same size.
Click to expand...

That comment is simply untrue. A poorly designed townhouse will NOT cost the same as a well designed townhouse of the same size. It will probably cost you a lot more and even worse, in ways that will not provide any extra return.

See my building blog for an example as to why http://www.yourbuildingbroker.com.au/2-storey-home-prices/
 
That price does sound reasonable.

Choose and architect/building designer that knows the area well. They may be able to design to suit the area as well as keeping building cost down. A good architect will know how to maximise the space and make the floor plan flow into the outdoor space.

At the end of the day you will either sell it or rent it and its needs to be desired by the buyer or tenant.
 
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