low vs medium spec questions

[Oshawott]

can anyone help explain what are main difference a medium finish will have vs a low end finish? i tried googling but cannot really find any info about the differences.

under what situation would you go low end and when would you go medium finish?

and speaking of end value, will you achieve a better return (dollar per dollar) when doing a higher end finish?

 

[Erica]

Low: plain face brick frontage, 2.4m ceiling height, plain light bulbs, no inbuilt wardrobes, no overhead cupboards in bedrooms, bathroom tiling minimum: 1.8m in shower only 2 or 3 rows above bath/vanity. manual lift roller door to garage or carport only

Medium :rendered or feature frontage/ protico, 2.7m ceiling height, downlights, inbuilt wardrobes in bedrooms, overhead cupboards to kitchen, auto rollerdoor to garage

High: entire house rendered plus feature frontage/portico or return verandah,3.0m ceiling height, everything medium spec gets plus granite benchtops in kitchen, bathroom tiling to ceiling, all the best European appliances, interesting features like recessed alcoves/ ceilings/ bulkheads, upgraded door handles, internal doors, bathroom fittings etc etc

this is my rather simple view of the difference between low-med-high spec. builds

But I dare say there is no set standard, what one builder advertises as their med spec may be considered as low spec by the next builder

Shop your plans around to lots of builders and go through quotes with a fine tooth comb, I got 6 quotes for mine

 

[Erica]

tenants will think the downlights/ floor to ceiling tiles/ granite benchtops are nice but they wont spend any more on the rent to get them

For IP go low to med depending on the median price of the suburb

 

[Rolf Latham]

My understanding is that the level of finish. Ie quality of ties carpets bathroom ware lighting etc etc need to be commensurate with the market you are appealing to

Underfloor bathroom heating in a basic granny flat is probably overkill but pretty much a good thing for a middle to higher priced home in cold climates.

Ta

Rolf

 

[westminster]

can anyone help explain what are main difference a medium finish will have vs a low end finish? i tried googling but cannot really find any info about the differences.

under what situation would you go low end and when would you go medium finish?

and speaking of end value, will you achieve a better return (dollar per dollar) when doing a higher end finish?

It's pretty subjective with no definitive answer.

In Perth it would be
Low: vinyl flooring or cheap tiles, 28 course ceilings (2.4m), simple hipped roof with concrete tiles (maybe colorbond), laminate kitchen with no overhead cupboards with 600mm appliances. Shower curtain rails to shower. No doors to WIR, laundry - as few doors as possible. Cheap storage tank hws

Mid: nicer tile floors, nicer carpet. 28 course ceilings with some 31 course rooms, nicer elevation/roof. Kitchen with 600 or 900mm appliances, overhead cupboards and stone/composite benchtops. Glass pivot doors to showers. Instantaneous hws

You would go low in the worst of areas. I don't really like those areas. Even Balga which is a not so nice area gets a medium spec.

You will acheive a higher return when you build to a specification expected of the area. Each area is different and there are subtle differences which will make a mid spec seem high when it really is just a few upgraded elements.

My findings has been that practically nowhere in Perth would be happy with low unless it really is crapville and I wouldn't want those tenants.

 

[HD_ACE]

^^ as above.

If it will be an ip and your looking to save some money, I suggest spending the money on the medium finish aspects that cant be changed later ie elevation, facade, high ceilings, footprint, alfeesco etc and saabe the money on things that will need to be upgraded in future anyway ie benchtops, tiles, flooring, lighting etc.

Also think longterm when choosing appliances, aircon, hws etc as you will want minimal call outs during tenancy.

Its a bit of a juggling act to cater for the tenant market and for the buyer market to get biggest bang for buck.

 

[DexV2]

Speaking of medium specs, what are some medium finish appliances for the kitchen? And if I was thinking rendering a medium finish house, would it better to just render the facade or the whole house? Wouldn't the inconsistency be a deterrent?

 

[westminster]

Speaking of medium specs, what are some medium finish appliances for the kitchen? And if I was thinking rendering a medium finish house, would it better to just render the facade or the whole house? Wouldn't the inconsistency be a deterrent?

Medium appliance would be a named brand like Fisher and Paykel up to Bosch or Smeg.

Many houses are just rendered at the front then face brick at the sides and rear HOWEVER note that when brickies charge a fortune (ie now) it can be sometimes cheaper to render the whole house because then the brickies lay in fastwall which is cheaper in terms of speed and labour overall.

 

[miss green eyes]

I personally am not a fan of render.
I find the maintenance too high (regular painting $$$) and I like the charm of bricks (red bricks...mmmm) + low-to-no maintenance required.
What is the attraction in render?