How much does it costs to build a house in Australia?
Short answer: use our calculator to get an approx cost for building. For a detailed experience, read on.
Welcome on board.
When I made a decision to build a house, it was a big decision for us. After going to numerous auctions, I had realised that there is always someone with more money in the bank. For the right house, unless we were willing to go all the way through, we never won.
There there were things to consider such as:
How old was the house?
How much stamp duty am I willing to pay?
Do I need to rennovate the house after I buy it? My choices are different to the previous owners.
Was there some un-approved modifications done to the house by the previous owners?
After looking for our dream house in a desired neighbourhood for about 1.5 years, we gave up and started looking to build a house. And then came this real question. HOW MUCH WILL IT COST ME??
I really hoped that I won’t end up paying more than buying an existing house.
Change of plans
We started looking for a land near to where we want to buy. After lots of research we shortlisted 2 suburbs and some blocks we were interested in.
TIP: You also save on the stamp duty by the way which you can add to the build cost to get the most out of it.
How much will it cost us to build a house?
Two options really (ummmm, unless you want to build yourself):
Project Builders
Custom Builders
Project Builders
There are some good project builders out there who will build your house for a reasonable price. But then it comes to your requirements. Some things to consider when you go for project builders are:
You will have to pick from their existing designs.
If the land is of awkward shape, normally they will not agree to build on it.
You will have to pick the inclusions for your house from their exsting stock (which is quite extensive) but might not always fit your needs.
The biggest one if you are fussy: Your neighbour can pick the same design and build beside you.
The Price:
Depending on the design, and the size of the build the cost varies from $1,500/m2 to $1,800/m2 (or more) It will never fit the $1,500 mark because it is basically a house as a box. No matter what they sell you, in the current market it won’t cut it. Once the build starts, you will be locked down to the contract. From there on, please make sure you do not change your mind as they will charge you with a hefty variation fees, and the price of change will be unresonable. Therefore, make sure you know what you are signing in the contract.
Custom Builders
The way this works is, you go to an Architect or Draftsman and get your dream house designed. Once you are happy with the design, you shop around for builders. I went to draftsman myself. I paid around $5,000 to get my design done, it took around 3 weeks. Good draftsmen will understand your needs and create a unique home design that suits.
TIP: A contemporary (flat) facade design will cost you more than traditional or modern designs. Check here.
Once the design was done, I went shopping for various custom home builders. When you meet these builders, some important questions you need to ask:
Will I need to deposit any money before I sign the final contract? (never agree to this)
Will there be any admin cost for variation (if any)?
How long will it take to build my house?
What happens if it takes longer than estimated? (because I will be paying mortgage)
Can you give me some reference to a project you have recently finished?
Can I talk to the owners myself?
I found Taz Building Group after talking to 5 different builders and after asking all those questions.
The Price
They told me that variations upto 3k will not cost any admin fees. the build will be finished in 9 months and a fine will be paid on a weekly basis if not completed on time. They also took me to some of his recent builds and introduced me to the owners. They have a straight forward open policy. The way they calculate and provide the pricing is very transparent and open to everyone to see on the website here. So the build price ranges from $1,500/m2 to $2,000/m2 (and up) based on the design you have got done by the draftsman. It also depends on the:
Facade design
Upgrades on the inclusions
Choice of your flooring
Build area
Number of floors
So it starts
I found the following key factors so far which I was not able to get with any other builder.
They are quite transparent with the invoice, they show you everything. (almost like you are paying directly to the vendor.This means that if you think that their guys are expensive, you can find your own.)
Allows you with a resonable amount of variation, free of admin cost (trust me, you never get it right in the contract).
Their base inclusions are high end.
They have one on one meetings on every milestone delivery.
They also help you with price negotiations with the suppliers (electricians, joinery etc)
Great at project management, meaning everything is lined up without any delays resulting in lightening fast build process.
I personally hired a private certifier to check the quality of the build and they gave the build quality a 5 star rating on every milestone delivery.
You can already tell that I am a happy customer. Mind you, the build is not finished yet. I would like to share with you the timeline of the build process of my current house.
1 April 2020
15 June 2020
15 July 2020
So far so good, if you are looking to build, absolutely give these guys a shot and make your own decision.
I hope article has helped you to make the right decision. Everyone has a different situation and this may not be the right choice for them.
-This article was published by an on-going customer on a special request
