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Building a Home
agneswaran

Custom designed first home

hace 4 años

Hi everyone,

Have been reading up on articles & suggestions here on houzz for quite a while now.

Just wanted to first appreciate the time, interest & effort the community takes in answering queries days on in. I hope the outcome of my query is as fruitful as so many others.

We're a small family of 3 and have just finalised a block of land and awaiting settlement. The size of the land is 375sq.m with a 15m frontage, north to the rear of the block.

We're planning on building our first home and we're wondering if a custom designed home was overkill on a first home buyers budget or should we just start with a project home.

Regards,

Raman

Respuesta destacada
  • PRO
    hace 4 años

    Hey Raman,

    Congratulations on your purchase and on the fact you are doing a lot of research - something so many people tend to miss.

    As Paul has already mentioned, Custom homes are always going to be more expensive and that $1800 per sqm rate would be a very basic build with good access. That being said, sqm rates are a little misguided in that it really depends on a LOT of factors.

    For example, we recently built an award-winning custom home on a very steep block of land with inground pool etc etc for approx $3500 sqm, while we also built a granny flat a few years ago and it was $3200 sqm. The reason being that the size of the project can have a huge impact on the overall sqm rate. Empty rooms tend to dilute the sqm rate, while wet areas etc tend to increase the rate

    You ask about which way to go with professionals etc.

    You need to start talking to builders who specialise in this type of project as your starting point.

    The builder you choose will ultimately be responsible for approx 95% of your entire budget. Does it not make sense to choose a builder who is responsible for this budget based on their ability rather than their price?

    Once you have found a builder who specialises in D&C projects, they may have an in-house design team, or like us, work with a number of different Designers and Architects who specialise in different projects.

    Once you have your builder and designer, you are then able to work in a collaborative process to design your home to your budget. We have actually developed a 10 part free video series to help our clients get educated about how to start their projects and save thousands of dollars in the process - get in touch and i can send you a link!. Good luck Raman!


    Comentarios (8)

    • PRO
      hace 4 años

      Whist It's a relatively small block, for a family with one child it could suit fine. 15m frontage however means only relatively short depth and factoring street setbacks you may be limited in project home options, but I'm sure there will be some out there. Ultimately depends upon your build budget and the type of living experience you're after. Also if this is considered a longterm or short term project. Custom design is always higher cost, but you get customised unique spaces. Alternatively you can get a volume build house for 1/2 to 1/3 of the cost of custom, but it will be what it will be as it is an off the shelf product. It may be fine however, it totally depends upon what you are seeking in a home for you and your family. Comes down to $$$

      Best of luck Ramen

      Cheers PD :)

    • hace 4 años

      Hi PD,

      Thanks for replying. The reason we started thinking custom is because we didn't have much choice considering the size of the block as you pointed out.

      The other reason was the use of space and size of rooms were not all that appealing with project homes.

      We've spoken to a few people who have built custom homes and all of them suggest keeping the cost of construction at about $1800 per sq.m at a bare minimum which would still be better quality compared to some of the project homes. I have absolutely no idea of course about quality of construction and how it compares so I take it at face value.

      Assuming we build around 250 sq.m is it a fair budget for a custom design or gave people grossly misled us. Once again do appreciate the help extended

      regards,

      Raman

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    • PRO
      hace 4 años

      It totally depends on the combination of factors such as the specific design (whether it's simple or complex structure), the site conditions (orientation, planning constraints, topography, soil conditions), specification/quality of detail/finish and then ultimately capacity of the builder to deliver construction to a certain cost efficiency. So you're thinking ballpark 450K? For something like a 28sq customers home? I'd say realistically too light-on from my experience, and you also need to factor in external treatment/landscaping costs......but I'm dealing with more complex higher end projects, and there can be options out there with say smaller scale custom design & construct companies that can craft a customised layout to a more standardised specification/aesthetic that may be able to bring the cost down. I've seen people post on Houzz that they've done reasonable size (say 30-35sq) "custom builds" for ballpark $600K, which puts it into essentially volume build territory $/m2 rates. I'd guess that in order to achieve that there would have to be a significant amount of structural and specification simplification and standardisation, coupled with potentially some DIY components.


      We work with figures more like $2750/m2 as absolute baseline for custom work (it typically ends up closer to $3500-4000k), but that also depends upon how large the house is. The larger it is the lower you can get the $/m2 due to economies of scale. When you do smaller homes it's harder to keep average costs down, the $/m2 increases as all the expensive areas such as kitchen, bathrooms etc remain and you only cut down the "cheaper" spaces such as bedrooms or study or 2nd living/passages which are essentially just basic structure/limited fit-out. I actually don't agree in applying a $$/m2 rate to custom projects, rather, the estimate needs to be developed from the trade breakdown components. From this you can then get an idea of what it will likely average out at in terms of cost/m2. Cost/m2 IMO really can only applies to a (volume) building product that is produced on a regular basis and so can be quantified accurately.


      Really best you continue with doing the legwork/research. It may take you some time to find the right option and appreciate it can be challenging to filter all the information available and work through what is accurate/honest or what is simply marketing/sales.

      Hope this info helps a bit though.

      Cheers

    • hace 4 años

      Thanks a lot for explaining in such detail. I really do appreciate it. Yes our budget is around the 450k mark.

      Judging by the way you've put it, it seems quite impossible to go a custom build route on our budget. Project homes seem to be the way to go providing we can find one that fits the awkward shape of the lot and something that we like.

      The main reason I really wanted to ascertain cost/m2 was to see if I can delay the construction longer to meet the financial obligations of saving up some more for the build stage. Even at $2750 as you've stated at an absolute baseline, that's much more than we can afford to spend.

      Will continue doing our research though and see if we can arrive at a decent compromise between standardised building components and custom ones to see how we can hedge costs.

      I read here on houzz that while approaching an architect, building designer etc. it's important to have a good brief. Any tips on how to create one, what professionals are looking at to take on or entertain work? I don't really mind discussing budgets, never been shy. So even if let's say professionals read the very first line with a budget and turn us down, it wouldn't affect us a lot. We're quite pragmatic that way.

      Regards,

      Raman

      0
    • PRO
      hace 4 años

      The main ocnstraint is to be efficient downright ruthless to the total sqm of the project. What you list as requirement priority will dictate the rest of your brief.
      Budget of 450 on 375sqm land is doable considering you might only be allowed 185sqm 50% ratio on the land. If you can squeeze it down closer to 150 sqm then you can splurge even more.

      Don't get blinded by the size

    • hace 4 años

      @Eco Building Services


      Do appreciate what's being conveyed & I know its quite hard to put a price on quality & effort but in doing my research just want to make sure I have covered all bases before committing to something. The more I read about costs of construction and where I seem my project the more I'm convinced that I cannot build within my financial constraints and doesn't seem worth putting more effort in the research rather just go in for a project home and start small.


      I would however like to take you up on your offer of viewing the videos you mentioned & see how they can help me make the right decision.


      @3DA Design Drafting and 3D Visuals


      I do get that when the build is in progress its crucial to be conscious about the budget and they only way to achieve the desired goals would be to stay as strict as possible.


      Regarding the size of the build, we have been visiting a lot of display homes to get an idea of the size of home we 'd like to live in. While we do live in an apartment now, we're quite reasonable about our requirements & we sort of know how many rooms/spaces we as a small family require. 150 sqm would be cutting it too much & I mentioned 250 sqm since that's approx. what we can build on the land (25% + 150sq.m) based on guidelines plus all the other areas that don't count towards the GFA. This is based on what I've read on the planning guidelines website for the council & also CDC building codes. I could have misinterpreted the intention too and rely on the experts correcting me.


      Of course I'm not really saying I need the 250sq.m but it would be quite nice having some extra room for guests visiting. As an exercise what we're trying to size up our existing rooms & also match it against a list we had made for the spaces we would need in our home. Let see how that goes and maybe as you said we may just end up short of the 250 number. Its wonderful that your brought up the size because this gives us a chance to re-evaluate our requirements.


      Once again thank you so much for your advise, will continue the research and see where I land... and suggestions are more than welcome.



      Regards,


      Raman

      0
    • hace 4 años

      Great advice from all the posters here. But I love the line "Don't get blinded by the size"!

      Yes, the price/sqm will be higher for a smaller home, as all the expensive essentials - a kitchen, bathrooms etc - will all still be there. But the overall cost will still be significantly lower. Especially if you keep the build to a single storey! As soon as you go up, costs will increase significantly. You'll have more wasted space too, like a staircase & landing. Be ruthless, & importantly, be inventive!

      Australians now build the largest houses in the world. We overtook the US after the GFC. Is this something to be proud of? I don't think so. Not in this world of finite resources, & climate change. Of finite land, while we continue with our urban sprawl, even endangering something as iconic as our beautiful, & vulnerable koala.

      Houses don't have to be bigger, they just have to be much better designed. The rest of the world can design in much smaller footprints, why can't we!

      A smaller home will not only cost you less to build, it will cost less money to maintain over it's life. It will cost less to heat in winter, & cool in summer. It will cost you less time to clean, & maintain.

      It will cost the environment less. In resources & embodied energy during the build, & in emissions to heat, cool & maintain it over it's life.

      Do you really need that rarely used guest room? Do you even what it, when you think hard about the financial cost to you, the cost to the environment & your children's future? Along with the time it takes to maintain this room, clean it, dust it, when it's sitting there usually unoccupied.

      Wouldn't you prefer a well designed multi-purpose room, that can play multiple roles? House guests, when they come to stay. While at other times, be used as a second living areas for the kids, or an office space.

      Same goes with storage, where many poorly designed homes fall down. We'll designed storage is critical, especially in smaller spaces, but it can be done.

      OP, you've chosen a nice small block, with a nice 15m wide southern frontage. This will give you a lovely, wide, northern rear aspect. Work with it!

      You can have beautiful, light & bright living areas, that will connect to your north facing backyard. These living areas will be heated by the northern sun in winter, shaded (by eaves) in summer.

      If you haven't already, start by reading this wonderful government about energy efficiency home design.

      https://www.yourhome.gov.au/

      There's a lot to take in there. But if start with the passive design section. You've got a lovely northern aspect to work with, & this website will teach you how best to take advantage of it.

      There's even house plans in there somewhere (in the menu). Not sure if there's anything appropriate for your block, but I'm sure you can learn from them, & get some ideas.

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