Comparing Pricing of Tenders against other Builders

When comparing pricing of estimates or tenders between builders its important to do a like for like comparison as a lot will leave out things that you will need or things that you will likely upgrade eg. Kitchen. What worked for me was filling out the following table and filling out the estimated values.

In many cases the items in the site costs are included in the base price and other features may be included in promotional packages so you might not need to add these values individually. This is why its important to not just compare base prices against each other as its very misleading.

The estimated costs here are averages I found across multiple builders and these wont all be charged by all of them and the amounts can be less or more.

GroupItemEstimate CostNotes
Initial CostsHome Base Price550,000
Demolition PA34,000Costs in 2022 have gone up almost 50% due to gov. regulations
Architect Fee5,000
Landscape Plan900
Discounts & PromotionsDiscount-30,000
Promotion25,000
Site Costs
Traffic Control Plan500
Dilapidation Report1,000Report on the site conditions after the demo in case of future disputes of impacts to other properties
Statement of Environmental Effects1,270
H1 Slab4,450You may require an upgraded slab depending on your soil
DEB + Ceiling Heights56,000Drop edge beams and ceiling height increases due to a slope in your property
Rock Removal PA5,000If rocks are found during the cut and fill they will need special machinery to break up and disposal will be more costly
Soil Removal PA5,000Due to cut and fill
Additional Concrete Pump1,290For piering
Council Requirements
AHD Survey – contour survey385A survey done after the demo to ensure levels are correct for the builder to do their cut and fill for the slab
Saline Soil – 32mPa concrete piers3,750Extra piering support
Zone Allowance – Council9,000Some builders will charge a zone allowance as trades can cost more in a specific location
Hydraulics PA28,000Stormwater management for your site
Marine Conditions PA5,000If you live near water you may require certain treatments to your property eg. to prevent rust
Acoustic Conditions PA10,000If you live below a airplane paths, have a nearby trainline or highway you may need to have extra treatments to your house like sound insulation or better windows
Arborist Report1,700If you have nearby trees and need an assessment on the impact on them due to a build.
Acoustic Report2,200Similar to acoustic conditions. The report can impact the cost significantly of the building material you have to use
Estate Conditions
Demolition Site Inspection600To ensure the demo has removed all relevant materials, disconnected the relevant utilities, etc.
Survey Report to confirm levels after demo590Possibly another name for the AHD Survey – TBC
Relocate water meter for new driveway1,170
Overhead Pole – 3 phase power3,450
Shade cloth to scaffolding 1450
Shade cloth to scaffolding 2950
Traffic control PA5,000If you need to hire traffic control to allow for certain trades to access your property and they may block the street. The builder will ask for a fund at the start and will bill you the total after the build has completed or thereabouts.
Additional site handling5,000If access isnt easy to your lot, eg. you have a steep driveway and large trucks cant get into it, they may need to transport items by hand which can cost time
New layback/crossover to driveway6,000Council part of the driveway
Footpath cutout & disposal for driveway2,000If you are moving the driveway you need to dispose of the old one if applicable
NBN prewiring990
Fibre optic wiring1,040
BASIXBasix PA5,000Basix may require changes to your home to make it compliant and those changes can cost money.
OHSTiger Tails2,500
Tree Protection PA3,500
Pool Engineered Cover4,000
Externals
Driveway11,000
Facade25,000
Wall insulation incl garage (R2.7)500
Ceiling insulation incl garage (R5.0)3,000
Garden Taps280
Ceiling Height 2740 (Ground)9,000
Ceiling Height 2740 (First)5,000
Balcony9,075
Airconditiioning (23kW + 8 zones)9,000This can be significantly more depending on what the builder includes. This is more of an upgrade cost then a total cost.
Slimline air con wall grill (x1)375
Colorbond or Tile Roofing
Garage Door Upgrade1,000
Windows + Doors
Double Glazing25,000
2340 High Doors GF + FF2,520
Obscure Glazing – Wet Areas800
Skylight2,475
Flyscreens1,000
Front Door Upgrade1,200
Recessed Floors – Stacker Doors1,000
Window Protection1,000This would include frame and glass protection. Glass would include the exterior and a common product is a roll on application
Electrical
Downlights + plugs + other18,000
Gas to Leisure250
water & electrical at all 4 corners800
Internal Finishes
Square set ceilings (ground and 1st)2,000
Coffered Celiing (Theatre)3,000
3 coat paint (Endure)1,500
Dropped Ceiling to Kitchen900
Soundproofing insulation between Floors3,500
Hebel Powerfloor20,000You wouldnt need soundproofing between floors if you go with this
Soundproofing (walls)4,500
Staircase Upgrade PA22,000These would be for a monostringer and possibly glass balustrades
Laundry Chute2,000
Floor coverings
Laminate / Tiles to ground and first floor living areas25,000
Kitchen
Allowance25,000Excluding appliance upgrades
40mm Benchtops3,500
Undermount Sink1,180
Bathrooms
Provide one hob less shower incl. long grated drain1,000
Smart Tiles250
Soft close toilet300
Floor to Ceiling Tiles11,000
Recessed Floor to one wet area2,800
Other
Structural Steel PA30,000These would include things like lintels and steel beams

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