Build costs uncovered: what makes building a house more expensive?

There are a number of factors that contribute to the overall cost of a build.

But to keep things simple, we’re going to run you through the 3 biggest contributing factors:

1. The overall size

2. The number of ‘architectural’ features

3. The site

Let’s talk through each of these in a little bit more detail.

The Overall Size

When building you literally pay for every square metre (sqm) of the house…. sounds obvious right?! 

But what this means in a practical sense is that just stretching the size of that dining room or master bedroom by a few square metres, might add another $10k to $20k to the overall cost of the build. 

And not all spaces are created equal. So adding an additional 8sqm for a powder room, which requires plumbing fixtures, tiles and joinery, will be more expensive than adding 8sqm to the garage.

The Number Of Architectural Features

These are features that contribute to the overall aesthetic of the design (and are often what contribute to the uniqueness of a design). But unfortunately, almost all of these are more expensive to include than what might be considered ‘standard’.

I’m talking about:

• High ceilings (anything above 2.7m), vaulted ceilings or raked ceilings

• Complex rooflines

• Lots of complex stonework

• Large scale windows and lots of them (which usually results in a need for steelwork)

• Double storey or split level (adding in staircases, a need for scaffolding, or more than one slab pour)

If you start adding multiple features, the cost per square metre of your home will very quickly start to add up.

The Site

This is a big one! And sadly one that is very commonly misunderstood or overlooked by our clients. They’re fixated on buying a parcel of land in their dream location, but don’t understand how a complex site might contribute to the overall cost of their build. 

Things that make a site ‘complex’ include:

• Difficult access - for trucks/vehicles, deliveries, and even making the actual construction tough

• Sloping - looks can be deceiving! Even a ‘gentle’ slope on a residential block (say 900sqm) can add cost to earthworks and require retaining 

• Lots of vegetation - the cost of this can come with the approval process (can be long and drawn out and add additional fees), how it impacts on the design of the home and also if vegetation needs to be removed

• Lack of services - it’s then on the homeowner to make these available (think: off grid solar or long power runs, large rainwater tanks, onsite wastewater systems etc)

Our tip to you? 

Sit down and run through what HAS to be factored into your house design and what you would LIKE to be factored into your house design (Hint: use our list above to help with this).

And then work out if this matches your budget.

And do all of this before you lock in a Building Designer and ask them to put pen to paper. It means you’ll have clarity and laser focus when you hit that design meeting.

Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time,

Susie x

PS. If you’re still feeling a little overwhelmed and would like a ‘done for you’ approach to the custom design and build process, check out Maplewood Lane’s House Plan Toolkits - we’ve taken care of ALL the heavy lifting for you.

Don’t forget to follow us over @maplewoodlane.co - where we share daily insights into our own design and build projects, as well as tips on how to make sure yours runs like clockwork too.

And if you have any burning questions about your own design and build journey that I haven’t covered off on, then let’s connect! You can reach me here. I’d love nothing more than a little inbox distraction to give me a break from whatever task I’m currently tackling ;-)