International building firm invests in Canberra

dungfungus said :

wildturkeycanoe said :

With land starting at $300,000+ and a cheap house at $185,000, the home loan minus deposit of say 10% will end up costing around $620 per week. That doesn’t sound much like a first home buyer dream, more like a life sentence.
Also, if you believe what many have said who have built homes with this and other companies, add another $100,000 to that basic package to get a house you can actually move into. Then your weekly payments are around $750. Gotta be in a darn good job or do a lot of hours to afford that. Heaven have mercy should interest rates go up.

A lot of mercy will have to be dispensed in the near future but remember we babyboomers (you know, the demographic that is making home affordability impossible) had to pay17.5% on our mortgages in the 1990’s. We survived nevertheless.

Yes, with wages that were far higher in relation to house prices. In 1980 for example, $44675 average house in Canberra with average annual wage of $13,000. So a house was worth four times your annual wage, whereas now a house is worth more than 8 times the average wage. That’s a fair comparison isn’t it?

wildturkeycanoe said :

With land starting at $300,000+ and a cheap house at $185,000, the home loan minus deposit of say 10% will end up costing around $620 per week. That doesn’t sound much like a first home buyer dream, more like a life sentence.
Also, if you believe what many have said who have built homes with this and other companies, add another $100,000 to that basic package to get a house you can actually move into. Then your weekly payments are around $750. Gotta be in a darn good job or do a lot of hours to afford that. Heaven have mercy should interest rates go up.

A lot of mercy will have to be dispensed in the near future but remember we babyboomers (you know, the demographic that is making home affordability impossible) had to pay17.5% on our mortgages in the 1990’s. We survived nevertheless.

With land starting at $300,000+ and a cheap house at $185,000, the home loan minus deposit of say 10% will end up costing around $620 per week. That doesn’t sound much like a first home buyer dream, more like a life sentence.
Also, if you believe what many have said who have built homes with this and other companies, add another $100,000 to that basic package to get a house you can actually move into. Then your weekly payments are around $750. Gotta be in a darn good job or do a lot of hours to afford that. Heaven have mercy should interest rates go up.

No the strata by law states a minimum 200,000L. By the looks of it most people out there have put 200,000L above ground Rhino tanks, and looking at the net these are about 15k. Still can’t see how that place cost 581k to build. Just doesn’t add up.

Maya123 said :

vintage123 said :

dungfungus said :

vintage123 said :

Southmouth said :

vintage123 said :

Southmouth said :

Alexandra Craig said :

Maya123 said :

Alexandra Craig said :

vintage123 said :

“ACT designs start at 185k with the average at 250k” call me cynical but I doubt that very much. There is no way you can build for those prices in canberra. Ten years ago maybe. Average is about twice those costs. Happy to be proven wrong, however I suspect a lot of people will go to the display anticipating a 250k build only to be very very disappointed.

250k base cost maybe? I’m considering building (if I can find land), and haven’t done any in-depth research but was told that some homes have the base cost without things like floor coverings included, so if you want carpet/floorboards etc that’s an additional cost. Anyone care to share with us their experiences building in Canberra?

Years ago houses didn’t come with carpets, blinds/curtains and such fittings. They were put in later as the owner could afford it. That’s why once a drive around new suburbs would reveal sheets, whatever could be utilised, covering windows. I wonder why the extra expense is now thought normal. I had a house built a couple of years ago and I didn’t have any window covers when I moved in, and didn’t for some weeks. I had large windows too. One just has to be careful where you get dressed.

I just had a look at their website, they’ve got a ‘handy hints’ section with one part on knowing the costs associated with building a house.

Besides the cost of the land and the house itself, the costs of the build (site costs etc), floor coverings (only tiles in wet areas are included), window coverings, electrical appliances (presume this is oven, dishwasher etc), driveway, garden landscaping, and letterbox.

Based on that, I am pretty sure the $250k quoted above is just the cost for the actual house, not including the build cost, floors, driveway etc. I wonder how much the average cost overall is!

I went through this recently myself. Now is a good time to build as it is reasonably quiet. My house ended up at bang on $1100 per square metre. You should focus on the per Sq m cost as this is the only real way to compare. Also choose a builder who has standard fixings that are good enough for you to accept without having to up spec if you want to avoid cost blow outs.

$1100 a square meter, wow, really. Who is the builder as I will get him to build me a couple of homes. The cheapest per m2 quotes we have are $1600 to $2000.

It was Regal Homes. The guy who sits in the display home (which at the time was in Bungendore, but isn’t now) is named Kim. Our site manager was Troy (he is a beast). The office is in Fyshwick.

Our house is just over 300sq m inc garage. Smaller places will have a higher per sq m cost. This is my third new build and my father was a builder so i’ve learned where to trim the fat. In short, Archiectural feature and bedazzling is where money is wasted. I went with the standard inclussions apart from things i absolutely could not live with, so up spec’d only the sink, cook top, tiles, and toilets. All outside concreting etc was removed from the list and done by us after handover as was window coverings. Also, it was our floor plan as they had nothing that suited us off the shelf. Been in just over a year.

I’m sure they’ll build you as many as you can fund.

That’s interesting, you have done really well squeezing regal to that price. I was quoted by regal and it was $1700 per m2 without any inclusions. Interestingly I watched their display venture at jiparu murrumbateman. It is the home on the front of their webpage, although it’s advertised as a knock down rebuild it wasn’t, it was just a new build on a vacant block. Anyway they paid 290k for the block and built the display home, when the display period finished they attempted to rent it out for $900 a week whilst advertising it at 1.1m for 6 months before readvertising it “at below cost” at $950k. When I approached Kim ware and asked him how it could be below cost at $950k he said to cost over $600k to build. It was around 300m2 simple low pitch four bedda with ensuite and double garage. There current display home venture in bungendore is a dual occ with 380m2 for $750k. Anyway we tried to skin any design with regal could not get a square meter age price any where near $1100. I am thinking it depends where you want to build suburb wise versus which dictates the price.

Re the Jiparu home, were you aware of the “residency” conditions conveyed by the strata tile?
The last thing one wants to do by moving to the bush is to go to body corporate meetings.
The high cost of that home reflects the building caveats in the strata plan like gas boosted solar HWS, some type of bio-degader septic system and I think a headworks contribution to the community non-potable water reticulation system.
Apart from that the home design was good (but no double glazing) and Kim is a nice bloke.
It would be interesting to find out what is was sold for in the end. I had offered $850K before I found out about the strata title arrangements.

It sold for 876k. Land was 295k. It was marketed at well below cost price, which I assume concludes the build cost was 581k. I have a copy of the strata regulations in front of me and there is no mention of A gas boosted solar HWS? It does require a minimum 200000l water tank as well as seperate 12000l non potable reticulation tank. But at 581k cost, still cannot see where that cost has come from.

“It does require a minimum 200000l water tank as well as seperate 12000l non potable reticulation tank.”

How many litres is that? I can’t imagine you mean 200,000litre water tank.

Regal Homes told me the gas boosted solar HWS was mandatory on every house on the estate. Maybe this was to “justify” the price.
The cost price to the builder would have been much less than the “market” price. They were initially asking $1.2 million for the place.
My offer was close to the money it seems.

VYBerlinaV8_is_back said :

beardedclam said :

VYBerlinaV8_is_back said :

Sounds awfully cheap to me. I wonder which corners will be cut to deliver at that price point?

Better design = less materials required = less cost. Pretty simple.

It’s a wonderful dream, but unfortunately the reality is standard design + cheaper imported materials + cheaper trades + cutting corners = less cost.

The ACT uses private building certifiers. It’s a shonky builder’s wet dream.

I have some info to shed for those interested. Price point is for;
Traditional facade (looks awful) note the nice facade is an extra 20k
Standards panel less doors
Minimal tiling
No fly screens
No window locks
No deadlocks
No ceiling fans
No ixl’s
Minimal insulation
Single spray coat paint
No external tiling
No external lights
No aircon or heating
Single standard light fitting to each room
Single power point to each room
No instant hws
Non achievable carpet and tiling allowance
No curtains
No light dimmers
No painting of eaves
No connection of stormwater
No driveway
No landscaping
No site cost (extra 30k standard)
No fences
No retaining walls
No footpaths
No external water taps or drains
No paint on eaves
Single flat white ceiling spray on all surfaces walls and ceilings
No tap mixers
Single sink and laundry tub
No garage remotes
No door seals
No tv antenna or points
No broadband connection
No alarm
No roof vents
No skylights
No patio or pergola (20k option)
The list keeps going for those who care………
Was basically told for all inclusive finished product that compares to standard existing home to budget on double the base cost, so base cost 200k equals 400k finished etc

beardedclam said :

VYBerlinaV8_is_back said :

Sounds awfully cheap to me. I wonder which corners will be cut to deliver at that price point?

Better design = less materials required = less cost. Pretty simple.

It’s a wonderful dream, but unfortunately the reality is standard design + cheaper imported materials + cheaper trades + cutting corners = less cost.

The ACT uses private building certifiers. It’s a shonky builder’s wet dream.

VYBerlinaV8_is_back said :

Sounds awfully cheap to me. I wonder which corners will be cut to deliver at that price point?

Better design = less materials required = less cost. Pretty simple.

Sounds awfully cheap to me. I wonder which corners will be cut to deliver at that price point?

vintage123 said :

dungfungus said :

vintage123 said :

Southmouth said :

vintage123 said :

Southmouth said :

Alexandra Craig said :

Maya123 said :

Alexandra Craig said :

vintage123 said :

“ACT designs start at 185k with the average at 250k” call me cynical but I doubt that very much. There is no way you can build for those prices in canberra. Ten years ago maybe. Average is about twice those costs. Happy to be proven wrong, however I suspect a lot of people will go to the display anticipating a 250k build only to be very very disappointed.

250k base cost maybe? I’m considering building (if I can find land), and haven’t done any in-depth research but was told that some homes have the base cost without things like floor coverings included, so if you want carpet/floorboards etc that’s an additional cost. Anyone care to share with us their experiences building in Canberra?

Years ago houses didn’t come with carpets, blinds/curtains and such fittings. They were put in later as the owner could afford it. That’s why once a drive around new suburbs would reveal sheets, whatever could be utilised, covering windows. I wonder why the extra expense is now thought normal. I had a house built a couple of years ago and I didn’t have any window covers when I moved in, and didn’t for some weeks. I had large windows too. One just has to be careful where you get dressed.

I just had a look at their website, they’ve got a ‘handy hints’ section with one part on knowing the costs associated with building a house.

Besides the cost of the land and the house itself, the costs of the build (site costs etc), floor coverings (only tiles in wet areas are included), window coverings, electrical appliances (presume this is oven, dishwasher etc), driveway, garden landscaping, and letterbox.

Based on that, I am pretty sure the $250k quoted above is just the cost for the actual house, not including the build cost, floors, driveway etc. I wonder how much the average cost overall is!

I went through this recently myself. Now is a good time to build as it is reasonably quiet. My house ended up at bang on $1100 per square metre. You should focus on the per Sq m cost as this is the only real way to compare. Also choose a builder who has standard fixings that are good enough for you to accept without having to up spec if you want to avoid cost blow outs.

$1100 a square meter, wow, really. Who is the builder as I will get him to build me a couple of homes. The cheapest per m2 quotes we have are $1600 to $2000.

It was Regal Homes. The guy who sits in the display home (which at the time was in Bungendore, but isn’t now) is named Kim. Our site manager was Troy (he is a beast). The office is in Fyshwick.

Our house is just over 300sq m inc garage. Smaller places will have a higher per sq m cost. This is my third new build and my father was a builder so i’ve learned where to trim the fat. In short, Archiectural feature and bedazzling is where money is wasted. I went with the standard inclussions apart from things i absolutely could not live with, so up spec’d only the sink, cook top, tiles, and toilets. All outside concreting etc was removed from the list and done by us after handover as was window coverings. Also, it was our floor plan as they had nothing that suited us off the shelf. Been in just over a year.

I’m sure they’ll build you as many as you can fund.

That’s interesting, you have done really well squeezing regal to that price. I was quoted by regal and it was $1700 per m2 without any inclusions. Interestingly I watched their display venture at jiparu murrumbateman. It is the home on the front of their webpage, although it’s advertised as a knock down rebuild it wasn’t, it was just a new build on a vacant block. Anyway they paid 290k for the block and built the display home, when the display period finished they attempted to rent it out for $900 a week whilst advertising it at 1.1m for 6 months before readvertising it “at below cost” at $950k. When I approached Kim ware and asked him how it could be below cost at $950k he said to cost over $600k to build. It was around 300m2 simple low pitch four bedda with ensuite and double garage. There current display home venture in bungendore is a dual occ with 380m2 for $750k. Anyway we tried to skin any design with regal could not get a square meter age price any where near $1100. I am thinking it depends where you want to build suburb wise versus which dictates the price.

Re the Jiparu home, were you aware of the “residency” conditions conveyed by the strata tile?
The last thing one wants to do by moving to the bush is to go to body corporate meetings.
The high cost of that home reflects the building caveats in the strata plan like gas boosted solar HWS, some type of bio-degader septic system and I think a headworks contribution to the community non-potable water reticulation system.
Apart from that the home design was good (but no double glazing) and Kim is a nice bloke.
It would be interesting to find out what is was sold for in the end. I had offered $850K before I found out about the strata title arrangements.

It sold for 876k. Land was 295k. It was marketed at well below cost price, which I assume concludes the build cost was 581k. I have a copy of the strata regulations in front of me and there is no mention of A gas boosted solar HWS? It does require a minimum 200000l water tank as well as seperate 12000l non potable reticulation tank. But at 581k cost, still cannot see where that cost has come from.

“It does require a minimum 200000l water tank as well as seperate 12000l non potable reticulation tank.”

How many litres is that? I can’t imagine you mean 200,000litre water tank.

beardedclam said :

vintage123 said :

Alexandra Craig said :

vintage123 said :

“ACT designs start at 185k with the average at 250k” call me cynical but I doubt that very much. There is no way you can build for those prices in canberra. Ten years ago maybe. Average is about twice those costs. Happy to be proven wrong, however I suspect a lot of people will go to the display anticipating a 250k build only to be very very disappointed.

250k base cost maybe? I’m considering building (if I can find land), and haven’t done any in-depth research but was told that some homes have the base cost without things like floor coverings included, so if you want carpet/floorboards etc that’s an additional cost. Anyone care to share with us their experiences building in Canberra?

Sure can, cost to build a completed 3 bedroom ensuite home with double garage, 150m2 is 350k, a 4 bedroom version of 200m2 with seperate living areas is 450k. AV Jennings/sekisui homes will be no different, these are the current going rates, unfortunately.

Seriously I have seen there estimates.
Move in and completed homes including all inclusions for about 240m2 (194 under roof living) $290k depending on site costs, chosen inclusions and floor coverings etc.
This estimate includes allowances for floorings, site costs, mandatory watertanks, approvals, the works!! etc. Everything you need to move in and enjoy, no landscaping though, that makes sense.
Builders generally talk in base price. This is because each building site is different therefore preparing the land, or site costs, are different for every build so its just easier to talk base price, the majority of builders do it.

Are those sekisui prices, 290k for 240m2?

dungfungus said :

vintage123 said :

Southmouth said :

vintage123 said :

Southmouth said :

Alexandra Craig said :

Maya123 said :

Alexandra Craig said :

vintage123 said :

“ACT designs start at 185k with the average at 250k” call me cynical but I doubt that very much. There is no way you can build for those prices in canberra. Ten years ago maybe. Average is about twice those costs. Happy to be proven wrong, however I suspect a lot of people will go to the display anticipating a 250k build only to be very very disappointed.

250k base cost maybe? I’m considering building (if I can find land), and haven’t done any in-depth research but was told that some homes have the base cost without things like floor coverings included, so if you want carpet/floorboards etc that’s an additional cost. Anyone care to share with us their experiences building in Canberra?

Years ago houses didn’t come with carpets, blinds/curtains and such fittings. They were put in later as the owner could afford it. That’s why once a drive around new suburbs would reveal sheets, whatever could be utilised, covering windows. I wonder why the extra expense is now thought normal. I had a house built a couple of years ago and I didn’t have any window covers when I moved in, and didn’t for some weeks. I had large windows too. One just has to be careful where you get dressed.

I just had a look at their website, they’ve got a ‘handy hints’ section with one part on knowing the costs associated with building a house.

Besides the cost of the land and the house itself, the costs of the build (site costs etc), floor coverings (only tiles in wet areas are included), window coverings, electrical appliances (presume this is oven, dishwasher etc), driveway, garden landscaping, and letterbox.

Based on that, I am pretty sure the $250k quoted above is just the cost for the actual house, not including the build cost, floors, driveway etc. I wonder how much the average cost overall is!

I went through this recently myself. Now is a good time to build as it is reasonably quiet. My house ended up at bang on $1100 per square metre. You should focus on the per Sq m cost as this is the only real way to compare. Also choose a builder who has standard fixings that are good enough for you to accept without having to up spec if you want to avoid cost blow outs.

$1100 a square meter, wow, really. Who is the builder as I will get him to build me a couple of homes. The cheapest per m2 quotes we have are $1600 to $2000.

It was Regal Homes. The guy who sits in the display home (which at the time was in Bungendore, but isn’t now) is named Kim. Our site manager was Troy (he is a beast). The office is in Fyshwick.

Our house is just over 300sq m inc garage. Smaller places will have a higher per sq m cost. This is my third new build and my father was a builder so i’ve learned where to trim the fat. In short, Archiectural feature and bedazzling is where money is wasted. I went with the standard inclussions apart from things i absolutely could not live with, so up spec’d only the sink, cook top, tiles, and toilets. All outside concreting etc was removed from the list and done by us after handover as was window coverings. Also, it was our floor plan as they had nothing that suited us off the shelf. Been in just over a year.

I’m sure they’ll build you as many as you can fund.

That’s interesting, you have done really well squeezing regal to that price. I was quoted by regal and it was $1700 per m2 without any inclusions. Interestingly I watched their display venture at jiparu murrumbateman. It is the home on the front of their webpage, although it’s advertised as a knock down rebuild it wasn’t, it was just a new build on a vacant block. Anyway they paid 290k for the block and built the display home, when the display period finished they attempted to rent it out for $900 a week whilst advertising it at 1.1m for 6 months before readvertising it “at below cost” at $950k. When I approached Kim ware and asked him how it could be below cost at $950k he said to cost over $600k to build. It was around 300m2 simple low pitch four bedda with ensuite and double garage. There current display home venture in bungendore is a dual occ with 380m2 for $750k. Anyway we tried to skin any design with regal could not get a square meter age price any where near $1100. I am thinking it depends where you want to build suburb wise versus which dictates the price.

Re the Jiparu home, were you aware of the “residency” conditions conveyed by the strata tile?
The last thing one wants to do by moving to the bush is to go to body corporate meetings.
The high cost of that home reflects the building caveats in the strata plan like gas boosted solar HWS, some type of bio-degader septic system and I think a headworks contribution to the community non-potable water reticulation system.
Apart from that the home design was good (but no double glazing) and Kim is a nice bloke.
It would be interesting to find out what is was sold for in the end. I had offered $850K before I found out about the strata title arrangements.

It sold for 876k. Land was 295k. It was marketed at well below cost price, which I assume concludes the build cost was 581k. I have a copy of the strata regulations in front of me and there is no mention of A gas boosted solar HWS? It does require a minimum 200000l water tank as well as seperate 12000l non potable reticulation tank. But at 581k cost, still cannot see where that cost has come from.

GardeningGirl said :

Southmouth said :

I think you’ll find that this is the parent company of AV Jennings as of 2010.

I thought so, I thought I remembered reading about a joint venture/partnership of some type and I’ve certainly seen the name on building sites in the past. The display home was nice but I don’t want to downsize my living room (or garden) that much, nor my wardrobe (why no second rail?) just to name a few disappointing details. Point of difference? Similar to all the others IMO.

Not parent company, they bought them in 2010, now AVJ Contract homes do not exist. Sekisui House was left with a legacy of designs and clients when they took over. After five years in the country, they seem to be ready to launch Sekisui House in their own right, no affiliation with AVJ anymore.
Good to have a company that has built over 2 million dwellings over the world show some interest here.

vintage123 said :

Alexandra Craig said :

vintage123 said :

“ACT designs start at 185k with the average at 250k” call me cynical but I doubt that very much. There is no way you can build for those prices in canberra. Ten years ago maybe. Average is about twice those costs. Happy to be proven wrong, however I suspect a lot of people will go to the display anticipating a 250k build only to be very very disappointed.

250k base cost maybe? I’m considering building (if I can find land), and haven’t done any in-depth research but was told that some homes have the base cost without things like floor coverings included, so if you want carpet/floorboards etc that’s an additional cost. Anyone care to share with us their experiences building in Canberra?

Sure can, cost to build a completed 3 bedroom ensuite home with double garage, 150m2 is 350k, a 4 bedroom version of 200m2 with seperate living areas is 450k. AV Jennings/sekisui homes will be no different, these are the current going rates, unfortunately.

Seriously I have seen there estimates.
Move in and completed homes including all inclusions for about 240m2 (194 under roof living) $290k depending on site costs, chosen inclusions and floor coverings etc.
This estimate includes allowances for floorings, site costs, mandatory watertanks, approvals, the works!! etc. Everything you need to move in and enjoy, no landscaping though, that makes sense.
Builders generally talk in base price. This is because each building site is different therefore preparing the land, or site costs, are different for every build so its just easier to talk base price, the majority of builders do it.

Southmouth said :

Alexandra Craig said :

Maya123 said :

Alexandra Craig said :

vintage123 said :

“ACT designs start at 185k with the average at 250k” call me cynical but I doubt that very much. There is no way you can build for those prices in canberra. Ten years ago maybe. Average is about twice those costs. Happy to be proven wrong, however I suspect a lot of people will go to the display anticipating a 250k build only to be very very disappointed.

250k base cost maybe? I’m considering building (if I can find land), and haven’t done any in-depth research but was told that some homes have the base cost without things like floor coverings included, so if you want carpet/floorboards etc that’s an additional cost. Anyone care to share with us their experiences building in Canberra?

Years ago houses didn’t come with carpets, blinds/curtains and such fittings. They were put in later as the owner could afford it. That’s why once a drive around new suburbs would reveal sheets, whatever could be utilised, covering windows. I wonder why the extra expense is now thought normal. I had a house built a couple of years ago and I didn’t have any window covers when I moved in, and didn’t for some weeks. I had large windows too. One just has to be careful where you get dressed.

I just had a look at their website, they’ve got a ‘handy hints’ section with one part on knowing the costs associated with building a house.

Besides the cost of the land and the house itself, the costs of the build (site costs etc), floor coverings (only tiles in wet areas are included), window coverings, electrical appliances (presume this is oven, dishwasher etc), driveway, garden landscaping, and letterbox.

Based on that, I am pretty sure the $250k quoted above is just the cost for the actual house, not including the build cost, floors, driveway etc. I wonder how much the average cost overall is!

I went through this recently myself. Now is a good time to build as it is reasonably quiet. My house ended up at bang on $1100 per square metre. You should focus on the per Sq m cost as this is the only real way to compare. Also choose a builder who has standard fixings that are good enough for you to accept without having to up spec if you want to avoid cost blow outs.

Articulations add to the cost. a Square is cheaper to build than a polygon of the same size.

vintage123 said :

Southmouth said :

vintage123 said :

Southmouth said :

Alexandra Craig said :

Maya123 said :

Alexandra Craig said :

vintage123 said :

“ACT designs start at 185k with the average at 250k” call me cynical but I doubt that very much. There is no way you can build for those prices in canberra. Ten years ago maybe. Average is about twice those costs. Happy to be proven wrong, however I suspect a lot of people will go to the display anticipating a 250k build only to be very very disappointed.

250k base cost maybe? I’m considering building (if I can find land), and haven’t done any in-depth research but was told that some homes have the base cost without things like floor coverings included, so if you want carpet/floorboards etc that’s an additional cost. Anyone care to share with us their experiences building in Canberra?

Years ago houses didn’t come with carpets, blinds/curtains and such fittings. They were put in later as the owner could afford it. That’s why once a drive around new suburbs would reveal sheets, whatever could be utilised, covering windows. I wonder why the extra expense is now thought normal. I had a house built a couple of years ago and I didn’t have any window covers when I moved in, and didn’t for some weeks. I had large windows too. One just has to be careful where you get dressed.

I just had a look at their website, they’ve got a ‘handy hints’ section with one part on knowing the costs associated with building a house.

Besides the cost of the land and the house itself, the costs of the build (site costs etc), floor coverings (only tiles in wet areas are included), window coverings, electrical appliances (presume this is oven, dishwasher etc), driveway, garden landscaping, and letterbox.

Based on that, I am pretty sure the $250k quoted above is just the cost for the actual house, not including the build cost, floors, driveway etc. I wonder how much the average cost overall is!

I went through this recently myself. Now is a good time to build as it is reasonably quiet. My house ended up at bang on $1100 per square metre. You should focus on the per Sq m cost as this is the only real way to compare. Also choose a builder who has standard fixings that are good enough for you to accept without having to up spec if you want to avoid cost blow outs.

$1100 a square meter, wow, really. Who is the builder as I will get him to build me a couple of homes. The cheapest per m2 quotes we have are $1600 to $2000.

It was Regal Homes. The guy who sits in the display home (which at the time was in Bungendore, but isn’t now) is named Kim. Our site manager was Troy (he is a beast). The office is in Fyshwick.

Our house is just over 300sq m inc garage. Smaller places will have a higher per sq m cost. This is my third new build and my father was a builder so i’ve learned where to trim the fat. In short, Archiectural feature and bedazzling is where money is wasted. I went with the standard inclussions apart from things i absolutely could not live with, so up spec’d only the sink, cook top, tiles, and toilets. All outside concreting etc was removed from the list and done by us after handover as was window coverings. Also, it was our floor plan as they had nothing that suited us off the shelf. Been in just over a year.

I’m sure they’ll build you as many as you can fund.

That’s interesting, you have done really well squeezing regal to that price. I was quoted by regal and it was $1700 per m2 without any inclusions. Interestingly I watched their display venture at jiparu murrumbateman. It is the home on the front of their webpage, although it’s advertised as a knock down rebuild it wasn’t, it was just a new build on a vacant block. Anyway they paid 290k for the block and built the display home, when the display period finished they attempted to rent it out for $900 a week whilst advertising it at 1.1m for 6 months before readvertising it “at below cost” at $950k. When I approached Kim ware and asked him how it could be below cost at $950k he said to cost over $600k to build. It was around 300m2 simple low pitch four bedda with ensuite and double garage. There current display home venture in bungendore is a dual occ with 380m2 for $750k. Anyway we tried to skin any design with regal could not get a square meter age price any where near $1100. I am thinking it depends where you want to build suburb wise versus which dictates the price.

Re the Jiparu home, were you aware of the “residency” conditions conveyed by the strata tile?
The last thing one wants to do by moving to the bush is to go to body corporate meetings.
The high cost of that home reflects the building caveats in the strata plan like gas boosted solar HWS, some type of bio-degader septic system and I think a headworks contribution to the community non-potable water reticulation system.
Apart from that the home design was good (but no double glazing) and Kim is a nice bloke.
It would be interesting to find out what is was sold for in the end. I had offered $850K before I found out about the strata title arrangements.

Southmouth said :

vintage123 said :

Southmouth said :

Alexandra Craig said :

Maya123 said :

Alexandra Craig said :

vintage123 said :

“ACT designs start at 185k with the average at 250k” call me cynical but I doubt that very much. There is no way you can build for those prices in canberra. Ten years ago maybe. Average is about twice those costs. Happy to be proven wrong, however I suspect a lot of people will go to the display anticipating a 250k build only to be very very disappointed.

250k base cost maybe? I’m considering building (if I can find land), and haven’t done any in-depth research but was told that some homes have the base cost without things like floor coverings included, so if you want carpet/floorboards etc that’s an additional cost. Anyone care to share with us their experiences building in Canberra?

Years ago houses didn’t come with carpets, blinds/curtains and such fittings. They were put in later as the owner could afford it. That’s why once a drive around new suburbs would reveal sheets, whatever could be utilised, covering windows. I wonder why the extra expense is now thought normal. I had a house built a couple of years ago and I didn’t have any window covers when I moved in, and didn’t for some weeks. I had large windows too. One just has to be careful where you get dressed.

I just had a look at their website, they’ve got a ‘handy hints’ section with one part on knowing the costs associated with building a house.

Besides the cost of the land and the house itself, the costs of the build (site costs etc), floor coverings (only tiles in wet areas are included), window coverings, electrical appliances (presume this is oven, dishwasher etc), driveway, garden landscaping, and letterbox.

Based on that, I am pretty sure the $250k quoted above is just the cost for the actual house, not including the build cost, floors, driveway etc. I wonder how much the average cost overall is!

I went through this recently myself. Now is a good time to build as it is reasonably quiet. My house ended up at bang on $1100 per square metre. You should focus on the per Sq m cost as this is the only real way to compare. Also choose a builder who has standard fixings that are good enough for you to accept without having to up spec if you want to avoid cost blow outs.

$1100 a square meter, wow, really. Who is the builder as I will get him to build me a couple of homes. The cheapest per m2 quotes we have are $1600 to $2000.

It was Regal Homes. The guy who sits in the display home (which at the time was in Bungendore, but isn’t now) is named Kim. Our site manager was Troy (he is a beast). The office is in Fyshwick.

Our house is just over 300sq m inc garage. Smaller places will have a higher per sq m cost. This is my third new build and my father was a builder so i’ve learned where to trim the fat. In short, Archiectural feature and bedazzling is where money is wasted. I went with the standard inclussions apart from things i absolutely could not live with, so up spec’d only the sink, cook top, tiles, and toilets. All outside concreting etc was removed from the list and done by us after handover as was window coverings. Also, it was our floor plan as they had nothing that suited us off the shelf. Been in just over a year.

I’m sure they’ll build you as many as you can fund.

That’s interesting, you have done really well squeezing regal to that price. I was quoted by regal and it was $1700 per m2 without any inclusions. Interestingly I watched their display venture at jiparu murrumbateman. It is the home on the front of their webpage, although it’s advertised as a knock down rebuild it wasn’t, it was just a new build on a vacant block. Anyway they paid 290k for the block and built the display home, when the display period finished they attempted to rent it out for $900 a week whilst advertising it at 1.1m for 6 months before readvertising it “at below cost” at $950k. When I approached Kim ware and asked him how it could be below cost at $950k he said to cost over $600k to build. It was around 300m2 simple low pitch four bedda with ensuite and double garage. There current display home venture in bungendore is a dual occ with 380m2 for $750k. Anyway we tried to skin any design with regal could not get a square meter age price any where near $1100. I am thinking it depends where you want to build suburb wise versus which dictates the price.

vintage123 said :

Southmouth said :

Alexandra Craig said :

Maya123 said :

Alexandra Craig said :

vintage123 said :

“ACT designs start at 185k with the average at 250k” call me cynical but I doubt that very much. There is no way you can build for those prices in canberra. Ten years ago maybe. Average is about twice those costs. Happy to be proven wrong, however I suspect a lot of people will go to the display anticipating a 250k build only to be very very disappointed.

250k base cost maybe? I’m considering building (if I can find land), and haven’t done any in-depth research but was told that some homes have the base cost without things like floor coverings included, so if you want carpet/floorboards etc that’s an additional cost. Anyone care to share with us their experiences building in Canberra?

Years ago houses didn’t come with carpets, blinds/curtains and such fittings. They were put in later as the owner could afford it. That’s why once a drive around new suburbs would reveal sheets, whatever could be utilised, covering windows. I wonder why the extra expense is now thought normal. I had a house built a couple of years ago and I didn’t have any window covers when I moved in, and didn’t for some weeks. I had large windows too. One just has to be careful where you get dressed.

I just had a look at their website, they’ve got a ‘handy hints’ section with one part on knowing the costs associated with building a house.

Besides the cost of the land and the house itself, the costs of the build (site costs etc), floor coverings (only tiles in wet areas are included), window coverings, electrical appliances (presume this is oven, dishwasher etc), driveway, garden landscaping, and letterbox.

Based on that, I am pretty sure the $250k quoted above is just the cost for the actual house, not including the build cost, floors, driveway etc. I wonder how much the average cost overall is!

I went through this recently myself. Now is a good time to build as it is reasonably quiet. My house ended up at bang on $1100 per square metre. You should focus on the per Sq m cost as this is the only real way to compare. Also choose a builder who has standard fixings that are good enough for you to accept without having to up spec if you want to avoid cost blow outs.

$1100 a square meter, wow, really. Who is the builder as I will get him to build me a couple of homes. The cheapest per m2 quotes we have are $1600 to $2000.

It was Regal Homes. The guy who sits in the display home (which at the time was in Bungendore, but isn’t now) is named Kim. Our site manager was Troy (he is a beast). The office is in Fyshwick.

Our house is just over 300sq m inc garage. Smaller places will have a higher per sq m cost. This is my third new build and my father was a builder so i’ve learned where to trim the fat. In short, Archiectural feature and bedazzling is where money is wasted. I went with the standard inclussions apart from things i absolutely could not live with, so up spec’d only the sink, cook top, tiles, and toilets. All outside concreting etc was removed from the list and done by us after handover as was window coverings. Also, it was our floor plan as they had nothing that suited us off the shelf. Been in just over a year.

I’m sure they’ll build you as many as you can fund.

Southmouth said :

I think you’ll find that this is the parent company of AV Jennings as of 2010.

I thought so, I thought I remembered reading about a joint venture/partnership of some type and I’ve certainly seen the name on building sites in the past. The display home was nice but I don’t want to downsize my living room (or garden) that much, nor my wardrobe (why no second rail?) just to name a few disappointing details. Point of difference? Similar to all the others IMO.

Southmouth said :

Alexandra Craig said :

Maya123 said :

Alexandra Craig said :

vintage123 said :

“ACT designs start at 185k with the average at 250k” call me cynical but I doubt that very much. There is no way you can build for those prices in canberra. Ten years ago maybe. Average is about twice those costs. Happy to be proven wrong, however I suspect a lot of people will go to the display anticipating a 250k build only to be very very disappointed.

250k base cost maybe? I’m considering building (if I can find land), and haven’t done any in-depth research but was told that some homes have the base cost without things like floor coverings included, so if you want carpet/floorboards etc that’s an additional cost. Anyone care to share with us their experiences building in Canberra?

Years ago houses didn’t come with carpets, blinds/curtains and such fittings. They were put in later as the owner could afford it. That’s why once a drive around new suburbs would reveal sheets, whatever could be utilised, covering windows. I wonder why the extra expense is now thought normal. I had a house built a couple of years ago and I didn’t have any window covers when I moved in, and didn’t for some weeks. I had large windows too. One just has to be careful where you get dressed.

I just had a look at their website, they’ve got a ‘handy hints’ section with one part on knowing the costs associated with building a house.

Besides the cost of the land and the house itself, the costs of the build (site costs etc), floor coverings (only tiles in wet areas are included), window coverings, electrical appliances (presume this is oven, dishwasher etc), driveway, garden landscaping, and letterbox.

Based on that, I am pretty sure the $250k quoted above is just the cost for the actual house, not including the build cost, floors, driveway etc. I wonder how much the average cost overall is!

I went through this recently myself. Now is a good time to build as it is reasonably quiet. My house ended up at bang on $1100 per square metre. You should focus on the per Sq m cost as this is the only real way to compare. Also choose a builder who has standard fixings that are good enough for you to accept without having to up spec if you want to avoid cost blow outs.

$1100 a square meter, wow, really. Who is the builder as I will get him to build me a couple of homes. The cheapest per m2 quotes we have are $1600 to $2000.

Alexandra Craig said :

vintage123 said :

“ACT designs start at 185k with the average at 250k” call me cynical but I doubt that very much. There is no way you can build for those prices in canberra. Ten years ago maybe. Average is about twice those costs. Happy to be proven wrong, however I suspect a lot of people will go to the display anticipating a 250k build only to be very very disappointed.

250k base cost maybe? I’m considering building (if I can find land), and haven’t done any in-depth research but was told that some homes have the base cost without things like floor coverings included, so if you want carpet/floorboards etc that’s an additional cost. Anyone care to share with us their experiences building in Canberra?

Sure can, cost to build a completed 3 bedroom ensuite home with double garage, 150m2 is 350k, a 4 bedroom version of 200m2 with seperate living areas is 450k. AV Jennings/sekisui homes will be no different, these are the current going rates, unfortunately.

Alexandra Craig said :

Maya123 said :

Alexandra Craig said :

vintage123 said :

“ACT designs start at 185k with the average at 250k” call me cynical but I doubt that very much. There is no way you can build for those prices in canberra. Ten years ago maybe. Average is about twice those costs. Happy to be proven wrong, however I suspect a lot of people will go to the display anticipating a 250k build only to be very very disappointed.

250k base cost maybe? I’m considering building (if I can find land), and haven’t done any in-depth research but was told that some homes have the base cost without things like floor coverings included, so if you want carpet/floorboards etc that’s an additional cost. Anyone care to share with us their experiences building in Canberra?

Years ago houses didn’t come with carpets, blinds/curtains and such fittings. They were put in later as the owner could afford it. That’s why once a drive around new suburbs would reveal sheets, whatever could be utilised, covering windows. I wonder why the extra expense is now thought normal. I had a house built a couple of years ago and I didn’t have any window covers when I moved in, and didn’t for some weeks. I had large windows too. One just has to be careful where you get dressed.

I just had a look at their website, they’ve got a ‘handy hints’ section with one part on knowing the costs associated with building a house.

Besides the cost of the land and the house itself, the costs of the build (site costs etc), floor coverings (only tiles in wet areas are included), window coverings, electrical appliances (presume this is oven, dishwasher etc), driveway, garden landscaping, and letterbox.

Based on that, I am pretty sure the $250k quoted above is just the cost for the actual house, not including the build cost, floors, driveway etc. I wonder how much the average cost overall is!

The good thing is you can choose everything like floor coverings and appliances etc when you build, so if you can’t afford all the fancy stuff you can choose where you see the value. Often flooring is a good place to put money as its difficult to change, whereas taps and fittings are easily replaced later as are window furnishings etc.

I just did my living area in Bamboo at $50 per sqm, total of $2500. Carpet varies as does tiling, and trades costs but you can quickly see that floorings alone inc labour can be easily $10k+
Landscaping is another one, but that is also often left to be done later. Its easy to live with a non landscaped yard!

Personally though I’d just buy a built house. Save the perfect built from scratch home for later in life. The way equity in housing works, its not like you are wasting money by doing this.

Alexandra Craig said :

Maya123 said :

Alexandra Craig said :

vintage123 said :

“ACT designs start at 185k with the average at 250k” call me cynical but I doubt that very much. There is no way you can build for those prices in canberra. Ten years ago maybe. Average is about twice those costs. Happy to be proven wrong, however I suspect a lot of people will go to the display anticipating a 250k build only to be very very disappointed.

250k base cost maybe? I’m considering building (if I can find land), and haven’t done any in-depth research but was told that some homes have the base cost without things like floor coverings included, so if you want carpet/floorboards etc that’s an additional cost. Anyone care to share with us their experiences building in Canberra?

Years ago houses didn’t come with carpets, blinds/curtains and such fittings. They were put in later as the owner could afford it. That’s why once a drive around new suburbs would reveal sheets, whatever could be utilised, covering windows. I wonder why the extra expense is now thought normal. I had a house built a couple of years ago and I didn’t have any window covers when I moved in, and didn’t for some weeks. I had large windows too. One just has to be careful where you get dressed.

I just had a look at their website, they’ve got a ‘handy hints’ section with one part on knowing the costs associated with building a house.

Besides the cost of the land and the house itself, the costs of the build (site costs etc), floor coverings (only tiles in wet areas are included), window coverings, electrical appliances (presume this is oven, dishwasher etc), driveway, garden landscaping, and letterbox.

Based on that, I am pretty sure the $250k quoted above is just the cost for the actual house, not including the build cost, floors, driveway etc. I wonder how much the average cost overall is!

I went through this recently myself. Now is a good time to build as it is reasonably quiet. My house ended up at bang on $1100 per square metre. You should focus on the per Sq m cost as this is the only real way to compare. Also choose a builder who has standard fixings that are good enough for you to accept without having to up spec if you want to avoid cost blow outs.

Maya123 said :

Alexandra Craig said :

vintage123 said :

“ACT designs start at 185k with the average at 250k” call me cynical but I doubt that very much. There is no way you can build for those prices in canberra. Ten years ago maybe. Average is about twice those costs. Happy to be proven wrong, however I suspect a lot of people will go to the display anticipating a 250k build only to be very very disappointed.

250k base cost maybe? I’m considering building (if I can find land), and haven’t done any in-depth research but was told that some homes have the base cost without things like floor coverings included, so if you want carpet/floorboards etc that’s an additional cost. Anyone care to share with us their experiences building in Canberra?

Years ago houses didn’t come with carpets, blinds/curtains and such fittings. They were put in later as the owner could afford it. That’s why once a drive around new suburbs would reveal sheets, whatever could be utilised, covering windows. I wonder why the extra expense is now thought normal. I had a house built a couple of years ago and I didn’t have any window covers when I moved in, and didn’t for some weeks. I had large windows too. One just has to be careful where you get dressed.

I just had a look at their website, they’ve got a ‘handy hints’ section with one part on knowing the costs associated with building a house.

Besides the cost of the land and the house itself, the costs of the build (site costs etc), floor coverings (only tiles in wet areas are included), window coverings, electrical appliances (presume this is oven, dishwasher etc), driveway, garden landscaping, and letterbox.

Based on that, I am pretty sure the $250k quoted above is just the cost for the actual house, not including the build cost, floors, driveway etc. I wonder how much the average cost overall is!

Alexandra Craig said :

vintage123 said :

“ACT designs start at 185k with the average at 250k” call me cynical but I doubt that very much. There is no way you can build for those prices in canberra. Ten years ago maybe. Average is about twice those costs. Happy to be proven wrong, however I suspect a lot of people will go to the display anticipating a 250k build only to be very very disappointed.

250k base cost maybe? I’m considering building (if I can find land), and haven’t done any in-depth research but was told that some homes have the base cost without things like floor coverings included, so if you want carpet/floorboards etc that’s an additional cost. Anyone care to share with us their experiences building in Canberra?

Years ago houses didn’t come with carpets, blinds/curtains and such fittings. They were put in later as the owner could afford it. That’s why once a drive around new suburbs would reveal sheets, whatever could be utilised, covering windows. I wonder why the extra expense is now thought normal. I had a house built a couple of years ago and I didn’t have any window covers when I moved in, and didn’t for some weeks. I had large windows too. One just has to be careful where you get dressed.

vintage123 said :

“ACT designs start at 185k with the average at 250k” call me cynical but I doubt that very much. There is no way you can build for those prices in canberra. Ten years ago maybe. Average is about twice those costs. Happy to be proven wrong, however I suspect a lot of people will go to the display anticipating a 250k build only to be very very disappointed.

250k base cost maybe? I’m considering building (if I can find land), and haven’t done any in-depth research but was told that some homes have the base cost without things like floor coverings included, so if you want carpet/floorboards etc that’s an additional cost. Anyone care to share with us their experiences building in Canberra?

I think you’ll find that this is the parent company of AV Jennings as of 2010.

The state of building in Canberra being what it is a new face is more than welcome!

“ACT designs start at 185k with the average at 250k” call me cynical but I doubt that very much. There is no way you can build for those prices in canberra. Ten years ago maybe. Average is about twice those costs. Happy to be proven wrong, however I suspect a lot of people will go to the display anticipating a 250k build only to be very very disappointed.