how much does it cost to build a house

There are some extremely affordable options out there for people wanting to build their home on a budget. The larger a property gets the more expensive it becomes to build. So if we stay small we can save a lot of money.

The cheapest build I could find was a 3 bedroom house which was 150 metres squared in terms of floorspace. It had an ensuite off the master bedroom and lounge and dining room as well as an outside entertaining area

Building Cost: $117,200

However you also need to take into account the other approximate costs associated with the property. Site Costs (varying) – $10,000 – $70,000 (normal is around $20,000) BASIX – $10,000 Driveways and Flooring – $10,000 So you would generally need to add around $40,000 or more to the cost of the build in extra costs.

Cost To Build A House Per Square Metre

A lot of builders and home owners talk about the cost to build a house in terms of dollars per square metre. The way this is calculated is by taking the total cost of the build and dividing it by the total floorspace of the home (not the land). I am personally not a massive fan of these calculations as the cost per square foot for a kitchen or bathroom is going to cost a lot more than the cost per square foot for an empty room. Thus your calculations can quickly become inaccurate if you are creating a large kitchen or bathroom space in the home. None the less it is an important measurement so here is a rough estimate of cost per square metre different types of houses may cost you.

1. Project Homes (basic) – $620-$780/square metre
2. Project Home (deluxe) – $1,000 – $3,000/square metre
3. Custom Built Homes – $1,500 – $3,000/square metre
4. Deluxe Customer Built Homes – $2,500 – $4,000+/square metre

Extra Costs You Need To Take Into Account

There are also some extra costs you need to take into account which could end up costing you a significant amount of money. It is difficult to estimate the costs without knowing anything about your land or your build. But you can use this as a rough guide.

Soil Quality – The above estimations were built on the assumption that your plot of land has M classification soil (the best classification you can get). If your soil is more difficult to work with (eg. Clay, Stones, Boulders etc) then you can expect your costs to increase in the thousands of dollars.

Sloping Of The Block – Best case scenario is that you have a perfectly flat block and there are no additional costs. But if your block is sloping you can expect the estimated extra costs below:

"Front to back slope – $6,000/metre slope Side by side slope – $9,000/metre slope"

It is also important to note that a lot of project builders will not build on a block with a greater slope than 3 metres.

Soil and Contour Test – This test will cost you around $1,500-$2,000 and is done to test your soil quality and the contour of your block.

Bushfire Prone Areas – If you have a Bushfire Attack Level (BAL) attached to the property then there will be extra costs to ensure the property is safe during bushfires.

Flood Prone Areas – If your property is in a flood prone area then measures must be taken to prevent deaths during flooding. This often means raising the home and will incur extra costs as well. Read more about the hidden costs when building a house

How Much Does It Cost To Build A 4 Bedroom Home

From my research I found that:

4 bedroom homes range from $130,000 (160sqm) to $190,000 (300sqm) when looking at the most basic range of properties. When looking a wider acreage properties costs went up to $230,000.

Obviously the price also increases as the property and it’s fixtures become more luxurious. Please be aware that you still need to add the extra costs such as site fees, BASIX and flooring/driveway to these prices to get the full price of the property.

How Much Does It Cost To Build A 5 Bedroom Home

I also found that:

"5 bedroom homes start from around $195,000 but tend to be over the $200,000 price range"

Please be aware that you still need to add the extra costs such as site fees, BASIX and flooring/driveway to these prices to get the full price of the property.

Extra Costs When Going With A Builder Instead Of A Project Home

Some people may prefer to go with a custom design and builder instead of building a project home through a larger company. This may be driven out of necessity (block slopes too much) or desire (wants a custom design). It is important to note that there are some extra costs that will be incurred when going through a builder instead of a project home.

Home design – Firstly you will need to pay to have the home designed. This usually means employing an architect, and they don’t come cheap.

Materials – Project homes buy materials in bulk and are often happy to work with cheaper materials. A custom build it likely to have added material costs.

Project Manager – You may also need to hire a project manager to manage the build.

Labour – Building companies and builders make most of their money in the markups they charge on labour. By going through a builder who hires more expensive subcontractors you may have to pay more in labour costs.

how home