Final builders quote has come in and looking positive, we now have 2 builders who reckon they can build to our budget. We can now press on with the current design which is a great feeling. Next step is engaging an Engineer to look over the plans and work out steel and strength requirements. Once we have these the builders can then firm up their pricing and we will be in a good position to go ahead with the build.
One of the choices we have been looking at is building the house off the ground, on piles, or on concrete slab. Our section is only on a slight slope so there is no real cost benefit of either. However we have definite plans for being able to expand the house in the future and feel not building on a slab will be more suited for future expansions.
Had another meeting with a builder and went through some of the quotes. The majority of quotes seemed reasonable, neither overly optimistic or using really budget options. Areas that had room to move included:
- Steel – dependent on engineers requirements could potentially increase significantly
- Joinery – Builder thought was quite pricey so is obtaining another quote
- Glass – The living area does have a lot of glass, and quoted with 2.6m sliding doors etc, which is a premium option. A potential area where cutbacks can be made if necessary.
- Heating - $15000 for 2 heatpumps seems expensive but found out it is for a ducted/vented system and 2 pretty powerful units. I believe we could save significantly here but are going to keep this figure as we may opt for a fire, especially as it looks like ultralow emission fires are coming through and will be able to be clean air compliant.
- We have insisted on high spec insulation and thermally broken windows/ doors. Spending money here seems an absolute no brainer as the cost difference is not significant but will help minimise heating costs etc.
- Bathroom tiling, again builder thought this was quite expensive and mentioned ongoing cost to heat the tiles. Will probably inspect a few bathroom showrooms to have a look at other options
I’m meeting the engineer tomorrow so will find out the timeframes for their work to be completed. Once that is done will look to have meeting with builder and architect to finalise some finer details and should get us close to the architect being able to get started on the working drawings.
Attached are the layouts for the current house design.
Mike Columbus is a founder of sortmymortgage.co.nz and director of New Zealand Home Loans Christchurch Central. Mike can be contacted on 03 335 3527 or 021 369908. This advice is of a general nature only and before acting on it please read my disclaimer which can be obtained by emailing me at mike.columbus@nzhomeloans.co.nz