The following questions and answers will provide you with more information with regards to building your new home. This will include terminology, building principles and general information regarding building a new home. If there is a question not addressed below, please feel free to contact me personally and I will be more than happy to assist. Understanding what is required and why, is the key in ensuring a smooth building process and NOT a building nightmare.
Frank Mezzagosto
What are Site Costs?
The building of a new home requires additional costs to construct the house on the land.No land is the same and this is the BIGGEST UNKNOWN in the industry.No one will be able to tell you exactly what your site costs until all relevant reports are done to confirm the contours of your land ( slope or fall) and what is under the soil (consistency, type of fill). THIS IS FACT !Unless a contour survey and a bore hole test is done , any advice on cost is purely speculation.So it is important to make sure that these reports are done up front NOT after you sign contracts!!! This is where the most fearful scenario occurs - HIDDEN SITE COSTS!
Options and Upgrades
The fact is every Display Home you visit will have options or upgrades throughout the home.
What you see is not necesarily what you get, it is important that you do your homework and ask to have a walk through of the home.
An Optional Price list should be available at request to inform you of anything that is not standard.
Remember all builders are competing for your business and want to display their home in show room condition. These options are also a showcase of the latest trends or ideas that are available.
Of course that does not mean that they are required, however a "wow" feature does go along way in providing that extra something especially for re-sale.
BASIX
BASIX or Building Sustainability Index is a scheme introduced by the Government of New South Wales, Australia in 2004 to regulate the energy efficiency of residential buildings.
An assessment is required for the rating of the expected performance of any residential development in terms of water efficiency, thermal comfort and energy usage. It aims to reduce water consumption and greenhouse gas emissions by 40% compared to pre-BASIX (2004) buildings.
Sometimes this is not included and needs to be paid for.
At the initial consultation with me your Home is sited on your land and done so to comply with BASIX . An example of this is where your kitchen, living area or Alfresco are orientated as close to East as possible and bedrooms facing west.
This ensures early sun and afternoon sun eliminates higher than expected heating or cooling and therefore decreasing energy usage and the back pocket!
House Slabs
This is the foundation of the home and determined by the Bore Hole Test mentioned in the above "Site Cost" section.
In simple terms it relates to the thickness of the slab in relation to the soil below.
You will find that there are generally four types that are commonly used:
S Class - Stable consitency in soil
M Class - Moderate consistency in soil
H Class - High consistency in soil
H1Class - Higher and higher saliene in soil
Generally S to M Class is used generally however specifically where new land estates are being developed and fill is being imported to create these divisions H Class Slabs are becoming required more frequently.
Majority of builders do not include a Slab in their pricing so always check.
Cut & Fill (Import/Export)
This falls under your site costs.
Now I want you to picture the leaning tower of Pisa. I don't think you would want your home leaning - nor do we!
When your home is being built we need to build on a LEVEL block. Where there is evidence of fall or slope, whether minor or major the land needs to be levelled out so that we have a flat platform to build on.
To accomplish this we need to either cut (remove dirt) and, or fill (provide dirt) to ensure that the land is level.
Each Council has a minimum and maximum amout of soil that can be cut or filled. For example 500/500, which means that I can cut and fill up to a maximum of 500mm.
The section that has been filled needs to be contained , like a retaining wall, known as Drop Edge Beams (DEB) more information available in next FAQ.
When additional soil is required to fill where required above and over the max required, then we need to IMPORT soil. If there is any left over we are then required to EXPORT the soil.
If there is a equall cut and fill ratio, then no import or export is required. This is a cost which cannot be determined until the Contour Survey is obtained.
Building Facts
Drop Edge Beams (DEB)
Drop Edge Beams are one of the fundamentals of building a home. It is one of those costs that come out of no where , without explanation and can be very costly.
In simples terms a concrete slab will have a lowere level around the perimeter of the slab area, it is identified as a small step and is known as a drop edge.
This edge is where the first layer of bricks are placed. Refer to Picture A. In this image land is quite level.
In conditions where there is fall or slope on the land , as mentioned in the above "Cut & Fill" section, the land needs to be 'benched' to provide a flat surface to build on- this will require the section to be filled to be contained.
Deepened or Extended Drop Edge Beams are used to contain this fill within the perimeter of the slab and will negate the use of any retaining walls. In summary, as the name suggests , it is where the perimeter edge beam of the slab has been deepened or elongated to capture and contain the fill behind it.
As you can see in picture B, a considerable more concrete and brick work go into deepened edge beams.
They are a required as part of Compliant Development (CDC) , most council areas and where easements make it impossible to spread fill over the easement.
What is a Base Price?
Linen Plan
A Linen Plan provides us with the details of the land we are looking at. This will provide us with the dimensions of the block including the total size area, orientation to North for solar aspect and BASIX requirements, easements, stormwater and contour lines.
The Contour lines help us to identify the fall or slope of the block to provide you with a more educated estimation for additional site cost i.e Drop Edge Beams.
The Linen plan is provided by the Developer within the Estate you are purchasing land in.
With regards to Knock Down rebuild or existing sites, this will be obtained by the builder as part of the Contour Survey.
Siting (Initial)
In most cases a home buyer will not have any idea how a house will go on the block or any of the constraints about their block.
This is where you require expert advice in guiding you through the process to achieve your dream home.
An experienced professional will always do a siting on your block to determine that the home chosen conforms to a number of important factors. they are:
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Council front, rear and side setbacks
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Orientation of home to best take advantage of sun and cross air ventilation (BASIX)
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Floor space Ratio - the house size fits to the maximum allowed by council
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Private Open Space
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Any easements and their impact
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Location of Stormwater/Sewerage
This is important and is the difference between a Expert and a "Deposit taker", there are many examples of clients being advised after paperwork has gone in to "Head Office" or worst into Council, that the home does not comply !!
I ensure this is done up front for peace of mind
Siting with Contours
This is the end process of determing the slope of your block and exact dimensions including cut and fill.
This is the "Holy Grail" of information when building a new home! It will confirm aYOUR SITE COSTS!
This is also the documentation that is provided to Council or CDC certifiers as part of the Approval process.
It will provide the client with any additional site costs including , cut & fill, import & export of soil, deepened drop edge beams etc.
This is what is required together with the bore hole test to provide you with Site Costs.
Unfortunatley many builders will only do this report after you sign contracts - can you now see where all those hidden site costs come in to play after you think there is nothing else to pay?
Always ensure that your preferred builder does this up front.
PICTURE A
PICTURE B
Concrete Pump
Concrete Pumps are used for the main house slab depending on site conditions.
It is important to note that the site is excavated, then piered .
When the concrete truck ( not the pump) cannot access the site or part of it, due to site conditions, additional splits in the slab or deepened drop edge beams, the concrete pump comes into play to allow access.
The concrete pumps are normally identified as a long mechanical arm with a hose attached to a truck.
BAS / BOS
BAS or BOS is abbreviation for Building Adjacent to a Sewer or Building Over a Sewer.
If you have ever built before and have had the issue of either having to dea with sewerage pipes on your block, you will understand the problems that can arise if it is not managed correctlly.
Let me start with some background information.
All infrastructure under the ground related to water and sewerage is owned by the Water Board. As part of your Development Approval Process, prior to final approval, the waterboard has to 'stamp' their approval. This is to ensure any building conducted does not adversley affect the infrastructure below.
The bad news is that this is a cost that can not be exactly determined by a builder up front.
The location of the sewerage including distance and depth plays a role in determining the amout of additional piering is required to ensure no pressure is placed on the sewer either downward or laterally . In some cases the sewerage may need to be encased if you are buiding over.
We refer this as the Zone of Influence.
To provide accurate costings for this work requires investigation, generally a sewer peg out report. In almost all instances this is impossible to accuratley achieve without the working drawings so load points can be ascertained.
It still horrifies me, the amount of customers who are not made aware of this potential high cost upfront, by builders knowing that they will be impacted by it latter down the track.
Unfortunatley many sales people are either unaware or are to scared to inform a client in fear of losing the 'sale'.
This is not ethical - Rest assured this is one important detail that does not go by ignored.
This section is constantly being updated, so please feel free to bookmark this page and return for new information. If there is something that you may be interested in that has not been covered , please feel free to send me a email - I would be more than happy to assist. It's better to be safe than sorry!
Garage Drop Down
A Garage Drop Down when required can be a big surprise by many potential home builders.
In circumstances where the frontage of the land is significantly higher than the kerb or road level this creates a problem with regards to your drive way gradient or more simply put - how steep your drive way to access your garage will be.
Most councils provide a maximum on the gradient allowed, the reason being is to ensure that when accessing your car into the garage the vehicle's rear or under carriage does not hit the floor level. refer to pic.
To ensure that this does not occur, the garage as a whole is "dropped" down to decrease the amount of angle in the drive way ( how steep it is).
This adjustment will have the impact of higher ceiling , additional brickwork and in most cases will require stairs to access the home from the garage.
The cost of this scenario will vary and can come as a expensive surprise.
