Want to get on top of your project costs?  Book a consultation so we can show the way forward.

Contact:
0411 627 477
james@architectjs.com.au

 

My job is to make your building project easy and achievable. I have over 15 years of experience in residential and small commercial projects, and I ensure my clients understand and are satisfied with their projects. Technical issues are explained in everyday language, and I have worked with hundreds of satisfied clients.

I am passionate about helping people to get affordable housing options.


Registered architect in Queensland reg no 1783 Fellow of the Australian Instititute of Architects

Many people do not set in place a pro-active process for budget control with their project.  As a result, they get carried away with a wonderful design which ultimately they discover they cannot afford.

The old saying “champagne tastes and beer budget” comes to mind.  Trouble is, because most people don’t do a building project very often, they don’t even know what the “beer” costs, let alone the “champagne”.

How do you set a realistic budget, and how do you know what that budget can buy?  For each project these have to be worked out at the very beginning, in the feasibility stage.

To avoid this common project pitfall you will need to engage a designer who is prepared to help you set the right budget and then work up a design concept which will actually meet that budget. When choosing a designer, make this an important part of your selection criteria.

Types of Cost Estimates

There are various ways of estimating or pricing a project.  The method most appropriate depends on the amount of information available about the project.

At early stages, very little detailed information is available – only generic information.  For this, the Ballpark Estimate is appropriate.

Read in more detail below.

1. Ball-park estimate -
We take the desired floor plan area of the project and multiply by a gross rate $ / sqm.  This rate is intended to cater for all cost components of the project, but due to lack of a design and construction details it can only be seen as a “rough guide”.  It is usually given as a range (low to high) within which it is expected the project can be built, with due attention and care during the design and detailing phase to follow.
2. Budget Estimate -
Once we have a concept design that broadly meets the project requirements, it is sent to the independent cost estimator.  The quantity of the various cost elements eg walls, floors, siteworks, roof etc is calculated and a rate applied to each.
3. Detailed Estimate -
Once there is a detailed design at approximately 70% documentation stage, the estimator will calculate materials and labour quantities in more detail and apply more detailed rates. This method delivers the most reliable and accurate result, but a builder may decide to allow more or less than the estimator for some items, especially profit and overhead rates.
4. Builder's price -
A builder will prepare a fixed price for construction on finalised detailed documentation. A builder cannot give a fixed price on concept design drawings – beware of one who implies that it is possible. A price is fixed only if there are no changes, only within a specific time-frame, and only if there are no unforeseen site conditions or unforeseen third party events.

Talk to us to get more information on your project, including cost estimates