The Cost Factor

Being total novices in the building industry and process, one of the large parts of building are the hidden costs. The costs that come one after another, that are non-negotiable and have no immediate or aesthetic value. Most of these were not surprising as we had done some research but if you are in the process of building and are unaware, they could potentially sink the boat!

Here are some of our hidden, unavoidable and undisclosed costs when building, that came on top of the cost of the house;

NBNCo Basic Fibre Pack with Enclosure (Estate requirement) $2000

Changes to facade due to estate guidelines $800

Excavation (cut and fill - dependent on site slope) $9000 (some areas are more due to rock removal - thankfully not us!)

Slab upgrades to a H1 Class $9000

Concrete piers to slab $7000

Shade cloth protection to scaffolding $600 (unsure of what this is! I keep thinking sun protection??!!)

Bushfire regulations $4500

Temporary fencing to 3 boundaries $1000

Sediment control barrier (Council requirements) (sandbags?) $400

Termite treatment (Council requirements) $850

As you can see, all essential but nothing to sneeze at in terms of price.