1960 Intermediate Terrace - A&a, Reconstruction Or Rebuild Costs?

[petunialee 4]

Not sure of the GFA for your recon, but it does seem that 345k is cheap. What do you reckon is the total move in cost inclusive of fees, all fittings, wardrobes, tiling, painting, landscaping, excluding loose furniture and electronics/appliances.

My GFA is 4000. My contract sum about 550. With all in, my current spreadsheet with indicative quotes for this and that says 750k. My finishings are very modest. No micro piling. Plus metal roof, which is cheaper and easier to replace after 15 years. The extra money goes to iron grilles, wardrobes, garden trellises, kitchen, CCTV...

[kardtoon 0]

My GFA is 4000. My contract sum about 550. With all in, my current spreadsheet with indicative quotes for this and that says 750k. My finishings are very modest. No micro piling. Plus metal roof, which is cheaper and easier to replace after 15 years. The extra money goes to iron grilles, wardrobes, garden trellises, kitchen, CCTV...

At $188 psf, your indicative cost is pretty impressive (low) at today's cost. If you manage your overruns well, it would be very good value.

[petunialee 4]

At $188 psf, your indicative cost is pretty impressive (low) at today's cost. If you manage your overruns well, it would be very good value.

Yeah... it is quite good value.

Only thing though... it isn't shaping up to be a work of art. But I didn't want a work of art anyway. I wanted something that would be easy to clean with robot washers and minimal work... and where the materials would be robust, easily replaceable and doesn't show up age. This sometimes involves sacrificing form for function. A lot of beautiful things cost a lot but lots of durable things cost very little. Whatever is beautiful AND durable are way beyond my budget. So... I am a bit apprehensive that it'll be an ugly house... but by now, it's too late to change.

I wonder if everyone goes through these periods of nailbiting uncertainty. One might have designed one's house but one never knows till it's built. Things aren't the same on paper.

[pantieileen 2]

Not sure of the GFA for your recon, but it does seem that 345k is cheap. What do you reckon is the total move in cost inclusive of fees, all fittings, wardrobes, tiling, painting, landscaping, excluding loose furniture and electronics/appliances.

Don't know what u mean by GFA before reno, build in area was 1443sqft, now trying to reach 2822sqft

22k kitchen (includes the 4round things u put the pots and woks got fire coming out, the chimney thing to suck the fumes, oven, microwave, 2sinks, 2 taps from Teka)

345k already includes marble floor, painting indoor and outdoor using ICI, tiling, glass bath shower screen

2k already spent about on Grohe toilet fittings (taps and showers)

2k Toilet bowls from Gerbeit and Johnson sussise actually its 1700 but 2k easier to count

2k to refurnish some antique furniture

22k for architect

1k topo survey

3k cctv check actually its $2600

3k URA actually its $3150

1k BCA actually its $900

5k SCV Cable

6k PUB upgrade

2k PUB actually its $1500

? wardrobe and bathroom vanity, electronics, furniture, art, toilet sinks

140 moving of vintage furniture out of the house

2k framing of antique dress

so far 418k

better pray relatives and friends give me more angbao for my wedding to top up for my shortfall

Edited January 2, 2011 by pantieileen

[MetalTab 3]

Don't know what u mean by GFA before reno, build in area was 1443sqft, now trying to reach 2822sqft

22k kitchen (includes the 4round things u put the pots and woks got fire coming out, the chimney thing to suck the fumes, oven, microwave, 2sinks, 2 taps from Teka)

345k already includes marble floor, painting indoor and outdoor using ICI, tiling, glass bath shower screen

2k already spent about on Grohe toilet fittings (taps and showers)

2k Toilet bowls from Gerbeit and Johnson sussise actually its 1700 but 2k easier to count

2k to refurnish some antique furniture

22k for architect

1k topo survey

3k cctv check actually its $2600

3k URA actually its $3150

1k BCA actually its $900

5k SCV Cable

6k PUB upgrade

2k PUB actually its $1500

? wardrobe and bathroom vanity, electronics, furniture, art, toilet sinks

140 moving of vintage furniture out of the house

2k framing of antique dress

so far 418k

better pray relatives and friends give me more angbao for my wedding to top up for my shortfall

wow, this is a good listing; at least can give us some reference points! Thanks.

wondering if u have opted to buy your own items like floor tiles, roof tiles, kitchen stuff, taps, showers, sinks etc or they were supplied by contractor/company? Always thought that will save a bit if we left these items out of the contract.

[kardtoon 0]

Don't know what u mean by GFA before reno, build in area was 1443sqft, now trying to reach 2822sqft

22k kitchen (includes the 4round things u put the pots and woks got fire coming out, the chimney thing to suck the fumes, oven, microwave, 2sinks, 2 taps from Teka)

345k already includes marble floor, painting indoor and outdoor using ICI, tiling, glass bath shower screen

2k already spent about on Grohe toilet fittings (taps and showers)

2k Toilet bowls from Gerbeit and Johnson sussise actually its 1700 but 2k easier to count

2k to refurnish some antique furniture

22k for architect

1k topo survey

3k cctv check actually its $2600

3k URA actually its $3150

1k BCA actually its $900

5k SCV Cable

6k PUB upgrade

2k PUB actually its $1500

? wardrobe and bathroom vanity, electronics, furniture, art, toilet sinks

140 moving of vintage furniture out of the house

2k framing of antique dress

so far 418k

better pray relatives and friends give me more angbao for my wedding to top up for my shortfall

Hehe I like your humor

Your 418k isn't complete without wardrobe and other carpentry works. Anyway at 418k for 2822sf, it's even lower than Petunia's psf cost!

[kardtoon 0]

wow, this is a good listing; at least can give us some reference points! Thanks.

wondering if u have opted to buy your own items like floor tiles, roof tiles, kitchen stuff, taps, showers, sinks etc or they were supplied by contractor/company? Always thought that will save a bit if we left these items out of the contract.

Actuzlly I found quite the opposite. If I leave taps and sinks to my contractor, which I did for my yard area, he gets e cheap stuff from balestia, if I go shopping myself, I end up with the duravits, hansgrohe stuff. Quite a lot of price difference.

Seriously I would advise getting them yourself as a lot of it is personal taste and you may not like what your contractor buys. Must build a house that you would enjoy staying in.

[MetalTab 3]

Actuzlly I found quite the opposite. If I leave taps and sinks to my contractor, which I did for my yard area, he gets e cheap stuff from balestia, if I go shopping myself, I end up with the duravits, hansgrohe stuff. Quite a lot of price difference.

Seriously I would advise getting them yourself as a lot of it is personal taste and you may not like what your contractor buys. Must build a house that you would enjoy staying in.

I was thinking about keeping the cost to as low as possible for moderate type of fittings - and getting the contractor to do the buying probably will lead to higher costs as he is not incentivised to save owner's money (in fact, he will earn more if he can convince owner to accept lower quality fittings). No offence to contractors. And you are right about picking the fittings so that they will be to taste - and guess my wife will be super happy to do this (shopping is in my wife's DNA)... hesistated to generalise for the populace...

[shawnsofie 0]

I was thinking about keeping the cost to as low as possible for moderate type of fittings - and getting the contractor to do the buying probably will lead to higher costs as he is not incentivised to save owner's money (in fact, he will earn more if he can convince owner to accept lower quality fittings). No offence to contractors. And you are right about picking the fittings so that they will be to taste - and guess my wife will be super happy to do this (shopping is in my wife's DNA)... hesistated to generalise for the populace...

It's a fine balance between costs, asthetics, durability etc. If the house is being constructed for own stay, then these fixtures will be used for a long time. So its better to get quality stuff.

For example, when we shopped @ Sim Siang Choon, my wife only has eyes for basin mixers (and this is "mian qiang' read chinese) that are in the region of S$200+. But @ Grohe sale in Nov, we could get very nice mixers of for around the same price @ S$200+. Of course, one can go for the ultimate high end / luxury Axor Starck version, but is there a need?

As an addition example, one can get project clearance homo tiles, marble. These can be good quality tiles @ $1-2psf, whereas if one approached the established players, the China / Malaysian tiles could be going @ $2-3 psf

Just my 2 cents worth....

[pantieileen 2]

Hehe I like your humor

Your 418k isn't complete without wardrobe and other carpentry works. Anyway at 418k for 2822sf, it's even lower than Petunia's psf cost!

ya i put question mark already mah coz i still looking for carpentry quote for wardrobe and bathroom vanity (below the sink those cupboards)

[pantieileen 2]

Actuzlly I found quite the opposite. If I leave taps and sinks to my contractor, which I did for my yard area, he gets e cheap stuff from balestia, if I go shopping myself, I end up with the duravits, hansgrohe stuff. Quite a lot of price difference.

Seriously I would advise getting them yourself as a lot of it is personal taste and you may not like what your contractor buys. Must build a house that you would enjoy staying in.

My builder ask me to do it this way. I go shop, i give him the part number and price (after bargain) then i send him the quote. He'll see if he can do better at the same place or another place with the same items but i choose what i want and not he choose

[pantieileen 2]

It's a fine balance between costs, asthetics, durability etc. If the house is being constructed for own stay, then these fixtures will be used for a long time. So its better to get quality stuff.

For example, when we shopped @ Sim Siang Choon, my wife only has eyes for basin mixers (and this is "mian qiang' read chinese) that are in the region of S$200+. But @ Grohe sale in Nov, we could get very nice mixers of for around the same price @ S$200+. Of course, one can go for the ultimate high end / luxury Axor Starck version, but is there a need?

As an addition example, one can get project clearance homo tiles, marble. These can be good quality tiles @ $1-2psf, whereas if one approached the established players, the China / Malaysian tiles could be going @ $2-3 psf

Just my 2 cents worth....

100% agree...i also went to the Grohe sale but realised my builder and my aunt got even cheaper as developers. Then again, i tried myself and few hundred difference more not as bad as few thousand more so just sleep over it since can't refund

[kardtoon 0]

My builder ask me to do it this way. I go shop, i give him the part number and price (after bargain) then i send him the quote. He'll see if he can do better at the same place or another place with the same items but i choose what i want and not he choose

Sounds like a good balanced approached. My builder tries to avoid buying for me. Everytime I ask him to buy, he says he's afraid I don't like and ask me to get it myself. Only when pushed will he buy for me... if/when he does that, he passes the invoice to me directly to pay him back.

Personally I feel that they may not try to take advantage of these types of items as they are quite low cost. I mean even a $200 tap, how much can they cheat? Maybe $50? even multiply by all the taps, it's just a bit more and I doubt most reputable builders will bother. It's really the big ticket items like timber flooring, marble and tiles where the prices can go into the tens of thousands where you need to be careful. Other items like structure is also an area where they can rip you off but again that's very hard to catch unless you are an industry insider or have a QP looking out for your interest or you have comparative quotes from others.

My approach during my house building process is not to sweat too much of the small stuff, largely due to lack of time/energy/laziness on my part. I take a more hands on approach on the bigger ticket items, though even that is very minimal compared to other more hardworking forummers here :-) .

Thankfully it's coming to an end and my house should TOP tomorrow :-)

Edited January 4, 2011 by kardtoon

[pantieileen 2]

Sounds like a good balanced approached. My builder tries to avoid buying for me. Everytime I ask him to buy, he says he's afraid I don't like and ask me to get it myself. Only when pushed will he buy for me... if/when he does that, he passes the invoice to me directly to pay him back.

Personally I feel that they may not try to take advantage of these types of items as they are quite low cost. I mean even a $200 tap, how much can they cheat? Maybe $50? even multiply by all the taps, it's just a bit more and I doubt most reputable builders will bother. It's really the big ticket items like timber flooring, marble and tiles where the prices can go into the tens of thousands where you need to be careful. Other items like structure is also an area where they can rip you off but again that's very hard to catch unless you are an industry insider or have a QP looking out for your interest or you have comparative quotes from others.

My approach during my house building process is not to sweat too much of the small stuff, largely due to lack of time/energy/laziness on my part. I take a more hands on approach on the bigger ticket items, though even that is very minimal compared to other more hardworking forummers here :-) .

Thankfully it's coming to an end and my house should TOP tomorrow :-)

Congrats! My neighbor sent me and sms and told me my house finally starting construction works!

[bargainhunter 0]

Hi everyone,

I have just bought a two storey inter terrace. The land is pretty small at 1795 sqft and the current built in is at around 2000 sqft.

I am looking to extend the back of both storeys to the set back line and add in a 3rd storey plus attic. So far, I have called up a contractor cum builder and his ball park quote for the reconstruction is between 700k to 800k. Is this price reasonable? I am looking at basic construction materials and simple design of the house.

I am at the stage where I have just gotten the original building plans from BCA. He told me that the fastest that he can start construction will be end March pending approval from URA and BCA. He will need 9-10 months to complete. Is this the normal timespan?

Can any kind souls enlighten me on these issues? I would appreciate with anyone has reliable builder's contact to share with me as I would like to get a comparison in quotation.

Thanks.