One of the things that we feel sets us apart as a great choice for those looking for a builder across the Canberra region, is our transparency right from the start of the process.
Many builders will advertise a home design with a particular price, or price a custom design that is subject to change for a number of factors and will tell you that they can’t factor them in until after a contract is signed. Two of those that can have a big impact on the final construction price for a build are the engineering details and the energy efficiency rating (known as a BASIX Certificate in NSW).
The price of the engineering or energy efficiency rating (EER) is not something that can be included in a build at a set price because they will be different for different blocks, even if the design is exactly the same.
The engineering details will be dependent on the site classification for your block of land. A site classification is a rating based on the ground conditions of your block, specifically how reactive it is to moisture. If your block is predominantly clay it is going to be classed as highly reactive and additional measures such as thicker concrete and/or piering will be required as part of the foundations for your new home. The other end of the scale is when you have a stable site which is typically seen on rocky sites, while rock is more expensive to excavate, there is typically less concrete required in the foundations. When building in a new suburb, such as Googong, Denman Prospect or Ginninderry, the developer will typically provide the site classification for the engineer to work with. If working on an extension, knockdown rebuild or on a block as part of a smaller developer, we can organise for test pits to be drilled on your block and provide that classification.
Engineering is also required to determine what is required as part of the structure of your home and the engineer will calculate the load in different parts of the home and the determine what materials are to be used, such as steel for lintels above openings on load bearing walls or the size of rafters for a raked ceiling. Project builders using set designs may be able to calculate and include these costs as part of the price but if you have a custom designed home, it is likely the engineering details will need to be completed before final pricing for your home can be provided.
An EER report is required for each new build and a lot of extension projects and sets out the measures required to meet the minimum 7 star energy requirements for a home. There are a number of factors that are considered when developing the EER, including the orientation of a home and the different rooms within it, meaning that the measures required to meet the energy requirements can be different for every home. A lot of builders have a standard list of inclusions that will never meet the minimum requirements to achieve a 7 star rating, however at DJ Homes, we have things like double glazed windows as a standard and inform you of the measures you can take through the design stage to ensure you can efficiently achieve the 7 stars.
Because these details are different for each build, they are things that should be completed and priced before you consider signing a building contract. We will obtain these through the preliminary stages of your project, with the costs covered in your pre-agreement with us and taken off the total build price if you do build with us. If you do not build with us for whatever reason, they are yours to keep and use.
Not only do we have this work done for our clients through the preliminary stage, we also go through a comprehensive selection process that allows our clients to make all of their selections and have them priced prior to contract signing, which is something offered by few builders. By having the engineering and EER completed and priced prior to contract signing, it will help you get a full understanding of the costs involved with your build and allow you to make adjustments to the project to ensure it meets your budget. This also ensures that variations after contract signing are kept to a minimum, which takes out a lot of the stress that many go through when building with a builder that does not do this work in the pre-contract stage of a project.
Does Your Builder…include pricing for engineering and energy reports?
