House Construction

**dr. d** · December 4th, 2023 08:38 PM

personally,
i would get the biggest plot that i am willing to afford.
the house plans come secondary.

i can always adjust my house plans, but there is a good chance, once i get neighbors, i can not make my land expand.

**travajante** · December 4th, 2023 11:10 PM

Originally Posted by dr. d

personally,
i would get the biggest plot that i am willing to afford.
the house plans come secondary.

i can always adjust my house plans, but there is a good chance, once i get neighbors, i can not make my land expand.

Same...but the smallest house.[emoji4]

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**Walter** · December 4th, 2023 11:30 PM

Originally Posted by travajante

Way more variables than just levels. Terrain, design, specs, roof type, wall & window volume are amongst those that significantly influence construction cost.

Contractors, builders, architects always have to complicate answers to simple questions ... why would you compare cost of things that are different ...

No offense meant to travs ... you're a very helpful contributor to this forum ...

**travajante** · December 4th, 2023 11:55 PM

Originally Posted by Walter

Contractors, builders, architects always have to complicate answers to simple questions ... why would you compare cost of things that are different ...

No offense meant to travs ... you're a very helpful contributor to this forum ...

Haha...none taken, sir.[emoji120][emoji4]

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**Walter** · December 5th, 2023 09:31 AM

Originally Posted by travajante

Haha...none taken, sir.[emoji120][emoji4]

So given the question above, with all things being equal, what is your take?

**papi smith** · December 5th, 2023 10:45 AM

Here's my non professional take.. Average contractor quote in my location for a standard spec 2 storey build is 30k/sqm of which 30% is labor cost . I would guess that it's safe to assume a modest reduction of 10% on labor plus deduct the cost of materials to support a 2nd floor slab. These basic support materials do not cost much relative to total material costs. So labor of 10k less 10% is 1k plus saving on materials say 3% of 20k or 600 = 1,600 less per sqm. Going with higher cost finishing materials will probably even out this small cost as there is small difference between installing a 10k and 50k water closet for example. In short, negligible toni cost difference between single and 2 storey houses. What say you Sir Travs? [emoji16]

**travajante** · December 5th, 2023 11:19 AM

Originally Posted by Walter

So given the question above, with all things being equal, what is your take?

Originally Posted by papi smith

Here's my non professional take.. Average contractor quote in my location for a standard spec 2 storey build is 30k/sqm of which 30% is labor cost . I would guess that it's safe to assume a modest reduction of 10% on labor plus deduct the cost of materials to support a 2nd floor slab. These basic support materials do not cost much relative to total material costs. So labor of 10k less 10% is 1k plus saving on materials say 3% of 20k or 600 = 1,600 less per sqm. Going with higher cost finishing materials will probably even out this small cost as there is small difference between installing a 10k and 50k water closet for example. In short, negligible toni cost difference between single and 2 storey houses. What say you Sir Travs? [emoji16]

For the same area, sprawling roof cost, esp w/ clay option, can shoot up the expense significantly to offset the added structural requirements of suspended slabs. Then, there's the likelihood of greater wall+roof beam perimeter/volume....this could swing the comparison in favor of a boxy multi-storey.
That said, one can never take for granted the architectural side of things. The gap between a good, experienced 1 who focuses on function, cost over form vs 1 that 'just designs' can be wide.
Just too many factors to generalize the comparison. Apologies if this won't satisfy the inquiry. It's not as simple as one would like to think.

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**boybi** · December 5th, 2023 11:37 AM

Originally Posted by travajante

For the same area, sprawling roof cost, esp w/ clay option, can shoot up the expense significantly to offset the added structural requirements of suspended slabs. Then, there's the likelihood of greater wall+roof beam perimeter/volume....this could swing the comparison in favor of a boxy multi-storey.
That said, one can never take for granted the architectural side of things. The gap between a good, experienced 1 who focuses on function, cost over form vs 1 that 'just designs' can be wide.
Just too many factors to generalize the comparison. Apologies if this won't satisfy the inquiry. It's not as simple as one would like to think.

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How about a ballpark figure? Like is it 10-20% cheaper per sqm if 1-storey vs 2-storey?

**Walter** · December 5th, 2023 05:13 PM

Read somewhere that a bungalow will save 10T per square meter over a 2-storey ...

How about a 2-storey vs 3-storey ...

**Akky M** · December 6th, 2023 01:30 PM

If you get an interior designer to do all the vanity, cabinets, kitchens, lightings and others aesthetics of the house . . It will add up to additional 25% ++ of your cost per sqm.

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