Budget and how we work
We build your budget
at the first consultation.
The money a house needs is more than the building itself. Here is how we put the whole budget together — site work, garden, design and permits, fees — and the order in which things are decided. The figures themselves we fill in together, against your land and your conditions.
What makes up the budget
The figure people call "the price of a house" usually means the building alone. We separate the real numbers into three things. What the home costs, and the money you prepare in order to pay for it, are not the same thing. At the first consultation we fill this table in together.
1. What the home costs
The building itself, plus the work and procedures needed before you move in.
Item
What it covers
Amount
Construction of the house itself
All work on the building itself, from foundations to finishes
Filled in together at your first consultation
Associated site work
Water and drainage connections, electricity and gas, ground reinforcement
Filled in together at your first consultation
Design and permits
Design, structural work and building permit procedures
Filled in together at your first consultation
Garden and exterior
Parking, gate, walls, planting and concrete paving
Filled in together at your first consultation
Fees and insurance
Registration, fire insurance and mortgage handling fees
Filled in together at your first consultation
Moving in
Moving, curtains, furniture and appliances
Filled in together at your first consultation
Contingency
Money kept aside for changes and the unexpected during construction
Filled in together at your first consultation
Total for the home
Only the items in this section are added up. Land and funding are not included.
Filled in together at your first consultation
2. How it is funded
These are the sources you pay from. They are not costs, so they are never added to the total above.
Item
What it covers
Amount
Your own funds
The amount you pay from savings
Filled in together at your first consultation
Mortgage
The amount borrowed and the monthly repayment
Filled in together at your first consultation
3. Land
A separate item, only if you are buying land. Not needed if you already own it.
Item
What it covers
Amount
Land
The price of the land and the agent's fee
Filled in together at your first consultation
We hand you this table at the first consultation and fill it in with you, so you can take it home and think it over.
Why we start with the figures
Fit the budget to the drawings, and the work becomes subtraction
If the figures only stop adding up after you have fallen for a drawing, you end up dropping the things you wanted, one at a time. That is the hardest part of building a house.
Start with the framework, and the work becomes choosing
With the framework in place first, the conversation becomes where to put the weight within the same budget. Choosing, rather than cutting. That alone changes the mood of every meeting.
How we work
01
First consultation
We listen to what you want and where you are now, and show you a finished house. On that day we build the budget framework together.
02
Checking the land and the regulations
We check the conditions of your land, or of a site you are considering: what size and height may be built, and what work will be required.
03
Our proposal
We present a plan and an outline that fit inside the budget framework. If a wish goes beyond it, we decide together what to set aside.
04
Fixing the specification and the estimate
We decide the materials and equipment one by one and give you an itemised estimate, explaining the reason for each line.
05
Contract and start of work
We sign only after you agree with both the content and the figures. Once work starts we keep you informed of the schedule and the site.
06
Handover, and afterwards
We continue with inspections and repairs after handover. Our work does not end at completion.