Cost To Rebuild

[Joe New 0]

hi, i have recently bought a very old house. land is around 1800 sq ft. i intend to tear it down and rebuild to build up 3000sq ft. 5 bed rooms and 4 toilets. can anyone advise me on the cost involved? any good and affordable builders to recommend? will appreciate anyone with rebuild or a&a experience can give me some input.

jane

[petunialee 4]

hi, i have recently bought a very old house. land is around 1800 sq ft. i intend to tear it down and rebuild to build up 3000sq ft. 5 bed rooms and 4 toilets. can anyone advise me on the cost involved? any good and affordable builders to recommend? will appreciate anyone with rebuild or a&a experience can give me some input.

jane

Check out this thread.

http://www.renotalk.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=34642

[leechaorui 2]

hi, i have recently bought a very old house. land is around 1800 sq ft. i intend to tear it down and rebuild to build up 3000sq ft. 5 bed rooms and 4 toilets. can anyone advise me on the cost involved? any good and affordable builders to recommend? will appreciate anyone with rebuild or a&a experience can give me some input.

jane

Hi Jane,

The quotations for rebuilding houses have a range of prices. It depends on the complexity of the work, the construction materials used, the furnishing, the margins of the contractor and also the extent of the architect's involvement.

The following are some examples of cost differentials in construction (usually owners don't notice these differences):

(a) has areas protruding outwards supported by cantilever as opposed to supporting by a pillar,

(b) use solid bricks as opposed to hollow bricks, water proof the whole house as opposed to water proofing only wet areas (eg. balcony, toilets),

© use materials that allow for much higher weight loading compared with the minimum requirements,

(4) use STO weather proof paint (stops seepage of water into the paint) as opposed to ICI/ Nippon weather bond paint,

(5) use larger copper pipes as opposed to the minimum standard (allows for better water flow even when everyone turns on the tap)

(6) use higher quality cat 6 cables (eg. Belden brand and AMP faceplates) as opposed to not installing cat6 cabling or using average quality cables and faceplates

(7) use Singapore cement (has properties that help to prevent water seepage and cracking) as opposed to other types of cement (not good to mentioned brand here)

(8) use higher quality water proofing materials as opposed to using ordinary type of water proofing materials

(9) use piling to build foundation as opposed to doing only rough foundation (according to some professionals, after many many years, there could be some settlements effect)

(10) use solid bricks to help bond the cement and rebar when doing foundation instead of wood (wood tend to have gaps and allow for dust and dirt to get in between pillars' joints (I think this is not a major problem although some claimed that it would slightly weaken the pillars).

(11) use of solid thick aluminum galvanized frames/ Fascina brand instead of those filmsy aluminium windows and frame.

(12) use double glazed windows to prevent heat from entering the house as opposed to using ordinary glass for the windows.

(13) use wall bracket to secure large size feature wall stones as opposed to using cement to stick the stones to the wall (stones can dropped off after some time).

The following are some cost differentials in furnishing:

(1) use of higher end bathroom taps, WC, basins, water-heater system (eg. Gohe, TOTO, 707) that are made in higher cost countries as opposed to generic brands that are made in China, Indonesia or M'sia

(2) use of higher end parquet such as those longer timber strips from Burma as opposed to smaller strips parquet from Indonesia,

(3) use of chengai wood from mature trees as opposed to using marbau wood for decking.

(4) use of high quality marble selected and cut from large piece as opposed to using granite, smaller marble cuts, homogenous tiles, etc... However, some pple are able to get good quality marbles at very competitive prices.

(5) use of LED lighting system in the house as opposed to normal energy saving lights.

(6) use of high end Legrand, Clipsal, MK switches with LED lights compared to using those simpler ones.

(7) use of inverter air-con system (eg. Panasonic, Mitsubishi Heavy Ind, Toshiba) as opposed to using non inverter air-con system. The different types of air-con system also attract different pricing.

(8) use of KDK fans as opposed to generic brands

(9) use of custom made curtain using high quality materials as opposed to buying off the shelf in supermarkets (can also get good quality customed made curtains from M'sia at lower cost).

(10) install more power points, TV points and telephone points as opposed to trying to plan very carefully on the number of points needed. Also install power points that can take higher energy consuming equipment (eg. oven) around the house instead of the standard types.

(11) install one DB on each floor instead of one DB for the whole house. Use of higher quality brand DB (eg. Hagar) instead of generic brands.

(12) install designer wardrobe and other carpentry work instead of simpler ones.

The following are some cost differentials in architect selection:

(1) use of architect that is helpful and support you in managing the project all the way (ie higher fees) as opposed to one that basically sign off and you hardly get a chance to meet him (lower fees). A good architect will also help you manage the contractor and ensure the quality that you deserve is given to you.

Based on your requirement of 5 bedrooms, 1800 sqft land and inter-terrace (I presume re-development to 3.5 storey), my estimate is between $670K to $800K depending on your requirements. I am assuming that you use higher end construction materials with piling, LED lights, Cat6 cabling for the whole house, custom made curtains, no constraint on number of power points/ TV points but not using super high end marble, toilet furnishing, etc...

If you are looking for really simple design, using lower quality construction materials, I think $550K is a doable sum.

You can check it out with contractors and architects for a quotation based on what you want. The higher the demands, the higher the cost. If you want to find strong builders and more renowned architects, cost would also be higher because these people do not compromise on the quality. No point approaching them if you do not have a good budget to work on. Hence, you need to know what you want/ need before you start speaking to builders/ architects.

There are builders who can do low cost and I feel you should not approach them if you have good budget. In the end, you may pay high price for low quality. After all, I think these contractors may be quite used to cutting corners (my guess).

The best case scenario is to get high quality with low budget and the bad scenario is to pay high price to get poor quality.

Cheers!

Edited October 18, 2010 by leechaorui

[citygirl 1]

Leechaorui, this is so useful! Thanks! I will print this list out and make sure I get bang for my buck!

[Warrior88 0]

Well said ! Leechaorui

[leechaorui 2]

Leechaorui, this is so useful! Thanks! I will print this list out and make sure I get bang for my buck!

Well said ! Leechaorui

Thanks for the compliment. I guess this is about the tip of the ice berg, there is really much more knowledge to construction than what I have shared.

Cheers!

[bepgof 20]

Hi Jane,

The quotations for rebuilding houses have a range of prices. It depends on the complexity of the work, the construction materials used, the furnishing, the margins of the contractor and also the extent of the architect's involvement.

The following are some examples of cost differentials in construction (usually owners don't notice these differences):

(a) has areas protruding outwards supported by cantilever as opposed to supporting by a pillar,

(b) use solid bricks as opposed to hollow bricks, water proof the whole house as opposed to water proofing only wet areas (eg. balcony, toilets),

© use materials that allow for much higher weight loading compared with the minimum requirements,

(4) use STO weather proof paint (stops seepage of water into the paint) as opposed to ICI/ Nippon weather bond paint,

(5) use larger copper pipes as opposed to the minimum standard (allows for better water flow even when everyone turns on the tap)

(6) use higher quality cat 6 cables (eg. Belden brand and AMP faceplates) as opposed to not installing cat6 cabling or using average quality cables and faceplates

(7) use Singapore cement (has properties that help to prevent water seepage and cracking) as opposed to other types of cement (not good to mentioned brand here)

(8) use higher quality water proofing materials as opposed to using ordinary type of water proofing materials

(9) use piling to build foundation as opposed to doing only rough foundation (according to some professionals, after many many years, there could be some settlements effect)

(10) use solid bricks to help bond the cement and rebar when doing foundation instead of wood (wood tend to have gaps and allow for dust and dirt to get in between pillars' joints (I think this is not a major problem although some claimed that it would slightly weaken the pillars).

(11) use of solid thick aluminum galvanized frames/ Fascina brand instead of those filmsy aluminium windows and frame.

(12) use double glazed windows to prevent heat from entering the house as opposed to using ordinary glass for the windows.

(13) use wall bracket to secure large size feature wall stones as opposed to using cement to stick the stones to the wall (stones can dropped off after some time).

The following are some cost differentials in furnishing:

(1) use of higher end bathroom taps, WC, basins, water-heater system (eg. Gohe, TOTO, 707) that are made in higher cost countries as opposed to generic brands that are made in China, Indonesia or M'sia

(2) use of higher end parquet such as those longer timber strips from Burma as opposed to smaller strips parquet from Indonesia,

(3) use of chengai wood from mature trees as opposed to using marbau wood for decking.

(4) use of high quality marble selected and cut from large piece as opposed to using granite, smaller marble cuts, homogenous tiles, etc... However, some pple are able to get good quality marbles at very competitive prices.

(5) use of LED lighting system in the house as opposed to normal energy saving lights.

(6) use of high end Legrand, Clipsal, MK switches with LED lights compared to using those simpler ones.

(7) use of inverter air-con system (eg. Panasonic, Mitsubishi Heavy Ind, Toshiba) as opposed to using non inverter air-con system. The different types of air-con system also attract different pricing.

(8) use of KDK fans as opposed to generic brands

(9) use of custom made curtain using high quality materials as opposed to buying off the shelf in supermarkets (can also get good quality customed made curtains from M'sia at lower cost).

(10) install more power points, TV points and telephone points as opposed to trying to plan very carefully on the number of points needed. Also install power points that can take higher energy consuming equipment (eg. oven) around the house instead of the standard types.

(11) install one DB on each floor instead of one DB for the whole house. Use of higher quality brand DB (eg. Hagar) instead of generic brands.

(12) install designer wardrobe and other carpentry work instead of simpler ones.

The following are some cost differentials in architect selection:

(1) use of architect that is helpful and support you in managing the project all the way (ie higher fees) as opposed to one that basically sign off and you hardly get a chance to meet him (lower fees). A good architect will also help you manage the contractor and ensure the quality that you deserve is given to you.

Based on your requirement of 5 bedrooms, 1800 sqft land and inter-terrace (I presume re-development to 3.5 storey), my estimate is between $670K to $800K depending on your requirements. I am assuming that you use higher end construction materials with piling, LED lights, Cat6 cabling for the whole house, custom made curtains, no constraint on number of power points/ TV points but not using super high end marble, toilet furnishing, etc...

If you are looking for really simple design, using lower quality construction materials, I think $550K is a doable sum.

You can check it out with contractors and architects for a quotation based on what you want. The higher the demands, the higher the cost. If you want to find strong builders and more renowned architects, cost would also be higher because these people do not compromise on the quality. No point approaching them if you do not have a good budget to work on. Hence, you need to know what you want/ need before you start speaking to builders/ architects.

There are builders who can do low cost and I feel you should not approach them if you have good budget. In the end, you may pay high price for low quality. After all, I think these contractors may be quite used to cutting corners (my guess).

The best case scenario is to get high quality with low budget and the bad scenario is to pay high price to get poor quality.

Cheers!

Tokong, all these in you mind while typing or refer to paper?

Edited October 25, 2010 by bepgof

[leechaorui 2]

Tokong, all these in you mind while typing or refer to paper?

In my mind. There are much more than these to consider. My knowledge is also limited and I am still learning from the process and through interaction with practitioners in the industry.

[petunialee 4]

Hi Jane,

The quotations for rebuilding houses have a range of prices. It depends on the complexity of the work, the construction materials used, the furnishing, the margins of the contractor and also the extent of the architect's involvement.

The following are some examples of cost differentials in construction (usually owners don't notice these differences):

(a) has areas protruding outwards supported by cantilever as opposed to supporting by a pillar,

(b) use solid bricks as opposed to hollow bricks, water proof the whole house as opposed to water proofing only wet areas (eg. balcony, toilets),

© use materials that allow for much higher weight loading compared with the minimum requirements,

(4) use STO weather proof paint (stops seepage of water into the paint) as opposed to ICI/ Nippon weather bond paint,

(5) use larger copper pipes as opposed to the minimum standard (allows for better water flow even when everyone turns on the tap)

(6) use higher quality cat 6 cables (eg. Belden brand and AMP faceplates) as opposed to not installing cat6 cabling or using average quality cables and faceplates

(7) use Singapore cement (has properties that help to prevent water seepage and cracking) as opposed to other types of cement (not good to mentioned brand here)

(8) use higher quality water proofing materials as opposed to using ordinary type of water proofing materials

(9) use piling to build foundation as opposed to doing only rough foundation (according to some professionals, after many many years, there could be some settlements effect)

(10) use solid bricks to help bond the cement and rebar when doing foundation instead of wood (wood tend to have gaps and allow for dust and dirt to get in between pillars' joints (I think this is not a major problem although some claimed that it would slightly weaken the pillars).

(11) use of solid thick aluminum galvanized frames/ Fascina brand instead of those filmsy aluminium windows and frame.

(12) use double glazed windows to prevent heat from entering the house as opposed to using ordinary glass for the windows.

(13) use wall bracket to secure large size feature wall stones as opposed to using cement to stick the stones to the wall (stones can dropped off after some time).

The following are some cost differentials in furnishing:

(1) use of higher end bathroom taps, WC, basins, water-heater system (eg. Gohe, TOTO, 707) that are made in higher cost countries as opposed to generic brands that are made in China, Indonesia or M'sia

(2) use of higher end parquet such as those longer timber strips from Burma as opposed to smaller strips parquet from Indonesia,

(3) use of chengai wood from mature trees as opposed to using marbau wood for decking.

(4) use of high quality marble selected and cut from large piece as opposed to using granite, smaller marble cuts, homogenous tiles, etc... However, some pple are able to get good quality marbles at very competitive prices.

(5) use of LED lighting system in the house as opposed to normal energy saving lights.

(6) use of high end Legrand, Clipsal, MK switches with LED lights compared to using those simpler ones.

(7) use of inverter air-con system (eg. Panasonic, Mitsubishi Heavy Ind, Toshiba) as opposed to using non inverter air-con system. The different types of air-con system also attract different pricing.

(8) use of KDK fans as opposed to generic brands

(9) use of custom made curtain using high quality materials as opposed to buying off the shelf in supermarkets (can also get good quality customed made curtains from M'sia at lower cost).

(10) install more power points, TV points and telephone points as opposed to trying to plan very carefully on the number of points needed. Also install power points that can take higher energy consuming equipment (eg. oven) around the house instead of the standard types.

(11) install one DB on each floor instead of one DB for the whole house. Use of higher quality brand DB (eg. Hagar) instead of generic brands.

(12) install designer wardrobe and other carpentry work instead of simpler ones.

The following are some cost differentials in architect selection:

(1) use of architect that is helpful and support you in managing the project all the way (ie higher fees) as opposed to one that basically sign off and you hardly get a chance to meet him (lower fees). A good architect will also help you manage the contractor and ensure the quality that you deserve is given to you.

Based on your requirement of 5 bedrooms, 1800 sqft land and inter-terrace (I presume re-development to 3.5 storey), my estimate is between $670K to $800K depending on your requirements. I am assuming that you use higher end construction materials with piling, LED lights, Cat6 cabling for the whole house, custom made curtains, no constraint on number of power points/ TV points but not using super high end marble, toilet furnishing, etc...

If you are looking for really simple design, using lower quality construction materials, I think $550K is a doable sum.

You can check it out with contractors and architects for a quotation based on what you want. The higher the demands, the higher the cost. If you want to find strong builders and more renowned architects, cost would also be higher because these people do not compromise on the quality. No point approaching them if you do not have a good budget to work on. Hence, you need to know what you want/ need before you start speaking to builders/ architects.

There are builders who can do low cost and I feel you should not approach them if you have good budget. In the end, you may pay high price for low quality. After all, I think these contractors may be quite used to cutting corners (my guess).

The best case scenario is to get high quality with low budget and the bad scenario is to pay high price to get poor quality.

Cheers!

This is GREAT!

[lord2035 0]

Well said ! Leechaorui

I guess prices can really varies alot due to lack of knowledge.

Typically we are not knowledge in construction methods and prices unlikely shopping for LV and Prada.

Thanks for your advice!

Cheers!

[minnie_dexter 0]

hi, i have recently bought a very old house. land is around 1800 sq ft. i intend to tear it down and rebuild to build up 3000sq ft. 5 bed rooms and 4 toilets. can anyone advise me on the cost involved? any good and affordable builders to recommend? will appreciate anyone with rebuild or a&a experience can give me some input.

jane

hi jane, i suggest you should go for proper design firm to get the right info base on floor plan and your need in detail. The good thing about it is they normally do a rough design proposal so you can visualize the quote together with the design as well as the material. Like what i shared with the previous member, my uncle engaged a design firm for design & build for his addition storey, i learnt a lot from his experience. we been thru so many design firms for our comparison. Our decision end up to design wise (since u spend so much, design have to be your first place), price wise and the reliability of the people. i hope this help.

[shortcake 0]

hi, i have recently bought a very old house. land is around 1800 sq ft. i intend to tear it down and rebuild to build up 3000sq ft. 5 bed rooms and 4 toilets. can anyone advise me on the cost involved? any good and affordable builders to recommend? will appreciate anyone with rebuild or a&a experience can give me some input.

jane

Hi Jane,

I was in a similar situation as you when we just bought our single storey terrace. Some people said I should engage an architect and some said otherwise. I was very thankful when leechaorui shared with me his valuable input between the pros and cons of the options available. I finally decided on hiring an architect where he will handle the space planning, designing, submission, project management, tender for quotes, etc. My architect brought us to view some of his completed and under construction projects by various builders he has work with so that we can see the workmanship before deciding who to shortlist. I guess it is very hard to determine the 'actual cost' as it reallly depends on the types of finishing and materials you choose. If you intend to engage an arhictect or have already engage an architect, I think he will be in the best position to help you with the construction cost to meet your budget.

[yrfren 0]

Hi Jane,

I was in a similar situation as you when we just bought our single storey terrace. Some people said I should engage an architect and some said otherwise. I was very thankful when leechaorui shared with me his valuable input between the pros and cons of the options available. I finally decided on hiring an architect where he will handle the space planning, designing, submission, project management, tender for quotes, etc. My architect brought us to view some of his completed and under construction projects by various builders he has work with so that we can see the workmanship before deciding who to shortlist. I guess it is very hard to determine the 'actual cost' as it reallly depends on the types of finishing and materials you choose. If you intend to engage an arhictect or have already engage an architect, I think he will be in the best position to help you with the construction cost to meet your budget.

Hi,

I am planning to reconstruct a terrace house I just bought. Would you recommend your architect? How is your experience working with him? Would appreciate if you could PM me his contact. Thanks in advance.

[leechaorui 2]

Hi Jane,

Along with getting a great architect I would suggest hiring an interior designer to look over the plans before it goes to bid. What I have found is that the house can be designed soundly, and look great from the exterior, but not function well on the inside. Hiring a designer for 3 hours would help bring clarity to the whole space.

If you have hired the architect and has paid him a fat fee, you may want to get him to do the interior design for you. I know of architects who service the clients very well (eg. exterior design, interior design, accompany client to buy lighting, tiles, etc...) when he is paid full professional fees (usually $70,000 upwards) for construction of a terrace house/ Semi detached house/ bungalow.

Cheers!

[twothumbs 0]

<!--quoteo(post=615945:date=Mar 6 2011, 05:10 AM:name=Chelsea3684)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Chelsea3684 @ Mar 6 2011, 05:10 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=615945"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Hi Jane,

Along with getting a great architect I would suggest hiring an interior designer to look over the plans before it goes to bid. What I have found is that the house can be designed soundly, and look great from the exterior, but not function well on the inside. Hiring a designer for 3 hours would help bring clarity to the whole space.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

If you have hired the architect and has paid him a fat fee, you may want to get him to do the interior design for you. I know of architects who service the clients very well (eg. exterior design, interior design, accompany client to buy lighting, tiles, etc...) when he is paid full professional fees (usually $70,000 upwards) for construction of a terrace house/ Semi detached house/ bungalow.

Cheers!

hi Chaorui

read some of your posts and you have a lot of knowledge. Dont mind advise me how much is your electrical going by per indoor lighting and power point, CAT point, 100A distribution box. Any info on electrical is useful cos we are in the process of dealing with the electrical costs