Cost to rebuild a 2.5 storey house

[Landednewbie 0]

2 hours ago, petetherock said:

The motors don’t really consume that much

when you get the specs I can tell you more

if it’s outdoors, even the water bills aren’t much

i only top up the water during the hottest months 

I even installed a counter current and along with six air cons and many other gear, my bill is under $250 

Have pm u.. thanks

[Topline 1]

On 12/24/2020 at 7:36 PM, snoozee said:

300psf would be more of very basic finishing like $3psf tiles selection. 
If need marble, expect to pay for it. My marble flooring cost me almost $40psf for supply, lay and polishing in total and I had gotten my marble tiles direct from a supplier at a very good price. 
 

lift will cost you anything from $50k and up. If you choose to do glass lift shaft, the cost will go up. Of cos one can get China lift for about $40k and have the RC lift shaft. 

Hi, can check when someone says 300 psf of built in space, is it referring to GFA (ie. is built in space same as GFA?)? Would things like car porch (without balcony above) our double volume ceiling be counted as built in/ GFA?

Also, why would the cost of rebuilding a house be tagged to psf of built in space? Does it mean that figure does not include doing the garden and space outside the built up area and we would need to add in cost of garden/ pool/ gate/ perimeter fence separately?

[snoozee 98]

based on my understanding, GFA refers to the amount of built up space for internal. but things like stairs, lift shaft, balcony are calculated/considered differently. this is based on URA's definition.

how builders calculate the cost is not really based on GFA though the 300/350psf is like a "magical" guide number. by right the builder will take the floor plans and calculate the cost based on the plans. eg: how much bricks walls is needed, how much wall surface there are to plaster and paint, how much floor space is needed to pour concrete and lay tiles, etc. this calculation will also include the external works for car porch floor, party/boundary walls, drains, etc. the builder will then breakdown the cost into various sections in the quotation for you to review.

why the psf rate is based on total quotation cost divided by the built up GFA(excluding external) is something I don't know. maybe it has been the market practise for this all along so it's more convenient to use this method. also since external areas are not factored into the GFA, it's hard to add this in and then do a division again. so my guess is that it's more convenient to just use a number which is already available rather than trying to calculate everything again to get a more accurate number.

[Topline 1]

For re-building, assuming S$300 psf of built in space, can I check what items below would be included in the $300 psf calculation and what would not? 

1. Landscaping/ garden

2. Perimeter fence & front gate

3. Electrical/ Water connections

4. Carpentry works (kitchen cabinets/ wardrobes)

5. Air con

6. Sanitary wares

7. Swimming pool

8. Meter box re-location

9. Lighting

10. Tiles (wall and floor)

Also, is there anything that I should be be mindful of that is not in the $300 psf, when considering re-building? I'm aware of the following:

1. Architect and Engineer's fees

2. Submission fees

3. Soil test/ Topo survey

4. R.T.O

Would like to have a sense of total cost of a re-building exercise. Thanks!

Edited January 19, 2021 by Topline

[petetherock 13]

What is included in your quote really depends on many factors that are within your control.

If you opt for high cost marble, granite driveways, 100A power supplies, and top level fittings, even 400 psf won't be enough.. 

So I strongly suggest that it's pointless to solicit what's included, and talk directly with your builder to negotiate a price that suits your needs and control the cost by adjusting the materials and what frills you want.

Avoid VO, and too many changes. Electrical work can cost a lot too, and what you do with the pool will also change your costs significantly. 

[snoozee 98]

2 hours ago, Topline said:

For re-building, assuming S$300 psf of built in space, can I check what items below would be included in the $300 psf calculation and what would not? 

1. Landscaping/ garden

2. Perimeter fence & front gate

3. Electrical/ Water connections

4. Carpentry works (kitchen cabinets/ wardrobes)

5. Air con

6. Sanitary wares

7. Swimming pool

8. Meter box re-location

9. Lighting

10. Tiles (wall and floor)

Also, is there anything that I should be be mindful of that is not in the $300 psf, when considering re-building? I'm aware of the following:

1. Architect and Engineer's fees

2. Submission fees

3. Soil test/ Topo survey

4. R.T.O

Would like to have a sense of total cost of a re-building exercise. Thanks!

Like what Pete said, you need to work with your builder and also decide what you want to have in your house in terms of amenities and finishing. Since you are asking about rebuilt, get yourself an architect first if you haven’t. 
 

Ballpark figure of rebuilding an inter-terrace is about 1.2m and semi-d about 1.5m. Don’t be too fixated on the psf price as once the house design is out, overall construction cost can be estimated. Then from there you amend the design or change the finishing specs to bring down the cost if necessary

[SineQuaNon 0]

Hi have another basement question 

 

I understand that for detached you can build basement all the way to boundary line / how does this apply to terrace or semi D? Can build all the way to boundary lines?

[IceEyez 4]

59 minutes ago, SineQuaNon said:

Hi have another basement question 

 

I understand that for detached you can build basement all the way to boundary line / how does this apply to terrace or semi D? Can build all the way to boundary lines?

According to URA guidelines yes you can build all the way to the boundary line for the basement for any type of landed typology. But in reality, due to technical and practical concerns, you will almost certainly not be able to unless you have the best neighbor in the world who actually allow you to excavate into their own private land for you to do the temporary earth retaining structures there while you construct your basement retaining walls at the boundary line 🤣.

Expect to leave minimum 1-2m away from your boundary line, depending on how deep the basement is/how high the adjacent neighbor land/ soil condition etc.

[snoozee 98]

7 hours ago, SineQuaNon said:

Hi have another basement question 

 

I understand that for detached you can build basement all the way to boundary line / how does this apply to terrace or semi D? Can build all the way to boundary lines?

as long as you are willing to pay for the ERSS, you could build until very near to your boundary. if money is not a concern, technically your basement retaining wall can be built right at the boundary and the metal plates used for shoring the soil abandoned and left there for good.

there is a corner terrace near my place and the owner had rebuilt the entire house to be 2.5 storey with a basement. I passed by the site during construction and the basement is almost the size of the entire site. the construction cost was in excess of 2M with I think a major chunk being used to pay for the ERSS.

[SineQuaNon 0]

Thank you!

[3Cube 9]

6 hours ago, SineQuaNon said:

Thank you!

Beside all the ERSS as mentioned, you should be aware of strutting works needed to prevent your neighbor's house from collapsing on your plot. Double if yours is a terrace house as strutting needed of both left & right neighbor.

Important to note on waterproofing issues in your neighbor/s related to the aforementioned strutting. This means you have to be aware of third parties' liabilities within the Contractor's All Risk Insurance Policy which your builder must procure before construction commencement.

Overall, the ERSS, Strutting & the separate ERSS Qualified Registered Professional Engineer will be upwards of 225K. This is not including the actual concrete, steel, etc to form your basement.

Also, depending on your project Professional Engineer's (not the ERSS PE which means you'll need 2 PE for the job) structural design of the foundation (ie: Pile Cap or Footing), added ERSS is needed for the foundation's pile cap or footing.

Finally, there is regulation / requirements to the draining of underground water during excavation.

Just thought you should be know.

[3Cube 9]

2 hours ago, 3Cube said:

Beside all the ERSS as mentioned, you should be aware of strutting works needed to prevent your neighbor's house from collapsing on your plot. Double if yours is a terrace house as strutting needed of both left & right neighbor.

Important to note on waterproofing issues in your neighbor/s related to the aforementioned strutting. This means you have to be aware of third parties' liabilities within the Contractor's All Risk Insurance Policy which your builder must procure before construction commencement.

Overall, the ERSS, Strutting & the separate ERSS Qualified Registered Professional Engineer will be upwards of 225K. This is not including the actual concrete, steel, etc to form your basement.

Also, depending on your project Professional Engineer's (not the ERSS PE which means you'll need 2 PE for the job) structural design of the foundation (ie: Pile Cap or Footing), added ERSS is needed for the foundation's pile cap or footing.

Finally, there is regulation / requirements to the draining of underground water during excavation.

Just thought you should be know.

Forgot to mention the estimate of "upwards of 225k" is pre COVID. Which means it may be at least 20++% more costing. Not to mention a longer period for submission & construct the temporary strutting / shoring works.

[3Cube 9]

On 6/29/2021 at 9:12 AM, snoozee said:

as long as you are willing to pay for the ERSS, you could build until very near to your boundary. if money is not a concern, technically your basement retaining wall can be built right at the boundary and the metal plates used for shoring the soil abandoned and left there for good.

there is a corner terrace near my place and the owner had rebuilt the entire house to be 2.5 storey with a basement. I passed by the site during construction and the basement is almost the size of the entire site. the construction cost was in excess of 2M with I think a major chunk being used to pay for the ERSS.

Just a important clarification on your post.

Technically metal plates cannot be build in line with boundary. Your word "technically" should be change to "in theory".

Why is this?

Because of the rig / machinery's clam would have to hold the plates to drive the plate into the earth by hydraulic (Vibration / pneumatic device not advisable to avoid damaging neighbors' property). Due to the clam, some working space is necessary. Also the outside of the clam cannot touch the neighbors' party wall for obvious reason.

Unless whatever is over your boundary is empty plot of land (ie: earth with no building structure, not even carpark with concrete on earth). Technically & practically the plate cannot be in line with the boundary.

Edited July 3, 2021 by 3Cube
spelling

[petetherock 13]

Just curious, how often does a rebuild cause serious issues with the neighbors? 

With an intermediate terrace, there are two sides and not a lot of room, so it sound pretty precarious...

Or is it easy to add one more layer? I know you need a PE etc, but typically can you strengthen the existing structure and top a half layer to a 3 storey?

[snoozee 98]

1 hour ago, petetherock said:

Just curious, how often does a rebuild cause serious issues with the neighbors? 

With an intermediate terrace, there are two sides and not a lot of room, so it sound pretty precarious...

Or is it easy to add one more layer? I know you need a PE etc, but typically can you strengthen the existing structure and top a half layer to a 3 storey?

My wife’s friend’s parents place had their wall collapsed when their neighbor tore down their house and rebuilt. 
when my house was rebuilt, the low party wall with my neighbor on my detached side collapsed due to soil movements from the excavation from my side.

I think whether can add on structure on the top depends on how the existing structure and foundation was designed. If the structure had been designed with provisions for additional attic in mind including the RC floor slab already cast during initial construction, then adding the attic structure ( columns, beams and roof) at a later stage might be possible. But if the house was designed just for a 2 storey house and want to add on a full RC floor slab and roof later, I don’t think this would be possible.