Hills Architectural Properties

Archive for January, 2011

This marks the onset of finishing the house. It involves equipping the house with permanent furniture, some of which include;

· Ceilings and linings: This is in most cases viewed as part of the main construction rather than a finishing activity. However, with the evolution of ceilings from being just a means for under-roof cover to a decorative part of the interiors, it fits more in this category. A typical ceiling comprises of these distinct parts;

- Brandering: This refers to the framing or railing on which a ceiling hangs. Most brandering is made out of timber sections, built to span both ways and forming a mesh. Other materials include wire hangers as well as members made synthetic materials like UPVC. This can be viewed as the structural part of the ceiling.
- Cover / lining: this is the material that actually conceals the under-roof, although in some instances it is made to conceal services such as electrical cables. Most ceiling cover is in the form of boards for example chip board, gypsum board or even synthetic sound absorbing panels as is common in acoustic linings. The cover is fixed onto the Brandering, mostly by the use of nails or screws, but in some cases it is placed directly onto the Brandering, making it part of the finish.
- Edge finish: This is commonly provided in the form of a cornice. Most of these cornices are moulded to assume a particular look, in most cases to provide a harmonious transition from wall to the soffit.

· Wardrobes: Most of these are custom made fixtures and are used for the storage of clothes and shoes. They are in most cases made out of a blend of both natural timber and artificial boards. They include doors, hanging rail and shoe racks.

· Vanity Tops and Dressers: Vanity tops are used to hold wash basins and therefore provide a platform for placing toiletries like tooth brush holders. Dressers, on the other hand, provide a platform for placing clothes and other items of clothing, including a mirror and drawers, mostly for storing jewelry.

· Shelves: Common in kitchens and stores. Basically used for the storage of items.

· Cabinets: Cabinets are similar to shelves but with doors, just like the wardrobe. These are also common in kitchens.

· Rails and skirtings: These are mouldings provided along the wall, and they serve different purposes as below;

- Picture rail: The highest of all (apart from the cornice) usually at the level of door head. Used for hanging pictures and other items like antiques.
- Dado rail: Found just below the mid height of the building. Sole purpose is to prevent the wall against damage by the back of the chair, although it also serves the aesthetic role of breaking the monotony of the wall.
- Skirting: Usually at the edge between the floor and the wall and has functions similar to the cornice.

· Pelmet boxes: Provided at the head of windows. They give enclosure to the curtain hanging area and also provide runners for the same.

· Architraves and mouldings: These are used to finish the joint between the door and the door frame.

· Cills and window boards: provided at the foot of the widow opening. They serve the purpose of keeping rainwater from seeping through the wall and also for aesthetics, especially on the inner side. They also provide a platform for placing items like potted plants.

By Kynyn Kamau

Working through the paper work presented in Display Homes by the local Home builders often creates confusion over what is and isn’t included in the display home building price. This is a tactic employed by builders to make it much more difficult for the average home buyer to compare one home with another. As a Building Broker it can take me hours to compare quotes, and that’s when I’m comparing quotes for the same house using the same specification! Each builder has their own method of pricing and what they do and don’t include in the base price. This simple guide will show you how you can make a comparison between each display home.

The first step is to create a spreadsheet where you can write in figures to make calculations easier. Set up each builders going horizontally and then write each category for comparison vertically in the left hand column. This will allow you to bring each home into line with each other, to make them ‘equal’ or as close to it as possible using a method of ups and downs to compare.

Enter the house price for each of the homes working horizontally across the page and then the overall area of the home. Dividing the area into the house price will create a ‘base square metre rate’ where you can see the general square metre price for each of the homes. Square metre rates aren’t always the best way to compare homes as it excludes vertical prices, but it can be used as a rough guide.

Now you need to nominate one of the homes to use as a standard. I would recommend selecting the home that you think has the lowest level of product specification included in the price. This is the platform you will use as the ‘base level of inclusions’. Often it’s the home that is the cheapest when using the square metre rate.

Now you must consider the features in the other homes. Let’s say 2 of the homes have stone bench tops to the kitchens and 2 of the homes have standard laminated bench tops. For the homes that only have the laminate you need to add an amount that is reasonable for the cost of adding stone bench tops. In this example, for an average sized kitchen you may want to add between $6,000 – $12,000 depending on the size of the kitchen. You will see that a running total for the 2 lower specification homes has now increased by your nominated amount bringing them up to the equivalent value of the higher specification homes.

Perform this same comparison on all other areas of the home that you can think of. This may include items such as plumbing fixtures, shower screens, ceramic tiling extents, appliances, render vs brickwork just to name a few. When complete you be comparing a fair value of each home on an equal (or close to equal) specification level. By performing this calculation you’re able to discover which base price is the best value for money.

Each Display Home is different and each home builder will intentionally try to make it difficult for buyers to compare, however if you take some time and follow this method, you’ll be able to establish an accurate guide as to how each builder and display home price compares.

Steve Fitzpatrick is the Managing Director of Your Building Broker in Perth Western Australia and has over 20 years experience in the residential construction and building industry and over the last 15 years has worked almost exclusively as a custom home builder of fine homes.

If you’re thinking of building a new home in Perth Western Australia and would like someone else to do all the hard work for you, contact Your Building Broker.By Steve Fitzpatrick