Jump to content

We have our first full costings!


ZacP

Recommended Posts

Just received the first stab at costing from Estimators Online (as an aside very easy to deal with). It obviously doesn't include a few major things as they have no ability to price them on the system, but it gives a good indication of prices. Or does it? It seems cheep (£237k) and the project timeline (25 weeks) seems fast or am I missing something? 

 

Our build is 225sqm with 260sqm of external walls.

 

Here is the output from their website, big things to add/remove/change off the top of my head are:

- ICF not block and asccociated concrete, pump etc.

- can't get a crane onto site easily if at all so big stuff will be needed to be lifted manually.

- add 160sqm stone slips (approx £15K plus labour)

- add 100sqm of timber cladding

- add demolition of existing building

- add disconnection/reconnection of services

- upgrade roof insulation

- windows spec'd in uPVC where as we will prob go for something better then this.

- probably more lights (LED down-lighters) and power sockets

- can't see kitchens/bathrooms included so guess it's plus those.

- also doesn't include the balcony, but we're happy to forgo that on budget 

- I told them I wanted an insulated raft with UFH power floated into it. Don't think this is there but could be wrong again.

 

Really appreciate feedback if anyone has any thoughts.

 

390766_ New detached dwelling - The Bungalow_Client.pdf

Edited by ZacP
Link to comment
Share on other sites

8k for scaffolding on a fast paced project seems high.

Bathroom budget looks low.

I did not see a figure for a kitchen.

 

Nothing for landscaping? As minimum you will need a mobility ramp and to cost in a drive in order to compare with other SQM figures.

Edited by epsilonGreedy
Link to comment
Share on other sites

@epsilonGreedy Agreed re, bathrooms. And noticed they've included electric showers.... hmmm... There is no way we'll get a mobility ramp - the plot is on the side of a steep hill and it would be like a ski slope! Also, because were knocking down and rebuilding a bigger/better home we have the advantage of already having a drive. Phew! 

No kitchen, correct, but we will have allocated £25k (can be reduced if required - budget!) to that so should be ok.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I used estimators online too - its a good baseline to start from but I have made a lot of changes to my quote to get it to where I think it needs to be. I would recommend downloading the Excel version and then adding/changing etc. anything that requires it. Hopefully you should then reach a point where you have a good cost capture for your build, giving you a target to work to.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks @LA3222! It was on the back of one of your comments about it that I decided to go for it. The only thing is that I don't know how much/what to take out! I need to replace all of the walls and everything associated with it and replace with ICF. Seems a huge amount of detail, which feels quite overwhelming to start with. Also, they've spec'd electric showers. I'll need to work out how to change these to standard mixer showers somehow. This I fear is just the tip of the iceberg for changes, but a great iceberg to have! 

Edited by ZacP
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I bet the guys working for @nod would be keen to skim the walls at £11.77 per metre!

 

They included bathrooms but not kitchen.

 

You can see that in some areas such as plastering / boarding, tiling and decorating there is a great deal of labour cost and this is how the more hands on people can build at lower cost.

 

Unless you are keen to put in a lot of work I think you need to budget £400k all in.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, ZacP said:

Thanks @LA3222! It was on the back of one of your comments about it that I decided to go for it. The only thing is that I don't know how much/what to take out! I need to replace all of the walls and everything associated with it and replace with ICF. Seems a huge amount of detail, which feels quite overwhelming to start with. Also, they've spec'd electric showers. I'll need to work out how to change these to standard mixer showers somehow. This I fear is just the tip of the iceberg for changes, but a great iceberg to have! 

You won't be able to change the online version - at least I havent been able to. 

 

I downloaded a desktop excel version, split everything into individual tabs I.e. prelims, foundations, SIP, brickwork, roof......etc then work through each tab in isolation.

 

Link them all to an overarching running cost on the first page which has all the tabs linked so if you amend a cost on a tab somewhere then the running total updates.

 

I split each tab so it also has a 'spent' column next to the projected cost column, that way you can track where overspend have occurred.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@the_r_sole I know, and it was a bit of a toss up weather to cost it this way and adapt or get a QS on the whole thing. One of the things I was struggling to cost fully was all of the electrical and plumbing, roofs etc and this has given me a good base line from which I can discuss costs/materials with builders and suppliers. We're probably using woodcrete ICF so bonding slips directly to it is the same as bonding slips to blockwork. Same applies to cladding so hopefully shouldn't be too bad. It was only £155 and has given lots more detail then I was expecting and lots more for me to run around getting prices for!

 

@Mr Punter Is that on the expensive side? They have plasters day rate at £195. Which either means that the day rate is high or they're being conservative with the amount a plaster can do in a day. I think were planning at the moment to get to watertight as quickly as possible and then do some more of the straightforward jobs ourselves. I'm happy with laying pipes, cables, dry lining and stud work to a certain extent. I've even installed bathrooms and kitchens and laid engineered oak floors before. I'm not the quickest, but am an enthusiastic DIYer! We don't mind doing things we can after watertight and are very happy to do posh camping inside our dry well insulated shell!

 

@LA3222 I can update things like labour rates etc, and change the price of things like windows, doors, bathroom items that sort of thing. But not change electric showers for mixer showers and it automatically calculate the changes in pipework required. My wife is queen of excel so I'll get her to do that. I would undoubtably get it wrong.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 minutes ago, Mr Punter said:

I think they can easily skim walls on a 4m x 3m room in a day, so at 2.4 high that is 33.6m.  At rate quoted that is £395, so double day rate.

Thanks @Mr Punter. we're beginners on this stuff, so no idea really. All and any information is fantastic. Guess Estimators Online have very slow plasterers then! ? I can adjust the quote by halving the day rate to £100/day and it should all come out in the wash.

 

EDIT: This reduces the plastering cost by £3500 approx.

Edited by ZacP
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 23/09/2020 at 15:03, Mr Punter said:

I bet the guys working for @nod would be keen to skim the walls at £11.77 per metre!

 

They included bathrooms but not kitchen.

 

You can see that in some areas such as plastering / boarding, tiling and decorating there is a great deal of labour cost and this is how the more hands on people can build at lower cost.

 

Unless you are keen to put in a lot of work I think you need to budget £400k all in.

Very true 

I could have got the lads that work for me to lay the 20 ton of screed plaster out lay  250 m2 of tiles 

and all the other things 

But for me it defeated the point of doing it 

The lads that work for me earn between 250-400 per day 

It would have knocked the budget sideways 770m2 would have doubled 

 

The next one if we can ever get going will be sub 1000m2 

But at nearly 60 we won’t put as many hours in 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...