Why Two 200m² Houses Can Cost $200,000 Apart
Why Two 200m² Houses Can Cost $200,000 Apart
Two houses are both 200m².
They have the same number of bedrooms, similar bathrooms, a double garage and comparable interior finishes.
Yet one costs $850,000 to build and the other costs more than $1 million.
How can that be?
When people start planning a new home in New Zealand, one of the first questions they often ask is:
“What is the building cost per square metre?”
It sounds like a sensible question. Unfortunately, it can also be very misleading.
After many years designing houses, I have found that the number of square metres is only one part of what determines the final building cost.
The geometry of the house, roof design, structural spans, foundations, glazing, site conditions and even where you position the house on the section can have an enormous effect on cost.
This is also why good architectural design can potentially save considerably more than simply choosing cheaper finishes later.
Let's look at why.
