Single storey house Brick VS hardiplank

Discussion in 'Development' started by DevKZ, 5th Sep, 2017.

Join Australia's most dynamic and respected property investment community
  1. DevKZ

    DevKZ Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    4th Sep, 2017
    Posts:
    48
    Location:
    Brisbane
    Hi guys,

    I am looking at a house to buy.. this is a single story house around 200m2.

    But this is built mixture of brick (rendered) and hardiplank..

    Most of exterior walls are hardiplank except for garage side(south facing) and front of house and some parts..

    Do builders do that to cut down the building cost? Why would not they build every thing as bricks or mixture of bricks and weather board?

    Thanks,
     
  2. DevKZ

    DevKZ Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    4th Sep, 2017
    Posts:
    48
    Location:
    Brisbane
    Also would there be lots of cost difference when building 200m2 home with bricks and building it with hardiplanks.
     
  3. Tufan Chakir

    Tufan Chakir Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    18th Aug, 2016
    Posts:
    872
    Location:
    Victoria, Australia
    Masonry involves another trade. Carpenters install the Hardies. Lightweight cladding is cheaper than brick. I suspect the different materials may be for aesthetics more than anything else
     
  4. LifesGood

    LifesGood Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    26th Jun, 2015
    Posts:
    911
    Location:
    Perth WA
    Depends on location. In WA a lightweight single storey will cost a lot more than a double brick home.
     
    DevKZ and Tufan Chakir like this.
  5. DevKZ

    DevKZ Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    4th Sep, 2017
    Posts:
    48
    Location:
    Brisbane
    So what would be the total cost of building a single story house with mostly hardi plank?
    (including fencing, 10 meter drive way, 2.7 meter ceiling) - I would say its medium standard quality.
     
  6. DevKZ

    DevKZ Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    4th Sep, 2017
    Posts:
    48
    Location:
    Brisbane
    So it does not mean that i will get much cheaper to build with hardi? like 10k cheaper?
     
  7. Sackie

    Sackie Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    18th Jun, 2015
    Posts:
    25,035
    Location:
    Vaucluse, Sydney.
    Lightweight will cost alot more than double brick?
     
    DevKZ likes this.
  8. DevKZ

    DevKZ Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    4th Sep, 2017
    Posts:
    48
    Location:
    Brisbane
    I had same thought.. I thought hardiplank is way cheaper than brick for cladding...
     
  9. DaveM

    DaveM Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    14th Jun, 2015
    Posts:
    3,761
    Location:
    Adelaide & Sydney
    If its brick veneer construction, using cladding above large spans is much cheaper as the reinforcement for the load bearing walls under is much less. Cheaper to construct the framing, not just the face material;s cost
     
  10. LifesGood

    LifesGood Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    26th Jun, 2015
    Posts:
    911
    Location:
    Perth WA
    In WA, absolutely without a doubt if you're building a single storey home. It's no different to trying to get a builder on the east coast to build you a double brick home with brick internal walls. You'll pay a lot more.
     
  11. Bonz

    Bonz Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    23rd Oct, 2015
    Posts:
    144
    Location:
    Fremantle
    Wouldn't agree with your assessment on the cost difference between lightweight and masonary builds in Perth.

    The capital cost of constructing a SIPs panelled home using concrete floor, SIPs wall and roof panels, entry level double glazed windows, fibrecement wall sheeting, and iron roof is no different to double brick and tile on a concrete floor.

    Lightweight is a better value proposition because you can have a turn key finish in 3-4 months rather than the 8-15 months you take to build double brick In effect rather than pay the masonary builder for months of security fencing , site toilets sheds scafold interest rent etc you are spending your money on the build itself.

    The real kicker is however that a well built lightweight home will save you up to one third of your utilities bills a year by better controlling the movement of air in and out of the house.
     
  12. Sackie

    Sackie Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    18th Jun, 2015
    Posts:
    25,035
    Location:
    Vaucluse, Sydney.
    I still don't understand how double brick is cheaper than using lightweight material....I must be missing something..
     
    Mustafa Salehi likes this.
  13. LifesGood

    LifesGood Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    26th Jun, 2015
    Posts:
    911
    Location:
    Perth WA
    Dollar for dollar, you'll pay less for a home built out of double brick in WA. Bricks are dirt cheap, as is the labour. It's the most widely used method of construction in WA. Doesn't mean it's the best, but it's the "cheapest".

    Personally, I truly believe in the advantages of alternative methods over double brick any day. Unfortunately the up-front cost in WA to build a single storey fully framed home is more than a double brick home. I've worked with a company based out of QLD and the exact same homes built over there were 20% more expensive to build here in WA.

    We have a long way to go in terms of sustainable building practices in WA. There's been over 50 years of "brick is better" propaganda and the project builders here control the market more so than what I've seen in other states.
     
    Sackie likes this.
  14. LifesGood

    LifesGood Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    26th Jun, 2015
    Posts:
    911
    Location:
    Perth WA
    With regards to SIPs, I haven't done cost comparisons or researched the benefits. It's not overly common here but there's a few builders that have been delving into that territory.

    There's a lot more double storey, lightweight construction going on recently on narrow 4-6m wide blocks. They represent great value and will be beneficial in changing the brick mentality for us here in WA.
     
    DevKZ likes this.
  15. DevKZ

    DevKZ Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    4th Sep, 2017
    Posts:
    48
    Location:
    Brisbane
    Thanks for sharing your info.. Appreciate it!
     
  16. DevKZ

    DevKZ Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    4th Sep, 2017
    Posts:
    48
    Location:
    Brisbane
    Thanks for your reply.. I am quite lack of knowledge in the construction world. A fully framed home is something required for lightweight exterior material walls? So none brick home, build wooden (treated timber) frames on concrete slab (foundation) and put lightweight(e.g. Hardiplank) on outside walls? So Hardiplank homes = fully framed homes?
     

Property Investors! Ready to Pay Less Tax? Estimate how much Property Depreciation you can claim on your Investment Property. Washington Brown's calculator is the first calculator to draw on real properties to determine an accurate estimate.