Cost to Build a Landed House
What a headline rate per square foot covers, how to read a cost plan, and the costs that never appear in a headline figure.
In this guide
17 min · 3 articles
/5 min
The Hidden Costs of Building
The construction figure is rarely the whole number. Professional fees typically add 8 to 18 per cent of construction cost, 12 for a typical full consultancy; authority submissions about S$30,000 to S$50,000; contingency about 10 per cent; then GST at 9 per cent on top. Demolition, party-wall protection, site clearing, interiors, landscaping and two years of rent sit outside the rate as well. Budget for them at the start and the project stays calm; find them at tender and it does not.
/4 min
How to Read a Cost Plan
A cost plan is a set of assumptions with numbers attached. Read the assumptions first: what specification level is assumed, what is excluded, what provisional sums and PC sums are carried, and what the contingency is. A PC sum set too low — for sanitaryware, flooring, ironmongery — makes a tender look cheaper and comes back later as an adjustment. Two plans for the same house can differ by a third and both be honest.
/8 min
How to Plan a Building Budget
Build the budget in four blocks — land, construction, soft costs and owner costs — with contingency held and reported separately. Test it two ways: what you can afford and the market supports, against what the house you want actually costs to build. Specify before you price, model the cash flow, and track every change while you build.
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