Why the Shape of Your House Could Cost or Save You Thousands

When people think about what accelerates the cost to build a home, the obvious things that spring to mind are usually premium floor coverings, luxury stone benchtops and lavish appliances and lighting…but there is something more fundamental that may affect the price.

In fact, just being aware of this little-known design feature could save you tens of thousands of dollars without compromising the style and sophistication of your home. And it simply has to do with the shape of your house.

Every house design is different. Some houses are square, some houses are ‘L’ shaped, and others have many different angles and shapes. While different houses may all have the same internal dimension in square metres, the quantity of building materials that go into these homes will vary greatly in quantity depending on the external shape.

A more complicated shape is not more expensive because of added difficulty to build. It just requires more building materia

Think of it this way: the simpler the external shape, the lower the cost to build.

Compare these two designs:

DESIGN 1

DESIGN 2

Both designs have an internal floor area of 200 square metres. Design 2 has a much greater wall area and this will increase the number of bricks needed to build the walls. It will increase the length of guttering and eaves and also the framework, gyprock, cornices and other building materials including at least several litres more paint. Designs with greater wall area also tend to have more or larger windows and doors.

A house with a simple shape, like Design 1’s rectangular shape can retain the same floor area with a greatly decreased wall surface area. The savings can easily run into the tens of thousands.

The right builder can work with you to come up with a great design, that has impact, sophistication and style without increasing the price. If you’d like to talk about design ideas that will help you achieve building your dream home in your dream budget, our in house Architect works with you to do just that! Get in contact with Pase Homes today.