How Much Can You Save by Owner-Building?

Building companies will generally hire carpenters and other trades, and then add on:

• margins: 30%

• franchise fees: 10%

• GST: 10%

That’s around half the cost of your home going to the building company (or more than 12 years of repayments). In remote areas, this amount is even higher.

Despite the huge margins, the quality of workmanship is decreasing dramatically.

Engaging an independent builder removes most of these costs.

Owner-building removes all of these costs, plus the carpentry rate. Carpentry rates are around $100-120/sqm for slab homes, and $120-150/sqm for raised homes, based on typical carpentry Scope of Works.