Small decisions can lead to big costs
Most of these seemingly minor tweaks to the standard design or construction options, substituted with bespoke solutions, will add cost. Often the cost increase will be minor, but sometimes the premium for the non-standard option will be significant. And when they occur in multiples, these costs can add up to a significant percentage of the final price of the new building.
A 2–3% cost increase on even a mid-price new build can quietly creep into tens of thousands of dollars. As designers, we love to please the client and to help them achieve their dreams. However, it behoves us to monitor these extra expenses and to provide ongoing indications of the cumulative effect of optional add-ons.
Discussions with some of my architectural colleagues have given rise to multiple examples of this creep. Here are some that residential designers might bear in mind.
1. Imported products can be costly
In architectural practices where I have worked, various fashions and trends come and go, but one that always bubbles close to the surface is the use of imported fittings, tapware, hardware and appliances. While incorporation of these items is perceived to add an element of exotic allure or exclusivity, they sometimes come at a considerable price premium compared with locally designed and produced equivalent products.
In my travels, I have been intrigued to see fittings and equipment marketed and sold here in New Zealand as top of the range that are sold in their country of origin as middle-of-the-road products. I have also seen equivalent New Zealand products sold overseas as premium, exotic top-of-the-line goods.
Kiwis often assume that, if a product is imported, it is more glamorous and exclusive. In reality, we produce fine products in New Zealand of high quality and often at a far more reasonable price.
As designers, we should provide this guidance to our clients and educate them that imported, expensive products are not always better than good-quality local equivalents. We deal with these items on a continual basis, whereas our clients go through this process less often, sometimes only once, and we can help them make savings.
2. Imported versus local decking timber
When selecting timbers to be used for exterior landscaping and decking materials, consider using plantation grown timber, sourced from New Zealand forests in preference to often more expensive imported timber. Another option to consider is utilising pre-used timber from local demolition sources.
While many of the exotic timber options are striking and boldly coloured, local pine will readily accept stain to increase the density of its colour too. Many exotics also have shortcomings such as:
extractives that can stain adjacent concrete if not coated
some are corrosive to steel and galvanised fixings – requiring more expensive stainless steel, silicon bronze or copper fixings
some require predrilling
variable durability of the timber
some exotic hardwoods suffer from splintering.
Both local and exotic timbers often weather off to the same or similar neutral grey tones if left unstained after a couple of years. Why not support the local timber growers and save your clients a little money at the same time.
Using imported fixtures and fittings can come at a cost premium.
3. Painted walls need costly level 4 or 5 finish
Internal wall finishes are one aspect of general residential construction where the choice of paint has become the default option in almost all situations. While there may be occasional walls of alternatives such as tiles or wallpaper, these are usually feature walls and are just a minor percentage of the total area.
The cost of preparing painted walls to a level 4 or 5 finish and then applying the multiple coats of paint throughout the entire dwelling adds up.
A return to wallpaper finishes, with fewer steps in the process, can enable material and labour savings to accrue. The creativity of the designer could add value and savings to the project.
4. Non-standard doors cost a premium
It is quick and easy to specify non-standard door sizes throughout a new dwelling, but a premium will be paid. For example, several designers have reported clients’ requests for overheight doors throughout a building to add a point of difference and sense of volume to the spaces.
There are, however, other more economical ways of achieving these goals. Creative colour schemes, finishes or other décor options may achieve the same or similar effect at a fraction of the cost.
5. Level entry adds to cost
One of the small details that many report is requests from clients for level entry from internal finished floor level out to external patios or decks, sometimes with habitable spaces beneath. I often imagine this has grown from real estate agents’ sales pitch of the importance of indoor/outdoor flow, but this level-entry specification may come at a considerable cost.
Possible subsequent requirements for extra drainage, channel/grating, tile jacks – to deck surface – and removable deck panels add to the complexity and cost of the project. These are all avoidable with the incorporation of a single step down from the interior finished floor level to the adjacent exterior deck.
6. Keep claddings simple
I sometimes wonder if there is a secret competition among residential designers to see who can apply the greatest number of different cladding types to a single building. The highest number I have seen is six, including the schist columns, on a spec house in a new housing subdivision.
I have occasionally had to talk clients back from excessive multiple cladding selections, not just for weathertightness or aesthetic reasons, but because of the cost implications too.
The detailing of the myriad junctions can be complex and extremely time consuming for the designer. The cladding manufacturers sometimes offer many of the flashing/junction details for their own systems, but not always for all of the other different claddings that may abut.
Sometimes there are multiple different junction combinations with a single cladding panel, and there is a lot at stake so they must be well designed and buildable.
By the time these various cladding panels have been designed, consented, installed and finished, a considerable cost premium will have accrued.
As designers and specifiers, we should spare the building owner the headaches of the future maintenance issues, differential weathering, junction issues etc. that may arise and use our design skills and experience to offer them more disciplined and cost-effective cladding solutions for their new homes.
7. Size wood burners for the space
One of the most pleasant characteristics of new fully insulated homes is the enjoyment of comfortable warm spaces, especially for homeowners who may have moved from older dwellings with less than optimal thermal insulation. There, they may have loved the warmth, character and atmosphere of free-standing wood burners, but the thermal dynamics of a new home are completely different.
Many designers have experienced overspec’ed wood burners overheating new dwellings, with one new homeowner saying the external bifold doors are often wide open while the fire roars – in mid-winter.
Designers and architects must ensure that the heat output of the wood burner or stove heat is correctly calculated for the space. This avoids the unnecessary cost of purchasing an oversize unit that will generate more heat than the room and its occupants can handle. Again, the old adage is true – less is more.
8. Keep colours simple/neutral
When specifying colour schemes, designers have commented that keeping them simple and neutral will ultimately save unnecessary extra costs during the construction of new dwellings.
The proof of this can be seen in the décor selections found in the majority of spec houses and rentals being built in New Zealand, where costs are imperative and the final decisions regarding colour schemes are usually determined by the developers. They understand the cost and risk of going out on a limb with zany or complicated colour palettes. These not only cost more, use a greater selection of materials with more wastage and are more labour intensive to apply, they also run the risk of appealing to a narrower cross-section of the public – the purchasers or tenants.
The initial fixed colour choices, such as carpets, will usually be neutral and simple, and the variations of the other décor colours will usually follow accordingly – compatible but neutral and safe. The interior colours will usually be light to emphasise the volume of the spaces and be consistent to enable cost-effective application – such as spray painting. Exterior colours will tend to steer away from the darker hues that absorb more light and heat and require the use of more expensive base paint to remain stable.
Compiling complex and sophisticated colourboards during design will often whet a client’s appetite for the decor potential of the spaces. The final delivery step, though, is usually the time-consuming extra expense of test potting and fine tuning various options in situ. This will bring to fruition the envisaged effect in the reality of the actual space where the real textures, natural lighting and spatial volumes come into play.
In our architectural practice, it is not uncommon to ultimately create new colours to achieve the desired effect. These are the décor selection processes that can be indulged in, but only if you have the time and money.
9. Smaller footprints often possible
Consider carefully how much total floor area is actually required in the new dwelling. Currently, the average New Zealand house size is approximately 200 m² for around 2.8 occupants, while in 1990, the average was 166 m², and in 1970, it was only 140 m².
Our less-formal lifestyles mean there is now little specific need for some of the traditionally cellular rooms, extensive circulation and passage spaces, dedicated formal dining rooms and more. The trend to open-plan living spaces, various multi-use spaces and more innovative use of vertical spaces means the opportunity to be more economical with building footprints is greater than ever.
Tiny houses may be the extreme example, but clever use of space where possible should be considered in the design of all new dwellings.
10. Keep detailing simple
Last but not least, avoiding overly complex building junctions and details not covered under approved solutions will generally save money.
As a rule, simplicity saves cost at the design stage, often during the consenting process and perhaps most tangibly during construction.
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