Hi everyone, I moved to Northern Brisbane about 18 months ago and have recently found out about the "Masterplan" for the Strathpine area.
See https://www.moretonbay.qld.gov.au/subsite.aspx?id=60411
Basically, it looks like the home I purchased will be rezoned early next year to allow for developments of up to 4 storeys. So I've been trying to learn as much as possible about apartment developments. As you can imagine, there is a lot to learn. I have spoken to a couple of architects over the phone, and a business that specialises in town planning, but the problem is I'm not ready to do anything just yet, so I don't want to waste their time.
So, onto my questions. Thank you in advance to anyone who takes the time to answer.
1) Side Setbacks. Let's say the council regulation is for a side-setback of 2 metres, and let's say the whole building has a wrap around balcony, but the balcony is fully covered. Does the balcony count as part of the structure for setback purposes, or can it "overhang" into the setback ?
2) Level of Finish. Can anyone give me examples (maybe links to realestate.com.au or anything else with a picture) of low, mid and high level finishes ? I'm trying to understand what accounts for the cost difference between the "level" of finishes. Would this internal, external or both ?
3) Cost of Ground Level Carpark. The costings table at http://www.bmtqs.com.au/construction-cost-table shows :-
- 3 level walkup, ground floor parking, medium level finish, $1820 m2
- 3 level walkup, basement parking, medium level finish, $1785 m2
I find this bizarre ? You would think that the basement carpark would be much more expensive. A ground floor carpark is basically just concrete at ground level (I know I'm simplifying it a little) where basement carpark is lots more work. Can anyone account for these prices ?
4) Cost per m2. Again, using the bmtqs cost table. I'm trying to get a better idea of how the cost per m2 is derived. Let's say on a given storey, you're building 3 x 2BR units, at say 100m2. If you decided instead to build 2x3BR units at say 150m2, I can't see how they would cost the same. Now, I know people are going to say, without drawings it's hard to have a guess, but is there some way of getting a bit more of an accurate "back of the envelope" estimate rather than just using cost per m2 ?
5) Turnkey. When I read "turnkey", does this mean including all costs ? ie. architect fees, purchase of land, finance interest cost, council costs. Does it mean "the lot" or just "the total paid to the builder" ?
See https://www.moretonbay.qld.gov.au/subsite.aspx?id=60411
Basically, it looks like the home I purchased will be rezoned early next year to allow for developments of up to 4 storeys. So I've been trying to learn as much as possible about apartment developments. As you can imagine, there is a lot to learn. I have spoken to a couple of architects over the phone, and a business that specialises in town planning, but the problem is I'm not ready to do anything just yet, so I don't want to waste their time.
So, onto my questions. Thank you in advance to anyone who takes the time to answer.
1) Side Setbacks. Let's say the council regulation is for a side-setback of 2 metres, and let's say the whole building has a wrap around balcony, but the balcony is fully covered. Does the balcony count as part of the structure for setback purposes, or can it "overhang" into the setback ?
2) Level of Finish. Can anyone give me examples (maybe links to realestate.com.au or anything else with a picture) of low, mid and high level finishes ? I'm trying to understand what accounts for the cost difference between the "level" of finishes. Would this internal, external or both ?
3) Cost of Ground Level Carpark. The costings table at http://www.bmtqs.com.au/construction-cost-table shows :-
- 3 level walkup, ground floor parking, medium level finish, $1820 m2
- 3 level walkup, basement parking, medium level finish, $1785 m2
I find this bizarre ? You would think that the basement carpark would be much more expensive. A ground floor carpark is basically just concrete at ground level (I know I'm simplifying it a little) where basement carpark is lots more work. Can anyone account for these prices ?
4) Cost per m2. Again, using the bmtqs cost table. I'm trying to get a better idea of how the cost per m2 is derived. Let's say on a given storey, you're building 3 x 2BR units, at say 100m2. If you decided instead to build 2x3BR units at say 150m2, I can't see how they would cost the same. Now, I know people are going to say, without drawings it's hard to have a guess, but is there some way of getting a bit more of an accurate "back of the envelope" estimate rather than just using cost per m2 ?
5) Turnkey. When I read "turnkey", does this mean including all costs ? ie. architect fees, purchase of land, finance interest cost, council costs. Does it mean "the lot" or just "the total paid to the builder" ?