September figures show steady increase to building costs nation wide
September 2002
Statistics provided by Australia's leading building information company, Cordell Building Information Services, show the average cost of building a 3-bedroom, brick-veneer house in Australia is on the rise. Figures for the September quarter of 2002 reported a national rise 1.1%
The Cordell Housing Price Index gives a nation-wide indication of changes to building costs based on a combination of labour, material, plant and subcontract services required to build a typical residential property.
The state recording the highest increase in costs for a 3-bedroom, brick-veneer house during the last quarter was QLD, where the average cost to build increased by 1.6%.
Other states recorded a rise of:
- NSW 0.7%;
- TAS 1.4%;
- VIC 1.3%;
- SA 0.5%;
- WA 1.0%.
Although QLD recorded the largest increase in costs, NSW still proved to be the most expensive, with the average cost to build increasing to $870 per square metre.
Other states' costs increased to:
- QLD $803 per square metre;
- VIC $811 per square metre;
- SA $789 per square metre;
- TAS $791 per square metre;
- WA $885 per square metre (cavity brick), $807 per square metre (brick veneer)
Although WA experienced only a marginal increase in building costs - up only 1.0% from the June quarter - the average price to build in Western Australia came in at $885 per square metre. However, the high cost as compared to other states is because homes in WA are most often constructed using cavity brick walls instead of brick veneer, which is the most common method in the other states.
Cordell's statistics are derived from examining costs in each State for preliminaries, excavation, concrete work, brick work, carpentry, insulation, joinery, glazing, hardware, roofing, roof plumbing, windows, doors, plastering, wall and floor tiling, painting, plumbing, drainage, electrical and sundry appliances.
The five top cost increases in each state based on a 3-bedroom, brick-veneer house (cavity brick in WA) were:
NSW:
- Carpentry up $222
- Concrete up $216
- Roof Plumbing up $106
- Plumbing up $80
- Drainage up $76
WA:
- Brickwork up $394
- Concrete work up $296
- Plumbing up $134
- Plastering up $130
- Roof plumbing up $17
VIC:
- Carpentry up $350
- Roofing up $262
- Concrete work up $146
- Roof Plumbing up $129
- Joinery up $104
SA:
- Brickwork up $379
- Painting up $92
- Concrete work up $45
- Preliminaries up $34
- Plumbing up $19
QLD:
- Plastering up $909
- Concrete work up $169
- Plumbing up $132
- Drainage up $125
- Joinery up $75