1. Approval and certification fees
Approval fees are generally paid to the council or to a private building certifier and may take the form of Development Approval fees (DA), Building Approval fees (BA) and Construction Certificate (CC) fees. There are often other fees to consider too, including Long Service Levies, Capital Works fees and other environmental contributions fees, just to name a few. Check your contract to see what is included, if some of these are not mentioned, contact relevant authorities to determine what you may expect to pay.
2. Site preparation costs;
The cost of preparing a site for the building process is one of the most common areas where poor communication and lazy quoting practices result in budget blowouts. Often you may not know what lies underneath until tests or thorough inspections are carried out. Our advice is to choose your blocks carefully and do your homework to foreseen possible expenses. Here are the most common site costs to look out for:
- Site clearing (existing dwellings/ trees etc)
- Surveyor / soil tests and contour report
- Bushfire assessment / Flooding / Acoustics Reports
- Block/ retaining /fill or cutting
3. Temporary site requirements
This is one that may slip through or be hidden. Check that items such as temporary fencing, a site toilet, and erosion control measures as required by your local council are included in your upfront costs.
