House Extension Cost Per Square Metre – 6 Considerations

It might sound efficient to pile your house extension costs into a per square metre calculation, but the reality is a simple home extension cost per square metre equation falls short in several areas.

Here's a list of items to be mindful of before you bang out your budget, explaining why using the house extension costs per square metre method can be misleading.  

1. Doesn’t take quality into account (eg luxury fittings vs budget fittings).

A house extension cost per square metre doesn't take into account the quality of your fixtures and finishes. Whether you opt for high-end (premium) or budget finishes will dramatically affect your final costs.

Checkout this online home renovation/extension cost calculator

2. Kitchens and bathrooms cost loads more than a bedroom or loungeroom.

The cost of building various rooms in your house simply cannot be compared. The elements, tradespeople (plumbing, electrical) and costs that go into building kitchens and bathrooms (the most expensive rooms in the house) aren’t equal to building costs for an additional bedroom or living area. Basically, the house extension cost per square metre for wet areas is very different to the cost per square metre for living zones

3. Doesn’t account for demolition.

Will your site require extensive demolition work? Will walls or part of the house be knocked down? The cost of demolition is left out when you use the house extension cost per square metre rule.

4. Overlooks the inclusion of design and permits.

Another important item not accounted for is costs associated with design work and obtaining building permits. Without including these, you’re looking at a misleading projected budget.

Checkout this online home renovation/extension cost calculator

5. Difficult to assess cost for renovations within an existing building envelope.

Are you refurbishing the home within the existing walls, or will you be removing walls too? As well as looking at costs associated with any extension work, you'll need to tally up any additional renovations taking place inside the home at the same time.

6. Overlooks poor site access or sloping blocks.

The house extension cost per square metre method doesn’t consider the scope of your land which can bring a new level of variation to costs. Impacting on costs and planning are: poor site access, sloping blocks and land size (small blocks) too.

When considering your renovation budget, an extension cost per square metre method is more suited to building a new house from scratch.

So, with this in mind, you can develop your renovation and home extension budget, using this free online home renovation/extension cost calculator for a costs estimate for your project.

Contact us for expert ideas and advice for your next Melbourne home renovation.