What Does a Custom Home Actually Cost in Adelaide?

A 'price per square metre' figure is close to useless on its own, because it depends entirely on what's included — site works, floor coverings, driveways and landscaping are excluded from some quoted rates and included in others, and there's no industry-standard way to compare one builder's headline figure against another's.

We build a budget from the site up rather than from a rate down. Soil classification and slope determine footing and site-works costs before a single fixture is chosen, and on a meaningful minority of Adelaide sites — particularly in the Hills or on reactive clay — this single factor moves the budget more than any finish selection will.

Selections are the second-biggest lever, and the one clients have the most control over. Tapware, tiling, joinery and appliances can vary by tens of thousands of dollars between a project-home-grade specification and a considered one, without changing the home's footprint at all. We present real options at real prices during selections, not a single 'included' tier designed to look attractive in a display home.

The costs that catch first-time clients out are almost always the ones outside the build contract itself: council and planning fees, a geotechnical report, temporary services connections, and — for a knockdown rebuild — demolition and asbestos removal. None of these are hidden by builders acting in good faith, but they're genuinely easy to under-budget for if nobody itemises them up front.

Our estimating process puts every one of these line items in front of a client before a contract is signed, priced against their actual site rather than a generic allowance. It takes longer than handing over a one-page quote, and it's the reason our clients rarely see a number change between contract and handover.