Hi,
I am wondering about a few things:
1) What is the general consensus on how much more expensive a brick house would be over a weatherboard house (%’ge wise)
2) Is it as easy to sell a weatherboard house as a brick house or are they houses to avoid ?
3) Is there anything else i need to know/consider (maintenacne wise or other)?This is all assuming the houses are same location, same presentation etc etc.
Any contribututions to this will be appreciated!
[confused2]
Being a Qld girl I think weatherboad on steel stumps is the best way to go. Better ventilation being raised off the ground which is great in a humid area like Qld. Also the soil in many areas has a high clay content so movement is innevitable so the stumps can be adjusted, whereas with “slab on ground” you’ll need to underpin which is very costly. I think weatherboard adds more character to a house and while you’ll need to repaint the outside around every 10 years I think its a great opportunity to give the house a “new look”.
Happy house hunting!!![biggrin]Amanda
“It is better to be inconspicuously wealthy, than to be ostentatiously poor…”It depends on the age of the property and the condition. If you think of a Queenslander or you think of a 1940’s ‘suburban’ 2 bedder. One is (usually) ornate and detailed, the other is boring – even if neat.
If you want to buy and reno, the timber is excellent. If you only want to renovate internally brick is superb.
Bricks you can render to cover up mission brown or ‘patching’. Timber you can replace board or do an extension and match faitly easily.
OK, all of that aside, assuming all is exactly the same I have found that timber is around 10% cheaper if it is a typical ‘suburban’ house. If the house is a 1900’s in ex condition, then it may be 10-15% higner.
I know this seems like a foot in each camp – but it is. Purchase the property that you want for the reasons I have stated above. If you’re only doin internals then maybe brick is better, and if it’s chaeper it may be the way to go.
Make sense?
Gerry.
Gerry G
Thanks for all the info. Much different to the UK where everything is brick!
I’m from the Uk too and I bloody hate WB. As nice as it looks finished, its a complete b******d to rub down and paint if you do renos like me. Can add weeks to a job, and its normally rotted here there and everywhere, and in Tassie, a 100SQM house will cost you upward of $5k to get a painter in. I like brick – even if Ozzy brick is as ugly as my twin sister. You can render it, paint it or leave it.
However, having said that, if you see a cheap house covered in asbestos brickboard (all the rage in Oz in the 50’s) then the WB’s will generally be superb underneath it, and just by taking the fake brick veneer off will add thousands.
Andy
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