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| Owner builder |
| This family saved $200,000 on their home's construction. |
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We visit the Ghama family in Greenacre who spent 4 years creating their dream home with a collection of second hand materials. Living in a caravan while their block resembled a wrecking yard, they worked every weekend with the help of family and friends and saved at least $200,000 by completion. With the added challenge of building around power lines, the result is quite remarkable.
Jim and Douha's Greenacre property was untouched for 18 years as construction was difficult with power lines running through the land. But an innovative design and eventual council approval started the ball rolling. The challenge paid off after four years of hard work with the house now valued at $650,000 with building costs totalling $250,000.
They spent a year collecting second hand building materials before they started. They bought a package of windows, doors and French shutters through the trading post for $2500 and designed the house around their style. About half the bricks were bought from demolition sites and they hand scrubbed the mortar clean. The roof tiles they bought second hand from a nursery and Wyong school via the trading post and Jim cleaned them after installing them on the roof. They cost 20 cents each compared to $2.40 new.
Further big savings included the second hand pavers, internal doors and timber floorboards which Jim and Douha laid themselves. The crushed terracotta driveway cost $4500 instead of $16,000 for traditional paving and the sandstone in the kitchen and lounge room they got free from a guy who was building a swimming pool and needed to get rid of it. Jim recommends buying ahead to spread the costs and snap up the real bargains. For example, he bought 190 angle bars for the doors and windows for $250, and ended up two short having to buy them new for $120.
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More Info
Architect
Haicham Kamaledine
Liil Projects
PH: 9785 7007
M: 0411 883 729
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