How Pricing Works

One of the most frequently asked questions is, “How much does a house like this cost”? Because all Moss Brothers period building projects are architecturally designed each is a one-off and priced separately. At this initial stage, for budgeting purposes only, we have developed a pricing information guide. By following it you’ll easily be able to calculate the approximate cost of what you want.

The Pricing Information Guide

It’s simply not possible for Moss Brothers to have a pricelist because each and every period home is architecturally designed and is unique to you. Moss Brothers believe that giving a pricelist to someone who wants a unique product like a classic period home is like saying “this is what you get” and that is not the way the discerning ‘new home-building public’ will accept being treated these days. Your home should reflect your lifestyle and your personality and say something about who you are - not who someone else is.

Period architecture is so personalised that although we have a range of period design brochures people will often see an old house or homestead they like in a magazine or newspaper and rip it out and say something like, “see this design, we want to build a new home that looks old like this but using similar finishings and attention to detail as your show home” or other detailing they’ve seen elsewhere. Or while out walking or driving they see a beautiful old style they love, take a photo of it & say the same kind of thing – please apply some of your design magic to this old home or homestead.

So from listening to what the general enquirer would like, they are asking for, at this early stage, a ball-park indication of what an average period home might cost to build. To help you achieve this we have listed below an exercise sheet where by a quick calculation based on an average $ per square metre rate will help with this.

Because Moss Brothers are designers as well as builders the average $ per m has been struck mostly from what our clients have been asking us to design and build and what our show homes are modelled around. A Moss Brothers proposal (quotation) is put together by what we call the ‘pricing mix’ and that mix is made up from four main ingredients; 1) your budget, 2) your preferred house style plus your requested fittings, fixtures and finishing’s and degree of design complexity, 3) your living and family requirements i.e. how many bedrooms, bathrooms, living areas or verandas etc, & 4) what’s important to you i.e. what materials are requested to build with by you and how well you wish to have your new home appointed? Therefore the only fixed price we can provide is for one of our show homes because in that instance we have chosen the pricing mix.

The price of the Sheffield Homestead showhome in Masterton is $828,748.80 (incl GST) and the price of the Highbury Villa in Waikanae is $345,000.oo (incl GST) as you see them, only excluding loose furniture, drapes, and external site services (note; site services are always included in the overall build package just not in the above figures). What Moss Brothers are doing here is making a statement that demonstrates to you, our design skills, our attention to detail, and the standards we demand from our goods and service providers. Yes, the price tag does include all floor coverings, light fittings, heating units, tiling and appliances etc (basically turn-key and move in) and when that is realised, although it’s not the cheapest you could build, you’ll probably agree it represents value for money.

Remember, we are not trying to sell the show homes (in fact they infrequently come up for sale) or the show home plans. The showhomes are just fine examples of how we have replicated the originals and what is achievable. Moss Brothers are just fortunate that a segment of the population share our passion, which allows us to improve and refine our service to them. But for those that approve of the way we conduct ourselves in business but not really interested in the period replica or Queenslander theme, you’ll be interested to know that a percentage of our projects are specific or contemporary designs.

Built to shell or lock-up - conditions apply

Over the years a few Moss Brothers clients have asked to price a proposed house project to lock-up or shell and finish the project themselves. This is fine because the minimum we will build our period and Queenslander homes is to the completion of this stage. The 2 main reasons this is a Moss Brothers minimum are; 1) quality control for the integrity of the building is vital; and 2) many construction materials only have a limited life exposed to the weather. This makes urgency during this phase critical. Therefore, as a guide, a built-to-shell price is approximately 60 to 65% of the completed house price. For more details please enquire.

A Simple Way To Work Out An Indicative Price Of What A Moss Brothers Period Replica Or Queenslander Home Is Likely To Cost.
The Exercise Sheet

Although we don’t have a pricelist this section will help you arrive at a ball-park figure you can use at this early stage for budgeting purposes. Before you start please remember and take into account the following:

• Design: Although we have brochures they are only ever used to give examples of period architecture we specialise in i.e. the only rule is, there are no rules. Each build is architecturally designed and unique to you. The only constant is the construction detailing rediscovered from 23 years of study, research and trial-and-error by us.
• Design Fees: Moss Brothers are designers (phase 1) and builders (phase 2) and combine these two services to make one complete service package. What this means is the design fees are included in the cost of the ‘build’ (shown as an entry in the ‘project expenses’ spreadsheet) when Moss Brothers are employed as the builder, being phase 2. You will be invoiced for the design work as it is produced but what you pay will become a credit to the deposit of the ‘building contract’ when it is signed off. All Moss Brothers homes are architecturally designed and although these professionals cost more to employ you’ll save time and money in the following ways; quoting the build is more accurate, the chance of on-site building mistakes is enormously reduced, with more accurate plans comes a faster build time, and more accurate plans pass through the Council Building Consent process on time or with less delays.
• Budget: We can accommodate most budgets.
• Show homes: The show homes are about the average Moss Brothers have built for their clients.
• Size v Spec: Size only affects the price by about 25% of the project cost. The kinds of things that do the financial damage are; the height of the ceilings, what are the required finishings, what are the required fixtures, what are the required fittings, the degree of complexity (i.e. is specific engineering required), the attention to detail (i.e. how authentic), is the build rural or urban, is the site flat and level, and how many bathrooms are there etc?

Download our pricing exercise sheet here: Price_calculations.xls

The First Meeting With Our Architectural Designer Is Free

Gather up your thoughts, ideas and examples of what you’d like your new home to be like. Come along and meet with one of our home building consultants for a free no obligation consultation. Then the next step is to introduce you to our architectural design team and you’ll be able to pick their brains about what works well in house design or how we can make your own design ideas come to life.