Australian construction costs continue to go up

National construction costs are continuing to climb at record rates, CoreLogic reports.

The Cordell Construction Cost Index showed residential construction costs increased by 11 percent over the 12 months to September 2022 across the country, compared with a 10 percent rise recorded over the past 12 month to June this year.

The rising costs, especially for timber and metals, were impacting on structural stages of housing construction, such as framing and reinforcing, CoreLogic construction cost estimation manager, John Bennett said.

“This quarter has also shown a larger increase in the cost of wall linings, including plasterboard and fibre cement, which previously had been relatively stable,” he said. “It will cost you more to get into your house too, with the price of doors showing a sharp rise in the last quarter.”

Queensland was the worst affected state this quarter, recording a 5.8 percent increase, followed by Victoria at 5.6 percent and NSW at 4 percent. Western Australia saw the lowest quarterly increase at 3.3 percent.

Victoria has experienced the highest rise in construction costs over the past 12 months, recording a 12.3 percent increase to September this year.

CoreLogic research director Tim Lawless said there was no easy answer to the pressures of rising material costs and the COVID-related backlog of residential construction that is still apparent. Recent weather events, and the subsequent damage to homes that now required repairs, would only add to the squeeze on resources in the building industry, he said.

“There’s no quick solution for providing additional materials and fuel costs remain elevated. All of these factors have an impact and are likely to push building costs higher for some time yet,” Mr Lawless said.

“Persistently high construction costs are clearly adding to inflationary pressures as well, with the price of new dwellings one of the most significant contributors to the June quarter inflation reading.”

Listing of the Day

Location: Paris

Price: €4.2 million (US$4.49 million)

This Rue de Rivoli home in the heart of Paris’s 1st Arrondissement comes with some serious design cachet: For one, it was one of the first major projects of notable French interior designer Didier Rabes, according to listing agent Paola Feau.

While an apartment, the four-level home is large enough to feel like a detached house, and Rabes decorated it lavishly to evoke an 18th-century chateau, complete with chandeliers, mirrored ceilings, Versailles-style parquet flooring and stucco imitation sculptures.

A wrought iron stairway connects the home’s four floors, while a lift also connects the three main floors.
Sébastien Dondain

Most of the building dates to the mid-19th century, though there are some remnants of the older Directoire style with its Neoclassical architectural forms, which were popular in the late 1700s, according to Feau.

This particular residence in the building also has the legacy of being the couture workshop of designer Madeleine Vionnet during the early 20th century, Feau said. It was later transformed into a private home, and with recent renovations, it boasts both a distinctive period atmosphere and modern comforts such as an elevator and a large modern kitchen.

Stats

The 3,207-square-foot apartment has four bedrooms with three full bathrooms and two half bathrooms. The apartment is spread over four floors including a lower ground floor, and is entered on the ground floor of the building.

Amenities

The home boasts a lift that goes between its three main floors, as well as a home office, and a 300-square-foot paved courtyard on the second floor that two of the bedroom suites open onto.

A separate, renovated apartment on the second floor connects to the main house, and can be accessed by both an interior staircase from the main house or through the building’s common areas. With two bedrooms, a bathroom, a living room, and a kitchen, “the apartment could be kept completely separate and rented or used for guests, or it could be used as an extension of the main house,” Feau said. “This little apartment has been fully renovated in a completely modern style, in contrast to the 18th-century-style main house.”

Neighbourhood Notes

Sitting right on the expansive Tuileries Garden, a 17th-century formal garden filled with statues, including 18 bronzes by Aristide Maillol, the location is also within a few minutes’ walk of the Louvre, Place Vendôme and Place de la Concorde, as well as the Jardin des Champs-Élysées.

“It’s one of the best areas in Paris,” Feau said. “It’s very, very central, with all the finest restaurants, fashion and jewellery boutiques and hotels, including Hotel Le Meurice and the Ritz.”

The Place Vendôme has historically been the home of many famous dress designers, with the stores of the couturier Chéruit and the shirtmaker Charvet still in situ.

Agent : Paola Feau, Daniel Feau and Luxury Portfolio International

Australian construction costs continue to go up – and up

Victoria has been worst hit by rising prices over the past year, with no end in sight

The four-bedroom home is decorated lavishly, complete with chandeliers, mirrored ceilings, Versailles-style parquet flooring and stucco imitation sculptures