Building a basement has plenty of upside – a larger house, better lifestyle and increased property value to name a few – but it can also require a significant investment. Every block and project is unique and deciding if it’s a viable option for you requires plenty of research. So, to help you get started, we’re sharing some tips on the cost of building a basement in Melbourne.

Important Factors That Impact the Cost

A good starting point is to understand the main factors that will impact the cost of your project, which includes site conditions, construction requirements and design features. For example, site factors such as the type of soil, access to site and volume of earthworks required will determine the cost of the excavating and earthmoving component. The size and depth of the basement, location of retaining walls, drainage systems, ventilation and lighting requirements impact construction costs. And when it comes to design, the internal fit out you choose obviously varies the cost significantly – if you are building a basic garage compared to a wine cellar, gym or home theatre for instance.

Does it Cost More Than Building on Ground Level or Up?

Due to the above factors, the additional challenges of water ingress, waterproofing, and dealing with ground and stormwater effectively, and the level of expertise required to successfully complete the project, the cost of building a basement is generally higher than building at ground level or up. Just like a regular build, the cost can vary significant depending on the site and project requirements, but estimates range from 50-100% more per square metre than building above ground. In other words, for something like a basement garage for two to three cars, you could be looking at adding $100,000-$200,000 to the cost of your build.

Today, most basements in Melbourne are built in luxury homes in affluent suburbs, however, if the trend catches on here, we’re likely to see it happening more.

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When it comes to excavation, there are many different types to suit a wide range of purposes. From large-scale earthmoving to small and precise cuts, and everything in between, there’s a lot more to excavating than digging a hole.

In this article we’ve put together an overview of the common types of excavations you’re likely to come across in both residential and commercial construction projects.

Small Excavations

Whether the project is in a backyard or on a big construction site, small excavation cuts are often required to complete the job. This may include detailed excavations for footings, post holes or retaining walls. With the right equipment, excavation can also happen in tight spaces and can perform smaller jobs in backyards that cannot be managed by hand including demolition of a shed, drainage, rock breaking or just a good old clean out if you have an area that’s overgrown with bushes or other mess.

Mid-Size Excavations

Excavation jobs in the mid-size range include site cuts for pools, extensions and new homes, trenching, and site preparation. Of course, on bigger projects, these jobs can be performed larger-scale.

Large-Scale Excavations

Large-scale excavation is often required on property development sites such as apartments or commercial buildings, or civil works such as new roads, rail works or water management. The types of excavations common to these jobs are site cuts, land clearing, cut and fill, site preparation, compacting, and bulk excavations of soil, rock, concrete or other materials.

What Type of Machines are Used?

Because of the huge range of different excavations required, there are specialised excavation plant that have been specifically designed to tackle certain jobs. For instance, where access is tight and small, precise excavations are needed, bobcats or two-tonne excavators are commonly used. For bigger jobs, a six or eight-tonne excavator may be used, either on its own or in combination with a tipper truck. There are also special attachments that can be used with certain plant to get the job done faster and more accurately, including augers, rock grabs and diamond rock saws to name a few.

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