I thought I had designed a house that would cost us around $450k.  Getting it valued off the plans the valuer concurred.  Taking it to the market to get built? Not the same answer it will cost $600k.  There are lots of reasons,  demolition, foundations,  inflated industry prices, health and safety and building volume.  When this difference between built value and market value bothers me (generally about 3am in the morning) I wonder why on earth we are building this project. It would be sensible to reduce the volume in the building, reduce the quality, remove the solar or even “sell where is as is” and make a profit.  I flew over the Southern Alps last week and the mountains were so dramatic with the winter light casting shadows on the snowy peaks.  That is why I want volume in my house I want to walk in the front door and think YES! I think volume and skylights are uplifting and for me if I’m going to build both are non-negotiable.  I also feel that building a house we need to be mindful of the legacy we are leaving. Are the houses we are building to minimum standards today the state houses of tomorrow?  This is particularly relevant when I hear that in Auckland last week a coroner has attributed the death of a toddler in part to substandard living conditions.  That house would have been built to the minimum standards of the day.  I just hope that we continue to gain momentum with energy efficient design through Passive House, Green Star, the Living Building Challenge, all of these things challenge us to do a better job.  We will be poorer as a society if we continue to build houses as cheaply as we can just to build wealth, we need to value our health.  The way I figure it if we don’t sell our house we haven’t lost money anyway.  Below a photo of the portal frames they are making on site to create the volume in the Parklands House.   The magroc will fit between the portals the length of the building.  It will be fabulous!