Quote Originally Posted by Walter View Post
So given the question above, with all things being equal, what is your take?
Quote Originally Posted by papi smith View Post
Here's my non professional take.. Average contractor quote in my location for a standard spec 2 storey build is 30k/sqm of which 30% is labor cost . I would guess that it's safe to assume a modest reduction of 10% on labor plus deduct the cost of materials to support a 2nd floor slab. These basic support materials do not cost much relative to total material costs. So labor of 10k less 10% is 1k plus saving on materials say 3% of 20k or 600 = 1,600 less per sqm. Going with higher cost finishing materials will probably even out this small cost as there is small difference between installing a 10k and 50k water closet for example. In short, negligible toni cost difference between single and 2 storey houses. What say you Sir Travs? [emoji16]
For the same area, sprawling roof cost, esp w/ clay option, can shoot up the expense significantly to offset the added structural requirements of suspended slabs. Then, there's the likelihood of greater wall+roof beam perimeter/volume....this could swing the comparison in favor of a boxy multi-storey.
That said, one can never take for granted the architectural side of things. The gap between a good, experienced 1 who focuses on function, cost over form vs 1 that 'just designs' can be wide.
Just too many factors to generalize the comparison. Apologies if this won't satisfy the inquiry. It's not as simple as one would like to think.

Sent from my SM-S901E using Tsikot Forums mobile app