BU

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BUILDING COSTS

BUILDING COSTS IN HAKUBA VALLEY

The cost of building in Hakuba is a question we get asked on a regular basis. Building costs play an integral part in the

decision-making process, on whether to buy land and build new, buy an existing house or renovate a property in the Hakuba

Valley area. It is a personal decision and one which must be made with as much information as possible.

Unfortunately, the answer is not as simple as it may seem. Building or renovating in Hakuba is dependent upon a number

of variables and the decision must be made based on the clients purpose & property type.

BUILDING VARIABLES

If you have enquired among different local building companies in Hakuba, you will find no apparent consistency in building

price structures. This is due to a number of challenges that are involved in building in Hakuba that can affect the overall

cost, including:

∆ Choice of materials

∆ Spec of fixtures and fittings

∆ Design complexity

∆ Heating systems

INDICATIVE BUILDING COSTS

It is difficult to provide a 100% accurate estimate of building costs at the commencement of a project, due to the high

number of building variables to take into consideration. Therefore the following building estimates are a guide only. They

should only be used as an indication of your proposed building cost.

For an accurate cost assessment, please enquire with one of the many building companies in the Hakuba Valley. For a final

building cost estimate, your builder will require final design and detailed plans to obtain a specific and accurate build cost

for your custom home.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT BUILDER

We recommend enquiring with several builders and property managers to obtain a good cross section of building quotations.

There are numerous builders, project and property managers throughout Hakuba that specialize or provide certain value in

specific areas or departments. When obtaining a quote, ensure to:

∆ Request recent examples of their completed work

∆ Ask endless questions (make sure they understand building in snow)

∆ Ask the builder for customer testimonials

Please note all costs are approximations only and are inclusive of all architectural fees, utilities connections. If you intend to

rent your home on the commercial market please consider the high end of the specific bracket as there are local compliance

and fire regulations that will need to be considered. These estimates do not include project management, soft furnishings

or consumption tax.

∆ Insulation & glazing

∆ Foundations

∆ Land aspect

∆ Construction & structure spec

∆ Structure type

∆ Soil density

∆ Lot incline or decline

BUILDING COSTS

PRICEBRACKET

Approximate cost per square metre:

280,000 – 350,000 JPY

Nicely presented and be of great quality & functionality.

∆ Basic design & roofline

∆ Very standard room sizes

∆ Low or basic foundation

∆ Flat building lot

∆ Quality structure & insulation

∆ Basic heating or stand-alone type

∆ All standard door & window sizes (double glaze)

∆ Standard ceiling heights

∆ Minimum bathrooms in ratio to bedrooms

(1 bathroom / 2-3 bedrooms) + one bath tub

∆ Pre fab unit bathrooms

∆ Mainly plasterboard & wall paper

∆ Minimal solid timber products, mainly veneers

∆ Timber or carpet floors with small areas of tiles

∆ Standard size kitchens

∆ Standard off the shelf appliances & fittings

∆ No custom joinery or furniture

∆ No imported products

AESTHETICS & FUNCTIONALITY

FEATURES

ECONOMY

BUILDING COSTS

PRICEBRACKET

Approximate cost per square metre:

350,000 – 450,000 JPY

Nicely presented, but generally be of higher quality & spec with

splashes of custom design & features.

∆ Simple design with variable roof line

∆ High or slightly complicated foundation

∆ Mainly standard room sizes with emphasis on larger living

room & common areas

∆ Maybe basic carport or space

∆ Generally flat building lot

∆ Quality structure (timber construction) & insulation

∆ Combination of floor heating and radiators

∆ Aircon maybe in a specific room

∆ Standard catalogue windows of larger size catalogue windows

(double glaze)

∆ Custom doors and a few custom windows in specific rooms

∆ Standard ceiling heights (2.4m) in most rooms, custom height

ceiling in specific room/area

∆ Generally more bathrooms than economy,

at least 2 bathrooms / 3 bedrooms

∆ Bathrooms combination of prefab & tiled

(customized bathrooms)

∆ Timber or other design features used certain walls or ceilings

∆ Some render or painted rooms, others wallpaper

∆ High quality timber flooring & some tiled areas

∆ Western appliances

∆ Custom joinery in several rooms, custom kitchen

AESTHETICS & FUNCTIONALITY

FEATURES

MID-RANGE

BUILDING COSTS

PRICEBRACKET

Approximate cost per square metre:

450,000 – 650,000 JPY

Custom features & design emphasis throughout, usually

incorporating hard to source or expensive materials and fixtures.

∆ Complicated or larger design

∆ Large engineer spec foundations

∆ Generally larger room spec, complicated spans or room sizes

∆ Garage or multipurpose rooms

∆ Flat or variable building lot

∆ Quality structure (timber & or steel / rc concrete if needed)

& high spec insulation throughout

∆ Concealed floor heating throughout house, areas of snow

melting, fire place

∆ Aircon in major areas of the home

∆ Custom or commercial size windows used in multiple areas of

the home (double & triple glaze)

∆ Custom height ceilings throughout home

∆ Custom bathrooms, at least as many bathrooms as bedrooms,

multiple bath tubs

∆ Solid timber, veneer and other design finishes used throughout

∆ Timber, painted or rendered walls & ceilings

∆ Premium quality flooring such as imported tiles or stone

∆ Western or imported appliances (Miele, AEG etc)

∆ Custom joinery throughout the home, custom kitchens, laundry,

vanities, closets

∆ Granite or other high-end bench surfaces

AESTHETICS & FUNCTIONALITY

FEATURES

PREMIUM / LUXURY