Browse Forums Building A New House 1 May 15, 2013 11:43 pm So I decided to start a proper thread for our build. More to come! Timeline & Links to specific posts 3/4/13 -- First meeting with draftsman 19/4/13 -- Initial estimate 22/6/13 -- Selections - external (Photos) 3/7/13 -- Selections - tiles & laminates (Photos) 20/7/13 -- Selections - remainder internal (Colourboard) 13/8/13 -- Received fixed price quote 12/10/13 -- Paid demolition deposit 15/10/13 -- Signed lease on rental accommodation 18/10/13 -- Signed building contract with Hotondo 19/10/13 -- Started moving out 31/10/13 -- Gas abolished 21/11/13 -- Final mortgage approval 10/12/13 -- Demolition Day 1 19/12/13 -- Demolition complete 14/01/13 -- Builder's sign up 23/01/14 -- SLAB DONE! 14/02/14 -- FRAME DONE! 17/02/14 -- Independent inspection - frame stage 25/02/14 -- Gutters and fascia 27/02/14 -- Roofing started 03/03/14 -- Roofing finished - Colorbond moment 05/03/14 -- Wrap on 07/03/14 -- Windows in, first bricks delivered 24/03/14 -- External door frames installed, frame straightened 26/03/14 -- Internal plumbing 29/03/14 -- Bricklaying started 26/05/14 -- LOCKUP! 04/07/14 -- Interior painting started 15/07/14 -- Cabinet installation started 17/07/14 -- Tiling started 24/07/14 -- Caesarstone benchtops 30/07/14 -- Exterior painting started 31/07/14 -- Front door hung 04/08/14 -- Bricks cleaned 07/08/14 -- Robe doors 08/08/14 -- Grouting started 13/08/14 -- Basins, shower screens 15/08/14 -- Ceiling fans and powerpoints 27/08/14 -- Vinyl planks started 17/09/14 -- Carpet installation started 22/09/14 -- PCI 25/09/14 -- Handover ~ Anne I used to be indecisive but now I'm not quite sure. Eeek - We're embarking on a knockdown rebuild! Click here for our build thread Our blog: kdrhome.wordpress.com Re: Knockdown and custom build in Lara, Vic 2May 15, 2013 11:44 pm The back story: We bought our current home in late 2001 with intentions to renovate. One completed bathroom reno, 80% of a kitchen reno, two kids and 11.5 years later, we've realised a couple of things:
The idea of knocking this place down and rebuilding from scratch has been tossed around for a couple of years and we finally decided we needed to do something about it or we'd still be complaining about the current building in 2025 So far our first choice is Hotondo. We've had soil tests and a contour survey done plus had two meetings with them and their draftsman to come up with a design. We're going with a custom design as a standard design doesn't really suit our block as the front faces north and the front setback plus rear easement leaves us an almost square shape to build within. This is what we've come up with: We've had an estimate on the first iteration of the plan. Our next step is to either go to another builder and get a more concrete idea of what they can offer us for what price and/or pay $1300 to proceed to tender (which includes doing our selections before we get to contract stage which we like the idea of). We're pretty happy with the design but I'm still not 100% on a couple of things. My signature is there for a reason and I really want to get the big stuff right as we're planning on being here a long time. If we hate the paint colour or the taps or even the oven and kitchen cupboards, it's not too hard to change them down the track. Walls and bricks are a bit more permanent! I feel like we could make better use of the space in the ensuite but every time I have a play with the layout, I go around in a circle and end up right back with what we have on the plan now We might have think about losing the separate toilet (the builder would prefer not to build an interior toilet and so would I, I think). I'd be open to a walk-in shower EXCEPT we're leaning heavily towards vinyl planks on the floors which rules that out. I keep wavering on the doors at the end of the entry. I don't mind so much about the door through to the family room etc not being lined up with the front door but think perhaps I should to push the door of the WIL/closet across which will give me some wall space between the two doors to hang something. Hmm, or maybe swing the door around to face into the family room? Another option to consider. Gah! I'm already feeling overwhelmed and we're still in the early stages. My head is spinning with thoughts about bricks and ovens and tiles and paint colours and data wiring and light and demolition quotes and and and LOL. I need to sit down on the weekend and write a list of jobs I can tackle one at a time. Once I can get things decided upon and locked in I'll feel more settled but our biggest unknown will be site costs which we won't know for sure until this place is demolished...and by then there's no turning back. ~ Anne I used to be indecisive but now I'm not quite sure. Eeek - We're embarking on a knockdown rebuild! Click here for our build thread Our blog: kdrhome.wordpress.com Re: Knockdown and custom build in Lara, Vic 3May 29, 2013 5:57 pm Looks great, I love the floorplan. Especially how you walk past the lounge to get to the master. I agree with you on those points! The ensuite could definitely be changed around a little, but like you said, how to do it right? The open toilet is really a personal thing, it didn't bother us because we're rarely up at the same time anyway, and there is always the other toilet! I think moving the door for the storage closet is a good idea, but if you were to move it to the family room side, would they allow it given it looks like there is some structural component in the corner there? Surely you can make it work somehow. I love having a cupboard like that! It fits so much stuff I wouldn't normally know where to put. Is that the fridge in the pantry, or to the left side of the kitchen? Looks pretty roomy. And the zig-zag shape of the living areas will make for an awesome backyard entertaining area. Hope it's all going well and not too stressful in the early stages ...good luck! My build thread: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=61233 Re: Knockdown and custom build in Lara, Vic 4Jun 02, 2013 9:16 pm Thanks Laura! That's our chest freezer in the pantry - the fridge is at the far end of the kitchen near the dining. I'm thinking of flipping the pantry over so the bench continues along that same wall when the door is open past the wall oven/s. That square in the storeroom/linen is the return air. We went and spoke to a heating/cooling place about getting those done after handover and he suggested we move the RA into one of the hallways as they can get noisy due to the volume of air being sucked in. I'm not sure if moving that door would clash with the door from the entry, though. Will have a play around with things. We're happy with the overall plan (though want to make a couple more small tweaks including the above) so the next step is to get the slab engineering and our selections done to get a fixed price quote. Then we can see how far over budget we are and decide whether we need to think about shrinking the overall size a little. We wouldn't mind losing about a square but haven't been able to figure it out on our own - I can come up with lots of ways to move internal walls and make individual rooms smaller but it's translating that to moving external walls in a way that makes sense so we'll wait and see if we need to do it first. DH has had a bit over a week off work after injuring his back at the gym so we've been able to do a bit of research in short bursts on bricks, flooring and ovens/cooktops. So many ideas running through my head and I need to try to consolidate what I do and don't want so we can then work out what to get the builder to do, what to supply ourselves and what to do after handover. ~ Anne I used to be indecisive but now I'm not quite sure. Eeek - We're embarking on a knockdown rebuild! Click here for our build thread Our blog: kdrhome.wordpress.com Re: Knockdown and custom build in Lara, Vic 5Jun 15, 2013 8:07 pm So this week we made a couple of small tweaks to our plan and also paid the fee to get the slab engineering, etc, done. This means that we also get to do our selections so they can do a fixed price quote for us. A couple of weeks ago we went to Boral and got a list of the standard & upgrade bricks and addresses for us to go and look at. While we were driving around looking at houses to compare the different bricks we got a call from the selections girl who booked us in for next Saturday morning to do our external selections. When we got home we had an email from her with a new list of bricks...which is mostly the same list but has some different ones on it. And you guessed it, the ones that were our favourites aren't on there and are replaced by ones which we are meh about (at least looking at them on the Boral website and in the brochure) - lots of red ones which we don't want. *sigh* Looks like we need to try to find time this week (in daylight right on the winter solstice! ) to look at MORE houses in case they really can't do the bricks on the old list or they're way too much beyond the budget to include them. We did also get some Selkirk addresses (they use both companies) but only 3 or 4 addresses for each one rather than the dozen+ we got from Boral so it's a bit harder to tell - especially when some places were either on a battleaxe block or completely rendered across the front so you only got a glimpse of a small area of brickwork. Guess this is the first of many hurdles and frustrations for us. ~ Anne I used to be indecisive but now I'm not quite sure. Eeek - We're embarking on a knockdown rebuild! Click here for our build thread Our blog: kdrhome.wordpress.com Re: Knockdown and custom build in Lara, Vic 6Jun 22, 2013 10:24 pm We had our external selections meeting this morning and it went really well. SOOO glad we'd done our homework and had narrowed things down to a couple of brick choices (with a couple more as backup). The hardest decision was probably the render colour but K was absolutely fantastic with providing guidance and suggestions. We solved the mystery of the different brick lists - the one that Boral gave us was for another nearby Hotondo franchise. Our external selections: Bricks - Selkirk Coastal Stone Roof & gutters - Colorbond Ironstone Fascia & downpipes - Colorbond Dune Render - Haymes Surface NG20 from the Next Gen colours Windows - Dune Garage door - Dune Timber strapping above render - Dune with black background Front door colour - Ironstone (thinking we might want to change this to something a bit lighter/brighter but similar tones?) Our facade Approx mockup of colours (render/paint/windows not quite right) ~ Anne I used to be indecisive but now I'm not quite sure. Eeek - We're embarking on a knockdown rebuild! Click here for our build thread Our blog: kdrhome.wordpress.com Re: SR's custom KDR - External selections done 7Jun 22, 2013 10:34 pm Really like your floorplan and colours. We chose the same front door Custom downslope build Build thread viewtopic.php?f=31&t=61873 Blog http://www.buildingroyalmanor.blogspot.com.au Re: SR's custom KDR - External selections done 9Jun 23, 2013 10:04 pm Thanks! Currently trying to plan ahead for our next meeting which is tiles, laminates & carpets. We're looking at doing the carpets after handover but it doesn't hurt to see what the builder offers - with two young boys we might just go standard range and then upgrade in 10 years when the messiest years are behind us ~ Anne I used to be indecisive but now I'm not quite sure. Eeek - We're embarking on a knockdown rebuild! Click here for our build thread Our blog: kdrhome.wordpress.com Re: SR's custom KDR - External selections done 10Jun 23, 2013 10:10 pm Good thinking! I agree, if you've got young kids there's no point I upgrading carpet now. Custom downslope build Build thread viewtopic.php?f=31&t=61873 Blog http://www.buildingroyalmanor.blogspot.com.au Re: SR's custom KDR - Partial internal selections 11Jul 17, 2013 10:07 pm So a couple of weeks ago we did our tiles, laminates and carpet selections which was relatively painless - it only took us about 90 minutes. We weren't exactly sure of what we were going to choose but we've got pretty firm ideas of what we don't want which is always a great start Most of what we picked was standard range so the feature upgrades shouldn't be too hideous. The initial estimate included Caesarstone so that's already covered. Kitchen Cupboards - white Kickboards - Fossil Island back facing family room - Mushroom linea Benchtop - Caesarstone Osprey Splashback - Vertigo Stone gloss tile Better shot of splashback tile pattern - it's not as dark as the above photo but not as brown as this one, more grey. Ensuite Benchtop - Earthly Cabinets - Bleached Reed Shower/splashback tiles - Vertigo Sand gloss tile Floor tiles - Cypress The shower will be tiled to the ceiling on three walls and we decided the tiles are enough of a feature on their own without adding another detail. Bathroom & laundry Benchtop - Earthly Cabinets - Alaskan Wall tiles - plain white gloss Feature tile in shower - Nova Hazel Floor tile - Cypress (same as ensuite) We're thinking about changing to this feature tile as it's a little more interesting. We're still not sure about the placement. The consultant suggested we go for something a little different than just a line straight up the middle of the shower and put it adjacent to the glass but now we're not sure. We were thinking maybe in the shower niche (horizontally) and then above the vanity as well. Remainder of selections is this Saturday and I think we're driving ourselves crazy with things...but I think I'll save that for another post. After all, I need to focus on Offspring right now ~ Anne I used to be indecisive but now I'm not quite sure. Eeek - We're embarking on a knockdown rebuild! Click here for our build thread Our blog: kdrhome.wordpress.com Re: SR's custom KDR - External selections done 12Jul 17, 2013 10:21 pm Really like your choices! Interesting they have done selections in 3 stages, I suppose it takes the pressure off making all the choices in one go, but I would imagine your looking forward to all the decision making being finished. Selections, for us, was the hardest part! My Thread: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=62841 Re: SR's custom KDR - External selections done 13Jul 17, 2013 10:29 pm And thanks for the Offspring reminder My Thread: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=62841 Re: SR's custom KDR - External selections done 15Jul 25, 2013 2:42 pm Quick update! We had our final selections meeting on Saturday - have been driving myself mad over the last few weeks researching bits and pieces. As my signature says, I'm VERY indecisive - I think it's because I want to make the right decision and constantly stress that I've missed considering a particular option and what if it's the perfect one?? I tend to settle down once a decision is locked in and can't be changed but until then, it's fair game. DH just keeps telling me to stop overthinking and overanalysing everything. I've already seen a couple of house plans where I think "oh, we should have done something like that!" but then I weigh up the pros and cons of the current plan vs the possible alterations and realise it's swings and roundabouts. We've given the builder the details of the non-standard range kitchen appliances we want (Westinghouse oven, Bosch cooktop & DW, Blanco rangehood as well as Methven fittings in the ensuite) so now we just have to wait for them to price everything up and get back to us with the energy rating and the fixed price quote (and a colour board - yep, it's the little things like that that get me excited LOL). I'm a little nervous as to how much it will turn out to be but we already have some fall-back positions on a few things to help bring things down if we have to, eg 60cm cooktop and range instead of 80/90cm, basic garage door instead of upgrade, more basic taps we can upgrade later ourselves, etc. A lot of things we've chosen have turned out to be standard, though, which should help balance the overall impact of some of the pricier things - poor DH nearly fell over when the prices of the kitchen sink and the ensuite tapware finally sunk in even though I'd mentioned them quite a few times in passing. I'm not really a huge fan of the express-type builds being promoted lately - you know, 5 plans, 3 facades, 6 colour schemes and no deviations from them whatsoever - but after the last few weeks I can definitely see part of their attraction. I think if they'd been around 12 or so years ago when we first considered building (before we bought this place) we would certainly have thought of going down that road - so many fewer decisions to be made! ~ Anne I used to be indecisive but now I'm not quite sure. Eeek - We're embarking on a knockdown rebuild! Click here for our build thread Our blog: kdrhome.wordpress.com Re: SR's custom KDR - External selections done 16Aug 10, 2013 1:21 pm Picked up our colour board this morning. Even though it's a lot browner than I had wanted going into this, we've still managed to steer clear of yellowy creams. Overall I'm really pleased and love the colours and how they work together. BUT I do have some concerns that the roof is too dark, especially as it's a big roof (the front of the house, which faces north, is a smidge under 19.5 m wide). But if we change it to say, Dune, then I need to change the fascias and garage door to get some contrast back into the facade. And ideas/thoughts/suggestions?? Exterior colours L to R Haymes "Surface" - render to lounge room Dune - garage door, fascia, windows (may change front door to this) Ironstone - Roof, gutters, front door Selkirk Coastal Stone bricks Interior colours On the quote front, I spoke to the builder earlier in the week and he's just finalising a few things and dotting the Is and crossing the Ts. Hopefully we'll have it in the next week but I'm definitely nervous to find out how much it all comes to - we still have to add in our heating/cooling, vinyl flooring and Methven taps. Plus the other bits and pieces like clothesline, letterbox, window coverings, etc, etc. ~ Anne I used to be indecisive but now I'm not quite sure. Eeek - We're embarking on a knockdown rebuild! Click here for our build thread Our blog: kdrhome.wordpress.com Re: SR's custom KDR - Fixed price quote is in 17Aug 15, 2013 1:19 pm Got a call at 7:45 am on Tuesday to let us know our fixed price quote was ready. DH was on his second day off with a bad cold but decided he was well enough for us to go and see them that afternoon rather than having to wait until the weekend or even next week for another suitable time. He's a teacher so can't really go in late or finish up early on a whim. The slab engineer has had to deepen the edge and internal beams to min 600 mm, add extra internal beams and a couple of steel bars so the slab cost has gone up by about $6k. There's a few extra costs to get our 6 star energy rating but we're happy with most of the changes needed - the house we're in now has some insulation in the roof and that's it and we're really feeling it this winter (both with comfort levels and heating bills) so more insulation is a good thing! - Anticon blanket under the roof plus whirlybird = approx $3650 - Insulation to garage ceiling (first time the builder has seen this requirement) = $280 - Double glazing to windows & sliding doors in family and meals = approx $2400 We shrunk the house a little from the plan the initial estimate was based on so with the changes and additions and selection upgrades, our quote is $291,500. We got the builder to include a price for the driveway concreting just to see what his price was but we'll be deleting that and getting it done ourselves. We need to add on our vinyl flooring (approx $8000), heating & cooling (approx $8500 depending on the system we decide on) and we're going to provide the for the ensuite for the builder to install. We still want to get one more quote for the vinyl on the final floor plan and driveway quotes and then we can sort out the finance. I have a feeling one of our biggest hurdles is going to be finding a suitable rental as we have a dog and a cat. Need to go and speak to the RE agents around town in the next week or so (once we're all over the dreaded lurgy - DH and DS8 have had it, now it's me and DS6 stuck at home). I also need to make a start on sorting and packing which is going to be a huge job in itself. It's amazing how much stuff you can accumulate in 11½ years in one house so I'm actually looking forward to culling an awful lot! ~ Anne I used to be indecisive but now I'm not quite sure. Eeek - We're embarking on a knockdown rebuild! Click here for our build thread Our blog: kdrhome.wordpress.com Re: SR's custom KDR - Colours done and fixed quote in! 18Sep 16, 2013 4:24 am May I ask if you ended up going ahead with Hotondo? If so, which Geelong franchise? Your story is similar to ours. We've talked about building for at least 10 years but still haven't got there. I know I'm fussy which isn't helping! We're thinking of a knock down and rebuild too. It would be great to hear how you're getting on with Hotondo. Thanks and good luck with your build! Re: SR's custom KDR - Gas meter gone - demo is getting close 19Oct 31, 2013 3:02 pm A proper update is LONG overdue, I know, but I had to post this here because nobody else gets it. Just got a phone message from Dad who's been up at the old place collecting some pavers we're going to reuse after the build and the man has just been there taking out the gas meter That was impressively quick - I only emailed the request form off to the retailer on Monday and had heard horror stories about how long you sometimes have to wait. We're going to have the last of our things cleared out by the end of the weekend and if the electricity meter is removed just as fast, we may be able to hand over to the demo guys sooner than expected. The original estimate a few weeks back was that demolition would take place the first week of December and the main holdup would be the abolishment of services but we might be able to bring that forward if the power company plays ball. I can be optimistic It's been a whirlwind few weeks - we've paid our demolition deposit, signed the building contract with Hotondo and found a rental where we can have the pets (and the kids!) ~ Anne I used to be indecisive but now I'm not quite sure. Eeek - We're embarking on a knockdown rebuild! Click here for our build thread Our blog: kdrhome.wordpress.com Re: SR's custom KDR - Hurry up and wait... 20Nov 18, 2013 9:01 pm So the gas was abolished nice and quickly. We're still waiting for the electricity to be done (currently up to day 15 or 16, depending on whether they go by the local Geelong Cup Day or head office's Melbourne Cup Day public holiday ). We're also STILL waiting on our final mortgage approval. Noooo, not stressful at all The bank's application process checker says "expected settlement date" was last Thursday. We spoke to the broker today - apparently it's all been done and they had sent it all off for the LMI which should be back tomorrow and then we're good to go. The rental we've moved into is only a couple of years old and it's LOVELY living in a clean, bright house - it's a nice taster for the new one! The dog can see me during the day so I don't have to worry about her digging out under the fence and we can also see the boys playing in the backyard which we couldn't do at the old place and was a big negative. Though I'm definitely sick of telling the two boys (and DH LOL) to stop putting their grotty hands on the walls (grungy old wallpaper doesn't show handprints!) and VERY glad we aren't getting white/pale floor tiles with the dark fur of our cat and dog - they're both short haired but the amount they shed just walking along is ridiculous. A few shots from the old place (need to go up and grab a few more): Laundry - great example of "Don't like the wallpaper? Just walk into the next room!" Entry Loungeroom (bonus carpet worn through to the underlay!) Kitchen - Ikea kitchen installed Jan 2006 Part of the backyard ~ Anne I used to be indecisive but now I'm not quite sure. Eeek - We're embarking on a knockdown rebuild! Click here for our build thread Our blog: kdrhome.wordpress.com We were lucky in that our old house was so small (86 square metres) compared to the new house, they were able to take enough readings around the old backyard house before… 8 36895 The biggest challenge will be if you take out a loan and then run out of money - you'll have an incomplete security and lenders do not like this so you can get stuck.… 2 18893 Hi, I am looking into doing a KDR in Melbourne and am contemplating using Kialla Homes. I am looking for feedback on them from others who have built with them. 0 13298 |