However if your walls are being rendered it probably won't look too bad.
Yes brick infills are a lot nicer make it look alot more finished.
Browse Forums Building A New House Re: Things you forget - summary page 32 881Mar 18, 2015 8:36 pm bpratt I'm so glad I got the area above the windows bricked, as it looks so much better than sheeting could ever look. However if your walls are being rendered it probably won't look too bad. Yes brick infills are a lot nicer make it look alot more finished. Re: Things you forget - summary page 32 882Mar 18, 2015 8:59 pm Yeah I hope ours look okay At least the street frontage will look good regardless and if the sides don't look as good as they could, well, live and learn! Jen (& Dave) Plantation Bronte, Ormeau Ridge, Gold Coast QLD 12/03/2015 - Commencement... 26/08/2015 - Handover! viewtopic.php?f=31&t=76446 Re: Things you forget - summary page 32 883Apr 06, 2015 8:07 pm Adam_C One thing I DIDN'T forget, but thought others might like to know, is to have your garage floor sealed. Bare concrete is porous and readily absorbs oil drips from your car and other spills, making it very hard to clean up. For a modest cost (I'm paying $680) you can resolve that issue. Cheers, Adam Yeh agree, positively good idea. I just painted my garage floor. Took me 2 days to do 2 coats of paint. Used Berger Jet Dry garage paint. Costed me couple of hundred dollars in material. Re: Things you forget - summary page 32 884Apr 12, 2015 1:55 am Hi all, first off I would like to say this thread is the best out of everything I've seen, kudos to the OP. Just my 2 cents and sorry if it has been mentioned before, how about better insulation the roof and the outer walls? I was reading out on the net and Bradford anticon foil blanket with tontine thermal bats for ceiling and Bradford enviroseal reflective foil with tontine thermal and sound bats for the wall is a must have for those cold nites and hot days if you want to safe your power bills, any thought on these (we'll be having flat roof tiles)? And we were quoted $18000 to put boral soundstop plaster through out which almost knock me out cold, is it just me or this seem a bit too pricey? Our block will be right in front of the waverley train line and we were told double glazing will only help thermally, but doesn't block much sound, for sound best to use 10mm laminated glass (2x 10mm), but don't perform well thermally, any thought of having best of both world? Many thx guys. Re: Things you forget - summary page 32 885Apr 16, 2015 6:42 am Probably best to ask the window question in the windows forum. We were at the home show last year and were looking at magnetite retrofit style double glazed window fitting and it was fantastic for sound. I would imagine most double glazed would be good for both sound and insulation... Re: Things you forget - summary page 32 886Apr 27, 2015 9:59 pm Hot and cold water tap to the alfresco, that is if you are wanting to have an outdoor kitchen with a sink. That and a gas line for a BBQ/gas cooker. Re: Things you forget - summary page 32 887Apr 27, 2015 10:13 pm Consider the types of windows you can use (sliding, awning, sash etc) and consider using different style windows in certain areas to maximize your wind/breeze through flow to help with solar passive loving principles Re: Things you forget - summary page 32 888Apr 27, 2015 10:13 pm Consider the types of windows you can use (sliding, awning, sash etc) and consider using different style windows in certain areas to maximize your wind/breeze through flow to help with solar passive loving principles Re: Things you forget - summary page 32 889Jun 28, 2015 7:54 pm (1 of 3...) Hi all. Thanks very much for this thread - full of great ideas. Here are some things that we thought might be of interest. Hope they're of help and haven't been mentioned already. We didn't go with all of these below due to cost or having found out about them too late. Thought I'd do my part now considering I've taken some very good ideas from here already. * Planning (note: we're building near the coast): - Does coastal zoning play a part for you? (How close are you to the beach?) - Consider sarking in the roof. - Consider upgrade to Acrashield for the external render - provides additional cover in coastal conditions. - We decided to go with the 'middle' builder inclusion package. Then we upgraded to a two or three things from the upper range. Saves a lot of money that way. - See how much you can change around in the plan without incurring an admin free from the builder. Our builder allowed us to move walls, windows and rooms around for free. The cost only came if we added extras (e.g extra walls) or increased the overall size of the house. - Consider your neighbours’ location and what they can see (and vice versa) – e.g. window size/location after having thought about what your neighbours will be able to see, and what they can see of your place. - We’re building in Perth (hot summers!) so we opted for the front of the house (and main bedroom) to face south (less sunlight/cooler)… and the al fresco and backyard to face north (more sunlight). We only had this choice as we bought at a new estate. Not everyone will have this option, but if you do, it’s something to keep in mind. - We asked the sales person, the sales manager, the pre-start people, and basically anyone else with experience, for their ideas. This helped us a lot. - We also asked them for honest feedback about our inclusions/plans - - not having built before, we appreciated this kind of feedback from people with years of experience. We cut out some fairly ugly and useless things this way ☺ - Borrow/buy interior design books, check out houzz.com, visit as many model homes as you can stand… we got most of our ideas this way. - As tedious as it is, I would recommend reading everything the developer/builder/bank sends you several times. It’s too easy to let things go, and then you may pay for it later. - Ditto for keeping things in order – however you prefer to do things, keep on top of everything. - Do your research and be active in designing your house. Our pre-start person, although very nice, wasn’t the most helpful person, and we had to ask a lot of questions to get to the bottom of things. I recommend being ready with lots of ideas when it comes to both final planning and then pre-start. - Also recommend visiting all of the builder’s suppliers well in advance of making any decisions/choices. * Roof cover: - We went with a Colourbond roof, but the one risk that people have repeatedly told me is that if there's a huge storm (unlikely as that may be) the risk is that the whole roof could fly off. This wouldn't happen with tiles. The positive with Colourbond is that it's more secure against intruders. - Next time (there won't be a next time!) I might opt for the newer flat-looking roof tiles. They look good but too late now * Windows - We have opted for several corner windows (http://cdn.freshome.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Modern-Corner-Windows-on-Freshome-21.jpg). - These came at no extra cost with the builder and are perhaps a nice option. - Whatever your preference, carefully consider the types of windows you like. - There are many options out there (fixed, corner, sliding - horizontally, double-hung - sliding vertically, awning). - Consider the size and location of every window before deciding on the type to use. - You might go for a majority of one type of window or maybe a variety. - Are flyscreens included on all opening windows? - Someone told me that if you have white (or close to white) window frames then you’ll get a lot more natural light thrown into your house. ** Get ahold of the window manufacturer/supplier’s brochure. This brochure will have all of the standard sizes they offer. That way you can go to the builder with options when you are considering types and sizes. If you ask for standard-size windows (from the brochure) then you are clearly more likely to get them for free. (I wish I’d known this at the time!). This also allows you to browse through all the available options ← Very important! * Doors: - Front door: consider a wider + taller door for a nice effect. - We asked to have our front door stained and not painted. It requires more upkeep long-term but we prefer the look. - Internal doors: consider 'heavy' doors - better feel and insulation - External laundry door: heavy/security door (most break-ins occur through the laundry – our security guy told me that). - Perhaps get a glass upper-panel in this laundry door. Helps dry any clothes hanging in the laundry on wintry days. - Get an extra door that creates a through-way between the garage and (e.g) the pantry - easy access. Ensure it’s a heavy/security door which locks. - Get a small door installed for access to under the stairs in a double-storey home - nice little additional storage space (also get a light put into that space as well). - Front door to have mortise lock - so that it can be closed without automatically locking - you can get back into the house if you're out the front and it accidentally closes. - Get a double door entry (e.g. a front room) or exit (e.g. lounge exit) - this may be free of charge. - Doorstoppers should be included. - Are flyscreens included on all sliding doors? (To be continued...) Re: Things you forget - summary page 32 890Jun 28, 2015 7:58 pm (2 of 3...)
* Kitchen: - Pay only for benchtop upgrade (thickness) in kitchen and not elsewhere (i.e. not in laundry and bathrooms). - Consider soft-closing cupboards/drawers if not already an inclusion. - Consider pot drawers in your lower cupboards instead of simple cupboards (this has definitely been mentioned before, but important) - Maybe get a pull-out bin/double bin - expensive but very handy. - Have a power source in your kitchen island somewhere. - Opt for a nice long window above the benchtop and under the upper cupboards. - Do not get the builder to install the glass splashback in the kitchen. Builder quoted us $3750. When we visited same supplier to choose colours, they (quietly) said they'd sell and install the same thing for $800! - Upgrading to a nice glass cooktop was only $200 with our builder - good upgrade option. - Go to a model home and test the rangehood. We weren't going to upgrade until we (luckily) turned one on at the show home of our builder. Standard model was loud as hell. Ended up forking out an extra few hundred for the much quieter (upgrade) model. - Try to have a fridge model in mind before confirming your fridge recess. There's plenty of variation in fridge dimensions. - Perhaps ditto for dishwasher and microwave. - Sinks are incredibly expensive (who knew?) - so consider what you're really looking for in a sink before you decide to upgrade. - I reckon having the sink set under the benchtop gives it a classy look, and means you can go with a less-expensive option. - Upgrade to gloss laminate for your cabinetry is pretty expensive (probably >$1000). - Perhaps add a small (high) window to the pantry if possible – allows for some nice natural light to get in. - Remember to have cold plumbing put to the fridge recess if you’re intending to buy a fridge with a water filter/ice maker. - Maybe ask the builder if you can keep the any cut-outs form the benchtop (e.g. cut-outs made for the sink). Might come in handy – could make for a nice cutting board. * Laundry: - We have a front-loading washing machine. We asked for a small cupboard to be built so that the washer is elevated. Saves on back strain. This cupboard will, of course, need to be strongly reinforced. Our builder included it at no extra cost. * Bathroom: - Have a nib-wall installed in shower - looks ok and also a good place to stand shampoo, etc. - Rain shower an affordable 'luxury' item. - Upgrade to a double-shower if you can – definitely worth it. - Same for tapware and basins - not too expensive for an upgrade to something nice. - We found basins and shower heads that we liked that were not in the builder's range at all. We saw them at a bathroom place, then asked the builder to quote us… and it was only a few hundred dearer - glad we asked about that one. - Consider getting the heating lamp/light. - We splurged on a heated towel rack - hoping it's not a useless upgrade - Ensure you have a decent amount of cupboard and drawer space in bathroom. Sounds like a given but may not be depending on the builder. We have very little space – regretting that already. - Upgrade to a longer/deeper/wider bathtub may be pretty affordable ($200?). - Ditto for upgrade to different bathroom (and kitchen) cupboard handles. - We opted not to have our windows frosted as the en suite window is at the front of the house. People passing by can then easily see this is a bathroom window - not the nicest look perhaps. We will have blinds/curtains instead. - For the side windows we opted for frosted. - If you're very tall, have the builder put the shower head at an adjusted height. - The builder can also adjust the location of the shower handles if you prefer (e.g. all to one side). - Think about exactly where you want the placement of the soap holder/s – left, right or middle? Higher or lower? * Upper-Floor Living/Activity Space (... we have a double storey house): - Consider putting in power/hot and cold water/gas/waste (all plugged) if you're thinking of having (now or later) a small kitchenette area. * Balcony: - Ridiculously expensive addition, but worth it if you really want it or have the cash or have a great view to take advantage of. - Consider putting in a tap and drain for easy cleaning. - Consider which of the sliding panels (left or right) of your sliding door you want to open (important as the balcony is usually adjacent to the master bedroom). (To be continued...) Re: Things you forget - summary page 32 891Jun 28, 2015 8:01 pm (3 of 3...) * Flooring: - Tiling or carpets? We went tiling for the sake of longevity and cleanliness. Also means you can easily switch up the look of a room by buying new rugs. * Al Fresco - Have gas put to the al fresco for future BBQ/cooking use. - Have hot and cold plumbing, and waste disposal, ready to go as well. - The builder does not have to put your entire outdoor/al fresco kitchen in - just have them provide the gas/water and have it plugged off. - Ditto a power source for any potential al fresco fan or in-built speakers. - Our kitchen sits adjacent to the al fresco. We installed a servery window between the kitchen and the al fresco (handy inclusion). - We asked for a concrete floor to be laid by the builder for the al fresco (instead of having it paved). This will be good enough until we can afford to tile it. - Consider upgrading to stacker doors instead of sliding doors. Really nice upgrade but not particularly cheap. * Electrical / Lighting - As everyone says, put in as many power points as is practicable and affordable. - Perhaps ditto with light switches. - Consider (very important) the location of all light switches. - Do you want double (or even triple) switches in certain places (e.g. garage, hallways, top/bottom of staircases, inside/outside al fresco). You want to be able to turn on the light from one end of the hall and then turn it off from the other end. - Consider outdoor lighting - front, back and sides. Can be expensive to have builder install lighting (clearly), but it's pretty cheap to have them run power to outdoor areas – then you install the lights yourself later on. - External SGPOs for future pool or other use. - Personally, I’m not a huge fan of downlights, so we limited these to the obvious areas (kitchen, al fresco). Saved some money this way – but I realise it’s all personal choice. - Smart Wiring. Most people will tell you to wire every room just in case you need it, and for resale. In the end, we didn’t. We smart-wired a few rooms, but not all. We intend living here for at least 10 years, so we took the risk of not wiring every room, and saved several thousand dollars in the process. Let’s see how that goes! *Other / Extras: - Consider using stackstone/cultured stone inside or out for a nice feature that doesn't cost too much (we chose Boral: http://www.boral.com.au/stone/stone.asp) - Pay for upgrade for A/C tubing – extra insulated stuff: not too expensive and saves about 10% on power bills. - Maybe pay for slightly larger eaves - provides extra protection from heat - saves on A/C. - Consider three-phase power for a new home - worth it if you're getting pool pump, A/C, etc. Also good if you do a lot of work in the garage. - Those fancy garage doors (I'm thinking Gliderol) with the plastic panels - VERY expensive upgrade and throws shadow from inside if you decide to do some naked sleepwalking in the garage with the light on in the middle of the night (don't we all?). - We had to pay extra to have the gutters and fascia upgraded to Colourbond. Totally ridiculous that this wasn't an inclusion, but we paid for it - colour matching with Colourbond roof, etc. is much easier this way. - Perhaps relocate the manhole/s to a more preferred area - maybe somewhere out of the way but still providing good access. - Put an extra tap in the garage? Or round the side? - If you have mandatory developer inclusions, consider asking the developer whether you can have special permission to put these in yourself after handover. Definitely the cheaper option, and if you're not too keen on some of these, then you never know... you might forget to put them in at all... - Cornice upgrades can be quite affordable (couple of hundred max). - Same for door handles – pretty affordable upgrade (few hundred). - Consider solar power – worth it in the long run. - We are having the crossover laid after handover. The quote we received from the builder was $4k. A guy I know is going to do it for less than $1k. Beware the builder! - A/C: most people recommend having the A/C put in after handover (again, a lot cheaper). However, it’s best to have spoken to the A/C people while you’re planning the house. That way a lot of small issues can be ironed out. Otherwise it may be too late after the house is finished (especially if you have a double-storey). - Another option is to pay the builder a fee ($800?) to allow an independent contractor to enter the site to install these kinds of items during construction. Possibly a good options for A/C. - Beware using too bright colours externally if building in a sunny climate. When we were looking at model homes in Perth we saw some very bright external render colours and Colourbond. They look lovely, but in blazing sunlight they reflect a lot and it’s basically impossible to see the house! Finally, good luck! You’re probably gonna need it ☺ Hell of a process, building a house, no matter how you do it. Well worth it in the end ☺ (The End...) Re: Things you forget - summary page 32 892Jul 03, 2015 5:26 pm Hey Guys, Speaking about little tings that have been missed - what about the things missed by the Building Supervisor. Don't forget to look at "Building Standards: Getting it Right" every now and then. Did you know that getting the little things you can see right is only one part of the equation? If the supervisor for instance passes the wall tiles where meeting the bath or shower base when there is just a neat smear of silicone across the NIL thickness joint, then this is incorrect. The joint should be a 3mm minimum gap filled with silicone. If you don't believe me, just look at the Guide to Standards and Tolerances under the VBA site, Cheers Leonardo_23 Re: Things you forget - summary page 32 893Jul 04, 2015 1:37 pm Hi all we are building a 2 storey home, on the upstairs floor we decided to put a small door in for access to the lower floor roof space which acts as the manhole plus extra storage space we are also having a light put in there as well. We have also put a small kitchenette in upstairs to save going down stairs if we want coffee or extra drinks Cheers Re: Things you forget - summary page 32 894Jul 06, 2015 10:11 am In terms of smart wiring a house not every room needs it. Media rooms or other rooms needing high def streaming will need it. Maybe your office will but most devices will work on a good wifi access point thats roof mounted in a central location in your house. Your telstra\dicksmith specials probably arent suited due to limitations on where they can be installed. Wireless technology is getting better and will only improve so not everything needs a wired connection. Re: Things you forget - summary page 32 895Jul 09, 2015 4:59 pm Binny2509 - Maybe get a pull-out bin/double bin - expensive but very handy. This! Bins are ugly and they take up space. Have your builder put one under your sink - And make sure it's a decent size. If a bigger one doesn't fit, get 2 x 15lt ones - Either way make it work. Also - I know this may have been mentioned but just a refresher. Make sure your fridge space depth is deep enough for the modern sized fridges. Otherwise, your fridge will stick out too much and it will look ridiculous. $395 Fixed Priced Landscape Plans for DA M: 0435 127 244 | W: bluegumdesign.com.au | E: info@bluegumdesign.com.au Residential | Commercial | Industrial Re: Things you forget - summary page 32 896Jul 23, 2015 3:16 pm Finished my build a few months ago and found this list very useful in the planning stage. Here are a couple of additions which I am not sure are on the list. USB powerpoints are a very handy feature. HPM make a good double powerpoint with 2 USB inputs for charging phones. It is 2.1A so good for tablets too. We have installed one on the kitchen island, one in the media room and either side of the bed in the master bed room. We also went for a ducted vacuum system. While opinion is divided about these, we have timber floors and it is working great for us. We also have the kick board accessory in kitchen which allows you to sweep debris to a point in the kitchen where the device sucks it up - avoiding the need to use a dustpan. Re: Things you forget - summary page 32 897Jul 28, 2015 2:12 pm Love this thread. We have just started the process of building, our land settles in 2 weeks and I just got our first draft back today. This thread has been handy, not sure the sales lady at my builder thinks so with all the emails I keep sending asking little questions and changes. Quote: Why do you need a gas point in the Alfresco ? is it just for the BBQ ? but will it not work with cylinders anyway ? is that the sole purpose of having a Gas point in Alfresco or there is something more I'm missing out on ? I noticed someone asked this, we are doing it was I like the neatness of just plugging my BBQ straight into a point instead of having a gas bottle there. Also the choice to also have a gas heater in winter. Its not a huge cost for us either - $145 with our builder. If I had some of the quotes other people had, like $2000 - then I would live with a gas bottle. Alot of my suggestions have been put in this thread, however my one piece of advice, check, double check and make sure you know your plans when the draft comes to you - amount of mistakes I found is amazing - plus I have met many people who have said they missed things like cladding being added to beneath one window they didn't notice until it was built - I suggest start in one room and check all measurements etc, outside, window placements - heck measure your furniture and measure the wall again to make sure your happy. I find most people go - it looks like with big things like - yep there is a door there and a pantry there but miss the fact they made your kitchen island 800mm instead of 900mm you are paying for or miss your master bedroom window completely. I'm about to change 4 windows on one side as when I finally saw a picture of the side view I have 1 larger window and now the rest look funny to me - but on a arterial view I never noticed it. ~Shellby~ GJ Bridgewater 203 11/3/2016 - Site Work Started 29/9/2016 - Handover 142 Work Days 6 Work Days Over https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=80174 Re: Things you forget - summary page 32 898Jul 28, 2015 2:13 pm DP ~Shellby~ GJ Bridgewater 203 11/3/2016 - Site Work Started 29/9/2016 - Handover 142 Work Days 6 Work Days Over https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=80174 Re: Things you forget - summary page 32 899Jul 28, 2015 2:15 pm Good suggestions Shellby I can't remember if I've said this already but I'll say it again: check and re-check the locations of ALL your downpipes. Not just the facade ones! We ended up with one on our alfresco post that I really regret Jen (& Dave) Plantation Bronte, Ormeau Ridge, Gold Coast QLD 12/03/2015 - Commencement... 26/08/2015 - Handover! viewtopic.php?f=31&t=76446 Re: Things you forget - summary page 32 900Aug 01, 2015 10:58 pm I found this blog site. Thanks to the person that collated the items into categories. http://firsthomebuildingadventure.blogs ... house.html Depends what you're current inclusions are, but we're not including wardrobes and will just use second hand ones until we can save later on to get them built. Also have a… 3 12447 No. It's not original. Circa early to mid 90s would be my guess and maybe even as late as early 2000s 1 7237 A question. Im in Queensland and building a new home. We managed to reach practical completion 6 weeks ago but we haven't heard any date for handover yet. Who should we… 0 6277 |