Quick Reference Guide (for anyone who can't be bothered reading the whole lot )

1. Inital Selection & Research
2. The Block
3. Some Furniture Selections
4. Final Structural Plans
5. Pre-Start & Document Drama's
6. Pre-Start Variations Listed
7. Tile Selections
8. Land Settlement
9. Shire Approval
10. Site Works Begin & FINAL PLANS
11. SLAB DONE
12. Slab Party
13. Walls Going Up
14. Walls Completed
15. Roof Going Up
16. ROOF FINISHED + Plumbing & Electrics!!!!
17. LOCK UP!!!!!
18. Tiling Finished
19. Nearly Finished!
20. FINISEHD & MOVED IN!!!
21. Ag Pipe Drainage
22. Landscaping Started
23. Rear Garden Edging Laid
24. Front Landscaping Finished & Vertical Garden
24. Rear Garden Bed Finished









Well I might as well get one of these started up. I haven't got much to show up here yet, but will try my hardest to remember the details.

So far I've signed off on the finance and contracts and have sent away the settlement documents. Finance approval should be in the mail any day now and settlement is not far off either (can't remember quoted date )

It was a pretty fast sign up (by housing standards I imagine anyway). It started with me goin for a stroll through some of the display homes in Dalyellup on a tuesday arvo barely a week into 2011 to kill time (have only considered buying established up until now) and got chatting to the fella at Homebuyers Centre. That Friday I signed up to build a house through them at our first formal meeting. Advisable to do it that fast? Possibly not, but adds a little excitement to life (much lacking up till now). Also, I see it as a chance to stop (ok, reduce) spending on my 4wd's and actually put it into something a little more substantial.

As for the hosue and it's inclusions, it's called the Ultimate Entertainer, containing 4 bed, 2 bath, home theatre, alfresco, enclosed garage, Walk In Robes (Bed 1) and Built in Robes (Beds 2-4).
Have also raised the ceilings to 31 courses through the living and 28 courses in the garage/alfresco added, and had the activity room that was between Bed's 3&4 removed to make the bedrooms larger. I've also had the Alfresco extended to run the full length of the wall instead of only 4 metres. All up I'm looking at $367000 for house and land (@ $150000 for 587 sqm) with the raised courses, reverse cycle A/C, security & solar hot water included.

Here's the plan as it sits atm;

[ img ]

I've been doing a fair bit of reading the last few days about everything from appliances to furniture and flooring to kitchens. Really looking forward to the whole process and with a bit of luck should be moving in around November!

Welcome to the forum. Can't wait to follow your build. It is so interesting for us Easties watching a WA build. Great plan, love the WIRs.

Thanks. I've been perusing the site for most the day (slow day at work!) and theres a lot to take in. Already picked up one idea which I've delved into more for the living room floors, but fear it's gonna be beyond my budget for this place (Polished concrete instead of vinyl). I liked the ideas of seperate walk in robes too (though at this point in time they'd both be mine anyway ) Ensuite will be open to the main room (good blinds will be in order I think ) but have already decided I want the double shower in there. Looking forward to Prestart!

Here's the front facade design I've chosen to go with (pretty close to the actual elevation of my house too, but reversed);

[ img ]

and here's the other 2 options which were a little plain for my liking;

[ img ] [ img ]

Nice looking plan Sir Snagger. My only suggestion would be to make the wardrobes in the minor bedroom larger. Seems to be plenty of room to do it.

thanks catjim - will keep that in mind. Will come down to what else needs doing really. It may be called Bed 2 but really will probs just be a spare room to start with so not too critical. Looking at maybe (just maybe atm) getting floors in the living room of polished concrete like this, and I feel there are gonna be price implications, but we'll see!

[ img ]

can I second catjims suggestion. It should cost the same except for the additional door but would be better and more practical. If you want to save $ and not have to pay for 2 doors then leave the doors off completely, only have the frame work and add them at a later date. We would have done the same in our place but having already had our kids ( boys) decided since our place is a forever keeper home it wasn't as much value to us as the trade off would have been. BUT for resale or eventual girl kidlets bigger robes are winners.

Lol. Well when you put it like that ... Will definitely ask about it (have a list of things to ask about! That should keep my builder guy busy while I'm on holiday! )

oh polished concrete, so envious! love it!

Well spoke to my builder today, and due to my contract and the 1st Home Owners grant stuff I can't do anything that either isn't done by the builder or that requires the house to be unfinished. So no Polished Concrete for now. Maybe later - never know. Can be done afterwards.

On a slightly brighter note, FINANCE WAS APPROVED TODAY!!!!!!! Hopefully I won't hit my financed amount, try keep it under $380000 so I have a decent resale figure on it.

Let the adventure begin!!!!

Congratulations on finance approval. I love your plan, and especially love the WIR's

Well I've been hearing/reading about round the place about peoples hows being XX squares large, etc and didn't know what they were on about (automatically thinking of square metres) but that didn't add up. A house thats only 17 square metres was obviously wrong. So I've used this mornings down time at work to discover that 1 Square = 10'x10' and to convert from sqm to squares: sqm/9.29 = squares. So I've done some rough calcs on my floor layout and come up with the following figures;

Beds 3/4 - - - - - -26.68 sqm - - 2.9 squares
Family - - - - - - - 30.09 sqm - - 3.2 squares
Dining - - - - - - - 14.04 sqm - - 1.5 squares
Kitchen- - - - - - - 9.88 sqm - - 1.1 squares
Theatre - - - - - - 15.6 sqm - - 1.7 squares
Bed 1 - - - - - - - - 20.09 sqm - - 2.2 squares
Bed 2 - - - - - - - -10.66 sqm - - 1.1 squares
Ens/WIRs - - - - - 12.3 sqm - - 1.3 squares
Bath/Laundry - - - 18.65 sqm - - 2.0 squares
Indoors Living - - -157.99 sqm - - 17.0 squares
Alfresco - - - - - - -32 sqm - - 3.4 squares
Total Living - - - - 189.99 sqm - - 20.5 squares
Garage - - - - - - - 39.04 sqm 4.2 squares
Total Pad Size - - -229.03 sqm - - 24.7 squares

G'day Snagger,

House plans look great, look forward to following this one. When is construction due to start, do you have any internal colour choices you can show us We are all very photo hungry on here. What do you plan to have in the retreat in the main bedroom? To be honest, I've never really liked the thought of that, but would like to hear peoples reasons for having one - I don't have kids but I suppose it would be a good place to hide from them if I did.

I am just down the road in Collie (don't hold that against me ) , but grew up in Bunbury (Gelorup) and a farm out in Donnybrook...we are building, but in Perth not down south.

I'm actually from Gelorup too (still there till the house is done with the folks). As for the house, I've got Conditional Approval and are just waiting on the final plans to get unconditional approval. Booked Pre-selection for the 21st March and Pre-start for the 4th April so will have plenty of stuff to put up around then. And hopefully construction not long after!

As for the retreat, not entirely sure yet, but thought of just having a chair or something there for reading in. Plan on having other people with me in the house so could be a good private hangout.

Well I've finally gotten around to getting some pics of the block. Will be good to try get pics from the same spots in the future to see the progress!

Me and the folks who made this possible;

[ img ]

Mum, Dad and Brendan (a mate) standing on the corners of my block;

[ img ]

Me on MY patch of land!!!

[ img ]

Street view looking East before construction;

[ img ]

Street view looking West before construction;

[ img ]

Before Construction;

[ img ]

[ img ]

Getting itchy feet now. 3 weeks until Pre-Selection! Woot woot Decided on what colour scheme my furniture is taking (to a degree) so now need paint to match. I like the Red and Black style theme for the decorative stuff. Would also like a feature wall but trying to find something that is easy to sell is going to be hard I think. Any suggestions? Something like this style in the kitchen too maybe (splashback wise at least)

[ img ]

Also been pondering power point/phone/data points today whilst at work and did this up roughly. Any comments on what people think could be added/overkill? Trying to keep it relatively future proofed without going too far and blowing the budget. Also gonna have a chat with a friend who's an electrician as to what is possible to add after the build at a better rate than what the builder is gonna slog me.

[ img ]

Your plan is great.

We have a retreat off our main bedroom (not quite the same as yours), but I love it. It makes the main bedroom feel so spacious. For me, it will be great when I've got a baby, because it can be close, but still have its own space, and then when it's older and has its own room, it will be somewhere to escape to. At the moment, I use the retreat to keep my chest of drawers in and a TV. It frees up space in the main bedroom.

I like what you have added, but as a general rule of thumb, only get the builder to install on the internal walls, where there is no brick cavity, as you can do those ones yourself once you have the keys for a much better price.

Our builder charged $50 per powerpoint, not sure what your friend will charge

ha ha, found ya!!



not for long!!!