hi, honestly the upgrade pricing is not really different from any other volume builder....

agreed, some things are very over priced, but the same with other builders...

and some things are not too bad at all.....

you just need to work out what works for you.

forget doing lighting at henley though, there LED downlights they charge 240.00 per light, carlisle was like 145.00

a batten fitting (55.00) plus a downlight $65, plus fitting by sparkie into swapover batten fitting 20.00,

$140.00, almost 1/2 price, when you have 60 lights in your home, its a 6000.00 saving!

Hi there,

We are building the Sahara too. We have just finished our colour appointment and due for tender in he next couple of weeks.

Thank you to tengals for all the help he has provided us along the way.

To build it exactly like the one at Selandra rise I would agree with tengals. It woudl approximately be about 150k worth of extras or more.

The fascade alone is approximately 25k and that's not including any lights at the front of the house and etc. Timber windows thoruhgout the house will set you back a little as well. The roof tile / brick is also an upgrade. You should be able to get something very similar for about 100k extra I think...

Gluck with everything! I'll let you know how our tender stage turns out.

Hopefully the extra cost for the taps upgrade will remain what we were initially quoted. We are also waiting for a price for some porcelain tiles which are above Cat 3 and this includes the tile at the front of the house on the fascade.

Cheers

@Namweng. Thanks for your post. We are building for the first time. First home. Fantastic location. It's a dream to live in Berwick Waters. We got our land for 244K (14m frontage). We are trying really hard to make sure we don't overspend and have problems with finance. We have completely declined to include downlights due to the cost and just went for batten.

One question though. Should I ask Henley to create the points for the downlights?? Is it something I can fit myself after moving in (assuming I get some downlights at LED in Geelong)??

Also I decided to turn the downstairs study into a bedroom 5 and include a shower in the downstairs powder room. Does that increase the value of the house in the long run or is it better to have the study?? We have also opted not to have the balcony as we don't see the point of having a balcony to look at your neighbours. Most balconies are very hardly used.

Your replies will be very appreciated. We should be signing the contract this week Thursday just in time for the FHOG. I hope to see some of your replies before then. Thanks for all your help.

Considering the light points are only $55 why not? You shoud be able to get some pretty cheap downlights, however you need a qualified electrician to install them for insurance/safety purposes.

I have also turned my downstair 'Theatre' room into a 5th bedroom with full ensuite and WIR. Not sure about adding value to the house but I will be having my dad live with me who is getting old and having his bedroom upstairs won't be practical. The cost of adding one isn't too expensive either.

We went with the fascade at Selandra Rise with the balcony because we love the look. My partner and I both agreed that we won't end up using it but just like to have it there. I believe having a nice fascade adds value to the house.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

thats right, get henley to install batten lights in EXACTLY every location you want a downlight.

we had in total approx 65 I think......

it will look terrible, but once you have the keys, its a day job for a sparkie to come and change over the battens for you light of choice....

Hi there,

We are planning to go with the luxury light upgrade pack and install extra downlights.

I havent worked it out whether its easier to just keep the standard light pack and add extra lights.

Do you know how much it cost to add those wall lights next to the stairs ?

Did you use any porcelain tiles that are above Cat 3 ? We are planning to use the same tiles at the dispaly house and they are above Cat 3.
=)

Hi,

the electrical light pack installs halogens in some spots only, and leaves the other spots at FCL battens....leaving you with some lights one type and some the other type. It also means that in some cases there are not enough lights in the room, if converting to LED later on.

Upstairs will not be too much of an issue, but downstairs is almost impossible to do....

the stair lights Im not sure on as we didnt go that option, but carlisle charge about 150.00 per light so thats a guide.

not sure on the tiles as we went cat 3......

We didnt go the electrical upgrade pack as the wall bathroom lights, the flood lights etc we really didnt require them.

We have decided to swap evaporative cooling for full air conditioning that will cool different zones of the house during a very hot summer. Our consultant said that it will use the same vent as the heating vent. We're getting our carpet for free too.

Can anyone advise what to check over and over again before signing this contract?
I still don't understand why the land developer wants 5% completed after 14days of initial deposit. The documentation clearly says 6months. Has anyone bought their land from Australand/Mondous?? @Tengals I know yours was privately bought.

Destiny, you are getting your carpet for free? Is this another special deal or was made as an offer by Henley.

I haven't signed anything yet because the tender is next week so I won't be able to provide any advise to you.

Good luck with the build.

Hi tengals,

Do you know if its possible to change some of our selection after the colour appointment?

Is this done during tender?

Cheers

hi, yeah for sure you can and no penalty.

i suggest you contact your admin and arrange the changes where ever possible, so that your tender is close to right on the day

Hi Namweng,
It's the main reason we went with Henley. My mum-in-law had built 2 properties with Henley in the past and the sales consultant was the same person who coordinated it about 15yrs ago. As a complementary discount, he has requested that Henley waive our carpets cost of $5686 (for free) as a 3rd Henley home discount. That's also with the Sumitomo Advantage of $16,200. A total of almost $18,000 in discounts. It was hard to turn down!

CONTRACTS SIGNED TODAY...

Finally......

my bank already has them and the permits ordered!

lets hope it's smooth sailing from here on in.....

Hi everyone,

We got the final drawings last friday. Today I got phone call from henley saying that my administrator have changed. They have a new one who will update us about and during the construction process.

I am gonna get a building inspector for all the stages. Does anyone know any building inspector? Should I get done all the stages inspected or not? Any suggestions????????

Thanks

I have been told www.newhomeinspections.com.au

are good
\not sure on the price thoug seems a little high,

Did you guys have to pay $1650 for the drawings, $1500 for initial deposit? I've also been told that we have to pay 3% of the build cost before the end of June (something to the tune of $8130). Can someone pls help? We are going to sign today (Thursday)

Hi there,

We had to pay $1500 for initial deposit.

Not sure about the rest though. You can check the Henley document, which shows you the detailed steps on what happens each week.

I know there will be another deposit made during tender?

Cheers

that is correct....

1500.00 initial deposit
1650.00 at tender
remaining balance to make up 3% at contract signing....

Hi tengals,

I'm not sure exactly what happens at the tender?

Are we able to reselect colour items on the day or will it be a request thats processed through for another day?

Will the tender take 4 -6 hours as they previously mentioned?

Cheers

at your tender appointment,

1. you will be presented your tender document which outlines the pricing for everything including the upgrades you selected.

2. the colour document will be there also, you should already have this document given to you at the end of your cosham colour appointment.

3. the electrical plans and sketches need to be confirmed.

4. the drawings need to be confirmed that they are correct by you.

The tender appointment, you swap, add and remove what you like on the spot, then your tender presenter will adjust the tender document DURING THE MEETING, on the spot, until you are happy with it. then you sign it and "accept" the tender and pricing.

regarding the colours/selections. If there is anything you need to change then do it NOW. email your admin and notify them that you want to change some of your selections or colours. This helps speeding up the tender process as they will have a more upto date document on the day.