Browse Forums Building A New House Re: Anyone building in the Vermont Estate at Pitt Town? 41Mar 23, 2013 4:21 pm Hi Ruth Sorry you didn't win back your block, sadly there can be only one winner. The tender from McDonald Jones was a pleasant surprise. It came in under budget, but that is without floor coverings and goodness knows what else we haven't considered. The air con needs to be upgraded etc etc. I was happy with the service provided by the consultant and she took the time to walk us through the home. The tender from Beechwood we will get tomorrow afternoon. We will drive down to Oran Park for the presentation. It will be very interesting to compare. We are also driving all the way to Haywards Bay to check out the home we are having quoted. I am worried about the size of the family meals area, so I want to see it in the flesh so to speak. It's nice to meet your neighbours and I'm sure it will be a nice demographic mix. It is getting exciting. Ally Deposit paid to Masterton 30/05/13 Contracts signed and 5% deposit paid 09/10/13 CDC Approval 14/11/13 Slab 22/01/14 Frame 18/02/14 Brickwork 14/03/14 Roof 22/03/14 Lock Up 11/04/14 Re: Anyone building in the Vermont Estate at Pitt Town? 42Mar 25, 2013 6:43 am Hi Ally, Glad to hear that the MDJ tender came in under budget. How did you go with Beechwood yesterday? I guess you now have some tough decisions to make!! Are you going to look at any other builders now? Re: Anyone building in the Vermont Estate at Pitt Town? 43Mar 25, 2013 6:52 am The latest update....Beechwood tender came in way over budget, but we had changed an awful lot, and it included the upgrade to 600x600 porcelain tiles which we have now elected to do ourselves. The guy t Beechwood was very helpful and suggested a few ways we could go about reducing costs. The window splash back is an additional $2800 so I guess that isn't feasible although I love the idea. Beechwood site costs a lot dearer but they allowed for 90m peiring and MDJ only $50??? Plus Beechwood quoted on a H slab and MDJ a M slab. We are going to work further with Beechwood because we believe they are cheaper overall, it was just the fact we had butcher their original design so much I believe, that is where a lot of the expense ******. At this stage no plans to look at other builders, but we both really liked the Langford floor plan from Allworth. The girl at the display home was clueless, and the price list confusing How much piering have you guys allowed for at Vermont? Beechwood want to charge an extra $1800for travel expenses to Pitt Town, lol. My partner scoffed at that and said that was a point for negotiation. Regards Ally Deposit paid to Masterton 30/05/13 Contracts signed and 5% deposit paid 09/10/13 CDC Approval 14/11/13 Slab 22/01/14 Frame 18/02/14 Brickwork 14/03/14 Roof 22/03/14 Lock Up 11/04/14 Re: Anyone building in the Vermont Estate at Pitt Town? 44Mar 25, 2013 11:46 pm I'm glad you had a helpful salesman with Beechwood - it makes all the difference when they know what they are talking about. Re the piering - I don't know how much they have estimated we will need as all the site costs, piering etc are included in Rawson's fixed price. I do know that we will have a M class slab. $2800 is a lot of money for the window splashback - I suppose I would consider paying it if I had a house in the country and I could look out from my kitchen at the rolling hills beyond! Not worth it if I was just looking at a fence $1800 to travel to Pitt Town, that's funny, I'm sure they could drop that charge. We are having bamboo floors in our house so I haven't looked into the costs involved with porcelain tiles but I have read that the project builders hesitate to lay 600x600 because of the extra work and they are trickier to get right so I guess that is some of the reason the cost was so high. When we had our tender presentation, the salesman said that if you looking to reduce costs then taking out the floor coverings and driveway was the best place to start. In the end we are getting Rawson's to do the bamboo floors because we didn't want the hassle of organizing it ourselves and we took the driveway out because we have a friend who can do that for us. Now that you have some prices to work with - you have the great challenge of working out exactly what you will need vs want. Good Luck!! Re: Anyone building in the Vermont Estate at Pitt Town? 45Mar 26, 2013 6:50 am Decided last night we need one more quote, so off to Allworth Jordan Springs tomorrow to look at the Langford again! Why not confuse the issue a little bit more Deposit paid to Masterton 30/05/13 Contracts signed and 5% deposit paid 09/10/13 CDC Approval 14/11/13 Slab 22/01/14 Frame 18/02/14 Brickwork 14/03/14 Roof 22/03/14 Lock Up 11/04/14 Re: Anyone building in the Vermont Estate at Pitt Town? 48Mar 29, 2013 11:09 am Hi any Vermonters and Ruth, Renee and Scott, Can any of you advise if you have a M class slab or higher. I see the geotechnical report from The developers says all lots in stage 2 are M class based on their bore hole tests. McDonald Jones quoted on M class but Beechwood on H... It does add to the difference. Janet told me Eden Brae always upgrade to H. Is that the case Renee with your block? I have to say MDJ follow up has been very good, and we haven't heard a peep from Beechwood. Given the ya haven't worked in the estate before they are on the backfoot at present. Hope you all enjoy your Easter long weekend. Thanks Ally Deposit paid to Masterton 30/05/13 Contracts signed and 5% deposit paid 09/10/13 CDC Approval 14/11/13 Slab 22/01/14 Frame 18/02/14 Brickwork 14/03/14 Roof 22/03/14 Lock Up 11/04/14 Re: Anyone building in the Vermont Estate at Pitt Town? 49Mar 29, 2013 10:58 pm Ally, We will be having a M class slab with Rawsons. I didn't know that Beechwood hasn't built any homes in the estate yet. When I met the neighbours last week at the draw the people who own the block of land opposite us said that they are planning on building a single storey with Beechwood. I don't know which stage they are at, I think they have just decided on a house design at the moment. Re: Anyone building in the Vermont Estate at Pitt Town? 50Mar 29, 2013 11:14 pm I was out at Vermont again today and met the lady who has just started building in Pastoral St, lot 2021 I think. Her name is Alana and they are building a McDonald Jones. I thought she might be you Ruth so we stopped the car and I asked her! She was very nice and forthcoming with her experience so far. Said it has been very slow! We drove around the area, spoke to three locals at length. The facades we most liked all belonged to Clarendon. One guy had a bad experience, the other one said they were great. It all depends on your supervisor it seems. Nice the folk are so friendly and chatty. Deposit paid to Masterton 30/05/13 Contracts signed and 5% deposit paid 09/10/13 CDC Approval 14/11/13 Slab 22/01/14 Frame 18/02/14 Brickwork 14/03/14 Roof 22/03/14 Lock Up 11/04/14 Re: Anyone building in the Vermont Estate at Pitt Town? 51Mar 29, 2013 11:25 pm Evening, Ally in regards to the slab, at the Tender EB noted 'H' slab. Janet advised us it was a 'M' slab. I would have thought given our house is a package deal EB would have sorted the classification prior. Have you spoken to Janet about building a McDJ house on your block? It was nice that the locals were talkative and offering their thoughts. We often drive around looking at facades and colours. I want to take my girl (dog) for a walk out there so I can get a better visual than driving slowly past. I'm still not sure what colours we should do for the tiles, bricks, gutters etc. Every brick I like is in the 'H' category ie the most expensive brick Hope everyone has a Happy Easter and a joyful long weekend Re: Anyone building in the Vermont Estate at Pitt Town? 52Mar 30, 2013 2:48 pm Hi Renae We had our conveyancer request they add a clause into the contract stating we can build with whomever we like and they agreed. So that is a relief. We are not tied to any builder. Janet did tell me after she sent me the geotechnical report that Eden Brae always like to upgrade to an H class slab. As long as you aren't paying extra that is good for you guys. We have walked around the estate before and yesterday we actually took some photos of what we like. I dread picking bricks. I think I will just knock on people's door and ask them what they used. It is too hard just looking at a small panel to make a decision. That goes for kitchens too. I will just take a photo of something I like and try an imitate it. Have a nice Easter. Regards Ally Deposit paid to Masterton 30/05/13 Contracts signed and 5% deposit paid 09/10/13 CDC Approval 14/11/13 Slab 22/01/14 Frame 18/02/14 Brickwork 14/03/14 Roof 22/03/14 Lock Up 11/04/14 Re: Anyone building in the Vermont Estate at Pitt Town? 53Mar 31, 2013 10:54 pm It took me ages to decide on the bricks, all I knew was that I wanted white window frames so at least that was a starting point. We upgraded our bricks in the end because we didn't really like the builders standard range. We have chosen a sand stock brick because we like the timeless/slightly rustic look of them. Are you guys going to have a tiled roof or colour bond? We are having colour bond. We also drove around the estate many times looking at the different houses. I tried to casually take photos out my car window without people noticing but I felt abit like a stalker!! Re: Anyone building in the Vermont Estate at Pitt Town? 54Mar 31, 2013 11:12 pm Hi Ruth, happy Easter We want a colour bond roof too. I think it goes with the country feel if the estate. I haven't thought bricks yet. I want a timber look garage door and timber look windows on my facade. Off to more display homes tomorrow. When does you build begin? Ally Deposit paid to Masterton 30/05/13 Contracts signed and 5% deposit paid 09/10/13 CDC Approval 14/11/13 Slab 22/01/14 Frame 18/02/14 Brickwork 14/03/14 Roof 22/03/14 Lock Up 11/04/14 Re: Anyone building in the Vermont Estate at Pitt Town? 55Apr 01, 2013 7:48 pm Evening, Hope everyone has had a relaxing long weekend. We were out at the block today, there were lots of cars driving around looking at the blocks and stopping off at the sales office. We walked around the estate to help us with colour choices. Still no closer to a decision. Ally, whilst you're scoping out the demographics I was getting an idea of the doggie population There seems to be a few houses without adequate fencing so there aren't too many friends for my girl (yet). Oh, the 3 lots have been sold to the pre-school. It looks like it has the go ahead. It looks like the land will be registered any day now Ruth, I'm similar to you in wanting white window frames, internally it will work with the design I'm hoping for. Ally, I didn't realise they did timber look window frames. I couldn't imagine maintaining timber frames. I'm still not sure if we'll do tiles or colourbond roofing. How was your display home viewing today Ally? Hope everyone is well. Back to the grind tomorrow Re: Anyone building in the Vermont Estate at Pitt Town? 56Apr 01, 2013 9:00 pm My partner says NO to timber because of the upkeep but you can get aluminium that look like timber as per the McDonald Jones display home at Kellyville Ridge as so... Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Hope this pic upload works. Still experimenting. Ally Deposit paid to Masterton 30/05/13 Contracts signed and 5% deposit paid 09/10/13 CDC Approval 14/11/13 Slab 22/01/14 Frame 18/02/14 Brickwork 14/03/14 Roof 22/03/14 Lock Up 11/04/14 Re: Anyone building in the Vermont Estate at Pitt Town? 57Apr 01, 2013 9:54 pm Happy Easter! I hope you enjoyed your weekend. We received the last piece of paperwork from the bank on Thursday, the authority to commence, so our build could start any day. Hopefully it will start in the next two weeks - which will be exciting, I feel abit like we have run a marathon just to get to this stage. The administration process has taken longer than we expected and I have had to push things along a lot more than I anticipated. We don't drive past the block much at the moment as the children and I are getting tired of looking at just grass! The timber look aluminum windows look great - we currently have cedar doors & windows in part of our house and I am pretty sure my husband would never choose wood again!!! We are having a timber look garage door in merbau colour to tie in with the merbau pillars and rafter tails on our facade. Re: Anyone building in the Vermont Estate at Pitt Town? 58Apr 01, 2013 10:42 pm Congrats Ruth. I hear our registration is not far away, so we need to make some decisions pronto. I want to start ASAP. So exciting.... Checked out the Eden today at Gregory Hills. Are you having the open plan ensuite? Ally Deposit paid to Masterton 30/05/13 Contracts signed and 5% deposit paid 09/10/13 CDC Approval 14/11/13 Slab 22/01/14 Frame 18/02/14 Brickwork 14/03/14 Roof 22/03/14 Lock Up 11/04/14 Re: Anyone building in the Vermont Estate at Pitt Town? 59Apr 02, 2013 11:04 pm Which builders did you check out at Gregory Hills Ally? It's been a while since we were out there. Re our Ensuite - we have a sliding door between the bedroom and Ensuite and have left it open from the WIR, I hope it looks ok - it,s the one thing I'm not 100% sure on. We are prob planning on having shutters or timber venetians on the WIR window and a tree outside so I don't think people will be able to see in! Great news that your land registration is on track, I don't want to dampen your excitement but I thought I would let you know our timeline so that you are aware that sometimes alot of patience is needed!! June 2012 - deposit on land July 2012 - tender signed Oct 2012 - land registered Jan 2013 - Da approved Feb 2013 - Construction Certificate issued Mar 2013 - finance approved Apr 2013 - hopefully site start! We are currently having a few problems with communications with Rawson's so I'm not saying that yours will take this long but I'm just letting you know that the admin stage took alot longer than they told us and we expected! Re: Anyone building in the Vermont Estate at Pitt Town? 60Apr 03, 2013 6:37 am Hi Ruth We went to Clarendon at Oran Park because on paper we liked their designs. In person it was a different matter. We went to Gregory Hills to check out the Kurmond home which was ok, and as we walked past the Eden I dragged my partner inside. I think it is a nice design, I just can't get my head around their prices. From there we went to McDonald Jones, still my favourite designs and display homes. From there we went back to MDJ at Kellyville Ridge. We want to be in our house in 10 months so sincerely hope it won't take as long as yours. I believe from Renae registration is not very far away. We already have our construction finance approved when we bought the block? We now need to get the tender to come in on budget. I think it is sensible to add the door to your ensuite. I have lived in a house with open ensuite. My ex started work earlier than me and I couldn't sleep when he was in the shower/bathroom because of the noise and light. Drove me crazy but I see it is becoming the rage again. I will be watching your block with interest and hope you will be in your new home by Christmas. Ally Deposit paid to Masterton 30/05/13 Contracts signed and 5% deposit paid 09/10/13 CDC Approval 14/11/13 Slab 22/01/14 Frame 18/02/14 Brickwork 14/03/14 Roof 22/03/14 Lock Up 11/04/14 Wish you all the best. Once you signed the contract, they will find millions excuses to charge you. And have seen their sites unfinished for a long time. 4 25032 As title suggests, looking at using the interlocking Pentablock stacked stone products to replace failing timber retaining… 0 18085 |