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Post subject: Building the Sorrento by Scott Park Homes
Posted: Sep 25, 2011 1:38 pm
Gold Member
Joined: 30 Oct 2011 Posts: 1478 Location: Mandurah, WA
Hi all.
My name is Ally, myself and my partner Dave are beginning the process to build our first home we're both 25 years old and I have been aching to build for YEARS! I work as a taxation assistant/receptionist, and my DP is an electrical apprentice. No babies (yet!) but I plan to have a whole bunch We both fell in love with the Scott Park homes about six months ago. We looked through a million displays and the Sorrento is the one we liked the most. See photo below of the floorplan! I've also included some photos of the display, which I hope to replicate as I love the design
So far, we have been going through with a mortgage broker and are signing up for a loan with Suncorp - mainly because we need to use our FHOG as part of the deposit and Suncorp is one of the few remaining banks who will let us do this. We are submitting the loan next week (as I have to be in my job for three months before we can apply, and so far I've only been in the job for 2 months and 3 weeks).
We have had our offer accepted for a block in Meadow Springs, WA - 543sqm for $163k, which for the area we're in, isn't bad Our pre quotation is almost finished; we've signed off on the plan of the house drawn on the block, and tomorrow we will be reviewing the pre quotation contract, signing and submitting! So very excited. We are saving quite a lot of money by doing a lot ourselves later, e.g. flooring, carpets, painting, ducted air con, etc.
I have been stalking this board for over a year now, and I have gotten many fantastic ideas about design, what to include, what to remember, etc. This board has been a very valuable resource.
Look forward to being here more often! See below for a timeline of our build - Ally
Post subject: Re: Building the Sorrento by Scott Park Homes
Posted: Oct 06, 2011 4:13 pm
Gold Member
Joined: 30 Oct 2011 Posts: 1478 Location: Mandurah, WA
Thanks Tinkster
We officially have pre approval as of TODAY - yay! Was told we'd have to wait another week to hear from the bank but they called my broker this morning to give him the news he called my building supervisor and we were advised (a mere 23 minutes later!) that we are offically Cat1 clients and doing up our building contract has commenced.
Maybe NOW my partner will get excited. He's been such a grump, saying "I won't be excited until we have pre approval". So now maybe I won't be the only one being thrilled and jumping around and talking about it incessantly! So excited! Can't wait to spend even MORE time on this forum! So far I've just been a stalker.
Woo hoo ... I'm excited for you The plan looks great, love the facade ... wish you good luck with your build and look forward to watching your new home grow ...
_________________ For info on our build: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=43093 Built the McLaren by Dechellis - slab down 22 Feb - handover 30 Aug 2011 - and gardens finished 9 Dec 2012!!
Post subject: Re: Building the Sorrento by Scott Park Homes
Posted: Oct 12, 2011 9:00 pm
Gold Member
Joined: 30 Oct 2011 Posts: 1478 Location: Mandurah, WA
I am very lucky to have a sparky husband he will come in very useful, hehe...I am setting him to work the moment we move in. He's a decent handyman, which is a blessing. Cos I really am not.
House: We are working on a rough estimate of $175-$180k. Our pre contract quotation says $170k, as the house itself is $160k and site fees are $6k, plus another $4k of upgrades I've slipped in there - our pre approval was for $180k, but I don't really want to go up to that much... Being our first house and my partner being an apprentice (with horrible pay!), we are going for cheap and simple, with the intention to add on to it later so I've allowed us $5-10k (max) to spend at prestart BUT NO MORE!
Soakwells. Scott Park Homes tried to insist that they had to put them in for the ridiculous cost of $4,000 - after much arguing and back forth, my mother (who works for a well known plumbing company) got them to agree for her to put them in. We are paying for this at less than cost, so roughly $1,000 for 3 huge soakwells.
After moving in: floors $9k (we are doing simple brown carpets in the bedrooms and theatre, and laminate floorboards everywhere else), retaining wall and grass upgrade $3k, reverse cycle ducted air con $8.5k (this will be a DIY job, since my partner's brother is a actually a fridgie AND a sparkie as well!), $2k for painting (doing it ourselves but I have wildly overestimated costs just to make sure we can afford it), $7k for new furniture/white goods, etc.
Because of where we have chosen to build, we have been very lucky to get a landscaping/fencing package thrown in for nothing (front and rear landscaping, paving and all colourbond fencing) AND something called a ME package? Where if you are in the first 10 people to build in one of their new developments, they give you $7,500 cash back at the end of settlement to spend on whatever. I signed the paperwork very quickly!
I am very excited. My SPH consultant is probably sick of hearing from me by now. I have driven past our block a total of four times in the last two weeks just to look - and we are still ages away from settlement! Nothing wrong with enthusiasm Am looking forward to much back and forth chatting! (mostly by me, hehehe). Any suggestions or ideas would be a great help! I am going to post some more photos this week, as I've already chosen most colours - prestart package should arrive this week too *shakes with excitement*
Post subject: Re: Building the Sorrento by Scott Park Homes
Posted: Oct 17, 2011 2:05 pm
Gold Member
Joined: 30 Oct 2011 Posts: 1478 Location: Mandurah, WA
The colours we have chosen ARE: Cupboards: Laminex Peruvian Clay (both bathrooms AND kitchen) Kitchen Benchtop: Diamond Gloss Laminex White Valencia Bathroom Benchtops: Diamond Gloss Laminex Stipple Seal Wall Colour: Solver Smoke Pearl Feature Wall Colour: Solver Warm Chocolate
For furnishings (e.g. cushions, throws) I have decided on a blue/teal/turquoise colour. See below - I found this pic online, and it is the entire scheme I am going for. We are going to be using Solver paint.
Very nice ... I am biased towards Jasper - love my colorbond roof
_________________ For info on our build: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=43093 Built the McLaren by Dechellis - slab down 22 Feb - handover 30 Aug 2011 - and gardens finished 9 Dec 2012!!
Post subject: Re: Building the Sorrento by Scott Park Homes
Posted: Oct 17, 2011 2:38 pm
Gold Member
Joined: 05 Sep 2011 Posts: 718 Location: Baldivis
We were dead set on having Jasper...then went with woodland grey. only because we saw a display home and we are now having all the colours that the display home had so we know exactly what it would look like. Not many display homes around with jasper. The other reason we chose woodland grey is that down the track, when we are bored of the render colours, we will have choice on what we can have. Having jasper would limit our colours. especially as were planning on having jasper garage door as well. now we have surfmist garage door. However, our front feature render and our entrance door is called karabou which is a shade or so darker then jasper...so still getting it in there! Either way, the colours will look stunning I am sure! I like Jasper as not a lot of people go for it, they might do the trims, but not the whole roof. So it ends up being unique!
I love your stone and bench colours. The hint of blue also looks good!
_________________ Building The Samui with DA Homes in Baldivis Building Thread: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=50924
Post subject: Re: Building the Sorrento by Scott Park Homes
Posted: Oct 17, 2011 3:21 pm
Gold Member
Joined: 30 Oct 2011 Posts: 1478 Location: Mandurah, WA
Hmmm....You make a good point, Vans. I do want to get the front of the house rendered but truly, I have no idea what colours to go with. SIGH. One more thing to consider. I can't ask my partner because 'he likes everything' and 'can't decide' - ARGH.
As for tiling, I am sticking with warm brown on the bathroom/laundry floors, and white tiling up the walls. I think the light cupboards in the laundry/bathrooms is light enough to create a distinction between the tops and the floors. I saw some beautiful chocolate tiles in European Ceramics, and the best part being that they also have a matching feature tile - all the same colour but with a swirly pretty design on it that distinguishes it. I like it, mainly cos I am not a fan of mosaic backsplash tiling/feature decorative tiling. Plain and simple is fine with me.
To be honest, I'm not great with figuring out OUTSIDE colours. I can do inside. Sigh!
Have a look at the Porter Davis website - they have a lot of homes you can look at to get ideas for the exterior.
_________________ For info on our build: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=43093 Built the McLaren by Dechellis - slab down 22 Feb - handover 30 Aug 2011 - and gardens finished 9 Dec 2012!!
Post subject: Re: Building the Sorrento by Scott Park Homes
Posted: Oct 17, 2011 3:39 pm
Gold Member
Joined: 05 Sep 2011 Posts: 718 Location: Baldivis
From memory we had chosen Beaver (love the name!!) from Solver Paints for the render...and our feature render was going to be Jasper. We were having jasper roof, gutters, door and garage door. Dune for the fascia. Now we have White cliffs 200% (might be 300%) for the render walls with Carabou feature render. Carabou door. Surf mist garage door and woodland grey roof/gutters and fascia.
Go around to the display homes and see what works together. OR, if a house in your area is going up, and you like the colours...either ask for the colours or when nobody is onsite, check out the paint tins left around...they write the name on the lid! We did that when we were going for jasper!
I think we are going Amelia for the internal walls...haven't really picked the feature wall colours...that is way down the track!!!
I think we went with European Ceramics too...can't remember now...we chose two different shades of brown for our floor tiles in the bathrooms...but same brand and style and long white wall tiles. one of our border tiles is mosiacy...but with long rectangles not squares, and our others are brown with gold through it...looks really nice. we will only have one strip of each in the shower hob so nothing is overpowered and keeping it simple! We actually deleted the laundry floor tiling, as our laundry is backing onto our kitchen. It has a slider door, but we wanted the laundry to flow with the rest of the house, so will use the same tiles we use in the living areas. We just have to be careful with the size tile we use as they need to be able to have a gradient. Where we are renting, the laundry is near the bedrooms/bathroom and they have the same tiles as in the bathroom, but no door. And I know it happens a lot, but I personally don't like the look of the two tiles (hallway - living floor and laundry floor) meeting. It is fine in the bathroom as there is a door to separate it. But that is just me!
Our colours seem similar, but we are the other way around...going darker cupboards and light benchtops. Haven't chosen our floor tiles yet. we will start thinking about them when we see a slab and some bricks on the block...might seem a bit real then!
Have fun picking your colours! Also remember your prestart person will help! That is what they are for!
_________________ Building The Samui with DA Homes in Baldivis Building Thread: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=50924
home building and renovation
we're both 25 years old and I have been aching to build for YEARS! I work as a taxation assistant/receptionist, and my DP is an electrical apprentice. No babies (yet!) but I plan to have a whole bunch 
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