House Build Perth WA - Lorimer

Hey all,

We just signed up to start our Prelim plans yesterday so we are really excited to get things going and keep a log on this site of our progress.
Ive read so many others and im so happy with this forum for giving me such good advice so i want to share my own progress.

Anyway we signed up with Lorimer in Perth WA.

Here are some details around what we are building and our land.

Land: Rivervale
Size: 408sqm (10m wide x 40 deep)

House design: 2 story with all bedrooms upstairs
House price: Around 300k base plus extras




Details
Land Bought: 2010
Pre-lim plan signed: 15-02-2012
Preliminary plans received: 02-03-12
Site Survey:
Pre-start: 16-04-2012
Council approval:
Signed contract:
Building license approval:
Slab:
Second Story Started:
Lock Up:
Handover:

Congratulations fellow perthian!

Looks great, lorimer is a great builder from my experience. Look forward to your future logs.

Good luck with it all

Electrical
We went to clipsal to receive a quote for a tailored design in our house which includes.

28 LED lights
10 Saturn wall switches
Basic Smart wiring to house
Basic power points and bayonets everywhere else.

The quote was 20k.................. and my jaw nearly droppped~!
Ive asked for how much it would be minus the smart wiring as i dont really need this right now. I will just put conduits in the places i want data.

My guess is it will still be around 15k for the lighting. But im sure it doesnt costs that much. Maybe using Clipsal products?

My estimates are $100 per LED not $250 per LED which is what i think clipsal charge.
Ive got a friend lecy doing the work but he hasnt got back to me on how much this will cost.

What are other peoples thoughts.

Ok back on track since work has been busy at the moment.

I have signed the plan for the "application to commence development"
Fingers crossed they get it through pretty quick.

Ive also got a checklist for the things i need to complete before i finally apply for the home loan.
Since my wife works at a bank we can borrow up to 90% of our capacity.

So when applying for a loan make sure that you can include other items apart from the building contract.
This will give you enough money to finish your house off.
These are some of the quotes I will be providing, just remember that you don’t need to go with these quotes, they just need them to evaluate your property.

Quotes to be included
1. Building Contract (includes site works)
2. Electrical Quote
3. Tiling Quote
4. Backyard Decking Quote
5. Pool Quote
6. AC quote
7. Fencing Quote

Other things which i will have to try to fund later will include some cash jobs.
8. Blinds
9. Carpet
10. Painting
11. Fencing
12. Landscaping
13. Clothesline
14. Dishwasher/Firdge/Washing Machine/Dryer
15. Smart wiring (conduits being put in for now)

Ok the builder says he will need to install the lights below the slab area since the wiring is imbedded into the slab.
Ive talked to an electrician and they have advsied me if it is a suspended slab then they dont need to install conduits or canister as the cables can run between the cavaties between the underside of the slab and suspended ceiling.

Whos correct here?

although much harder (possibly more costly) to run the cabling after handover on a suspended slab, it is possible.

you run into all sorts of irritations if you're trying to rework the entire ground floors lighting arrangements after handover.

Congrats on the build. Before you sign the final plans make sure you check absolutely everything - even down to where your outdoor garden taps are located. I notice you are obtaining a quote for AC. Make sure the final plans incorporate the design for the AC including slab penetration points, service ducting, bulkheads if required and so on.

The basic smart wiring I assume is about 4 points, such as 2 data points, foxtel and so on. For the 4-5k they charge it is not worth it. No real standard exists for structured cabling systems. Include additional power points in the garage other than what is currently in place for the garage door motor. Also for your outdoor areas include additional power points.

With the LED lights, are these just 240/12V downlights with LED bulb? You can always retrofit later if this is the case. Make sure you have sufficient lighting everywhere especially if using downlights. Make sure the downlight also suits being placed in the slab.

Good luck with Lorimer

Thanks for the advise,

I think for smart wiring we will just get conduits in so it can be done later. Not fuessed for this as wireless is suffecient for now.

Agreed i need to add some more powerpoints, in the agarge and inside. As for the outdoor power points i will put in two junction boxes, one at the front and rear for future cabling.

The LED lights i was going to buy online, like the Brightgreen D900, but ive also seen the Osrams at Bunnings for $25........ Not sure how they perform though.
http://www.electricalproducts.com.au/br ... light.html


And the AC is something ill need to check on. There is an AC duct on the second story, i just need to find out about it getting to the Theatre room which is under the slab.

I would definitely go the bgreen d900. I have them in my place. we put them in last year and they are great, loads of light and heaps cheaper to run. I wouldn't bother cheaping out on the osrams. My sisters husband thought our were great as well so he put in brightgreen lights too, but they just put these ones (see link) into their old fittings. I wonder if it would be cheaper to put in halogen fittings then run these replacement brightgreen LEDs?

http://www.electricalproducts.com.au/br ... -mr16.html

good luck!

Another consideration while sorting out your plans is a security system. With a 2 storey house, if you want to hardwire the sensors you should be thinking about this now and where the services with conduit will run. You can also implement a wireless solution if you want the flexibility. Either solution will still require a phone point (monitored system) and power point say in the WIR where you place the control box. If you plan on getting ADSL also make sure you have a central filter for the non-ADSL lines.

Small things but it will save you issues later

Good point OyabunG. Ill take that into consideration.

Anyway just received our Prelim plans with full specs of everything.
Very exciting to see the full layout. Of the house.
It inlcudes elevations of all the interior areas such as cubpoard heights etc etc.

This weekend they have the Ideal home show on at the Convention centre in Perth so im going to take my plans and go talk to everyone i can about quotes and ideas! Cant wait!

Not to mention you are completely ignoring the structural integrity of the slab and possibly voiding warranties.

If you have a drop ceiling or a cavity for the LED light to fit into then yes installing after handover is possible. If they are talking about chasing conduit into the slab, you should consult the engineer.

For most 2 storey's in Perth with a concrete upper floor, they cast the light fittings into the slab and skimcoat the underside of the slab

Also unless you are an avid online gamer ... why are you considering smart wiring ?
WiFi works great and its cheaper and more flexible

We have decided on a few items in the house even though we havnt started Pre-Start yet.

Siemens Stove (Glass, easy to clean) Model: 900mm Avanteguard Gas on Glass Cooktop ER947501UC


Siemens Rangehood (Matching the stove) Model: LC958BB60


Undermount Sink - Oliverei MO70UR including accessories


Reeces Vanity in downstairs toilet due to minimal space


Saturn clipsal switches (Main areas only)


Samsung Electronic Door (Samsung SH5120)


Corinthian Front Double Door


Venecia Toilet

beautiful choices especially vanity and switches.

Hi There,

Regarding your switches, not sure if you are aware but clipsal have just released a touch sensitive switch. not sure of the cost but may be worth looking into for the main areas.

Great choices BTW. I will also be building in Perth, if I can ever get the bits and pieces of variations pinned down.....

Cheers
Mark

Hmm sounds expensive, im on a budget. As i said im only putting the Saturn in the main areas of the house which only includes the living areas such as entry, kitchen, dining, living and sitting room.

Do you know the cost for Saturn switches?

http://www.saturnshop.com.au/clipsal-saturn-switches/

Just bought one since i wanted to see what it looks like. I will be buying the rest closer to completion of the house. I just then supply my electrician the switches.

Pre Start

We finally started Pre-Start on Saturday 14h April 2012.


Our first appointment was with the Interior/Exterior decorator
I was quite surprised that we had an independent person (Not from Lorimer) to help us with choosing our house colouring.
We meet up with Jade form InDesign on the Saturday morning and she helped us to choose the colouring item parts of the house.

The meeting seemed to go so quickly as your looking at things and choosing items you think you want in your house. Well as long as you know what you want you will be fine.
She told us about how many people come in and have arguements right in front of her as they couples can never make up their mind. We successfully got through with little trouble.
I think everyone has their difference in opinion but as long as you can come to a conclusion im sure you will be fine we its your turn to build.

Our pre start session was split in two. The reason being is because you could be there all day trying to decide on what you want and beacuse there are so many items you go through in pre start.

These are the items we went through with the Decorator.

Saturdays Meeting

External rendering – Two Colours
Roof colour
Down pipe colour
Door colours and door handles
Stone bench tops
Kitchen cupboard colours
Glass splash back
Bathroom tiles and cupboards
Laundry tiles and cupboards,
Walk in Pantry Bench and Tiles
Window Frame Colour
Entry Door Type and Colour


Lorimer Pre-Start
The next pre start meeting was held at their head office in Balcatta, Monday 16th April 2012.
This meeting was to go through the rest of items not covered in the above meeting.
We met up with Emily on the Monday morning and went through some pre revisions on our choices as above.
The next step was to go through other items listed below. Luckily we had completed most of them a while back as you can see from my previous post.
The choices seemed failry easy, there were a few things that we missed but that was expected.

Items we went through at Pre Start


Pre Start
House Alterations
Extra Quotes
Appliances
Balustrade selections
Taps
Sinks
Basins
Robe
Shower Screen finish and type
Glass Finish
Electrical
Air Con
Other requirements