Our Brisbane Barkly Build - Post handover: bookshelf

Our land purchase has just gone unconditional ( ) so while the build is a while away, I'm starting a thread to share our plans and purchases leading up to the big build.

Here's our block - not very exciting just yet, but the kids enjoy running around on it!



We're building a slightly modified Metricon Barkly 29 - http://www.homesolution.com.au/queensland/home-designs/barkly.

Here's our plan:



Modifications are:
* Dual entry to the walk-in-wardrobe;
* Extending ensuite wall and include cavity slider instead of open to the bedroom;
* Removal of hallway-like entrance to main bedroom, effectively extending the dining area (copied from RichandShez's Barkly build - thanks!);
* Double doors to rumpus and to main bedroom;
* Swap wall / entrance to Study (all the better to make one large room for LAN parties and kiddies sleepover parties);

Next post - colour selections!

We've decided on the Coastal facade. I like the single, large windows on the front-facing bedrooms, like the look of the cladding and the wider eaves. We decided on a light-coloured roof to keep the place cooler in the hot Qld summers, so wanted a darker brick to contrast.

Here's a mock up I did in Metricon Envisage, adjusted with MS Paint:



Our roof colour is Colorbond DUNE and the guttering etc and garage door match, our bricks are Austral Everyday Living FREEDOM. We're looking at off-white mortar but that will be one of the first things to go if our budget needs slashing. Window frames are black. Cladding is a colour called MUDPACK.



Inside we have floating wood flooring, with tile in the bathrooms, loos and laundry, and carpet in the bedrooms and rumpus. Wood and carpet below:



In the kitchen we are upgrading to ceasarstone benchtops in the kitchen, 900ml oven, cooktop and rangehood, and glass splashback (which is sooo much easier to clean). The laminex on the cabinets is a colour called ANTLER, the ceasarstone is ALMOND ROCCA. Our wall paint is GRAND PIANO and the ceiling LEXICON QUARTER. The glass splashback is a chocolatey -brown from the Dulux NZ range.



We liked the diamond gloss benchtop in Studio M so much we decided to just select the same colour benchtop and cabinets - too easy



We have the tile and electrical appointments on 5th June, same day our land settles. We've got the day off work, so making an extra long weekend of it!

Hooray you started a thread , great floor plan for the barkly, very clever opening up the study, love the WIR behind the bed. Such a good idea with the cavity slider for the ensuite (I'm still kicking myself I didn't do this) love the colour selections too, everything looks lovely together.
Your land is lovely and flat and looks huge

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Thanks Tribe7, its only 540sq m. The garage is going to be right up against the boundary, with only 2 meters on the other side. Only about 4 meters from the rear of the house to the back fence, and 6 m from front to boundary. Not much yard at all, but we have a lovely park literally around the corner and we don't really have the time to look after a big yard (as evidenced by the weedy jungle we have in our current place).

Great looking plan and nice that you have a park around the corner Looking forward to following your build!

oooohh your land looks huge and nice..congrats chaton. nice selections and great house plan. .

Here's the siting - as you can see the house appears to take up most of our block but in reality it is under 60%.



Here's another version with all the measurements and cut and fill details removed, I am going to use this version for landscaping plan. I'd like to put a paved area in the back for a table and chairs (BBQ and a couple of wicker chairs will go in the outdoor room - not sure its big enough for a full table and chairs), and probably fence off much of the right/East side of the house for a chook pen (won't my neighbours love me? will have to bribe them with eggs!).



Our crazy estate covenants require us to have the following in the front yard alone!

• 3 x 100 litre, 52cm diameter pot size trees;
• 3 x 45 litre, 42cm diameter pot size trees;
• 12 x 30cm diameter pot size shrubs;
• 25 x 20cm diameter pot size plants; and
• 40 x 14cm diameter pot size plants.

That's a total of 83 plants! How am I going to fit all of that in?!

We are going to go with mostly edibles where possible, or plants with lovely smelling flowers to attract bees and that we can cut and use in the house.

Hi Chaton

It will be nice to watch someone else build the same house for once, as ours is nearly over.

That's a huge amount of plants in your front garden Chaton, it will be lovely once in. Oh nice with the chooks hope you get some good layers.

We had chooks at our current place until recently. Just two but they gave us plenty of fresh eggs. Sadly both girls died suddenly in the night a couple of months ago and we've decided to wait until after our build to get more - it will be hard enough finding a rental with a cat and a dog!

Our Sales bloke emailed us today, after a lengthy period of radio silence, to say that our final contracts are ready. I've asked for a copy of the final contract and pricing, which wasn't included on the email, but I have a feeling they'll play coy with it. They did provide the deposit amount ( ) and the final plans - on which there was a huge glaring error! The change in the wall of the study hasn't been reflected in the plans. Not sure how it was overlooked as it was in the plans at our Studio M appointment and our initial $1500 deposit contract.

Oh god yes trying to get a rental with chooks would be interesting. Good idea to get them once your in your kiddies can help them settle in.

Oh now that is exciting you have you contract. If you want to know your contract value times your 5% deposit amount by 2 to get 10% then times by 10 to get 100% which will be your contract value. Yeap things that have been added seem to vanish we had the same thing happen, just make sure you get it fixed early on and it won't cause a delay later on.

Yes, I already worked out the contract value, and its actually a lot lower than I'd anticipated, which makes me wonder if there are some things left out - so that's why I want to see it. I worked the amount out by dividing the 5% amount by 5 then x 100.

I already found a second problem with the plan too - the walk-behind wardrobe hasn't got the second opening.

Awesome it's lower than you thought but I agree regarding why?? When do you get your contracts to triple check everything. I would of been working out the cost asap too

That's frustrating they missed the opening, is the study wall and wir opening the only problems? If so that's pretty good.

They wanted to book in our contracts appointment, but I've asked if they can send me the contract to go over before then. I get the feeling they don't want to give it to me to read through in advance but want to do it at the appointment. I'm going to go all lawyer on them if they don't give me the opportunity to review it myself.

How did you do it, Tribe7? Did they send it to you before your appointment?

I'll pm you.

Some friendly advise Chaton...do NOT threaten the builder, regardless being Metricon or who ever. This is the key. Be nice and kindly say Hey this is wrong, and this can this be fixed yada yada. We got to look over our contract before the fact and on the day of signing there were some issues which our sales lady noted and got sorted out. Just one thing I will advise is ask them very very very nicely ask them not to do post contract variations. Especially before your first draw down as this will cause issues. They are rectifiable but believe me will cause you a headache in the meantime. But yeah take our advise do not threaten them calmly sit down and sort out all the issues you have.

Thanks RichandShez, I didn't mean that I was going to threaten, but I certainly won't be pushed around. I've made it clear we won't be signing on the spot, we'll take it home and review it.

Went by our block yesterday and saw that Metricon have put a sign up



There's 5 other signs in the little estate, 2 from one builder and 3 from another, but they're all house and land builds with the land purchased by the builder. One has started construction and another has had the scrape done. Exciting stuff!

Grats on the Barkly build Chaton. I told Metricon that I want to read the contract myself before signing. They gave me both copies and I have had them for the last 3 weeks. Im also building the barkly on the gold coast.

Heya Jese Norriss, I was wondering how your build was going! So they gave you the contracts to take home - you haven't signed a copy yet?

Trying to make a couple of last minute changes, like looking at changing to a hinged laundry door for ease of putting a pet door in it so our pooch can sleep indoors at night, and having the bathroom exhaust vent to the eaves not the roof space, perhaps changing sarking to anticon or removing it altogether.