Hi,
I'm looking to build Carlisle Montague 44 at the east of Melbourne. This will be a KDR project. Now I'm awaiting the CLE to book the colour selection. Have been visiting the Carlisle display homes and the Spectra these weeks and have got a few questions.
1. Below is the floor plan of the Master. My wife wants to add a door between the ensuite and WIR to block the moist going into WIR and keep the ensuite warm in winter. IMO, Melbourne is pretty dry in all seasons and we will install the 3 in 1 bathroom heater, so the door is unnecessary. What do you reckon?
2. Site cost. The fall of land from front to back is ~0 and from left to right is ~1 m. I've got $65k allowance for the site cost in the sales quote - how much more should I budget for this?
3. Would/Did you get flyscreens post handover? What's the cost for windows and doors on the market?
4. Networking. I'm looking for a simple and cost effective solution - to get Optus to install the NBN in the study next to the entry, connect the NBN modem to the data point in study; buy a fancy router ($300-400) and place it in the literal center of the ground floor - kitchen and connect to the wall data point. Then the ground floor will get moderate wifi signal. To plug in a wifi extender at the center of the first floor - the hallway so that the first floor get okay wifi signal.
Do you see any problem with this? I'm not after super fast internet for any gaming purpose, but an 'ok' speed for occasional video streaming, emailing, web browsing would be sufficient.
5. I'm looking to hang two TVs on the walls - each for ground and first floors. Should I get Carlisle to install the powerpoint and TV point at the postion on the wall where the TV will be hung? How do you cope with the HDMI cables for the set top box, PS3, etc?
6. I found it extremely difficult to negotiate the price with Carlisle, as I only got $4,999 discount but the sales quote is almost $500k - 1% discount is way too insignificant...I'm not a greedy guy and a 2-3% will be good for now. Should I wait until the contract stage and present a no discount no sign atitude to Carlisle?
Many thanks,
Craig
Hi, I'm also considering the Montague 44 and have pondered on some of your questions myself.
1. Personally I wouldn't put a door in the ensuite for the simple reason that it will diminish the grandeur of the room. From experience, moisture from a shower next to a WIR is almost never an issue.
2. Unfortunately I don't think anyone can answer this question properly - if you're building in an established area (seems so given yours is a KDR project), you're at the complete mercy of the builder's integrity when they charge site costs because there's no comparable references to speak of. I would ask for a detailed breakdown of any proposed increase before agreeing to its inclusion in the tender.
3. Carlisle appears pretty transparent about which supplier they use - I would do the research and compare the price quoted by Carlisle and the price the supplier charges if you went with them after handover. If you are definitely going to get them any way, probably better to get Carlisle to do it so that you get the benefit of assessing their quality at the final inspection.
4. This seems fine. Unless you're after a complex network system (such as automation systems or monitored alarm), you have nothing to worry about before hand over.
5. Again, this is something to worry about after handover. As long as there's a nearby TV point / power point next to where you propose to put your TVs, you're fine. Hire someone to mount your TVs and that person will also take care of the cabling logistics for you.
6. They apparently only build 30 houses a month and according to my Sales Consultant they're pretty full up all the way up until June next year. I was also shown an internal email saying that all selection bookings are full until January next year. It would therefore make little sense for them to offer any further incentives on top of the 5K discount + the Celebrate Living promotion, especially if you've already committed by paying the initial deposit. If you go into contract signing and present a no discount no sign attitude I imagine their response will be something along the lines of, "sure, no worries, we'll keep your deposit and give your site start date to the next customer".
Hope this helps.
Thanks Timmy. Sorry for the late reply as I didn't realize someone replied my post...
Yes, mine is a KDR and the house will be demolished this week. The contruction shall start late Feb/early March.
I noticed the base price has increased by a whopping~$17k since I signed the initial sales quote which was only four months ago!!! Plus there is no promotion at all at the moment...I couldn't believe how hot the building industry is.
Carlisle is so far so good. The only downside is the CLE is never answering her calls...emails got replied in one days which is acceptable. But I reckon busy CLE is quite common for all volume builders.
Thanks again,