Browse Forums General Discussion 1 Nov 30, 2008 8:21 pm Hi all
We're getting a bit ahead of ourselves with our build! haven't even finalised plans yet and don't 'get' our land til May next year (but our road, in a new estate, is now sealed! can't believe I am excited about that! ) Anyway, we are wondering if we should take advantage of the January sales and buy stuff ? Is it too far ahead to buy things like blinds and light coverings? We will definitely look at getting a dishwasher... What else 'could' we buy in advance? Thanks Re: What things did you/can you buy in advance? 2Nov 30, 2008 8:34 pm Hi havingfun, well I wouldn't be getting into the window furnishings just yet, they will have to wait until you have windows so they can be measured exactly. Light fittings, ummmmm could be a bit soon for these as well, there are new things coming out all the time, try not to get too carried away sorry, did I say that...nah. But, as far as electrical items, I would definitely start looking at these, prices are set to rise even more, if you are sure what you want I wouldn't hold back. We chose all our furniture months ago, but with other things I changed my mind quite a few times over the last year so I was glad I didn't buy the first thing I liked. Re: What things did you/can you buy in advance? 3Nov 30, 2008 8:46 pm I have bought a chandelier (although it's still up in the shop!), and a few decorater things which are stored in cupboards. I have already decided on the couches for the lounge room, the side by side fridge, shelving for the TV area upstairs, and madly looking at coffee and hall tables, as well as dining table and chairs.
We haven't started yet, and about 80% of our stuff is in storage. As much as I would dearly love to get everything now, I have absolutely no where to put it as the storage place is already completely full to the brim! With any luck, we'll 'almost' be finished by the time the end of financial year sales come around next June/July, so I can buy then! These Boxing Day Sales I'll be looking at towels, and possibly sheets, but I still need to find somewhere to store them... All the purchases I've done so far I haven't regretted a bit. If you know you're products and prices after shopping around, and they go on sale and provided you have somewhere to store them...I would buy, buy, buy!! Henley - Wilshire Mk 3 ... I love my house!! Site start: 4th Feb 09 Handover: 10th Sep 09 Blog: http://stormygirlscastle.blogspot.com/ Build Thread: viewtopic.php?t=7166 Re: What things did you/can you buy in advance? 4Nov 30, 2008 9:26 pm Start buying incidental non electrical items, like mops, brooms etc. also anything for the garden. If you dont have much shelving in your robes, look at some rails or baskets. We bought a heap of irrigation stuff, wheelbarrow, hose etc. Itt all adds up, and it makes it easier to spread out the $$$ over a long period. the other thing is that when you do get into your new house, you will have all these new items, plus a heap of tasks and jobs to do, and you wont have to be weary of your hip pocket as much. Adrian B Re: What things did you/can you buy in advance? 5Nov 30, 2008 10:04 pm I would be wary of buying electrical things like dishwashers to keep for such a long period - if your land titles in May ( and they are often longer than they say - sorry) and then you start building, your house will not be ready for at least a year from now - in the meanwhile a year of your warranty has elapsed without you even using the thing Re: What things did you/can you buy in advance? 6Nov 30, 2008 10:05 pm We bought our oven, cooktop & rangehood before we started building as we knew the appliances that came with the package were not that great. We received a credit from our builder as we told them we were getting our own appliances. When we did our kitchen plan we were able to provide them with the dimensions for the kitchen appliances.
Even though we bought it months ago, I think it was in the June sale, we only paid a deposit and can pay the rest when we picked it up; we just need to give them 6 weeks notice....DH also picked up on some plasma TV's Re: What things did you/can you buy in advance? 7Nov 30, 2008 10:09 pm Great question! Well done. Very interested to read the responses.
We are looking at kitchen lights, external lights, clothes line and ceiling fan. Possibly couches and bit and bobs. But very weary that things may not get a good run until they are installed so have to hold back on item that you don't get a decent warranty on, or things that may be beyond us storing for a few weeks-months Re: What things did you/can you buy in advance? 8Nov 30, 2008 10:40 pm Spend a lot of time looking around before you open your wallet, so you know exactly what you want - window shopping and comparing prices is always fun. Display home are a good starting point, then hit the shops!
I picked up things like toilet roll holders and towel rails when I saw exactly what I wanted at the right price. Also towels, cushions and some decorator items - but you need to have finalised your colour scheme first for those things. Carpets, blinds etc, I organised about two months before the house was supposed to be finished....by that time I already knew what I wanted and also how much I was prepared to spend. Re: What things did you/can you buy in advance? 9Dec 01, 2008 12:17 am I've got towels, hand towels and bathmats already! Couldn't pass them up, especially when they match perfectly and were on sale. The only other thing I was thinking about getting were the light fittings. Our site has been scraped and excavated, so we're still a while off yet. I'll talk to the electricians at our appointment this week.
Judie Re: What things did you/can you buy in advance? 10Dec 01, 2008 11:23 am We've bought:-
* Cooker / rangehood / splashback * Fridges x 2 * Sink * Caesarstone for both kitchen and laundry * Laundry cupboards * Heated towel rails for all 4 bathrooms * Bar * Kitchen sinks x 2 - just in case we liked one more then the other * The kids' bathroom accessories - bathmats / soap dishes etc We purchased all these items as the house was being designed and so therefore could design around the items. Re: What things did you/can you buy in advance? 11Dec 01, 2008 11:46 am kyton We've bought:- * Cooker / rangehood / splashback * Fridges x 2 * Sink * Caesarstone for both kitchen and laundry * Laundry cupboards * Heated towel rails for all 4 bathrooms * Bar * Kitchen sinks x 2 - just in case we liked one more then the other * The kids' bathroom accessories - bathmats / soap dishes etc We purchased all these items as the house was being designed and so therefore could design around the items. A little OT but those heated rails where those wired in or just the ones you plug into the nearest available power point? Re: What things did you/can you buy in advance? 12Dec 01, 2008 11:46 am Helyn I would be wary of buying electrical things like dishwashers to keep for such a long period - if your land titles in May ( and they are often longer than they say - sorry) and then you start building, your house will not be ready for at least a year from now - in the meanwhile a year of your warranty has elapsed without you even using the thing Very good point Helyn Re: What things did you/can you buy in advance? 13Dec 01, 2008 11:50 am Just remember not to buy your electrical appliances too far in advance ESPECIALLY the dishwasher.
You don't want the warranty period to expire while they're all still in boxes Re: What things did you/can you buy in advance? 14Dec 01, 2008 11:51 am mikkyG A little OT but those heated rails where those wired in or just the ones you plug into the nearest available power point? They plug into a power point - we have allowed for an extra power point in each of the bathrooms. Re: What things did you/can you buy in advance? 15Dec 01, 2008 12:04 pm Very good point Helyn and Southies about the warranties..didn't even consider that. Thank you!
The caesarstone is an interesting one tho - Kyton, did you get a particularly good price or was your kitchen supplier not able to supply it? Laundry cupboards is a good idea as we have planned to fit out the laundry after we move in. [quote]- window shopping and comparing prices is always fun. Display home are a good starting point, then hit the shops![/quote] Yes, unfortunately our DDs manage to turn feral as soon as we walk into a display home or 'house' shop Guess we'll just try for the 2010 sales! Hopefully we'll be in by then Thanks everyone. Re: What things did you/can you buy in advance? 16Dec 01, 2008 12:08 pm also -
It's worth checking with your electrical appliances when the warranty starts - with my oven the warranty begins once it has been installed and the warranty signed and dated by the electrician. So we bought it a while ago and it is in storage waiting for installation. You may also be able to lay-by some of the other electrical items in the sales, so that again the warranty starts running when you make the final payment (assuming it doesn't start from installation). have fun! Re: What things did you/can you buy in advance? 17Dec 01, 2008 12:18 pm havingfun Very good point Helyn and Southies about the warranties..didn't even consider that. Thank you! The caesarstone is an interesting one tho - Kyton, did you get a particularly good price or was your kitchen supplier not able to supply it? Laundry cupboards is a good idea as we have planned to fit out the laundry after we move in. Quote: - window shopping and comparing prices is always fun. Display home are a good starting point, then hit the shops! Yes, unfortunately our DDs manage to turn feral as soon as we walk into a display home or 'house' shop Guess we'll just try for the 2010 sales! Hopefully we'll be in by then Thanks everyone. All of our pre-purchases have been items bought on auction sites - so have been massively discounted and too good a price to pass up. With the c'stone they were discontinued colours which just happened to suit us perfectly. I think if we were going with a big builder we wouldn't have been able to do it but we are going with a small private builder and choosing our own stonemason / kitchen supplier so it wasn't an issue. Depends what you're current inclusions are, but we're not including wardrobes and will just use second hand ones until we can save later on to get them built. Also have a… 3 11629 Looking at some of the designs on websites, they are all selling very similar products. I get that you want something stylish. It's worth looking for search terms like SaveH2O… 2 7006 No the fireplace doesn’t work. It’s been enclosed. I’m not sure what was removed, as it was done quite some time ago - well before what I can see with photos online… 2 11577 |