Browse Forums Building A New House Re: Anyone building in the Vermont Estate at Pitt Town? 61Apr 03, 2013 1:33 pm Ally, we quite liked the Clarendon display homes at Glenwood but felt that the double storeys were massive and had quite alot of wasted space and the single storeys weren't quite the right layout for our block. Yes, the base price for Rawson Homes does seem high compared to other builders, however, the Eden was a plan that just seemed to suit our families needs and suited our block the best. We were abit nervous also about site costs blowing out so we were really drawn to the fixed price tender. But if you have done all your homework with the other builders and have costs all itemised in your tender - I hope it will all good for you! You are certainly doing your homework. I'm sure that we will have a lovely house at the end of all this - whether it was value for our money or the best price, I don't know?? We will see in 15 years when we sell it Re: Anyone building in the Vermont Estate at Pitt Town? 62Apr 05, 2013 9:02 pm Evening Ally & Ruth, How are things progressing for you? Have you made a decision on your home Ally? We haven't heard anything about land registration. Next Friday we have the contract signing for the house. I'm waiting on the contract to be emailed so that we can review it before the appointment. Hope everyone has a good weekend Re: Anyone building in the Vermont Estate at Pitt Town? 63Apr 05, 2013 11:51 pm Hi, Happy to report that we should (fingers crossed) start on site on Monday!!! We had abit of a miscommunication problem last week with Rawson over the construction certificate however a manager was able to sort it out and as of last Wednesday we had 4 little yellow pegs on our block meaning a start was about to happen. So... If the weather is ok our site supervisor has arranged for the excavators to start on Monday and the frames have been ordered. It is hard to believe that it is happening. This has been a very big week for us, our house went on the market and we have the first open house tomorrow, so we are excited and daunted at the same time! We didn't sign the contract with Rawson until Feb this year after all the colour selections, plan changes and DA approval as we wanted everything to be correct in the contract, but I'm sure each building company does this slightly differently. Re: Anyone building in the Vermont Estate at Pitt Town? 64Apr 06, 2013 1:37 pm Congratulations Ruth, I hope the weather holds up for you. I will be watching with interest how your build progresses. Good luck also with the house selling. The market is strong at the moment, you should achieve what you want. Hi Renae, as yet no decisions have been made by us regarding what we are building, but we are edging closer. We have paid for a geotech report on the block so we know definitively what slab/piering we need so there are no surprises at any stage. We have unconditionally exchanged on the block, now awaiting registration, like you guys. I see Eden Brae are still advertising our block for sale on realestate.com.au with a package on it. The price has actually gone down $9,000???? Weird when they are supposed to have just had a price rise.... Ally Deposit paid to Masterton 30/05/13 Contracts signed and 5% deposit paid 09/10/13 CDC Approval 14/11/13 Slab 22/01/14 Frame 18/02/14 Brickwork 14/03/14 Roof 22/03/14 Lock Up 11/04/14 Re: Anyone building in the Vermont Estate at Pitt Town? 65Apr 06, 2013 7:38 pm Evening, How did your open home go today Ruth? I had a quick search and I think I found your house. It's a gorgeous home. It'll be hard to leave I'm sure. Rachael is fabulous as well Very exciting that your house will begin... it doesn't take long before the frame is up. Ally, I'd be interested with the results of the geotech report. Eden Brae has allowed for a H slab. I'm not sure if that will be re-assessed by EB. If it's not raining tomorrow, we're going to head out to the block for another look around... we reallly need to get our colours sorted. So far I'm thinking a light grey roof and white frames, beyond that I'm struggling. Re: Anyone building in the Vermont Estate at Pitt Town? 66Apr 06, 2013 11:27 pm Thanks for asking Renae, the open house went well. So frantic trying to get it looking just right! It is a gorgeous house - we are still abit blown away by the photos and it has served us well, it is hard to leave. My husband has worked so hard on it over the years. When we bought it it was in original condition having been rented out for many years so it is wonderful to see it restored & enhanced into a family home. I am getting abit sentimental aren't I?? Anyway, getting back to new build - I am happy that all our decisions re exterior colours & bricks have been made along time ago, now we just have to hope they look ok!!! Re: Anyone building in the Vermont Estate at Pitt Town? 67Apr 07, 2013 10:38 pm Hi Ruth Saw your home on realestate.com.au. It looks great, a credit to you, are you planning on renting until your house is finished? I had a weekend off from house "stuff". Think I will wait for my geotechnical report and take it from there. I might be out at Pitt Town during the week and will be sure to check your block for any action. Good luck with the weather! Ally Deposit paid to Masterton 30/05/13 Contracts signed and 5% deposit paid 09/10/13 CDC Approval 14/11/13 Slab 22/01/14 Frame 18/02/14 Brickwork 14/03/14 Roof 22/03/14 Lock Up 11/04/14 Re: Anyone building in the Vermont Estate at Pitt Town? 68Apr 07, 2013 11:13 pm Ruth, I think I noticed a fence around your block today... I could be mistaken, I was looking from the Sales Centre. Hope the rain stays away for the slab to start. Re: Anyone building in the Vermont Estate at Pitt Town? 69Apr 08, 2013 12:43 am Ally - thank you for you kind comments. At this stage we are planning to live with family until the house is finished, it will be a tight squeeze, but an opportunity to save a little and will make us appreciate our new house even more when we get in! Good idea to take a weekend off, otherwise it can be all consuming and you can start getting carried away. Renae, we were out there too late this afternoon. The fence you saw is for next door, they are building a MacDonald Jones house and so far their site has been scraped and formwork erected for the slab to be poured, so it should be interesting to watch how the two houses progress together. The house on the other side of us is in council at the moment it is a two storey Wisdom home. Re: Anyone building in the Vermont Estate at Pitt Town? 70Apr 08, 2013 9:29 pm [quote="allyman"]Hi Ruth We want to be in our house in 10 months so sincerely hope it won't take as long as yours. Hi Allyman, Good luck with your search, I truly hope you do get into your new home by 10 months but you will need to remember that no matter what any of the builders tell you just to get your business, the paperwork itself takes on average 6 months or longer in a lot of cases. You may have finance from purchasing your block although the bank also takes time to valuate the total cost of the land with the home and the extras you have chosen. The finance you normally get approval for initially is pre approval only and the loan changes to a construction loan once you are given final approval for house and land together. The paperwork stage is very draining. Council approval alone is a min 21 day process as long as there is not a single mistake though they can reject even for the smallest thing as a window size or request to add 30+ glazing on a window and then a week for the approval papers. Some builders use external companies to do the tender even and once you pay the tender fee it can take up to 4 weeks just to get the tender back before you even get a contract appointment, colour appointments etc. I paid for tenders with Masterton, Wisdom and Clarendon and Clarendon was by far the fastest with the tender. You should take a look at each builder and try to figure out the speed of each. Clarendon has also been much faster in the building process. The most important thing is that you choose the right house plan that suits you though you must have a realistic outlook on the actual time frame from start to finish including closure times such as xmas. Most builders are closed for up to 6 weeks at xmas so you also need to take that into account along with wet weather. Sheridan 35@The Ponds 29.06 1st meet 17.07 Tender 15.08 1st plans/Contracts 29.08 Colours 12.10 DA 20.11 Council Approval 14.12 Site cut 19.12 Slab 04.02 Frame 17.02 Bricks started Re: Anyone building in the Vermont Estate at Pitt Town? 71Apr 09, 2013 6:53 pm zojo allyman Hi Ruth We want to be in our house in 10 months so sincerely hope it won't take as long as yours. Hi Allyman, Good luck with your search, I truly hope you do get into your new home by 10 months but you will need to remember that no matter what any of the builders tell you just to get your business, the paperwork itself takes on average 6 months or longer in a lot of cases. You may have finance from purchasing your block although the bank also takes time to valuate the total cost of the land with the home and the extras you have chosen. The finance you normally get approval for initially is pre approval only and the loan changes to a construction loan once you are given final approval for house and land together. The paperwork stage is very draining. Council approval alone is a min 21 day process as long as there is not a single mistake though they can reject even for the smallest thing as a window size or request to add 30+ glazing on a window and then a week for the approval papers. Some builders use external companies to do the tender even and once you pay the tender fee it can take up to 4 weeks just to get the tender back before you even get a contract appointment, colour appointments etc. I paid for tenders with Masterton, Wisdom and Clarendon and Clarendon was by far the fastest with the tender. You should take a look at each builder and try to figure out the speed of each. Clarendon has also been much faster in the building process. The most important thing is that you choose the right house plan that suits you though you must have a realistic outlook on the actual time frame from start to finish including closure times such as xmas. Most builders are closed for up to 6 weeks at xmas so you also need to take that into account along with wet weather. Gee thanks Zojo, you have bought me back down to earth. I may need to revise my expectations. Patience isn't my strong point We did visit Clarendon and they seemed competitive. I haven't discounted them entirely as yet. We quite liked the Kentville design. We want single level after years of living in double storey homes. I hope you will enjoy The Ponds. So much happening there! Ally Deposit paid to Masterton 30/05/13 Contracts signed and 5% deposit paid 09/10/13 CDC Approval 14/11/13 Slab 22/01/14 Frame 18/02/14 Brickwork 14/03/14 Roof 22/03/14 Lock Up 11/04/14 Re: Anyone building in the Vermont Estate at Pitt Town? 72Apr 11, 2013 5:38 pm Hi Ally and Renae, Happy to report that is has been a busy week for us at the block... Finally some progress On Monday I was out there to see the site being excavated & scraped and the 2 other guys were waiting to start digging & pouring the piers when the excavation had finished. This afternoon I went out again and the site fence is in place, the formwork has been completed and the plumber was there laying the pipes. The waffle pods and steel mesh have been delivered and are waiting on next door's block. I assume that the slab will be laid next week It is interesting to see the size of the backyard, but hard to picture everything finished. How has your week been??? Ruth Re: Anyone building in the Vermont Estate at Pitt Town? 73Apr 13, 2013 11:23 am Hi Ruth, We were out at the block again yesterday arvo. We drove past your block its all ready to go for the slab. Very exciting! Won't be long before the frame and roofing goes on. Other houses seem to be going up fast. We had contract signing yesterday. It was much easier having the plans with measurements. I was able to pick up things that needed addressing. Colours have almost been finialised. I just need clarify one more thing to the exterior finish. Hope everyone has a good weekend Re: Anyone building in the Vermont Estate at Pitt Town? 74Apr 18, 2013 4:46 pm I was just looking at the Vermont website. It notes: "Stage Two of Fernville - 52 blocks of land - is now selling fast, this time offering families the opportunity to take advantage of amazing cash gifts and bonuses galore when they purchase any one of these wide frontage blocks." http://www.vermontliving.com.au/news/ Is anyone aware of the latest promotion? Re: Anyone building in the Vermont Estate at Pitt Town? 75Apr 18, 2013 5:45 pm Wasn't there a $5000 cash back bonus if you bought a house and land package through Eden Brae? Maybe they are referring to that? We didn't get the $5k off because we didn't go the package. I would love some giveaways though, lol. Deposit paid to Masterton 30/05/13 Contracts signed and 5% deposit paid 09/10/13 CDC Approval 14/11/13 Slab 22/01/14 Frame 18/02/14 Brickwork 14/03/14 Roof 22/03/14 Lock Up 11/04/14 Re: Anyone building in the Vermont Estate at Pitt Town? 76Apr 23, 2013 7:33 am Our slab was laid yesterday!! The first people moved into Fernville last week and their house looks great. It is interesting to watch each site develop. We were away last week and when we came home an Eden Brae house had started four doors up from our house. Re: Anyone building in the Vermont Estate at Pitt Town? 77Apr 23, 2013 12:56 pm river Our slab was laid yesterday!! The first people moved into Fernville last week and their house looks great. It is interesting to watch each site develop. We were away last week and when we came home an Eden Brae house had started four doors up from our house. Woo hoo, congratulations Ruth. I am so envious right now. I haven't been out to Vermont for a few weeks. Might have to drop by on the weekend and admire your slab Ally Deposit paid to Masterton 30/05/13 Contracts signed and 5% deposit paid 09/10/13 CDC Approval 14/11/13 Slab 22/01/14 Frame 18/02/14 Brickwork 14/03/14 Roof 22/03/14 Lock Up 11/04/14 Re: Anyone building in the Vermont Estate at Pitt Town? 78Apr 23, 2013 3:29 pm Afternoon, We drove around the estate on Sunday. We saw your block was almost ready for the slab. Congratulations! There's been lots of progress the past few weeks. It's interesting to watch. The blocks across from us have been sold, just a few left on our side of the road. The next stage should be releasing soon. How are you going Ally? Any progress for you? As of today, we are now officially owners of our block. Things are moving along quickly with our build as well.... we select our colours / tiles and flooring etc.. in May. Re: Anyone building in the Vermont Estate at Pitt Town? 79Apr 25, 2013 7:48 pm Hello ladies Congrats Renee on your land settlement. You officially have a mortgage. No progress from me I am afraid. Had second tenders from Beechwood and MDJ. There needed to be a revision on the MDJ one which is now ready, so need to go and see what that extra cost now brings it up to Investigated Elderton Homes but wasn't impressed. I even asked EB to price up the Drysdale as I felt it was not fair, given he was such a helpful salesperson but they are $20k dearer than MDJ at this point. We are starting to be wary of unforeseen and unknown costs and I'm looking to investigate some full turnkey packages so we know where we stand and get a finished home. Was considering Wisdom and Rawson. The tender will be dearer, sure, but if we don't have any major costs after that save landscaping we should be able to budget better. (Ruth I may need some advice regarding Rawson please). The Beechwood house we have designed has a lovely floor plan due to our amendments, but only slightly cheaper than MDJ and I have a few misgivings about them. We settle on Tuesday.... Gotta get our act together and bite the bullet. It is a given this house is going to go over our initial budget. I am having Vermont withdrawals... Must drive out there and check it out. Ally Deposit paid to Masterton 30/05/13 Contracts signed and 5% deposit paid 09/10/13 CDC Approval 14/11/13 Slab 22/01/14 Frame 18/02/14 Brickwork 14/03/14 Roof 22/03/14 Lock Up 11/04/14 Re: Anyone building in the Vermont Estate at Pitt Town? 80Apr 25, 2013 8:49 pm Hi Renae, so glad to hear that things are progressing quickly for you - it seems that EB do things in a slightly different order to Rawson. I am assuming that you are building the Sheffield 25 , have you made many changes to the floor plan? They have managed to fit a lot of features into the house. Hi Ally, so to hear that you're not really any closer to signing with a builder At least you prob now have a clearer idea of what you really want in your home. More than happy to help you wherever I can with Rawson. One of the reasons we decided to build with Rawson was due to the fixed costs. Yes, I'm sure the tender was more expensive upfront but at least we knew what figure we were dealing with. 2 4513 A lot of those Covenants are put in place at the time the Developers are still involved and marketing a certain look and they get ignored or expire after a time. If the… 1 3329 Wish you all the best. Once you signed the contract, they will find millions excuses to charge you. And have seen their sites unfinished for a long time. 4 26120 |