Browse Forums Building A New House Re: Custom Build in Warrnambool 63May 12, 2016 1:24 am Thanks Just got to get it built now! We're waiting for only a couple of things as far as I know - air con quote and final fixed price quote from the builder. There's still a little back and forth as the AC duct design won't be done until the builder confirms where the central (indoor) unit can go but he wants to see where the ducts are going to be before he says OK, or at least that's my understanding of the situation. Hopefully can get him to OK the location tomorrow then get the duct plan done and oked so everyone can firm up pricing. Then it'll be a matter of checking everything the builder has had to alter etc to make sure it's right. I got a revised plan through today (working copy) that still showed the rear garage roller door at 2150 instead of 2400 high. I haven't mentioned it yet because I'd rather get the AC thing out of the way first; I'm sort of hoping it's just a change they haven't quite made yet. I'm also waiting for a copy of my birth certificate since for some reason you need that for the first home builders grant. I've been looking into retrofit Z-wave automation stuff over the last week or so and am convinced I'll be going down that path pretty early once we're in the house, certainly for some select lights/rooms and dimmers, especially the ones that I wanted on motion sensors that couldn't easily be done with conventional wiring (but would be easy enough with C-Bus or this Z-wave setup. For those that don't know, CBus is a whole wiring schema - in that all of your houses wiring - every switch, light, etc go back to a central unit that then controls the lot, allowing you to re-map any light switch to perform any function - turn on or off every light in the house, two lights, three, etc. The problem is it's a big up front cost and theres a fair bit of extra wiring length involved. The Z-wave/Zigbee type systems use a wireless mesh network - each module talks to the other and they spread their signal through the house by passing on each others signals - the modules can be put behind an existing light switch - the switch then signals the module, and the module turns the light on and off. This means the module itself can be controlled remotely - you need a central controller but then you can either use the light switch, or you can have a trigger- a timer, a motion sensor, a phone with a proximity sensor (i.e. outside lights turn on when you turn into the street) - you can also dim lights (and program the same)... tonight I walked around after the family and turned of 13 lights. I don't think a Z-wave system will take very long to pay for itself!! We need to pick ceiling fans -I'm pretty happy so far with the Hunter Pacific Intercept units - they get a pretty good write up on the ATA forums without being super expensive or styled in a way that will age. They also come with a 13w dimmable LED which will mean I can control the lights on them using a Z-wave dimmer. With any luck the same dimmer systems will be able to control whatever lights I choose to replace the standard batten fix. I'm also looking into relay switches (or using the same remote switch perhaps without the dimmer) to turn on the fans themselves - so they can be programmed to behave in a certain way depending on the temperature - to discourage use of the central heating/AC when the fan would suffice. Re: Custom Build in Warrnambool 64May 14, 2016 10:18 pm Have a contract signing appointment Tuesday at this point, got the plans/spec in advance to look over and found a number of (relatively minor) errors and omissions, to be expected when the builder is doing multiple houses and we are only doing one - it's our job to ensure our build is specced and planned right - once it's on the plans and signed off it's their job to build it that way! Hopefully they can make the corrections required before Tuesday! Re: Custom Build in Warrnambool 66May 17, 2016 11:41 pm All signed up. Have had to make a change to the return air for the air conditioner since. More on the blog but ultimately not a lot to report as we still need a couple of things before it can be sent off to the bank for their approval. 21% over budget for construction though... whoops. Re: Custom Build in Warrnambool 67May 18, 2016 2:23 am Yay for being signed up! Just went through your blog and went back and looked at your plans again. Your house will be massive! Re: Custom Build in Warrnambool 68May 23, 2016 9:17 pm Got approved building permit back but it doesn't include the shed. Not sure if it's been split to a seperate permit (so occupancy certificate isn't tied to completion of the dwelling) or not. Waiting to find out. Re: Custom Build in Warrnambool 70May 26, 2016 12:12 pm It wasn't approved because it wasn't on the builders contract/warranty etc. Builder has since helped us out big time and put the shed through them as a post contract variation with a nominal (and very acceptable) cost to do so; continuing their theme of being exceptionally helpful. And just now the best news - the revised permit including the shed is approved! We need deeper and larger (450mm vs 300mm) footings on the east side (adjacent to sewerage easement) but that's it - size/height etc all seem to have been approved as OK! Should know regarding our finance within 4-5 days with any luck; and hoping we can get our excavation organised in the next few days (we're organising this but it depends on availability of the equipment and operator!) Re: Custom Build in Warrnambool 71May 26, 2016 12:37 pm That is fantastic news. Happy dancing at your place? Re: Custom Build in Warrnambool 72May 27, 2016 11:13 am Not wanting to get too excited just yet - we still have the finance to get through - once that's done we'll be stoked. Not keen on getting too excited until we know it's all systems go. Got to get the shed place to get the side of the shed closest to the easement engineered apparently - I'm sure that'll cost us a bit more money (for at least the footings if not the engineering) as the building permit states it needs 450x450x?? (200mm deeper than angle of repose - which I assume means the angle from the shed to the pipe in the easement) footings every 2m (so about 8 of them) ( - currently it has 6 @ 300x300x300 which line up with the structure) Re: Custom Build in Warrnambool 73Jun 01, 2016 10:08 pm Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Site works started There's a bit more of a write up on the blog, we are still waiting for news on finance but since we're organising our own site works that's going ahead in advance. Re: Custom Build in Warrnambool 74Jun 01, 2016 10:11 pm Excellent! Very exciting! If you don't mind me asking, just out of curiosity, who are you organising finance through? Building Simonds Hudson viewtopic.php?f=31&t=80646 Re: Custom Build in Warrnambool 76Jun 02, 2016 12:17 pm Apparently the excavator has a leaky seal that needs replacing, so there hasn't been any changes yet today Re: Custom Build in Warrnambool 77Jun 02, 2016 12:21 pm Oh good, we went through cba too, did a bit of research and they seem to be pretty popular with building. Oh dang! Hopefully it's a quick fix! Building Simonds Hudson viewtopic.php?f=31&t=80646 Re: Custom Build in Warrnambool 78Jun 03, 2016 10:25 am Turns out the leak isn't an issue they just had another emergency job they needed the bloke working on. He's supposedly back on site today. We're getting the yard levelled at the same time as well as the shed cut done. We're having to bring the shed forward further off the boundary because there's a stormwater pipe in the middle of the easement at the rear of the block - there's a calculation they do that determines if you need piers to avoid the weight of the shed bearing down on that pipe - bringing the shed forward a meter should get us away from having to mess about with piers. Similarly to avoid having to worry about controlled fill etc we're going to just cut the whole thing and slope the remaining land around it, rather than building it up - this has the side benefit of making the entryway as flat as possible too. Re: Custom Build in Warrnambool 79Jun 03, 2016 9:10 pm Just caught up on your build, starting of site works woohoo!! Love the magazine render Re: Custom Build in Warrnambool 80Jun 06, 2016 12:11 pm Excavator was missing from half way through Friday, despite the seal not stopping it working, it obviously needed to be taken offsite to fix. We'd been hoping for completion by today but it's not even back onsite yet. That's ok though, since we still don't have finance approval yet so the builder can't start scheduling their trades. Good news is the valuation came back spot on, so we're one step closer at least. I'd get the gutters to match your roof and pipes to match the paint - otherwise they become a feature. Nice pick with the paint colours! 1 35089 6 57368 Soak wells and electrical run in happening this week! Summit has told me they will relocate the laundry plumbing after the walls are completed. I'm actually pretty happy… 13 36876 |