Designing, Building & Developing a Luxury home in Lindfield

Ashington Homes · Aug 16, 2024 3:39 pm

Pedro4137

Hi Simeon

You don’t have regular crew for jobs?

For the last year I have been using a Vietnamese crew, but prior to meeting us they predominately did work for project home clients, and recently they have been super busy so couldn't fit us in in the time frame we needed.

I did get a quote and I think he priced high as he new he couldn't do it.

But it was also a budget thing. We had a budget of $30,000, I got heaps of quotes and the only one that came in under budget was this muppet. Everyone else was high $30's to high 40's.

Honestly we met with him twice, interviewed him. He was so super polished and confident and the fact he was friends with our apprentice gave us confidence that he would be okay. But oh my god, we could not have been more wrong.

But the one great thing that has come out of it is we have a new crew who are nothing short of amazing. We have about four more projects to demolish before the end of the year so I have these boys lined up.

But yes, don't always go for the cheapest quote. In the end we lost several weeks at $4,000 a week in interest, paid the first guy $6,000, and the new guy $33,500 plus gst.

So all in, demolition has probably cost us $47,000.

There is definitely a lesson in there.

I can guarantee you though, it won't be the last mistake we make!

Pedro4137 · Aug 16, 2024 6:09 pm

Thanks

Shimara · Aug 21, 2024 8:32 pm

Hi,

Did you have to do a BAL assessment for this development?

From your West Pymble site is there anyone you would recommend

Thanks,

Adam

Ashington Homes · Aug 22, 2024 6:17 am

Shimara

Hi,

Did you have to do a BAL assessment for this development?

From your West Pymble site is there anyone you would recommend

Thanks,

Adam

Hi Adam

Yes I had to get a bushfire BAL assessment. Basically if your 10.7 certificate says that your property is bushfire affected you need one.

Mine came in at BAL 19.

I dont know if there is anyone I would recommend. We use several. this one was done by Scott Jarvis 0414 808 295. I actually don't know him as my designer dealt with him. But his report did the job so all good

Cheers

Simeon

Ashington Homes · Aug 22, 2024 6:55 am

Hi Everybody,

It's finally exciting to get construction underway.

Over the last couple of days we have been excavating the pool and we are aiming to pour the pool this Saturday, and then start the slab next Monday.

So I thought it would be good to do a few posts explaining how we build a pool. It is so easy, once you get to the end of this week you should be able to build your own. Trust me, if I can do it you can.

Step1 Site Set out:

This is the most crucial and hardest part. A surveyor will need to set out the slab and the pool, but they can not put their pins directly on the corners ( they will get damaged during excavtaion), so they offset their pegs by 1-2m depending on the site.

They then provide a plan ( attached) which shows the location of each pin and the distance we need to measure from that pin.

They also give us a benchmark RL ( datum height), this is normally spray painted on a fence. From this height we can use our laser to work out the height of the top of the pool and the internal levels.

Once we have all the corners of the pool marked out, and you really need to take your time with this and triple check everything, we run a string line around the perimiter and spray paint the outline.

Step 2 Excavation:

This step is pretty self explanatory.

You hire someone with a machine, in our case we used a 5 tonne excavator and you get them to start digging inside the perimeter lines.

Ideally find someone with pool experience and they will know how to get the levels to work. It can be a little delicate to get the transition from the shallow end to the deep end to work well ie you don't want people falling off a cliff as they transition into deeper water.

Make sure you regularly check the levels. If you get it slightly wrong and go too deep, no stress as you need to put crushed rock or gravel in the bottom of the pool, you can add a bit extra to get the levels to work.

Step 3 is Formwork which is happening today, so I will get some photos and post about it tomorrow.

Cheers

Simeon Pool - looking from where the alfresco will beLike ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅

Spa on the left hand sideLike ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅

Architectural plan of the pool & spaLike ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅

Site set out planThis was prepare by our surveyorLike ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅

Ashington Homes · Aug 23, 2024 9:03 am

Happy Friday Everyone

The pool build continues.

Yesterday and today are the formwork days. Next will be running all the pool plumbing pipes and then we can concrete.

Step 3 - Formwork

Basically this is a specialist trade. The engineer has prepared a structural plan as part of the approval and this specifies the type of steel and the spacings.

So you simply give your drawings to a formworker and then they know how to build it.

Once they have finished the engineer needs to inspect their work.

Here are some photos

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Ashington Homes · Aug 23, 2024 5:17 pm

Hi Everyone

Friday afternoon update.

It has been awesome weather here in Sydney so we are making good progress.

The boys finished the formwork today.

Next step is to install all the pool plumbing which will take one day and then they pressure test it.

So we have pushed the concrete pour to next Wednesday. Not bad if that happens. A week and a half to build a pool shell.

Here is a photo:

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Ashington Homes · Aug 27, 2024 6:29 am

Hi Everyone

A couple of updates today.

There have been a couple of insanely high record sales in nearby suburbs. Speaking to the agents there is a lot of money around at the moment, so that is an encouraging sign.

The one that blew me away was $6.28m for a property in West Pymble over the weekend. For people who aren't familiar with the area West Pymble roughly 5 mins from my site has historically been one of the cheaper suburbs on the North Shore.

Here is the link:

https://www.realestate.com.au/sold/prop ... -145594880

They bought this site for $2.4m and wouldn't have spent more than $2m on the build, so some good money was made.

The other one was in Gordon, $10.8m. Apparently there were 28 registered bidders, so that means that there are 27 people who missed out and are cashed up for a new build.

https://www.domain.com.au/15a-lennox-st ... 2019369118

Okay so back to building.

Yesterday the pool plumbing continued. We also benched the site prepping for the slab.

Today the engineer will inspect the pool steel and if we get the certificate we can then pour it tomorrow.

In case you were wondering how much a pool shell costs, we are paying approximately $40,000, that is for an 8 x 4m with a spa.

At the end of the build we will tile it and install all of the equipment.

Attached are some daily photos.

Till next time

Simeon

The tractor used to bench the siteYou can see the set down for the garage in the foreground Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅

Pool Skimmer boxLike ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅

Pool plumbing meetingJust co-ordinating the location of the pool pipes with the house slabLike ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅

Ashington Homes · Aug 28, 2024 5:57 am

Hi Everyone

Today is pool pour day!

The boys are booked at 12pm to start, which reminds me, I need to buy a long hose as we have some hot weather in Sydney and I will need to soak the concrete for the next few days to stop it drying out too fast.

So in my daily update series on how to build a pool, I have attached some photos.

The last steps in the process yesterday were:

1. Pressure testing the pipes - the pool plumber fills the pipes with water and tests for leaks. These pipes will be covered in concrete, so if there is a leak later it will be a nightmare having to cut the concrete to locate it.

2. Installation of an earthing cable - it is vital safety requirement to have an earthing cable which is connected to the steel reinforcement in case the water becomes electrified for some reasonn. This is installed by an electrician. See attached photos

So after today, the next stages will be piers and then in ground plumbing for the slab.

Have a great day

Simeon

Earth cable connected to the steelLike ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅

Earth cable connected to the groundLike ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅

Spa PlumbingLike ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅

Water return pipes and pool lightsLike ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅

Pipes running to the pool equipment locationLike ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅

Ashington Homes · Aug 28, 2024 6:34 pm

We have a pool!

That is a major milestone ticked off now onto the slab tomorrow.

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Ashington Homes · Aug 30, 2024 6:17 am

Happy Friday Everyone,

Now that we are back to using our own crew and the sun has been shining, we are absolutely flying!

In fact we have 9 builds on at the moment and everyone of them is open and going smoothly, so the days are very long and exhausting....but I am loving life and wouldn't change it for anything.

We have 5 more builds kicking off before Christmas, and we are blessed to have some of the nicest clients that we are working with.

Because we get involved early and really collaborate with our clients on the design and the budgets, it is so rewarding to really be invested in people's build journeys and help make their projects come to life.

And since we switched designers and certifiers a few months ago, life is so much easier and our new designer Alaa from Architecture Insight is coming up with some really cool and interesting designs and more importantly, our clients are loving the service he is giving. So a massive shout out to Alaa.

To top it all off, we have some really cool clients who are such a pleasure and a laugh to work with....so yeah loving life at the moment!

Now back to my build.

Yesterday we excavated and poured the piers, I haven't counted them but there was roughly 80-90.

I have attached the structural drawing so you can see what I am talking about. Basically all the little circles are concrete piers. Our rock sits roughly 1000mm - 1200mm below natural ground. So we auger down to rock, and then fill them with concrete as you can see in the attached photos.

You will notice that the engineer didn't specify any piers under the pool coping and cabana, but we like to go the extra step ( just in case) so we added piers in those areas as well.

Over the next few days our concretor Tom will finish installing all the edgeboards. This slab is tricky due to all the curves so I had to spend a fair bit of time yesterday with Tom working out the radiuses and set out points.

Early next week ( hopefully Tuesday) the plumber will install all of the inground waste pipes. The electrician will run any conduits or cables that he needs and then hopefully by Saturday the 7th the slab will be poured.

Once the slab is poured we need to let it cure for a week or so, then we will do our external plumbing stormwater plumbing and then onto frames.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoy the weekend.

More updates next week

Cheers

Simeon

Slab structural planThe circles indicate the piers and the squares are the wafflesLike ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅

This is a pier being pouredNo reo is required. We just fill the holes up with concreteLike ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅

This is what a completed pier looks likeLike ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅

Checking the depth of piers We need to check the depth, make sure we have hit rock and take a recordLike ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅

Budapest · Aug 30, 2024 9:42 am

Stupid question - how do you know/confirm you have hit rock?
I'm assuming it would be reasonably obvious but is there a test that has to be completed/logged etc?

Ashington Homes · Aug 30, 2024 10:06 am

Budapest

Stupid question - how do you know/confirm you have hit rock?
I'm assuming it would be reasonably obvious but is there a test that has to be completed/logged etc?

Budapest

That is actually a very good question. There are no stupid questions!

We are all here to learn and there are a lot of people on this forum building for the first time who probably have the same question. So I am glad you asked

When we are drilling, we go until the auger hits refusal ie it can't go any further as the auger can not penetrate the rock.

We then clean the hole and do a visual inspection as rock is really easy to identify. So when the certifier comes out to inspect before the concrete they need to be able to visually see the rock.

Thanks again for your question

Cheers

Simeon

sun99 · Aug 30, 2024 10:44 am

Simeon,

For this build are you going with steel or wooden frames. With the last build you are not happy witht the inflexibilty of steel frames.

thanks

Ashington Homes · Aug 30, 2024 12:03 pm

sun99

Simeon,

For this build are you going with steel or wooden frames. With the last build you are not happy witht the inflexibilty of steel frames.

thanks

Hi Sun99

Yes definitely timber. Never touching steel frames again.

And with all our curved walls we need the flexibility that timber provides to be able to build those.

That will be a really interesting process which I will document when we get there.

Thanks again for your question

Cheers

Simeon

Ashington Homes · Sep 05, 2024 5:04 am

Hi Everyone,

The goal is to have the slab poured this Saturday and with the sun shining and boys turning up to work, we have been making good progress this week.

In ground plumbing finished yesterday and the concrete form workers are back onsite today.

I will get some photos for tomorrow's update with an explanation of everything for those of you who have an interest in how a waffle pod slab is prepared and laid.

Once poured, we will then leave it to rest for a week before completing external drainage and then jumping onto framing around the 18th.

Yesterday, there were vibes of being on an episode of Grand Designs.

I can now relate to those poor people who's designer came up with a spectacularly unique Low E curved glass design and then every time the one manufacturer of curved glass in the UK tried to bend the glass it would shatter and you are on the edge of your seat wondering what on earth they will do if they can't get their curved glass. All was well in the end, I think they just changed the settings in the bending machine.

Anyhow, our engineer has specified big curved 250 PFC beams at the front of the house and they can't get the steel to bend to the required radius. I am not sure what the solution is yet, maybe they just need to change the settings in their bending machine, or find someone else if the engineer can't find a compromise. I shall report back with the answer.

Building a square house is easier, but this is definitely an interesting challenge.

I have attached an image of the structural plans with some big red arrows showing the location of the beams so you can see what I am talking about.

Also attached are some photos of the in ground plumbing as it progressed

Have a great day everyone

Cheers

Simeon

Structural PlanLike ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅

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Ashington Homes · Sep 10, 2024 4:30 pm

Hi Everyone

I hope you are all having a great week.

Nothing overly exciting to report, other than we poured the slab on Saturday. It was very uneventful and everything went to plan.

The pour started at 7am and was finished just after 2pm. They used 79 cubes I think, and the final slab was around 300sqm.

Personally I think Tom and the boys did a fantastic job, especially with the curves.

Sunday was warm so I took my 6 year old over and he had the time of his life watering slab down ( it's a good idea to keep the slab cool during drying so it doesn't dry to fast and crack).

Anyway, this week is quiet whilst we wait for the slab to cure. Frames will start mid next week.

I did my least favourite thing today and went and saw all my neighbours to try and seek consensus on what type of boundary fence we can install. I need to get the rear one in early so I can plant my lilli pillies. I have decided that a dark colorbond one might be the way to go. Only one neighbour agreed and the other 2 need to talk to their spouses.

Anyhow, see how we go.

Still trying to find a solution to this curved structural steel situation.

The manufacturers can't bend the 250 PFC's, so the engineer has dropped them to 200 PFC's but apparently they can only bend 180's. There will be a solution somewhere.....just need to find where somewhere is.

Here are some photos

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Budapest · Sep 11, 2024 2:34 pm

Did they say why they can't bend/roll them?
These guys do up to 380PFC according to their site: https://www.boydmetal.com.au/section-rolling/

Can you see the beam or is it covered? I.e. can it be a bit ugly?

Could you use 2 125x75UA and weld? 12 thick would give the same top and bottom flanges and a stronger web.
What is the CLR?

It doesn't look like that long an arc length, worst case could you fabricate the section out of plate (laser cut 'flanges' and rolled 'web') then tie it into the straight section of PFC. Would be horrible for waste on the laser cutter and lots of welding.

Ashington Homes · Sep 18, 2024 3:57 pm

Budapest

Did they say why they can't bend/roll them?
These guys do up to 380PFC according to their site: https://www.boydmetal.com.au/section-rolling/

Can you see the beam or is it covered? I.e. can it be a bit ugly?

Could you use 2 125x75UA and weld? 12 thick would give the same top and bottom flanges and a stronger web.
What is the CLR?

It doesn't look like that long an arc length, worst case could you fabricate the section out of plate (laser cut 'flanges' and rolled 'web') then tie it into the straight section of PFC. Would be horrible for waste on the laser cutter and lots of welding.

Hi Budapest

Thank you so much for your post!

The issue we have had was finding someone who could roll the tight radius we needed ( 640mm). We still don't have a solution but I am going to raise your points with our engineer and see what he says

Thanks again!

Simeon

Ashington Homes · Sep 18, 2024 4:04 pm

Hi Everyone

Just a quick update from Lindfield.

Last week was quiet whilst we let the slab cure. This week we completed all of our in-ground external drainage and today we started the frames.

We hand cut everything on site. We are using the Frazer 90 x 45 LVL studs. We love using these as they are stronger and straighter than 90 x 45 pine studs and give a much nicer finish.

We are also experimenting with the Alpha XCEM flooring. I placed my order with Bunnings today and the materials will be delivered next Monday. So I am super keen to see how they turn out compared to Hebel.

So far everything is going smoothly, neighbours are nice, the budget is healthy and the sun has been shining. So no complaints.

Here are some photos of today's work:

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