Browse Forums Building A New House Re: Kit Home or Own Design?? 3Jan 21, 2007 10:06 am Hi,
Before considering a kit home please take not of the information on my page at the following address http://www.spin.net.au/~trevormh/shamash/index.htm Good luck Re: Kit Home or Own Design?? 4Jan 21, 2007 11:43 am Thanks for your replies
I think designing our own is looking like the way we might go...at least we can source our own materials and know we are getting quality. Quote: I recon we can get a similar (or better) home for less money. issitoq...thanks for that link...pretty scary!! I think if we did decide to go the kit home option we would have to think really carefully about it and do stacks of research into the various companies. thanks again Re: Kit Home or Own Design?? 5Jan 21, 2007 2:06 pm Hi
If you are thinking of floor plans check out this place which caught my eye: http://australianfloorplans.com/ Also, check out the major housebuilders web sites, there are a number of floor plans to view and a useful starting point. We are going with a steel frame house for a number of reasons. Having a meeting next week to start the ball rolling and get some budget prices. don Re: Kit Home or Own Design?? 6Jan 21, 2007 10:26 pm Hi greenfaery, we went through the exact same scenario last year trying to decide whether to go it alone ourselves or go with a kit. What we actually wanted to do was to extend our 1910 weatherboard cottage but after an initial discussion with an architect, realised that having plans drawn up, then having it built was going to cost a bomb. That's when we went to Plan B and started researching the kit home companies- Harkaway, PAAL, Kitome and Ozkit. We eventually bought one of the smaller steel frame lock-up kits from Ozkit, but designed our own floor plan as, being an extension, we didn't need a kitchen or laundry, just a master bedroom, ensuite, and a couple of studies. We're about half way through building it (we're doing some of the work ourselves with lots of help and advice from a builder friend) and are about to start joining the new structure to the old by way of an entrance foyer. Ozkit have been pretty good- they've just moved premises to Tea Gardens but have always been really prompt and helpful when we needed anything. The instruction manual though has been close to useless but this is probably cos our builder is very 'old school' and does everything the old-fashioned way!
I guess it comes down to $$$ and how much input you want but by just buying a shell from Ozkit, it means we have control over costs as we can spend as much or as little on the finishing as we want. Good luck! Re: Kit Home or Own Design?? 7Jan 23, 2007 12:23 pm Don...thanks for that link ...i love looking at all the different plans. I kind of have a basic idea of what i want the layout to be, but it's great to get different ideas to use as a starting point.
Good luck with getting your build up and running!! Sydgirl...the way you are doing it sounds great...i didn't even think about something like that for an extension/renovation. For us, that is our plan B...buy an old place and extend/redo...just whatever comes up first basically. Cheers Dannii Re: Kit Home or Own Design?? 8Feb 02, 2007 2:01 pm My house is getting too small for us and we've also been looking at fixing up a few things and extending out the back. The 'general quotes' architects have been giving us have been scary and well beyond our means.
Sydgirl I read with interest what you are doing, because we also suddenly thought maybe we could convert a kit cabin into an add on using a breezeway so as not to disrupt the existing roof line. All we want to add is a main bedroom with a small cheap ensuite. How are your plans going? What can you give me in the way of advice. Why did you choose Ozkit? For everyone else, any creative suggestions on how to add a room without paying a fortune for just one room and small ensuite?? Thanks! Re: Kit Home or Own Design?? 9Feb 08, 2007 8:10 pm Hi Needspace, our building is going really well..........so far!! We're just about to put the roof on, then get the electrician in to do the rough-in.
As I said earlier, we were in the same situation as you- needed more space but got a fright when architects came into the picture but what they were talking about was demolishing one entire wall of the existing house to extend. That's when we came up with the idea of just buying a kit and joining new to old by way of a new entrance foyer. That way there's no disruption to normal life while the building is happening, except at the very end. We ended up going with Ozkit because they had the ideal size of kit we wanted, they offered us steel frames for the price of timber and we liked their steel flooring system. They were very easy to deal with and their price was the best. (I loved the look of Harkaway homes but their pricing system makes it difficult to compare to anyone else.) Also, Ozkit were really helpful with choosing materials that would match our current home, down to the profile of the weatherboards! We actually looked at those little backyard cabins too but they don't come cheap considering how little floor space you gain, as compared with building a 14m x 7m kit. I should say that we're on acreage so space is no problem for us but it might be on a suburban block. Of course, council need to be involved.....but don't get me started on that! Good luck! Re: Kit Home or Own Design?? 10Feb 20, 2007 12:45 pm I am new to both the forum and the owner building avenue. I have been working with a kit home company for a little while trying to get a floor plan that will suit what i need and also under the budget i have set.
To date the company i have dealt with have been great. They let me know where i can cut costs but still maintain the neccesaties. They have also tried to help me find people i need to talk too. So far it all sounds too easy. They give us a lot of stuff so i dont have to do much running around myself. Haveing young children, this is what i need. i dont have time to do all that stuff but i can make a few phone calls. As i said it sounds a bit too easy is there anyone who has further suggestions as too what loop holes i should be looking for and what questions I should be asking????????????? Hi Mofflepop, I would recommend finding a building designer to prepare plans, they should design to your specified budget. The benefit is you can tender the project out… 9 20432 ideal house depends on the site and location as much as internal floor plan....what is the distance from the house to all four boundaries, where is north, describe your… 3 15170 Once you know the basics, the rest is easy. Read my post in the thread linked below. viewtopic.php?p=1919271#p1919271 2 19521 |