Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Jan 11, 2009 11:22 am Hi everyone! New to this site but have been lurking for the last day or so and reading everything I come across so that I can try and be as prepared as possible in the upcoming months.
My partner and I signed a building contract a few months ago to build our first home. We are still waiting on land to settle (Since July) but now that it has been deposited into the LTO we can expect that to happen around the 21st of Jan (or so I have been told!). So, now that the ball seems to finally be rolling, we have booked our builders interview. We have made all of our selections and have gone for very "classic" (boring?) colours on advice of family/friends/sales person - we have quirky taste and furniture anyway so I'm confident we can add character this way. We have chosen black/grey/white colours mostly with a fair bit of Stainless thrown in in the kitchen (kickboards, s/s look glass splashbacks/ appliances, etc). So, to cut a long rant short. I was hoping to use this post to put up my floor plan so that everyone can shout out what's wrong with it (har har). No, really I was hoping people may be able to give some advice on the electrical side of things - but most importantly - the facade! We have already chosen Black roof tiling and a mottled Grey type of tile for the portico - my partner HATES beige. I had been hoping we might be able to go with a light beige brick with the light beige rendered coins as I have seen around a bit lately - but he will not have a bar of it. So we have ended up compromising a bit and going for the "Sorbetto" style of bricks from PGH bricks (very light grey)- but of course, this can be changed if anyone else has a better suggestion? We are thinking of white/light contrasting colour for the mortar and perhaps a darker grey shade for the rendered coins and portico with black for the pannel lift/window frames/gutters and obviously (as already selected) the roof. Is this going to be too much of a contrast? Too boring? Too colourless? Please help!! Re: Alulei's house has bricks! 2Jan 11, 2009 12:07 pm Hiya - looks like a lovely home! I bet you're very excited after waiting so long to get the land settled!
My thoughts on a few little changes: In Bed 1, make the wall between Bed 1 and Ensuite sit 'flush' with the wall between Bed 1 and WIR. This will give you a little more room in the ensuite but you won't sacrifice any 'usable' space in Bed 1. The Store room, I would put a door on it (opening outwards or one like on your WIR in Bed 1), and move the door so that it faces the Garage door rather than the living area. I'm not sure what you're planning in storing in there, but if it's bikes and things, you want to have as short a journey as possible from the Garage to the storeroom through your nice clean house! Beds 2 and 3 both have small walls as you walk in immediately in front of the door. What are they for? If you're going to build robes using these walls, then I'd leave them in. If not, I'd probably get rid of them. It will make the bedrooms feel bigger without them. Can you get a different kind of door on the Linen cupboard in the laundry (eg one that slides into a wall cavity?). I can see the way that the laundry entrance door and linen cupboard doors open into the same space would probably get annoying. Either that or maybe get the laundry door to open outwards into the hallway (opening away from bed 3) on a 180 degree hinge. Building the Grand Harmony Triple with Scott Park Homes Re: Alulei's house has bricks! 3Jan 11, 2009 12:28 pm starlet Hiya - looks like a lovely home! I bet you're very excited after waiting so long to get the land settled! My thoughts on a few little changes: In Bed 1, make the wall between Bed 1 and Ensuite sit 'flush' with the wall between Bed 1 and WIR. This will give you a little more room in the ensuite but you won't sacrifice any 'usable' space in Bed 1. The Store room, I would put a door on it (opening outwards or one like on your WIR in Bed 1), and move the door so that it faces the Garage door rather than the living area. I'm not sure what you're planning in storing in there, but if it's bikes and things, you want to have as short a journey as possible from the Garage to the storeroom through your nice clean house! Beds 2 and 3 both have small walls as you walk in immediately in front of the door. What are they for? If you're going to build robes using these walls, then I'd leave them in. If not, I'd probably get rid of them. It will make the bedrooms feel bigger without them. Can you get a different kind of door on the Linen cupboard in the laundry (eg one that slides into a wall cavity?). I can see the way that the laundry entrance door and linen cupboard doors open into the same space would probably get annoying. Either that or maybe get the laundry door to open outwards into the hallway (opening away from bed 3) on a 180 degree hinge. Hi Starlet! Thanks for the quick and constructive response! The store room we have on our plan is actually going to be my partner's study. Due to it having no independant light and ventillation we were advised to call it a store room to get it through the council. Looking at the plan day after day for so many months you forget things like the fact it has "Store" written on it and to other people it would obviously look like a store room! Or perhaps that is my blonde roots showing Yes we are planning on putting BIR into beds 2 and 3 eventually, so that is why we have put those little walls in - they wont be an immediate priority since we won't be having children for some years yet and we will need some flooring, curtains etc way before extra closet room! Thank you for picking up about the laundry door!!! I have been staring at it unsure what to do. We had tried to get the door made into a "cupboard" style door as upposed to an internal door for the storage area but the span was too big and we were told the hinges would not support its weight. I have been very worried, actually, that the internal door in there will look very "heavy" (we are having Corinthian MIL104 doors internally which have cut out details), but I have been telling myself "at least its a room noone goes to hang out in when they visit". I will definately ask about getting the hall enterance door to open the other way and 180 degrees - great suggestion - thanks again! Are you in the process of building or renovating, too? Re: Alulei's house has bricks! 4Jan 11, 2009 1:07 pm I love your floor plan....have to agree on the laundry/linen cupboard door though. Our old house had a hinged laundry door that opened in front of the broom cupboard. It drove me CRAZY for 22 years! Every time I had to get the vacuum cleaner or ironing board out, it was a pain. Open laundry door, go through, close laundry door, open cupboard door, get what you need, close cupboard door, step back, open laundry door.....
I can't help with colours - I hate beige AND grey, at least unless they're offset by something more interesting.... sorry. Re: Alulei's house has bricks! 5Jan 11, 2009 1:10 pm That's a great plan.. I think 28 squares is a perfect size.. I wish mine was that big..
Only thing I don't like but is a personal preference thing is not having a vanity in the bathroom.. It means you would have to get dressed in the bathroom before using the vanity. Re: Alulei's house has bricks! 6Jan 11, 2009 1:46 pm Just a thought....what are you planning to use your family and rumpus rooms primarily for? You might want to be able to close them off from each other, so even if you don't put doors on now, adding bulkheads to the doorways would make that easier down the track. Banging up some architraves and hanging a door is pretty simple if the plaster is already in place.
Your needs tend to change a lot when you have small children, and then again when the kids get older, so it's worth putting some though into potential future changes that you might want. Re: Alulei's house has bricks! 7Jan 11, 2009 3:09 pm Hi there kek and wakeboardandy. Thanks for your input!
I am now wondering just how I am going to get those changes to the laundry door situation through. If they need to re-draw the plans entirely to accommodate this it could be quite costly! I will see how well I do by just asking nicely. Our consultant has been becoming increasingly abrupt/arrogant/rude since we signed - though I suspect he has always been a tad like this but we didn't notice as we were caught up in the excitement! Will cross my fingers and get in contact with him early this week I think. kek: Plan is to use the Rumpus as an 8 ball room down the track for my boy and his mates. I feel you may be right with adding the bulkheads now - afterall if they are going to get rowdy I'd like to be able to "shut them out" Once again: it's a case of what I can get away with between now and builders interview and whether they have to re-draw. I can't see that any of these things will have structural implications so I am really hopeful that they will be kind to us. wakeboardandy: hadn't thought of our main bathroom like that before! I guess it's the trade-off for having people be able to use the sink and mirror while someone else is showering - which we thought was important (we seem to always be having words about this!). I guess the selfish part of me says "well it won't be us using it anyway" Ohhhh I cannot wait to have an ensuite *content sigh*. Thanks everyone for your help and thoughts! Re: Alulei's house has bricks! 8Jan 11, 2009 3:14 pm Oh, and I just wanted to share. My partner happened to be wandering past and had a look at what I was typing. He asked to read everyones comments and then said "Wow. I didn't realise there were forums out there where people were actually nice". Thought I would pass that along.
It's true: people here ARE really nice and helpful! So thanks again! Re: Alulei's house has bricks! 9Jan 11, 2009 6:14 pm alulei The store room we have on our plan is actually going to be my partner's study. Due to it having no independant light and ventillation we were advised to call it a store room to get it through the council. Looking at the plan day after day for so many months you forget things like the fact it has "Store" written on it and to other people it would obviously look like a store room! Or perhaps that is my blonde roots showing Are you in the process of building or renovating, too? Ahhh this makes sense now! Well in that case I'd still chuck a door on... don't know about you guys but our study is always a pigsty with papers and pens everywhere! I only get around to doing the filing every month or so. Our Study was opening into the kitchen area too, my hubby and I were like... "brick that sh!t up!" haha... We're building our second home at the moment, very close to completion - should have the keys by month end. But we've gone through the process three times, the second time our builder didn't work out. So we're old hands at the floor plan thing!! Also, forgot to mention, a door on the theatre room I think is a bit of neccessity so you can blast the surround sound without driving the rest of the family nuts! Depending on the size of the room you could either do wall cavity sliders like your WIR, or a door with the 180degree hinge opening into the Theatre. Direction of the opening would depend on what end of the room your planning on having the couches and what end you want the TV. Building the Grand Harmony Triple with Scott Park Homes Re: Alulei's house has bricks! 10Jan 11, 2009 7:09 pm hi alulei,
just a couple of comments/suggestions/questions: - if it was my house, i would make the WIR in the master bed slightly bigger and make the store a STUDY room (that's because i have kids and they would be needing it) - close of the HT room with a sliding door - remove the Retreat walls (open plan is better) - same comment as others regarding the laundry. other han that, nice plan! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Built the Nevada 42 Next project - landscaping! Re: Alulei's house has bricks! 11Jan 11, 2009 7:24 pm I'd also make the ensuite door a sliding door.
Great plan. Good luck. Re: Alulei's house has bricks! 12Jan 11, 2009 7:28 pm I forgot about your brick question. We're using the PGH Rattan. They're a brown colour with a cream kind of glaze over the top. Best of both worlds. Keep your eye on Seakly's thread, she'd due to have her bricks started very soon, then we can have a sticky beak at how they look.
https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?t=9539 Re: Advice Wanted 13Mar 28, 2009 1:48 pm Hi all! Guess what! We've started! (Kinda) We went to visit the block today. They did our site scrape yesterday and now we have dolamite! YAY!!!!!! There were workmen there doing the nature strips down our road and some people on another building site behind us. Did I mention YAY? Will get killed if he finds out I posted this - but I know how much you guys love the pics... so here goes! Us with our dirt Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: Advice Wanted 14Mar 28, 2009 3:49 pm Oh congrats on starting!!! We have a beige colour on our external cladding and I hate beige - and now I hate it more. It looks okay but it is so not me. Tell your partner to stand his ground!! I love your house plan - was drooling over the size of your storage room and are totally devastated to find out it's not storage! I so wish I had one. I believe you have the two best uses of space bathrooms I have seen on any plan. I was trying to get my ensuite like that but my partner wanted a spa as well. Your other bathroom is the perfect solution to that where do people who use the toilet wash their hands. The only thing I'd change if it was my house is rejig the retreat/bedroom - you lose a lot of space with that walkway. And I'd add doors to the home theatre and rumpus. Can't wait to see it when it's finished. Fi has moved in!! Re: Advice Wanted 15Mar 28, 2009 4:13 pm Oh yay. So glad it is starting for you. I have been driving past that estate each day on my way home from work. I can't beleive how quickly houses are going up in your stage. And my street finally looks like there is some action there too. Maybe July settlement will happen (ha). Re: Advice Wanted 16Mar 28, 2009 4:25 pm yaayy, how exciting - I love your floorplan, and you both look so cute standing there! We have to get down to our site and do the same thing soon toO!!! Annie A thankful person is a happy person. [/color]My hobby design blog: http://aviewondesign.blogspot.com/ Re: Advice Wanted 17Mar 28, 2009 5:05 pm Thanks, Brittany! It's all very exciting!! We ended up picking "oyster" in PGH brick with black windows, black roof tile, monument gutters and fascias and manor red pannel lift and front door (which we will have to paint ourselves after as it is "too dark" and may cause buckling ) Our block is only small - 450m2 roughly, and between having 3 bedrooms and a pool room (rumpus) for my partner, a lot of the space was taken up. I see what you mean about the retreat and use of space - but I had seen a few "retreats" in bedrooms in our many months of looking around display homes and I just had to have one as a partially seperate room in our bedroom. It will be more like my reading corner. It was a compromise when I couldn't have a small sitting room/lounge room at the front of the house - there was not enough room with a double garage unless we moved the main bedroom to the back (didn't want to do this). Plan to keep the rumpus open but have made allowances (bulkheads) on entry to study and media incase we decide at a later date to put doors on. Will see how we feel when we get in there In SA the seperate toilet/sink/bath and shower is a fairly common thing - though normally it is a slightly different layout to ours in our main bathroom. We won't be putting a wall mounted sink or anything - I am one of those people who cleans light switches and door knobs constantly anyway - and since we don't have kids as yet, this toilet won't get used all that often for the first few years. Thanks for your suggestions!! Thanks Dummyspit - we are keeping our fingers crossed that we'll be in by December. If nothing goes horribly wrong we should be right. I will keep my fingers crossed for your July settlement - that would make 6 months of waiting, which is only so slightly better than our 7 months. It is so hard waiting, knowing there is a vacant block just waiting to have your house built on it!! Thanks for saying so, Annietom - we forgot our sunnies and were all crinkly faced while standing there so I kept telling dad to take a few steps back hehe I am hoping to do a time-lapse type thing from the other side of the road. We took our first in the series today - we will see how long I stay motivated to do this!! ....slab to come.... I am told "within 3 weeks". Can't wait til I can get a real feel for how big our home is going to be! YAY! (Sorry, long post) Re: Advice Wanted 18Mar 28, 2009 6:43 pm congrats alulei!!! all very exciting, love your plan!! keep the piccies coming!!! 2014 - Prepping to build the Soho 4 with Plantation homes, industrial style 2009 - Built the Brampton with Coral Homes viewtopic.php?f=31&t=15399&start=280 Re: Advice Wanted 19Mar 28, 2009 6:52 pm Annietom yaayy, how exciting - I love your floorplan, and you both look so cute standing there! We have to get down to our site and do the same thing soon toO!!! Annie Ditto! and Congrats alulei Your colours sound really nice.....am looking forward to following your build Haha Annie....it never occurred to me until you said it, that despite the dozens upon dozens of times we've been to our block, we haven't takne photos of it with us posing!!...hmm, l must put that on the to-do list! Re: Advice Wanted 20May 03, 2009 10:52 am Hi all! Been awhlle since my last post. We got a slab about 3 weeks ago. Went to the block to take our usual Saturday morning piccies yesterday.... and we have bricks!!! I was sooooooo happy to see them - I have been a little worried that they might be a little browny/tan from how they look on my monitor - but no! they're grey (on 3 sides, anyway) YAY! Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Some edges of the tiled areas have been in water for atleast the last week and have started to crumble a little... I hope it's not a big deal and I'm sure if it is my SS will fix it. Not that I've met him yet Is this normal/Ok? Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ I think frame is due to start. I guess it depends on the weather? Might find an excuse to talk to the SS this week... Interesting. You have great clearance to damp proof course all the way around which is rare with so many cowboy landscapers and concreters. Is there sufficient fall… 2 2418 DIY, Home Maintenance & Repair to do it properly you need to dig out the garden and waterproof the outside of the wall. There are some products you can put on the face of the bricks but the water is… 2 4624 |