Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Mar 06, 2009 9:54 pm Great site! Great resource!
I wished I came across this site 12 months ago. I feel like I have been running around home sale sharks trying to take my first $1000. I've bought a fantastic corner property in a leafy suburb in Melbourne. The long side of the corner property is long north facing... perfect to entertain outdoors. My problem ****** with a gradual 3 meter fall from driveway (high) to back of property (low). To level the property will cost approx. $30k... albeit quote from a sales man. And once it is level, most Metricon homes can't fit because the driveway incline is to steep for any car. My blog is 24m long and 13m wide only. I am currently weighing my options: 1 - Keep finding a volume builder that has a design that fits on my property but still pay the hefty $30k to level the fall.... I am worried I am settling for something I don't want just because it fits... and paying lots of $$ for it. 2 - Or, do volume builders build on stumps to avoid levelling fall? Most are flat concrete slabs. 3 - Or, with the total money spent just to level the darn property, should I just engage an Architect design approach to manage the whole process from design to finding the builder to build my dream home? How much do architect costs and are they worth it? Interesting in your advices through your valuably experiences! Thank you. Dave Re: Building on a 3m fall :? :? 2Mar 06, 2009 10:19 pm Hi there
When you bought the block I imagine that you realised that you couldn't engage a volume builder and simply put a boring 20 sq house on it. You would have bought the block as it is in a good area and probably due to the slope was a little cheaper than a flat block in the same area. Now Since you have yur location, build a house to suit the block, mainly by using a split level design, whereby you would have you garage built on a suspended slab to get it off the ground and the rest of the house on stumps, requiring minimal cutting, and good elevated views at the rear. You can even cut in at the rear and put an area over it and have like a rumpus / 4th b/r downstairs. Volume builder won't do it because they don't have to, they have far enougth work sitting in mass production estates to not worry about taking a little extra time to do something different. Take the plunge, get some ideas of builders that specialise in sloping blocks and you will get an idea what you are in for. at the end of the day when it is completed your house will be worth more than plain jane next door on a flat block with a standard mass production brick veneer house. Good luck Re: Building on a 3m fall :? :? 3Mar 07, 2009 9:11 am Hi hunts01
Your points are dead accurate... do you know me? j/king! The land was beautiful and we did buy it at a bargain because of the fall... being a first home buyer... we were duped by the real estate sales man. From your advise, we have been spending the last 12 months, inconsistently speaking to the wrong people. I will certainly check out builders that specialise with sloping blocks. A question, I have heard building on stumps are cheaper than cement? True/False? And, what should I be expecting as a budget to build on sloping blocks - cost per square? Thank you! You have saved us a whole lot of heartache. Re: Building on a 3m fall :? :? 5Mar 07, 2009 10:26 am We've now got three massive retaining walls on our property - rear, and both sides. We still have to build a retaining wall at the front and a small one of the side of the garage. These are things to need to factor into your costs. The big three were included in our price - the others we need to do to be able to use the property. Then we have to build new fences as our back yard is now as high as the perimeter fences. Fi has moved in!! Re: Building on a 3m fall :? :? 6Mar 07, 2009 10:43 am You could build into the hill.
I was almost tempted to buy a sloping block just to do this. http://www.shelterspace.com/ Re: Building on a 3m fall :? :? 7Mar 07, 2009 12:07 pm Hi Dave,
We too are building on a sloping block. I found for some initial info, this site a great help. http://www.splitlevelhomes.com.au/ Not sure if you have done a search on this forum either, but here is a thread to get you started! https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.p ... ht=sloping Bel Still not in. Don't ask!? Re: Building on a 3m fall :? :? 8Mar 07, 2009 12:23 pm Ello, congrats on the purchase
I'm in Ringwood East just near Bayswater Road so I'm pretty familiar with the area you have just purchased in Not sure where the salesperson for the figure for $30k from , most likely from his rear end but to level the entire block would cost a lot more than that. Also do you really want to live half in a dug out 3m pit ?. Sloping block builders would be the way to go and some are quite competative considering its a custom house. Ones that I've personally considered/dealt with are : LP Warren (mentioned) Rycon Constructions (the builder I'm going with) Greater Melbourne Homes (my second choice). Ashbrae Homes (budget - designer kit home styled) In regards to either stumps or slab - generally slab is cheaper but with your block that decision will ultimately be up to the builder and the engineers report on whats best for your block and house. With a sloping block theres other issues at play and you might even end up with a half slab / half stumps Anyway good luck, I look forward to hearing about your progress. Nikki Building Upside down house in Wantirna VIC Current Stage: Procrastination... it's just all too hard.... Blog: http://thereluctantbuilder.blogspot.com/ Re: Building on a 3m fall :? :? 9Mar 07, 2009 5:08 pm No worries. Just saw another reply mentioning a few building compaines.
I went through all of them and my opinion for what it is worth is as follows. Rycon would be my choice, spoke to a bloke named leigh Shoebridge, fantastic. Lp Warren homes, were not really interested basically because we only wanted to spend maximum 270k. Once I experienced their lack of interest my interest with them suddenly disappeared. GMH not bad spoke to Russell, although he could talk underwater and promised a price and then when he "looked into it further" added about an extra 40k. Another company to consult would be Classique homes they have a display out in Doreen, there finish was quality, similar to Rycon. The only reason we didn't go with any of them was that we couldn't afford the extra 40k and have no choise but to owner build. If I did have the extra 40k i would be going with Rycon or Classique homes. Another advantage is that they all offer the design service as par tof their price, and obviously they are experienced at the sloping blocks and what would work. Good luck keep us posted on how you go. Thank you 10Mar 07, 2009 7:37 pm Wow. Thanks for the great tips and sharing your experiences.
From some of your suggestions, I've searched and found some old posts which has been really helpful too. It looks like tomorrow I'll be calling Rycon and GMH. I'm on the SE suburbs so GMH will be a fare drive away. Looking at all the pictures is getting me excited and I'd love to build a tri-level home. My budget is $220k for maybe a 25sq home. PDS - Thank you for offering your services. I'll PM you. Do you have a website for us to share? I'm sure others might be interested too. Reading ozkarnak's blog and many others... This has also inspired me to blog about my experience. I'll look to create one now! PS - I actually run a blog marketing agency. Bloggers can join our network and I'll find brands to advertise on your blog and you get paid. If you are interested, check out http://nuffnang.com.au to sign up - it's free. We have an ANZ Bank campaign at the moment and giving away some movie tickets for Village Roadshow. Re: Building on a 3m fall :? :? 11Jul 02, 2009 9:19 pm just wondering if anyone has contact details for PDS i sent him a pm weeks ago but he hasent been on since i sent him a pm Hi Kingdave just wondering where you are at at present with your building ideas it looks like we might be building a split level home as we are on a slopping block as well and one of the big builders quoteds us 40k plus for site costs cheers Re: Building on a 3m fall :? :? 12Jul 03, 2009 2:06 pm We brought a block that has about 2m of fall. We decided to build through a private builder in our area as we wanted a house on stumps because we don't like the look of when its been cut and with retaining walls. We cut back on a few things to save on costs, but we actually have really grown on them and decide the changes we made are better for what we are after. We are getting around a 23sq linea weatherboard home on stumps which includes: Double Lock up Garage (6X6.6m) 3 bedrooms Study Ensuite to master Lounge room Family area (separate from lounge) Meals area Gas ducted heating (in floor) 8.6ft ceilings Colorbond roof Solar hot water service I think I have covered most of it We got all of this for around $180,000. But we spent a little extra and got better weatherboard Re: Building on a 3m fall :? :? 13Jul 03, 2009 2:11 pm Where abouts are you building focus06? Custom downslope build Build thread viewtopic.php?f=31&t=61873 Blog http://www.buildingroyalmanor.blogspot.com.au Re: Building on a 3m fall :? :? 15Jul 03, 2009 2:31 pm Hi there, we also have a sloping block, higher at the top then it gradually slopes down, we are having 1000mm overall cut to the front and 600mm fill to the back, we decided on setting the house as far back as we could , so that we don't look like we have built a house in a hole. Fortunately our block is 1000sqm so we will have a big front and back yard and still have a 35sq home. Our cost came in at $17000 but that may increase if there is any rock or more fill required. Fingers crossed for you. https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=19655 FINALLY slab down 5th SEPT Oct 16 Bricking/ plaster starting Dec 1 Painting started END OF CONTRACT IS UP SOON HURRY UP AND FINISH MY HOME..... countdown to 27th Feb. LATROBE 320 WITH DENNIS FAMILY HOMES Re: Building on a 3m fall :? :? 16Jul 03, 2009 3:06 pm thechlochlo Hi there, we also have a sloping block, higher at the top then it gradually slopes down, we are having 1000mm overall cut to the front and 600mm fill to the back, we decided on setting the house as far back as we could , so that we don't look like we have built a house in a hole. Fortunately our block is 1000sqm so we will have a big front and back yard and still have a 35sq home. Our cost came in at $17000 but that may increase if there is any rock or more fill required. Fingers crossed for you. How much is your house costing so far; all together? Re: Building on a 3m fall :? :? 17Jul 03, 2009 3:37 pm Focus06 thechlochlo Hi there, we also have a sloping block, higher at the top then it gradually slopes down, we are having 1000mm overall cut to the front and 600mm fill to the back, we decided on setting the house as far back as we could , so that we don't look like we have built a house in a hole. Fortunately our block is 1000sqm so we will have a big front and back yard and still have a 35sq home. Our cost came in at $17000 but that may increase if there is any rock or more fill required. Fingers crossed for you. How much is your house costing so far; all together? It started out as being $218,000 but we upgraded and added a few things Bricks,Alfresco,entertainer doors, mortar colour etc etc now including our site cost it is $250,621. Our site get cut in about 2 weeks they've said today, fingers crossed it goes smoothly and there are no hidden suprises lurking beneath the grass https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=19655 FINALLY slab down 5th SEPT Oct 16 Bricking/ plaster starting Dec 1 Painting started END OF CONTRACT IS UP SOON HURRY UP AND FINISH MY HOME..... countdown to 27th Feb. LATROBE 320 WITH DENNIS FAMILY HOMES Re: Building on a 3m fall :? :? 18Jul 03, 2009 4:11 pm thechlochlo Hi there, we also have a sloping block, higher at the top then it gradually slopes down, we are having 1000mm overall cut to the front and 600mm fill to the back, we decided on setting the house as far back as we could , so that we don't look like we have built a house in a hole. Fortunately our block is 1000sqm so we will have a big front and back yard and still have a 35sq home. Our cost came in at $17000 but that may increase if there is any rock or more fill required. Fingers crossed for you. hi there thwchlochlo where in melb are you building and who with please Re: Building on a 3m fall :? :? 19Jul 03, 2009 4:59 pm Missing Link thechlochlo Hi there, we also have a sloping block, higher at the top then it gradually slopes down, we are having 1000mm overall cut to the front and 600mm fill to the back, we decided on setting the house as far back as we could , so that we don't look like we have built a house in a hole. Fortunately our block is 1000sqm so we will have a big front and back yard and still have a 35sq home. Our cost came in at $17000 but that may increase if there is any rock or more fill required. Fingers crossed for you. hi there thwchlochlo where in melb are you building and who with please Hi Missing Link, We're not in Melbourne we're in Warrnambool building with D.Family.H https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=19655 FINALLY slab down 5th SEPT Oct 16 Bricking/ plaster starting Dec 1 Painting started END OF CONTRACT IS UP SOON HURRY UP AND FINISH MY HOME..... countdown to 27th Feb. LATROBE 320 WITH DENNIS FAMILY HOMES Re: Building on a 3m fall :? :? 20Jul 03, 2009 10:18 pm Hi all Just thought I would add my bit - we are building on a block that has required a 3.5mt cut - pretty big. Site works commenced 4 weeks ago and are still going! We chose a small builder and have cut to fit a 35sq slab house on a 1352m2 block. And.....we hit rock on day 3. Not nice. Some photos on my thread. I wish a you luck with your cut thechlochlo, I hope it all goes well for you. JL Thank you Splashers. Tomorrow I might check if I can get a few packs of 300x300 in the same tile finish. It may be good to use these could in the shower recesses. I'm not… 4 4671 I've got a challenge here. Background is the builder has cut too deep for the slab and the slab is now below the very substantial retaining wall. It's failed occupancy… 0 18375 Thanks for your reply. I will just wait and see I guess. Trying to get some more information from our builder. 9 30236 |