Browse Forums Building A New House 1 May 11, 2009 10:47 pm Hi everyone, I've been reading this forum quite a lot recently (I only wish I found out about this before we started building - oh well!) and would like to share our story. I'm a bit late in posting our home building story (we are about to get plastered), I guess the main reason for doing this earlier, is leading up to this point, it's been a bit stressful and quite emotional time. We bought our land back in December 2007 and fell in love with the H3nley Ascot 384. The plan was exactly what we were after. All the living areas on one side as we are right on a bird sanctuary with city views. The sales consultant unfortunately sited the wrong version of the house (an earlier model) so we had to seek approval from neighbours and our estate's body corporate as well as council. It took 3 months to get all 3 approved. We proceeded with the tender and apon contract signing our estate's body corporate kindly knocked back our plan as we needed to have some sort of articulation on the side of the house (there's a path along the water that people can walk past) and they wanted it to look "like a place of residence" - what the???? Anyway, that suited us cause we actually wanted a balcony on the top side to utilise the views more. H3nley were great in helping us out and drew up a wonderful 8m balcony for us. We now thought we were ready to go! Once again we submitted our plans and once again it was knocked back.... the alfresco roof pitch wasn't at the minimum angle. We LOVED this alfresco roof that we wanted so we kept fighting. My husband and I had to meet with the executive committee to present our case and ask for approval. FINALLY they approved and we were ready to go! This was now November 2008, almost a year after we bought the land. We offically began on our block on the 12th December 2008!!! Of course we then had the Christmas break so we didn't get the slab until mid January 09. We had some issues with our initial SS who just wasn't across everything and not suprisingly he left. We now have a great SS who has great communication skills and seems to be on the ball. Things are moving a lot quicker now. At the moment we only have the top half of our bricks cleaned (the bottom half will be done once the side balcony has been built). We will be getting the whole house rendered (H3nley will do the balcony render and we will do the rest of the house afterwards - much cheaper!!) All outside is completed except for the plaster under the alfresco roof and front balcony. Eaves have been done. Internally we have had all our pre-wiring done (theatre stuff, telephone and electrical lighting). We spent yesterday checking that all the light switches are all in the correct place and the downlight positions are correct. It took a while but suprisingly everything was correct They completed all the electrical wiring as well as external wiring today. Plaster was delivered so I guess we're ready to get plastered!! The garage roof is delivered as well as the stairs!! Building our dream home - H3nley Ascot 384 Painting done - electrical, alarm and tiling being completed!! viewtopic.php?f=31&t=17939 Re: Macca's Home - A late posting 2May 11, 2009 11:23 pm Wow Macca!!! You'll have a gorgeous view I can't wait to see how your house progresses viewtopic.php?f=31&t=22766 - my build thread! Time waits for no man. Unless that man is Chuck Norris. Re: Macca's Home - A late posting (about to start plastering!) 3May 12, 2009 8:27 am Jodie80 Wow Macca!!! You'll have a gorgeous view I can't wait to see how your house progresses Thanks Jodie!! We're pretty happy with it. We weren't sure if we could see the city or not when we bought the block so we were stoked when we could get upstairs for the first time!! Building our dream home - H3nley Ascot 384 Painting done - electrical, alarm and tiling being completed!! viewtopic.php?f=31&t=17939 Re: Macca's Home -A late posting (we're about to get plastered!) 4May 12, 2009 8:45 am What a lovely spot to build a home Initially I thought you must be somewhere in the country but then I noted the city views in your last pic Re: Macca's Home -A late posting (we're about to get plastered!) 5May 12, 2009 10:00 am Tillie What a lovely spot to build a home Initially I thought you must be somewhere in the country but then I noted the city views in your last pic he, he... it definately feels like we're in the country!! We're 20mins west of Melbourne city! Building our dream home - H3nley Ascot 384 Painting done - electrical, alarm and tiling being completed!! viewtopic.php?f=31&t=17939 Re: Macca's Home -A late posting (we're about to get plastered!) 8May 12, 2009 8:09 pm mattydals Hey Macca, looks fantastic, alfresco roof is awesome! Hope it keeps going well for you. Cheers Thanks Mattydals!!! It now feels worth it after all the issues we had at the beginning How's your's coming along Vkumar Hi Macca Pics look great. Enjoy Thanks Vkumar - how's your place coming along? Have you begun plastering? Building our dream home - H3nley Ascot 384 Painting done - electrical, alarm and tiling being completed!! viewtopic.php?f=31&t=17939 Re: Macca's Home -A late posting (we're about to get plastered!) 9May 12, 2009 8:13 pm Hey Macca gongrats the pics look fantastic that is a great view...NYE will be interesting for you Re: Macca's Home -A late posting (we're about to get plastered!) 10May 13, 2009 9:12 am Hi Macca Plaster should begin this Thursday. I will also try to build a blog for my house so I can share my house pics with you all. I am currently trying to get quotations for blinds and curtains and it is quite interesting. Also started looking for furniture. Will keep you posted. Re: Macca's Home -A late posting (we're about to get plastered!) 11May 13, 2009 9:21 am lildutchgringo Hey Macca gongrats the pics look fantastic that is a great view...NYE will be interesting for you Thanks!!! Yes... apparantly my friends have already organised the NYE party at our place! I just hope I'm not going to be running around wiping after each drink gets set down, make sure people to take off their shoes from the new floorboards / carpets and just generally watching to ensure no one touches the new house!! I guess all it takes is the first mark/scratch to happen and then it will be fine. Building our dream home - H3nley Ascot 384 Painting done - electrical, alarm and tiling being completed!! viewtopic.php?f=31&t=17939 Re: Macca's Home -A late posting (we're about to get plastered!) 12May 13, 2009 9:34 am Looking good Macca... can't wait till we get to your stage...... Everyone keeps telling us we will be having new years at our place and I think i'd be the same.... I will cry when the first mark or scratch comes up!!! Just wait till kids are around haha I think I will die! 2nd build here we come in Whittlesea! https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=92617 1st Build - Henley - Cooper in Doreen! (2009) https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=17354 Re: Macca's Home -A late posting (we're about to get plastered!) 13May 13, 2009 11:50 am Good luck with it all. Macca! I'll be watching your thread closely as we are at roughly the same stage...though I think you are probably a week ahead of me! Loving the alfresco, and can't wait to see how the side balcony looks! Henley - Wilshire Mk 3 ... I love my house!! Site start: 4th Feb 09 Handover: 10th Sep 09 Blog: http://stormygirlscastle.blogspot.com/ Build Thread: viewtopic.php?t=7166 Re: Macca's Home -A late posting (we're about to get plastered!) 14May 13, 2009 12:06 pm Stormy Good luck with it all. Macca! I'll be watching your thread closely as we are at roughly the same stage...though I think you are probably a week ahead of me! Loving the alfresco, and can't wait to see how the side balcony looks! Thanks Stormy - we can compare notes!! Nothing to report so far - the plaster hasn't started yet as we noted that they had forgotten a light point on the stairs (make sure when they do your electricals that you go through it before they plaster!). We also wanted to choose the placements of our external lights so we asked our SS to notify us when we need to chalk the brickwork. He told us that we do it once it's been rendered but on visiting Monday night, they had already done the electrical wiring without the render! Oops! Lucky it was in the position we wanted Our stairs got delivered yesterday and our timber for the side balcony is waiting - apparantly they are finding it hard to get chippies at the moment - I too can't wait - should make the house look different. I'm watching your progress too! It's actually interesting reading your updates as sometimes the process is slightly different to what's happening at our house. Interesting seeing how different SS's work. Good luck! Hopefully your bricks are finished today Building our dream home - H3nley Ascot 384 Painting done - electrical, alarm and tiling being completed!! viewtopic.php?f=31&t=17939 Re: Macca's Home -A late posting (we're about to get plastered!) 15May 13, 2009 1:13 pm Thanks Macca! No the brickies won't be finished today, they still have the top part of the portico and the remainder of the garage to go. That's OK, I have no dramas if they take their time!! The acid wash is booked in for next week, so they still have a few days! The electricals are going in now, and plaster is due to begin on the 15th (roughly)! Still no heating or evap cooling ducts. I've told hubby to come home early (before it gets dark) so we can check through the wiring. Stairs already? That's great!! I can't wait for mine...no more scary ladder (which, of course, I have never climbed up Shhhh!) My eaves are due this week or next week too, so we are not too far behind!! I think this stage is more exciting that the frame stage! Or maybe I have just forgotten how excited I was. At least now it looks like a house, not a whole heap of matchsticks! Henley - Wilshire Mk 3 ... I love my house!! Site start: 4th Feb 09 Handover: 10th Sep 09 Blog: http://stormygirlscastle.blogspot.com/ Build Thread: viewtopic.php?t=7166 Re: Macca's Home -A late posting (we're about to get plastered!) 16May 13, 2009 3:03 pm What ladder??? Your stairs are going to look fabulous!! Yeah it's definately more exciting as there's just so much happening even if they are little things (I was so excited when the back cladding went on!!). I agree, I think we get so excited now because we can just taste the moving in date.... Building our dream home - H3nley Ascot 384 Painting done - electrical, alarm and tiling being completed!! viewtopic.php?f=31&t=17939 Re: Macca's Home - Has been plastered and brick cleaned!! 17May 18, 2009 5:10 pm Sometimes I am amazed at the speed of construction!! Thursday night before I flew out to Sydney, I did a quick drive by and saw a team of plasterers at 5.30pm - busily working on our home!! How funny!! Not too sure how they managed in that kind of light... So on our return to Melbourne on Sunday, we stopped by and managed to sneak into the home and see the whole house had been completed! All I can say is WOW! What a difference plaster makes to the place!! It really does feel like a home now and it reminded us of the feeling we got when we walked through the display for the first time. I think I fell in love with the house all over again It was too dark to go in and take photo's, so I'll try and do it later on in the week. Today we had the brick cleaners at our house doing the final clean all over the house! We just need them to start on that side balcony... I have a funny feeling that the balcony (which was the cause of many sleepless nights getting this included) will now slow it all down Building our dream home - H3nley Ascot 384 Painting done - electrical, alarm and tiling being completed!! viewtopic.php?f=31&t=17939 Re: Macca's Home - Side balcony started - New pics 23.05.09 18May 23, 2009 9:21 pm I am very excited to write this post!!!! H3nley have started on our side balcony!!!! The amount of stress and time it took to get this, it's so rewarding to see if finally start. H3nley have been great in helping us get this so just a quick thank you to them if they happen to read this We were surprised to see someone working on the place today (Saturday) finishing the cornices! We went back later on to take some pics. So far they have completed all the plaster and cornices and we were told that the kitchen and stairs go in next week (can't wait!). The roof tiles, gutter and fascia have been delivered for the garage. Can't wait to see that as it will complete the outside. Below are some laters pictures. The side balcony!! (sorry, we are a tad excited about this!) Entering through the front door and looking through to the back of the house Kitchen looking into the family room and the theatre room (the door on the left) Upstairs TV room (you can see the balcony!!) Entrance into the main bedroom The guest's room doesn't have a bad view either!! And last but not least - our ensuite spa bath!! Building our dream home - H3nley Ascot 384 Painting done - electrical, alarm and tiling being completed!! viewtopic.php?f=31&t=17939 Re: Macca's Home - Side balcony started - New pics 23.05.09 19May 23, 2009 9:29 pm Looking good Macca!! 'A bottle of wine contains more philosophy than all the books in the world.' Louis Pasteur Vegie garden: viewtopic.php?f=19&t=27637&start=0 My Backyard Adventure Re: Macca's Home - Side balcony started - New pics 23.05.09 20May 23, 2009 9:31 pm Whoo Hoo!! Fantastic, Macca! Doesn't it look fabulous with the plaster! I can't wait for mine sometime this week! Congrats on the start of the balcony! It's going to look wonderful. Henley - Wilshire Mk 3 ... I love my house!! Site start: 4th Feb 09 Handover: 10th Sep 09 Blog: http://stormygirlscastle.blogspot.com/ Build Thread: viewtopic.php?t=7166 I recently went through a similar renovation and move scenario when updating our family home. We also swapped some rooms around and tackled a major… 2 10040 Assuming the structure of your cabinetry is good then I would DIY everything as follows: - replace your counter tops entirely, - replace all drawer runners with soft close… 1 4782 Is it just a report written to give to the bank initially and it is based on what and how your payments are made up for, or is it a full service where they go out and… 2 5599 |