Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Jul 07, 2007 11:06 pm What were on the top of your list for upgrades from your builders standard inclusions OR alternately, what did you forget about and kick yourself daily for.
Am especially interested in the low cost items that make a big difference but are easy to forget. Here are some of my top picks: > obscure glass to bathroom (no cost) > exhaust fan in laundry (no cost) > extra noggin to enable clothes drier to be wall mounted (yes you need to ask for this - not standard generally) > drains to wet areas (about $250 each > weather stripping around doors ($200 whole house - bargain) > we are increasing the depth of all our BIR to 600mm (500 isn't really wide enough to clear adult size clothes - no cost) > extra wall tiles to bathrooms and especially toilets, especially if you are planning to have kids who will be toilet trained in that toilet! > whirly bird on roof These are a bit more expensive, but still cheap considering the benefits: > zoning for gas ducted heating and upgrading to 4 or 5 star system (saves you $ in the long run - esp in chilly melb) > upgrade bulk insulation - such a bargain when you think about the long term savings. We were surprised with 5 star that our builder still doesn't put bulk insulation in the walls as standard! We are getting R2 Interested to here other suggestions![/list] Re: Best upgrade / variation ideas to builders standard incls 2Jul 07, 2007 11:54 pm Our upgrades will be:
Upgraded brick choice. Upgraded roof tile choice. Wall insulation to R2.0. Ceiling insulation to R4.0. Sarking. Ducting only for air-con. Alarm. Remote garage. Upgraded gas kitchen appliances. Continous gas hot water system (Rinnai). Eaves. Ducted rangehood. Double glazing. Brickwork above garage. Extra brickwork to rear wall cladding. Extra windows to north side house. Drawers to bathroom vanities. Frosted glass to bathrooms. Tiles to ceiling in bathrooms. Water tap for fridge. External gas point for BBQ. 3-phase power to metre box. Re: Best upgrade / variation ideas to builders standard incls 3Jul 07, 2007 11:56 pm - electric roller door on garage
- larger shower1200 x 900 - spa upgrade for ensuite - gas point to alfresco - PSB3 acoustic noise control batts to home theatre - additional telephone point - two extra tv points - external lighting rear yard - reversible ceiling fans with lights for all bedrooms - ceiling fan for alfresco - flyscreens on all windows and sliding doors - zoned ducted heating We're only in this process now - I'm sure the list is about to double Re: Best upgrade / variation ideas to builders standard incls 4Jul 08, 2007 2:21 pm *Brick infills above all windows and doors (as opposed to cement board)
*Remote Garage Door *Upgrade Bricks (didn't like the standard range) *Upgrade Roof Tiles *Flyscreens to all opening windows (done by the same company as the windows, and in the same colour as the windows) They were the main ones, then there were: *Higher doors to match the higher ceiling ($66 ea) *Slimline light switches ($10 per plate = $190 whole house) *Quad powerpoints where the TV and computer will go (can't remember how much and can't be bothered looking for it!) *Drawers to ensute vanity ($188?) *Full sized draw in leiu of cupboard door in kitchen for the bin (approx $330) *Tiled shower base in bathroom (ensuite was already) ($450) *Mirrored sliding robes in bed 2 and 3 ($220 ea room - which is a cheap mirror) *Exhaust fan to Laundry ($110) incase we can't duct the dryer *Extra powerpoints (think of any way you could re-arrange the room and have some where you'd need a lamp, desk, clock/radio, stereo, etc) *Light points to the outside at the front and rear (2 to front of house, 4 to rear where we'd be sitting outside) and so the list goes....................... it really does never end! Ray. Second Time 'Round Re: Best upgrade / variation ideas to builders standard incls 5Jul 08, 2007 7:57 pm First_Timer_Ray *Brick infills above all windows and doors (as opposed to cement board) Ha ha! Finally found someone who did the same as us! Nowadays all builders extend the top of windows (under eaves) to the top of brick walls to save cost (no longer require metal plate + brick above all windows), and it doesn't look good. First_Timer_Ray *Higher doors to match the higher ceiling ($66 ea) This is a good idea, we did ask for it but the "not so professional/helpful" colour selection specialist of our builder refused to even get a quote for us, she simply said it's very expensive to get a custom door and knock it back. I would have upgrade all my doors if I have known the price... Thanks for the information, would you mind tell me the name of the door supplier? First_Timer_Ray *Exhaust fan to Laundry ($110) incase we can't duct the dryer At first I don't quite understand why would "azi" want to do this, it makes sense now that you mentioned the "dryer".. First_Timer_Ray it really does never end! You are right, but I bet you will change your mind after you did the calculation. We added heaps of stuffs, and made a lot of changes as well. But after the quote comes back, we cooled down and start removing those that are "nice to have" and can be easily added after hand over... Cheers Allan http://building-our-first-house.blogspot.com/ Re: Best upgrade / variation ideas to builders standard incl 6Jul 08, 2007 8:16 pm Thanks for creating this post. I think it's a wonderful idea for everyone to share experiences on this. Unfortunately we already signed the contract, too late to change anything now...
azi > obscure glass to bathroom (no cost) > exhaust fan in laundry (no cost) I think it's because you still haven't pay any deposit or make any commitment. The sales always have a big margins to play with in the beginning and are always happy to make small cuts here and there just to get your business. azi > extra noggin to enable clothes drier to be wall mounted (yes you need to ask for this - not standard generally) I always thought those things come with the dryer?? Probably I was wrong... azi > drains to wet areas (about $250 each Isn't this standard? Are you saying that before you asked for this, there are some of your wet area doesn't include drains?? azi > weather stripping around doors ($200 whole house - bargain) This is interesting, never thought about asking for this. Is this the soft thing around the door, or the thing that covers the gap at the bottom of the door, or both? azi > we are increasing the depth of all our BIR to 600mm (500 isn't really wide enough to clear adult size clothes - no cost) Good point, our builder provides 580mm as standard and never thought about changing this. azi > extra wall tiles to bathrooms and especially toilets, especially if you are planning to have kids who will be toilet trained in that toilet! This is going to be expensive... azi > whirly bird on roof We asked for that and the sky tube/window as well, but our builder keep saying that it could cause leaking on the roof and they don't do it...Can only do that after hand over by ourself... Cheers Allan http://building-our-first-house.blogspot.com/ Re: Best upgrade / variation ideas to builders standard incls 7Jul 08, 2007 8:27 pm Cookiemonster Eaves. I found some builders (e.g. Clarendon) put this as optional in most of their houses. Personally think this is quite bad, as eaves would increase your BASIX rating, help protecting your window and it looks much better. Cookiemonster Brickwork above garage. Extra brickwork to rear wall cladding. This is a good one! There're also lots of builders putting timber above garage door, and replacing external brick walls on 1st floor with timber. I hate that, and this is one of the reasons we dumped Clarendon/Domain/Eden Brae (why should I pay extra for things that should have been included as standard??!!). Luckily our builder included that as standard. Cookiemonster Tiles to ceiling in bathrooms. Wonder how much they charge you for this, ours cost about $5K for tiling to ceiling for 3 bathrooms. Cookiemonster Water tap for fridge. Why is this required? Is that a special fridge? Cheers Allan http://building-our-first-house.blogspot.com/ Re: Best upgrade / variation ideas to builders standard incls 8Jul 08, 2007 8:41 pm Things we changed:
Add 3 brick course above all windows with eaves over Increase ceiling height of both floors to 2.7M Increase roof insulation from R3 to R3.5 Extend garage to the side Added 7.45M x 4.42M alfresco Add corbelling to front windows Increase height of kitchen top cupboard Provide bulkhead above kitchen top cupboards Terracotta roof Medium duty sarking, anti flap pads & anti ponding board External gas point Upgrade skirting, arche, door frames and window reveals to maple timber, stained Add hot/cold water point and drain point in alfresco Air Conditioning Alarm Heavy duty tracks to the cavity of all sliding doors (U type instead of J type) Cornice upgrade Upgrade kitchen granite benchtop to 40mm Upgrade bathroom benchtop to granite Tacked skirting board Cheers Allan http://building-our-first-house.blogspot.com/ Re: Best upgrade / variation ideas to builders standard incls 9Jul 09, 2007 8:33 am ahuang Cookiemonster Water tap for fridge. Why is this required? Is that a special fridge? You can get fridges that dispence cold water and ice. They require a water connection. The upgrade only costs $120 or so.. peanuts in the scheme of things. Re: Best upgrade / variation ideas to builders standard incls 10Jul 09, 2007 8:34 am ahuang Cookiemonster Tiles to ceiling in bathrooms. Wonder how much they charge you for this, ours cost about $5K for tiling to ceiling for 3 bathrooms. Im bracing myself. Haven't found out yet. Re: Best upgrade / variation ideas to builders standard incls 11Jul 09, 2007 11:29 am Cookiemonster ahuang Cookiemonster Water tap for fridge. Why is this required? Is that a special fridge? You can get fridges that dispence cold water and ice. They require a water connection. The upgrade only costs $120 or so.. peanuts in the scheme of things. Cool! I went to an open house in the weekend, and the owner modified an old fridge and installed 2 taps on the door. You press it and get cold beers straight away without opening the door! I was thinking if you are doing something similar... Cheers Allan http://building-our-first-house.blogspot.com/ Current stage: old house demolished, contract signed, fence ready, waiting for excavation to start... Re: Best upgrade / variation ideas to builders standard incls 12Jul 09, 2007 3:56 pm This one is more an extra than an upgrade: a water temperature controller. We had a Rinnai one with Infinity system. You can manually select maximum temperature, so it's very useful if you have children, and especially for babies' baths (takes all guessing out of trying to do 39 degrees). It was on the wall of our bathroom, and you have a separate display for kithen and another one for bathroom.
Very sad we can't have one for the new house, as we were told it does not work with solar hot water. Re: Best upgrade / variation ideas to builders standard incls 13Jul 09, 2007 4:08 pm mek - how much were the extra controllers? Re: Best upgrade / variation ideas to builders standard incls 14Jul 09, 2007 5:37 pm Hi, I've been lurking for months and am finally posting!
We've just finished building the Porter Davis Entertainer 44 near Werribee. We put in lots of upgrades - all the best bits in the display homes seem to be upgrades (I was pleasantly surprised to find that the staircase was standard and not an upgrade on a rope ladder!) My favourite upgrades are; My beautiful granite benchtop in the kitchen (about $3500) A drain in the laundry floor -no more washing machine flood disasters! (very cheap but very practical) An extra 2 metres on the garage. Actually I couldn't care less but I've added this because it's my husband's favourite! (about $5000 I think) Timber flooring - although not through the builder, too overpriced! Plantation shutters on as many windows as I could afford Extra tall doors to the family room and media room Ducted vacuuming (although they forgot to put in the dustpan thingy and are coming back to do that) We are moving on the weekend - it will be fun to finally enjoy all of these things. Re: Best upgrade / variation ideas to builders standard incls 15Jul 09, 2007 6:16 pm penjay A drain in the laundry floor -no more washing machine flood disasters! (very cheap but very practical) I can't believe a drain in the laundary isn't standard!!! Re: Best upgrade / variation ideas to builders standard incls 16Jul 09, 2007 6:23 pm Cookiemonster penjay A drain in the laundry floor -no more washing machine flood disasters! (very cheap but very practical) I can't believe a drain in the laundary isn't standard!!! I got the same question as well for my builder. That scares me a bit as I already signed the contract, and I can't find that been marked in the drawing and also can't find any photos of the floor (who would take photo of drain on the floor???) Hay Mark, to make me feel better, can you remember your previous house built by AllCastle, was there a drain in laundry and kitchen?? Cheers Allan http://building-our-first-house.blogspot.com/ Re: Best upgrade / variation ideas to builders standard incls 17Jul 09, 2007 6:32 pm ahuang Hay Mark, to make me feel better, can you remember your previous house built by AllCastle, was there a drain in laundry and kitchen?? Kitchen: No. Laundry: Yes. But I'd still check if I was you. My experience with Allcastle dates back to 1999. Re: Best upgrade / variation ideas to builders standard incls 18Jul 09, 2007 6:34 pm Cookiemonster ahuang Hay Mark, to make me feel better, can you remember your previous house built by AllCastle, was there a drain in laundry and kitchen?? Kitchen: No. Laundry: Yes. But I'd still check if I was you. My experience with Allcastle dates back to 1999. Thanks! Will definitely give them a call on this. Cheers Allan http://building-our-first-house.blogspot.com/ Re: Best upgrade / variation ideas to builders standard incls 19Jul 09, 2007 7:21 pm Cookiemonster,
Yes you'd think it would be standard but sadly not! We built with jennings last time and if it WAS standard we would have avoided a dreadful wet mess. Not standard with PD either, we had to ask for it. I'd advise everyone to check and see if it's standard with their builder. Towel rails and toilet roll holders aren't standard either - something we forgot. Re: Best upgrade / variation ideas to builders standard incls 20Jul 09, 2007 7:49 pm penjay Towel rails and toilet roll holders aren't standard either OK.. now thats just ridiculous. The irony. I'm starting to wonder if this a Bimguys second account. 84 27887 Are you saying that these consultants are involved at key-points of the building, and perform site inspects at the stages, or only after building is completed to point… 4 8524 Hi Marko The best thing to do is to have a look at your contract and see how the variation clause is worded. We use the NSW Fair trading contract and the way that is… 1 4755 |