Browse Forums Building A New House Re: Signing my Life Away James and Georgie's **PD Stanford 24** 2Jan 14, 2010 8:59 pm Good luck with your journey guys. Have fun. Re: Signing my Life Away James and Georgie's **PD Stanford 24** 3Jan 14, 2010 9:05 pm Hello and welcome to H1!! Lovely house plan. Did you make many changes from the original? Will be interesting to see how your build progresses!! Best of luck viewtopic.php?f=31&t=22766 - my build thread! Time waits for no man. Unless that man is Chuck Norris. Re: Signing my Life Away James and Georgie's **PD Stanford 24** 4Jan 14, 2010 9:13 pm Hi Guys, Love the plan, it's a great set up. I looked at this plan when I looked at PD and really liked it. Sounds like you have been waiting for ages but hopefully from here on out, things will get a move on Looking forward to seeing your build and all your colours Bek Bek I'm back Re: Signing my Life Away James and Georgie's **PD Stanford 24** 5Jan 14, 2010 9:23 pm Hi everyone I am the lovely girlfriend so I will be posting here aswell! Nah we didnt make any changes because of the cost and also because we didn't really need to change anything! We really like how its open at the back which leads straight into the backyard so it works the best for us. We did our colour choices so long ago I forget what it all looks like but I know I liked it all at the time lol and we cant change it now I've already bought so much stuff to match! Re: Signing my Life Away James and Georgie's **PD Stanford 24** 6Jan 14, 2010 9:49 pm Hi guys and welcome to H1 We built a PD Illoura and moved in last August Do you have any photos of your colour selections? Blog: http://bluemistkids.blogspot.com "Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark, and professionals built the Titanic." Re: Signing my Life Away James and Georgie's **PD Stanford 24** 7Jan 15, 2010 2:07 am Jimmy and Georgie, Firstly, Congratulations! I think we may have to have a few 'celebratory' drinks on Saturday night, how does Geelong sound? Secondly, P-Class is the key. All those little cracks on the block are perfect for a game of cricket. Thirdly, I apologise to you guys for having to live so close to me. However, deep down you both know you love it. Fourthly, Jimmy, let's build a couple of Go Karts to get around P-Town. Fifthly, as you are both are aware, I've done some investigation on take-away food shops near our houses. Here is a listing of great places: [x] Maloney's Pakenham Pizza - 8.5/10 (Kickass Mexicana Pizza, Killer Potato Wedges with Cheese and Sour Cream) [x] Country Rooster Charcoal Chicken - 8/10 (Been here a couple of times, chicken is always perfectly cooked. Chips are great. Scalloped Spud is killer too). [x] Pizza Fellas Pakenham - 7/10 (This was the place we went that one night for a Pizza, pretty good). Sixthly, here are the restaurants: [x] Castello's Pakenham Inn - 7/10 (You both should know Castello's. They used to be everywhere, nice place to grab a bite to eat). [x] Shanikas Restaurant - xx/10 (Haven't been here, but I've heard great things about this place. So Jimmy, stop being a cheap prick and take your lovely girlfriend out for a romantic dinner). [x] Cardinia Club - xx/10 (Again, haven't eaten here, but also heard great things about this joint). There's a Thai, and a few Chinese Restaurants as well. Can't find an Indian restaurant though. There is one in Beaconsfield, called Surya Indian Restaurant. I heard it's pretty **** though. Seventhly, good butchers: [x] Norm's Main St Meats - 7/10 (Sensational ribs, great snags. Haven't purchased steak from here though) Eightly, Adult Shops: [x] Sensations Adult Store - xx/10 (Haven't been in here, *cough*) [x] Sextastic - xx/10 (Haven't been in here either, *cough*) Ninethly, Pubs: [x] Big Red's Brewery - 11/10 (Sells Beer, and owned by a champion bloke). [x] Cardinia Hotel - 10/10 (Sells Beer) [x] Pakenham Inn Tavern - 10/10 (Sells Beer) [x] Castello's Pakenham Hotel - 10/10 (Sells Beer) [x] Nar Nar Goon Hotel - 10/10 (Sells Beer) Tenthly, Petrol Stations: [x] BP Lakeside - I'm not a big fan of most BPs; however, this one is pretty good. Great staff, and they know how to use the pie-warmer. My meat pie was actually hot. ***** believable! ** Sadly, this is pretty much the only Petrol Station in Pakenham. Can't find a 7/11 for my Sangas. Eleventhly, Sport: [x] Pakenham Football Club - Seniors won the Grand Final in 2009 against Doveton! [x] Beaconsfield Football Club - When a home-game, head down to their ground and grab a burger with the lot. $6.50 - Best hamburger I've ever eaten in my life. That's pretty much it! Enjoy the next few years in Pakenham! Cheers, bigred. Re: Signing my Life Away James and Georgie's **PD Stanford 24** 8Jan 15, 2010 6:57 am Welcome guys. Looks like bigred has you all sorted.... It's a great house, there's one in our street - I'd have thought I'd died and gone to heaven if that had been my first home. Bummer about the land delays, but it seems to be the norm. The waiting is over now though, so let the fun begin! Re: Signing my Life Away James and Georgie's **PD Stanford 24** 9Jan 15, 2010 11:23 am Congratulations on things starting I have had your blog on my watch list as we are also building with PD I look forward to following your journey Re: Signing my Life Away James and Georgie's **PD Stanford 24** 10Jan 16, 2010 10:42 pm Will be interesting to follow your build, i'll be starting about the same time as you just down the road in Arden Estate, good luck! Re: Signing my Life Away James and Georgie's **PD Stanford 24** 12Jan 19, 2010 1:28 pm Hi, Nice choice - We are also building the PD Stanford 24 In Marriott Waters Lyndhurst - starting in April I'll also be following your build. We found it about 3 years ago but couldn't afford to build then. When we started looking last year we just couldn't go past the Stanford.\ Everytime we saw a new display house we were always comparing it to the Stanford - it had everything we wanted. We only added a few small changes to our plan: added a door to the WIR added a door from garage to hallway added a door to the rumpus so it can be closed off extended the bathroom mirror (full wall like the display) bi-folds tiles in living areas - enterance hallway, kitchen, meals, family extend laundry cupboard to double door increase fridge space with water tap Did you guys consider any of these? As most people say we tried to limit our upgrades to keep the price down but we found that these things were really useful/practicle. - Emma Re: Signing my Life Away James and Georgie's **PD Stanford 24** 13Jan 19, 2010 4:32 pm Hi Emma, We were originally looking at Marriott Waters but with the land more expensive there we wouldn't have been able to build the stanford so we went for a bigger block a little further away! As for you upgrades: added a door to the WIR - didn't think we needed this one, we were going to put one on the ensuite but never did added a door from garage to hallway - didn't think of this one till after we signed the contract and it was too late added a door to the rumpus so it can be closed off - will be doing this after handover extended the bathroom mirror - I think this is included in our promotion upgrade bi-folds - considered them but we didn't have the money and also us both being smokers same with all our friends we would rarely have them open so smoke doesn't come inside tiles in living areas - enterance hallway, kitchen, meals, family - as you would know it cost a fortune but we did the same thing and in the rumpus too! Add to that all the tiles we originally picked became upgrades on selection day extend laundry cupboard to double door - nope never thought of this increase fridge space with water tap - nope didn't do this either We will eventually put all our colour selections on here but we didn't get the chance to take alot of photos of the tiles and things so we cant show you that until they are in We are having dramas with the first home owners extention at the moment After all the waiting we have done for the land to be ready its so frustrating to have to wait even longer because of this! Hopefully if everything works out we will have settlement on the 27/1 and site start in mid Feb Re: James and Georgie's **PD Stanford 24** - Site Start 14Mar 01, 2010 3:43 pm Yay we have finally started ! After over a year of waiting it is so exciting to start! Setllement went through a few weeks ago but it wasn't drama free. We were expecting a shortfall of about 2 or 3 thousand but James received an email from the conveyancer saying we had 24hrs to organise a bank cheque for $13 000 After a few angry emails it went down to $4000 then finally to the correct amount of $1600 which made us much happier! The final drawings then arrived and have been sent back and we received a call from our ss who said that the slab will be poured on the 15th of March meaning they will be on site preparing everything this week James went to check everything out on the weekend and we have had our tap put in but there was no memory card in the camera to take any photos! Hopefully when we go out this weekend there is more to take photos of but for now one little tap is enough excitement for us lol Re: **Site Start** James and Georgie's **PD Stanford 24** 15Mar 04, 2010 8:06 pm Hi All! PD 24/7, the online website showed that we started on site 3/3/10. So we took a drive tonight and checked out the site. They have pegged it out, and scraped the site!! We also have a portaloo, and the wooden planks to protect the crossover! So excited its been so long to this point!. Only thing is the scrape looks allot larger than the actual house is. Didn’t have a tape measure or anything on me so I didn’t measure it out but they have basically scraped the shape of the house right to the boundary pegs on both sides, when there should be a meter between the house and the boundary on the right side? Is this normal? Ill call my SS tomorrow, but I’m probably over analysing the small things lol as usual? Also does anybody know anything about the acid protection for the roads or something like that? I haven’t taken it out with the builder, nor have I been offered it. Will post some pics when I go down in good daylight on Saturday Re: **Site Start** James and Georgie's **PD Stanford 24** 16Mar 04, 2010 9:03 pm jamesb Only thing is the scrape looks allot larger than the actual house is. Didn’t have a tape measure or anything on me so I didn’t measure it out but they have basically scraped the shape of the house right to the boundary pegs on both sides, when there should be a meter between the house and the boundary on the right side? Is this normal? It is common for the site scrape to be larger than the house size. Re: **Site Start** James and Georgie's **PD Stanford 24** 17Mar 09, 2010 1:03 pm Hi James and Georgie, My hubby Mark and I are also building in the Henty Park estate and are also building with Simonds. We are in stage B and are STILL waiting on the release of our land. We have been told that it should all be ready by the end of April and are really hoping that this is the case. We enrolled our daughter in school down that way expecting to be building by now and are commuting down there (30 minutes each way!) every day at the moment which is a pain! If you don't mind me asking, what were the reasons for you guys having to pay so much extra money on the land? We have had very little information handed onto us from any one about what all these delays will actually mean to our hip pocket and are starting to get worried about what we may be in for! Congratulations on finally starting the building process - hopefully we can join you before too long! Cheers, Jeanette Re: **Site Start** James and Georgie's **PD Stanford 24** 18Mar 22, 2010 1:16 am I couldn’t believe it! Finally it had been registered. Settlement is due on the 27/1/10. The only thing I am worried about now is the SRO approval for being over the 26 weeks between signing the contract and site start! We submitted the application with all the supporting documentation and it was delivered to the SRO via registered mail on 21 December 09. All we need is the letter that it has been approved so that the bank can settle on the land by the settlement date. I called them 3 times this week and I have got a few different answers. 1. ‘We don’t have the documents’ 2. We have the documents and they are being processed. 3. It wasn’t received until the 9 January. Either way it’s going to be tight to get everything done in the next 2 weeks. Has anybody else had any similar experiences with the SRO approval? Hi guys! We are building in Arden with Carlisle Homes and are now in the position you were in back in January 2010! Our land should have been titled already, and won't be until at least the end of April (if we're lucky!), and that means we will have also gone over the 26 week period between contract signing and site start for the FHOG form with SRO. I was wondering how did you go in the end with SRO? What supporting documentation did you provide to SRO to assist in your claim? And you say you lodged the form directly with SRO... why didn't you lodge through your bank? I was under the impression that most banks are approved organisations with regard to lodging these FHOG/Boost/PPR Concession, etc forms. Were you advised to lodge directly with SRO? I'm so worried about the SRO approving our grants now that we have gone past the 26 weeks. And then if the SRO takes even more time to assess the claim due to this issue, then we'll get even more late-site-start fees from the builder. Does anyone know if the late site start fees that the builder notes in the building contract apply to ANY site starts past the 6 months from the intial deposit date, or does it only apply to late site starts that are our fault, if that makes sense? Ie. The land not being ready in time is totally out of our hands, and is not something we have caused, so does this mean we are still held liable for these late site start fees from the builder? Or is every builder different? It doesn't say anything specific in the contract, it simply says, "The base house price is valid for 6 months from the initial deposit date. For site starts in month 7 incur a $2000 fee, site starts in month 8 incur a $4000 fee, month 9 a $5000 fee... etc." Your help and information would be much appreciated. Re: **Site Start** James and Georgie's **PD Stanford 24** 19Mar 22, 2010 7:23 pm markandjay Hi James and Georgie, My hubby Mark and I are also building in the Henty Park estate and are also building with Simonds. We are in stage B and are STILL waiting on the release of our land. We have been told that it should all be ready by the end of April and are really hoping that this is the case. We enrolled our daughter in school down that way expecting to be building by now and are commuting down there (30 minutes each way!) every day at the moment which is a pain! If you don't mind me asking, what were the reasons for you guys having to pay so much extra money on the land? We have had very little information handed onto us from any one about what all these delays will actually mean to our hip pocket and are starting to get worried about what we may be in for! Congratulations on finally starting the building process - hopefully we can join you before too long! Cheers, Jeanette Hi Jeanette! Great to meet some Pakenham neighbours! Our land was delayed as well. Seems to be the standard with developer’s lol. The best contact we had with the updates was with Marco who works with SPM projects (Henty Park Developer). He provided us with realistic estimations of settlement etc. By the end of it I didn’t even bother trying to get by conveyancer to follow up. They took ages to respond and is currently the biggest mistake picking them to do the conveyancing. The additional funds were a surprise. I never really got to the bottom of WHY it happened. It was roughly to do with CBA and the settlement shortfall as we are first home buyers. I worked with my broker who didn’t foresee the $16k shortfall to get it down to $1.6k which helped a lot. Even though we would have got the money back in the end, it was more the outlay in funds we had set aside for pergola's, fencing etc. If anybody has more information on shortfalls I would be interested in hearing more about them. I have a few emails on my home computer that I will go though, and will probably give further insight into the original outlay. Look forward to seeing you building progress and that your land doesn’t get delayed too much longer!... it can be painful.. To say the least Cheers, James Re: **Site Start** James and Georgie's **PD Stanford 24** 20Mar 22, 2010 7:35 pm aldavies3 I couldn’t believe it! Finally it had been registered. Settlement is due on the 27/1/10. The only thing I am worried about now is the SRO approval for being over the 26 weeks between signing the contract and site start! We submitted the application with all the supporting documentation and it was delivered to the SRO via registered mail on 21 December 09. All we need is the letter that it has been approved so that the bank can settle on the land by the settlement date. I called them 3 times this week and I have got a few different answers. 1. ‘We don’t have the documents’ 2. We have the documents and they are being processed. 3. It wasn’t received until the 9 January. Either way it’s going to be tight to get everything done in the next 2 weeks. Has anybody else had any similar experiences with the SRO approval? Hi guys! We are building in Arden with Carlisle Homes and are now in the position you were in back in January 2010! Our land should have been titled already, and won't be until at least the end of April (if we're lucky!), and that means we will have also gone over the 26 week period between contract signing and site start for the FHOG form with SRO. I was wondering how did you go in the end with SRO? What supporting documentation did you provide to SRO to assist in your claim? And you say you lodged the form directly with SRO... why didn't you lodge through your bank? I was under the impression that most banks are approved organisations with regard to lodging these FHOG/Boost/PPR Concession, etc forms. Were you advised to lodge directly with SRO? I'm so worried about the SRO approving our grants now that we have gone past the 26 weeks. And then if the SRO takes even more time to assess the claim due to this issue, then we'll get even more late-site-start fees from the builder. Does anyone know if the late site start fees that the builder notes in the building contract apply to ANY site starts past the 6 months from the intial deposit date, or does it only apply to late site starts that are our fault, if that makes sense? Ie. The land not being ready in time is totally out of our hands, and is not something we have caused, so does this mean we are still held liable for these late site start fees from the builder? Or is every builder different? It doesn't say anything specific in the contract, it simply says, "The base house price is valid for 6 months from the initial deposit date. For site starts in month 7 incur a $2000 fee, site starts in month 8 incur a $4000 fee, month 9 a $5000 fee... etc." Your help and information would be much appreciated. Hi. We provided the following supporting documentation to the SRO. Quote: Hi ###. RE: Additional Information Required for SRO extension. REF: #### As discussed please find the additional details requested. My settlement date is Wednesday 27/1/10, which is next week. I would very much appreciate this being reviewed urgently and confirmation provided via email. My bank is ready to settle just requires a letter granting the extension. Attached: * Letter from yourself advising of the additional details. * Copy of the UIN from CBA. * Letter from the Developer advising of the unforeseeable delay and registration date * Particulars pages of the Building Contract * Original Building Site start date from Porter Davis * Land Contract Particulars. * Email from Porter Davis advising of the revised expected site start date. I appreciate your assistance. If you have any questions or require further information please contact me on ##### I spoke to the approval officer at the SRO and she advised me to send in the above. I sent more than required as I ended up having to get an extension on the settlement. Just make sure you get a letter from the developer stating that the delay was beyond your control and why and the above supporting documentation and you shouldn’t have a problem. I found them very helpful to deal with. The application was originally with CBA, but as the SRO didn’t receive a copy of the UIN required, they had no details on file. It’s all about chasing these people that helps the process. We had the same deal although not as expensive as yours. It only cost us $1.5 to extend the price for another 4 months. Luckily dint go over that in the end. Hope this helps a bit. 2 6105 8 6302 |