Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Jan 27, 2010 6:49 pm Hi all, I just thought I'd start my own home thread. This is the second time we've built. The first time was the bigger family home. This time we're downsizing since the children are grown and gone. We now have 3 granddaughters. When searching for a plan we had to consider a few things. Firstly, my husband often works from home so he needs a room where he can contain his 'piles' (the paper ones I'm talking about). Secondly, I also see clients at home from time to time. I need a private room in which I don't have to drag clients through the whole home to get there. Thirdly, we have grandchildren and other overseas rellies come to stay so we needed a guest bedroom. Finally, it all needs to fit on a 400sm block with a 12.5m frontage. So we finally came up with this plan. This is the first plan and is still evolving. We adapted this from Rossdale's Kyton plan (SA Builder). I'm hoping to get a blog up and running but I'm still struggling to get my head around how to use Photobucket codes and so far I've come up with this great big long code which doesn't look like anyone else's so would appreciate any help in how to do this. I'm open to comments about this plan. I'm sorry I don't have the dimensions in this plan as I'm also using a new scanner. Thanks. http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz186/robinred55/Robin%20and%20Geoffs%20New%20House/Houseplan1.jpg Oh my gosh! I did it! Handover February 2011 Happy with our home Re: Robinred's New House, Floorplan 1 2Jan 27, 2010 7:33 pm While I'm on a roll I thought I'd add a photo of our land, which is in Noarlunga Downs (SA) and is down the road from the Onkaparinga River Recreation Park. I'm thinking of taking up kayaking. I feel somewhat humble putting up this houseplan since so many people seem to be building palaces these days. I guess we've had our days of looking after a bigger property and we are looking forward to having something smaller and manageable. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ We've only had our soil report so we imagine it could be up to a year before we see any keys. After being on this forum even that seems optimistic. Anyway, Thanks for looking. Handover February 2011 Happy with our home Re: Robinred's New House, Floorplan 1 3Jan 27, 2010 9:43 pm What a great block of land - and the plan looks perfect for what you say you need to do with it. I'm sure it will be a gorgeous house!! I'd also love to take up kayaking We even went as far as buying a roof rack and kayak racks for our car, then never managed to buy the kayak!! Won't be looking at that again until after the house and landscaping is complete... And grats on the pics =) Can be a little overwhelming to begin with! Re: Robinred's New House, Floorplan 1 4Jan 28, 2010 8:02 am Looks a good floor plan for an 'empty nesters' home A couple of minor points - this is what would affect me - may not be an issue for you, of course The main bedroom is close to the active area of kitchen/family - would this be a problem if you are trying to sleep while others are doing things in adjacent area? Main bedroom wardrobe space seems a bit small for 2 people - I know you dont neccesarily want a WIR but perhaps a full wall of BIR would be better? I see you are removeing BIR from minor bedroom - presumably so it can be used as a study? - but this means there is no BIR in either minor bedroom - perhaps would be better to keep one even if not both ? The wardrobe in B3 would also make a buffer from the toilet noise adjoining that wall - Just a couple of things for you to think about - All the best with your build Re: Robinred's New House, Floorplan 1 5Jan 28, 2010 8:50 am Hi Helyn, Thanks for your comments. I guess we're happy to have the MBR at the back of the house since we don't have children making noise in the family room and my husbands fairly quiet *g*. We are also thrilled to have direct access to the alfresco area. I've been concerned about the size of the wardrobe also but we decided to only use it for hanging items and have a large unit for drawers on the opposite wall from the bed. We're removing the bir from the other bedroom and building a robe alcove out into the passage to give the bedroom more space and of course we will add robes in the other. I'm so impressed that you've picked up all those things because they are all the one's we've had to address. And thank you so much for your thoughtful response. It's hard to be interested in other's home plans but I've actually have loved looking at others and seeing what they're doing. Blessings, Handover February 2011 Happy with our home Re: Robinred's New House, Floorplan version 2 6Mar 02, 2010 7:45 pm Hi, here are the images of our almost final houseplan and elevations. Things are still going slow. We settled on our block last Dec and we're waiting for the engineers report. I've so appreciated seeing what other's are doing on H1. I've obtained valuable information and ideas and I love hearing others experiences IMG]http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz186/robinred55/Robin%20and%20Geoffs%20New%20House/floorplanv20001-1.jpg[/IMG] Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Handover February 2011 Happy with our home Re: Robinred's New House, Floorplan 1 8Mar 02, 2010 7:58 pm Hi Robinred, I love your land with such a beautiful view! You will always enjoy that I am sure. I know what you mean about being overwhelmed with photobucket etc, it is not a simple venture! We are new to all of this so it is a real eye opener. DH mastered ours after a couple of hours & he calls himself computer literate Anymore news with the engineer report?? We are building in Laurimar Melbourne & our plans took forever. Approx 6-7 months to get through all the red tape & council hurdles. It was a real emotional rollercoaster but we got there! We have just had our slab layed today! We havent seen it yet but were told it was to be done today! Look forward to watching your journey Re: Robinred's New House, Floorplan 1 9Mar 02, 2010 8:06 pm Hi Jodie, Congrats for getting your slab. I'm busting to get ours. The good news for us is that we sold our home and can stay in it until the house is done. It was sold as is and we don't even have to fix it up. Plus, it was a private sale. I feel so blessed by it. I will bookmark yours so I can keep up. This is soooo addictive. Blessings to you Handover February 2011 Happy with our home Re: Robinred's New House, Floorplan 1 10Mar 02, 2010 8:16 pm Yes I agree it is very addicitive!! Congrats on selling your home & for able to stay in it until your build is complete. We did exactly the same as we didnt want to move twice especially with 2 little boys in tow. ANy word on date for slab?? Do you live far from where your new home will be?? I know that once it all starts you will want to be out there all the time checking everything. We live 45 mins away so it is a little hard but we have been out there twice over the last week. This also becomes very addictive Re: Robinred's New House, Floorplan 1 11Mar 02, 2010 8:24 pm Hi Jodie, Our house is about 8km from where we live now so we can check often. Unfortunately we've been told that no slab will happen until July or August so it's twiddling thumbs time. On the upside we can do lots of planning and buying things for the new house when they come on sale. I had 3 little boys and I've never forgotten how hard I worked. Now I have 3 gorgeous granddaughters. Yay for Karma. Handover February 2011 Happy with our home Re: Robinred's New House, Floorplan 1 12Mar 03, 2010 7:02 pm robinred55 Hi Jodie, Our house is about 8km from where we live now so we can check often. Unfortunately we've been told that no slab will happen until July or August so it's twiddling thumbs time. On the upside we can do lots of planning and buying things for the new house when they come on sale. I had 3 little boys and I've never forgotten how hard I worked. Now I have 3 gorgeous granddaughters. Yay for Karma. That's great you live so close - so easy to check on things. Beats our 45 mins one way! I can appreciate your frustration about the timeframe for your slab. Our planning stage was totally endless & we had so many issues that each took 2 weeks to resolve & then another would crop up. It was such a emotional rollercoaster - so I can sympathise with you it is hard to have to wait so long. Going out to the land ended up frustrating me more seeing nothing happening & knowing how much I wanted it to change. I am sure you feel the same way. Look at it this way though - as each day passes you are 1 day closer to a start! Thats how I looked at it. Good idea about the sale shopping Yes I have to agree - children are challenging! But my boys are gorgeous & pretty good most of the time until 5pm comes around & bed time can't come quick enough We have Stephen almost 4 & Mark 1. You did well with 3 & all boys! Amazing really isnt it! My parents have 4 grandsons & no girls! What was the age between the boys? Now you can buy all the pretty pink things! Boys clothes are so boring & most of the shops are 3/4 girl clothes & 1/4 boys! Lovely for you! Re: Robinred's New House, Floorplan 1 13Mar 03, 2010 9:11 pm Hi Robin, great little floorplan you have there! I especially like that you can't see straight down to the back of the house from the front door. Moving the robe from the long wall to the shorter wall has really given you a lot of privacy. My sister (also a Robyn) is having the same sort of bathroom set-up as you are. I've noticed lots of people in South Australia have that sort of bathroom formation. Hope they don't keep you waiting too long and that you get a nice big slab sooner than you think Re: Robinred's New House, Back to the drawing board? 14Mar 14, 2010 8:12 pm Hi all, We just received our 'fixed price quote' and were a bit shocked as to how much more expensive things were than was quoted in the 'price guide'. After meeting with our consultant and going through the quote it became apparent that in our initial meeting he underquoted our alfresco area by over 40% (oops, I quoted a verandah price. Sorry). This was not the only thing we were underquoted on. Added to this we were told we had to pay and extra $200 for a larger front door even though the house design is designed with a 920 wide front door and they don't offer alternatives. This is what it came down to ($100 to upgrade the door frame, $55 to paint the larger door, and the rest was the cost of the larger front door). Since, imo, this was a key part of our design we were extremely disappointed. Without it the house just seems ordinary. So at this point we're considering going back to the drawing board and looking at other designs and builders. I wonder if builders somehow think that they have you once you've paid your $3000 deposit and you wont go elsewhere? $3000 is a drop in the bucket when you look at the overall cost of your home. I hate being 'nickeled and dimed' to death and I'm very disappointed. Handover February 2011 Happy with our home Re: Robinred's New House, Floorplan 1 15Mar 15, 2010 9:06 am Hi Robin, As you know, I too am building the Kyton and I just went back and checked and we too have an adjustment for the front door to be the 920mm as per the plan (didn't pick it up until now). Not sure of the exact amount they have charged for it, but its included in a $283 adjustment for internal/2nd fix list. A little surprised your fixed price quote was so different. We had the young lad from Aldinga do ours and it came in only a few k higher than the original quote, mainly to things that we changed or added in. Re: Robinred's New House, Back to the drawing board? 16Mar 15, 2010 9:19 pm robinred55 Hi all, We just received our 'fixed price quote' and were a bit shocked as to how much more expensive things were than was quoted in the 'price guide'. After meeting with our consultant and going through the quote it became apparent that in our initial meeting he underquoted our alfresco area by over 40% (oops, I quoted a verandah price. Sorry). This was not the only thing we were underquoted on. Added to this we were told we had to pay and extra $200 for a larger front door even though the house design is designed with a 920 wide front door and they don't offer alternatives. This is what it came down to ($100 to upgrade the door frame, $55 to paint the larger door, and the rest was the cost of the larger front door). Since, imo, this was a key part of our design we were extremely disappointed. Without it the house just seems ordinary. So at this point we're considering going back to the drawing board and looking at other designs and builders. I wonder if builders somehow think that they have you once you've paid your $3000 deposit and you wont go elsewhere? $3000 is a drop in the bucket when you look at the overall cost of your home. I hate being 'nickeled and dimed' to death and I'm very disappointed. Hi Robinred, Don't you just love building companies! I think that is terrible customer service underquoting like that. How can they price vary 40%! Can you speak to someone higher up in the company? If they have underquoted you as much as they have you have every right to ask some questions of them. Our builder was a little cheeky as they put TBA on a few of our upgrades/adjustments but they were only a couple of hundred not thousands. Ask the question & let them know you are unhappy & willing to go elsewhere, you have nothing to lose except your $3000 but like you said compared to a overall house cost its not much. Re: Robinred's New House, Floorplan 1 17Mar 15, 2010 10:30 pm Hi Freddyflop, we wished we had had the young man from Aldinga. He's sharp. I think there were mistakes made in our original quote. Our consultant just picked the wrong things (and ticked the wrong boxes) when he was quoting originally and when it went in for estimates we were out from our original quote by $25,000. That's huge in our books and could be a deal breaker as we start taking out everything that we added to make budget and we feel like we could end up with something a bit ordinary. That's very disappointing and it wasn't our fault. If we decide to go ahead with them they say we'll start May or June. If we go to another builder we start from scratch again. I'll be working overtime to get some comparative quotes and also see what the company gets back to us with. It just shows, if your consultant isn't on the ball (and I think he was pretty sick when he was putting our quote together), you can end up with big issues and clients feeling disappointed. That front door business was funny though. They make you have a bigger door by design (there is no other option) and charge you extra for it. Go figure. Jodie, thanks for your thoughts and sympathy. I'm feeling better and more positive today. Handover February 2011 Happy with our home Re: Robinred's New House, Floorplan 1 18Mar 16, 2010 8:41 pm Are you still going to argue the point??? It may not account for all the extra changes but you never know they might compromise somewhere??? Re: Robinred's New House, Floorplan 1 19Mar 16, 2010 8:49 pm Hi Jodie, I spoke to our consultant today. They justified all the costs. Didn't move on anything and the consultant admits to having made mistakes in quotes. But... tough luck. So we're left with either having to cut out the alfresco area and a few upgrades or look for a new builder. We're still mulling it over. BTW, the consultant decided not to charge extra for the front door as a result of the mistakes. We feel really torn Handover February 2011 Happy with our home Re: Robinred's New House, Floorplan 1 20Mar 16, 2010 8:55 pm robinred55 Hi Jodie, I spoke to our consultant today. They justified all the costs. Didn't move on anything and the consultant admits to having made mistakes in quotes. But... tough luck. So we're left with either having to cut out the alfresco area and a few upgrades or look for a new builder. We're still mulling it over. BTW, the consultant decided not to charge extra for the front door as a result of the mistakes. We feel really torn The door, they were only willing to budge on the door! That is disgusting considering they admitted their mistake. If I were you I would take my business elsewhere. If that is how they look after their customers & considering how much your house will end up costing you a few hundred dollars is nothing to compensate you. That is terrible, I know you have invested alot of time & some money in all of this but do they really deserve your business & $$$$$. If they can't even get their quotes right are they going to build you a good home? You might find they may compensate more if you go elsewhere????????? I am sorry to hear that, its not right My land is 260m2 (10m x 26m) located in claymore NSW. Under campbelltown council. I know in general the following setbacks would apply ground floor side setback =… 0 6920 Yes well there solution is to blame everyone else while I a 65yr old woman with major medical problems have to just continue to boil water and wash myself in a bucket… 2 16013 If you make sure all taps inside and out are turned off, what does the water meter show if you leave it for a while. 2 20235 |