Browse Forums Building A New House Re: Custom Design floor plan thread post them here!! 1221May 02, 2012 4:04 pm I can't offer you a lot of help on this topic yet kristy, but we built our first home through a major project builder - and were less than impressed. This of course is not everyone's experience so don't let me scare you away from that option. We are now in the very early stages of planning for our second build and after talking with a number of project builders, are most likely going to go with a smaller builder (better PM service, custom design etc). It will be more expensive, but we have a lot more control on how we design the house and what we put in it, so we can control some of the cost that way. From our discussions so far I think we're looking at somewhere between $1200-$1300 per square meter as a rough cost. I'll post more once we get closer to quote and contract time! Cheers, Ray My building thread: https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=56583&start=120 Re: Custom Design floor plan thread post them here!! 1222May 02, 2012 4:07 pm kristyjsews Hi Everyone! My partner and I are planning to build our first home and are trying to decide whether to go with a project builder (PD, GJG etc) or do a custom build. I was just wondering if any of you checked out project builders before making your choice to custom build? We are worried that a custom build is out of our budget but once we make all the changes we want to a project plan it might not be so cheap. Did you find the custom build was much more expensive than a project build? Would be very grateful for any stories or examples you could share with us. Thanks!! What area are you in Kristy? Re: Custom Design floor plan thread post them here!! 1223May 02, 2012 4:17 pm Wow you guys are super quick at responding, thanks so much! Sorry catjim, I should have mentioned that. We're in Melbourne but the build will be in Ballarat, Vic (we're planning to build a new life as well as a new house) . CluelessOne, thanks for that info. I've heard that a completely standard project build is often 800 - 1000 psm. But we want some apparently luxurious things like eaves, decent insulation, carpet and towel rails which all add up! Re: Custom Design floor plan thread post them here!! 1225May 02, 2012 4:23 pm kristyjsews Wow you guys are super quick at responding, thanks so much! Sorry catjim, I should have mentioned that. We're in Melbourne but the build will be in Ballarat, Vic (we're planning to build a new life as well as a new house) . CluelessOne, thanks for that info. I've heard that a completely standard project build is often 800 - 1000 psm. But we want some apparently luxurious things like eaves, decent insulation, carpet and towel rails which all add up! We built a custom design in Pakenham (outer Melbourne south east) but I doubt that our builder would go as far as Ballarat. I just worked out our psm rate which was just over $900 so I guess we were right in the ball park. That included luxurious eaves, foilboard insulation and carpet. Had to supply the towel rails ourselves. Re: Custom Design floor plan thread post them here!! 1226May 02, 2012 4:41 pm Gday! For our first home, we built with Dennis Family homes and we were very, very happy with both the service and the quality. That was 12 years ago now and our house has never had a problem with it, not once! For a first build, I felt "safer" going with a project builder because I could see a display home and could make my choices based off something concrete rather than a vision in my head. This time round, we are custom building with Custom Home Designs. The custom build is definitely more expensive, but as clueless said above, you have complete control over everything that goes into your home. Often your block dictates whether or not you go custom or not. I would have gone project build again this time around as I had such a dreamy experience the first time, but my slopey block meant I had no choice but to custom build. Having said that, so far it's been an equally pleasant experience. There are pros and cons to both I suppose. Good luck with your decision Re: Custom Design floor plan thread post them here!! 1227May 02, 2012 5:03 pm kiwi look forward to the answers (mine was in nz, so irrelevant!) sunshine has a good story, as do a few. grab a seat and wait.... good story?! if you want the long story read my thread, but the short version is that we spoke to numerous project builders and got serious with two (even to the point of having plans drawn up). due to our site conditions we couldn't use a plan off the rack. First builder the tender got way out of control and the price was not project prices anymore (around the $1800-$1900 per sqm). Second builder went bust a few weeks before we signed. Then we found our current builder (custom) who to our surprise has very competitive pricing (around $1000 - $1300 per sqm it seems, depends on designs). My view is that if you can fit a project home on your site (and the solar orientation is good - very important!) then I would do that. But if you want to vary plans or have fancy upgrades, often the project home price starts to sky rocket, which is where going custom can often be cheaper (it was for us). Good luck!!! SunshineT's Build: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=34585 Designs start: 4/12/09 DA: 5/7/11 Demo: 22/12/11 Slab: 24/2/12 Keys: 31/8/12 Re: Custom Design floor plan thread post them here!! 1228May 02, 2012 5:24 pm SunshineT good story?! if you want the long story read my thread, Re: Custom Design floor plan thread post them here!! 1229May 04, 2012 7:04 pm ummm, buddy, I dont think you are allowed to go on and on about your services without being an advertiser. all the posts I have read from you are spoutting off about what 'you can do' well, pay the fees and get your avatar name in orange mate to say you are slightly annoying me, is an understatement. Re: Custom Design floor plan thread post them here!! 1230May 04, 2012 7:11 pm Thanks Kiwi-I will see that this is dealt with! Deemaree Kyndylan Capers: viewtopic.php?f=36&t=46852 My blog: http://www.sufficientlysufficient.blogspot.com/ Re: Custom Design floor plan thread post them here!! 1231May 04, 2012 7:39 pm cheers dee. sorry people, resume normal laughing Re: Custom Design floor plan thread post them here!! 1232May 04, 2012 7:40 pm Deemaree Kyndylan Capers: viewtopic.php?f=36&t=46852 My blog: http://www.sufficientlysufficient.blogspot.com/ Re: Custom Design floor plan thread post them here!! 1233May 04, 2012 7:58 pm Deemaree Thanks Kiwi-I will see that this is dealt with! Darn. . . missed out on this wonderful piece of information. . . I assume it was from the Sunshine Coast guy. . . way to go to make nobody want to use your services! Seems to be in this case that any publicity is NOT always good publicity. Re: Custom Design floor plan thread post them here!! 1234May 14, 2012 10:36 am Hi again, I have come up with a quick first draft of a floorplan and I'm keen for any/every piece of feedback and advice you care to give. I know it's not perfect, but it fits the criteria in terms of number of rooms etc. A couple of issues we have to contend with are: The width of the block only being 12.5 m (with min 900mm clearance either side), The shape/orientation of our block. In this plan the garage faces the street and the front of the house faces north, so we have some design issues wrt passive solar. I will be able to figure out the window size and placements, I'm much more interested in getting the layout right first. I have the double hallway in as I'd like a little separation between the master suite and kids rooms. We also need the internal courtyard to maximise the amount of northern facing windows. Any feedback gratiously received. Thanks! Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ My building thread: https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=56583&start=120 Re: Custom Design floor plan thread post them here!! 1235May 14, 2012 1:02 pm I really like what you have done considering what you have to work with, so well done just 3 things, move the laundry door to the centre, so you can have storage both sides, bed 2, move door and have it swing inwards (privacy door..as people come and go down the hall and wont see the bed) and move it over a bit so you can have a double wardrobe or a wardrobe and desk area and a cupboard in the hall, is the bathroom to scale? move the door to middle if it isnt..and have a larger shower. if it is to scale, there will be no room, sorry! this is what I mean Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ do you need 2 entrances into the hall? maybe have one opp the bathroom wall, so you can have a fab art piece on the hall wall as you walk into it with a light above and use the area down the hall by bed 2 as a study/ play station area? instead of a cupboard. Just move the door to bed 2 over more..? if you need two entrances, then ignore me Re: Custom Design floor plan thread post them here!! 1236May 14, 2012 1:15 pm Hi CluelessOne (funny avatar by the way!). Your design looks good and I am pleased to hear you are trying to use solar orientation as much as possible (something dear to my heart). I am a bit confused about your site so before I make any comments - is the street all along the bottom (meaning you have a massive frontage to the house which will all face the street)? Or next to the garage, in which case I don't understand the garage opening. I was wondering why you couldn't bring the garage more forward to the street, and why it is pushed back to the boundary there? I am sure I have missed something here! And on the picture you posted where is north (using an hour clock - eg. is north 9 o'clock? etc.). Where are you building / climate? SunshineT's Build: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=34585 Designs start: 4/12/09 DA: 5/7/11 Demo: 22/12/11 Slab: 24/2/12 Keys: 31/8/12 Re: Custom Design floor plan thread post them here!! 1237May 14, 2012 1:20 pm They said front of the house faces north. That is why they have a large north window in the dining room to capture the light. I am pretty Sure all bedrooms and bathroom will be facing west, but could be wrong. The garage you drive into from the street at the front of the house ( being 12 mets wide) But it could be a corner block and the front is the bedrooms...? Re: Custom Design floor plan thread post them here!! 1238May 14, 2012 1:37 pm yeah, I thought so, but I just couldn't work out where front was - on the left or bottom of the picture. If it is the left, does that mean the left garage wall is right up against the road? If North is left (around 9 o'clock) then I would be inclined to try to move the study away (and make that court yard bigger - which would be lovely - but most importantly would get more north light into that living space. SunshineT's Build: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=34585 Designs start: 4/12/09 DA: 5/7/11 Demo: 22/12/11 Slab: 24/2/12 Keys: 31/8/12 Re: Custom Design floor plan thread post them here!! 1239May 14, 2012 2:00 pm Thanks for the feedback so far - all excellent points. As for the shape and position of the block, it can be a little tricky to explain, but we are at the end of a culdesac, our street frontage is only 6m, which will look directly onto the garage (pending council approval of course). I don't have a pic of the estate handy but I'll post one up later. So yes, the kids rooms face west and the back is south. The bathroom isnt to scale, I still need to think of designs for that and the ensuite. I just know I'd like to put a 3-way bathroom in. We have one now and it works really well. We have two girls, still really young now, but I dare say having a space with a big mirror and two sinks will be handy in the future . Some of the feedback I've had from other people is that two hallways is wasting some of the precious limited width, but I like the idea of a separate 'wing' for the kids - am I being silly with this idea? I'm also toying with the idea of staggering the back of the house by shrinking the kitche/pantyr a little and putting in an alfresco. I'd like to keep the other area reasonably large as that rectangular box you see in the middle of the living area is planned to be a feature wall with 2-way gas fire Thanks again for your comments! Ray My building thread: https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=56583&start=120 Re: Custom Design floor plan thread post them here!! 1240May 14, 2012 2:07 pm Hi Ray - just coz I am having a blonde day: so your frontage is very narrow (6m) and the driveway will do a sharp turn to the left??? And I can see that double corridor. I would have to agree that dropping it will allow you to do other things (such as drop the study if you can't move it, to give you a wider court yard space with more north light). Are you in Adelaide? If so, the western sun can be harsh in summer. I wonder about moving the laundry to over that side? Oh dear, my suggestions are starting to get a bit radical ... let us know how far reaching you are OK with us commenting? SunshineT's Build: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=34585 Designs start: 4/12/09 DA: 5/7/11 Demo: 22/12/11 Slab: 24/2/12 Keys: 31/8/12 Hi, Seeking volume or semi-custom builder in victoria(east), which have existing double story wide floor plans. Seeking 18-20m wide homes with depth of 12-15m long. Or… 0 25171 6 55355 Hi Mofflepop, I would recommend finding a building designer to prepare plans, they should design to your specified budget. The benefit is you can tender the project out… 9 20434 |