Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Jul 26, 2010 5:06 pm Hi all, new member here, We have a block of land at Shell Cove NSW with restrictions for a single level at front and double level at the back. We have a 2metre slope down from the road. We are looking for a tri level design, does anyone have any recommendations? We are driving up to see Huxley Homes Monash on the weekend. Any help would be much appreciated. Re: Tri Level 2Aug 03, 2010 10:04 am Hi Macymoo, Welcome to H1. We have similar block to you and have almost finished building a custom version of the Monash. Not many project home builders have tri-level/split design designs so you are limited for choice. If you are going to homeworld you may also want to look at Planwell as they have some split-level design. We are happy with our version of the Monash and have found Huxley pretty good so far. Others have had problems with them though. Be prepared to pay quite a bit for site costs and some upgrades are pretty pricey. Have a look through my blog on the link below. Mick Re: Tri Level 3Aug 24, 2010 4:01 pm Hi there We are also building in Shell Cove - we also had to modify the house we chose to a split level because of a really sloping block. We have gone with Metricon's Newhaven and made the changes. Its nice to find someone else on here who is building in our area and appreciates our restrictions!! Lauren http://laurenandrichard.blogspot.com/ Re: Tri Level 4Aug 24, 2010 5:19 pm Hello, I emailed Metricon and they left a phone message saying, unfortunately we have nothing for you! Although our block slopes from top to bottom, is yours a side slope? We have looked at loads of showhomes but the one I really like is the Mcdonald Jones Chesterfield at Nowra, they are quoting us as soon as we finalise our changes (which there are a LOT of). They will split the house in the middle by about 3 steps down and raise the back by about 1.4 metres so we make the most of our view from the decking at the back. How far into the build are you? Nice to talk to someone building in the same estate Re: Tri Level 5Sep 01, 2010 3:25 pm Hi Everyone, I am building in Shell Cove also, however my block did have a front to back slope but not a steep gradient so my block was actually considered for standard site costs?? (Shocked). Anyway when my hubby and I were looking at display homes South Coast Homes seem to specialise in sloping blocks and their homes are AMAZING! Expensive but AMAZING! Have you all started yet? We are buidling with Clarendon and they should be pegging out the block anyday now! I'm getting excited! Let me know how you go. It would be great to throw ideas around each other. [i][b]Krissy & Dave Re: Tri Level 6Sep 05, 2010 10:33 pm Hi again, sorry it took me so long to get back here! It is awesome to find other people buildling in our estate We now have a site fence, and excavation was supposed to start last week, but we haven't seen anything yet - I'm hoping they will still get a wriggle on and have our slab down by the end of this week coming as planned! When we were looking for houses, we also tried Mastert0n, they were going to be able to split some of their houses too, but we found M3tric0n to be a nicer more modern finish and more to our taste. There was also i think it was a Clarendon home displayed at Haywards Bay that we were really keen on. Maceymoo, did you end up finding something you liked? I have started a blog about our process of building etc - www.laurenandrichard@blogspot.com - feel free to stop by and leave me comments or suggestions - would be great to get to know some of you building in the estate too Lauren Re: Tri Level 7Sep 30, 2010 10:54 am Hi Everyone, We are back to square one after seeing so many show homes and making modifications to them. Now we are getting the house completely architect designed. The designer has been out to the block and will do the first stage design this week. Going to cost about $6000 to get the plans but we were not completely happy with anything else we saw. Will keep everyone posted and when I have the plans I will pop them online. We have a corner block, so all of the showhomes aren't really designed for this and also for our views. Macymoo Re: Tri Level 8Sep 30, 2010 1:57 pm Hi Maceymoo, At least you'll be getting exactly what you want - thats exciting! Where abouts in Shell Cove are you building? We are also on a corner, with a large slope... Lauren & Richard http://www.laurenandrichard.blogspot.com Re: Tri Level 9Sep 30, 2010 2:44 pm Hi Lauren and Richard, I really like your block, great views. My block is in The Shallows, I've had it for about 3 years now, didn't know whether to sell it or build on it, but I am going to build my dream home and then decide if I should move in or sell. Problem is we live on the beach at the moment, but our townhouse is unsuitable for the children because we have 2 bedrooms up and 2 down, and neither child will sleep downstairs because they get scared! So for now they (boy and girl) are sharing a bedroom and they fight like cat and dog!!! So i have a fantastic location but an unsuitable house for the family - hence the build in Shell Cove. Great to see your progress on the house, it looks like it will be fantastic. Macymoo Re: Tri Level 10Sep 30, 2010 8:26 pm Maceymoo, I know what you mean about kids and scared of sleeping upstairs! My sister's eldest, who is 11 has had a heap of dramas!! They're getting on track now, but its been rough for them! We are building our house with a view to probably one day selling it - we'll stay for a while, but the aim in the future is to make some $$ out of it. We say that now, but we don't have any kids just yet, but they'll be on their way at some stage and just might change everything!! At least at the Shallows you won't be too far from the beach... We have a 2 bedroom unit on the beach in Cronulla, so we'll be moving away from the water too, but not too far - It will take us about 10 -15 min walk to the farm if we cut through the golf course... Keep us posted with the progress of the plans Lauren Re: Tri Level 11Oct 11, 2010 10:53 am Hi Everyone! So excited to find this blog, hubby and I were looking for land for 2 years in Shell Cove before finally finding our block in Sept this year in the "Brookwater' release... YAY! We are finalising tenders at the moment for a custom build as we wanted to take advantage of the amazing views from the front and unfortunately we couldn't find a project builder who could offer us the plan we wanted. Has anyone had any dealings with Marksman or the local Hotondo guys? The Marksman display homes look rather dated but we are considering them due to their ability to custom build... Lauren, we LOVED the metricon designs, you must be so excited!! Hope it is all going smoothly for you..! Bec Bec | Building a custom design with Hamshire Homes in Shell Cove | Re: Tri Level 12Oct 11, 2010 7:21 pm Hey Bec, congratulatinos on buying your land!! It's good to meet another Shell Cove resident! Are you originally from the illawarra? Where abouts is the 'brookewater' release?? I have heard of it but I am not sure where it is a I haven't been down for a while so I am abit behind the times! Is it near the future marina? We are building with Clarendon (although the 'build' hasn't officially started yet!), fortunately for us they had a house that suited our block and budget! But my mother in law has a block in gerroa so my hubby and I took her down to chat to marksman the other week re:custom deisgn, they seem good and they promote that a custom design is no more expensive then one of their of their standard designs - so thats a bonus. I haven't come across anyone who has had any dramas with them - so that's a good sign! They are quite reasonable wiht the strating costs too, if you go to tender and plan stage it doesn't cost you an arm and a leg which is good because if you then decide not to go with them then you don't loose lots of money. Good luck with your choice!! [i][b]Krissy & Dave Re: Tri Level 13Oct 12, 2010 7:39 am Thanks Krissy, that is so helpful! The Brookwater release is just up the hill from Laurens block actually! We are Kiama so we get some beautiful ocean views over the golf course towards the light house... Very excited!! We are originally from country NSW and after a six year stint in Sydney we are finally getting our sea change so we cant wait to just move already That is so great you found the perfect house with Cl@rend0n, you must be so excited about starting the build, hope it is all going smoothly for you? May I ask how you found SH council regarding approval of DA? The builders are all saying it is quite a smooth process and the DA department are very efficient but would love to hear your first hand experience..? Thanks again for your help, I really appreciate it Bec | Building a custom design with Hamshire Homes in Shell Cove | Re: Tri Level 14Oct 12, 2010 8:31 am Hi Bec, Congrats on buying your block - such an exciting time! You've picked a great spot! (and i hear your future neighbours aren't bad either!!) I love the South Coast - I grew up there - have been in Sydney for a couple of years, and can't wait to go back! I haven't heard much about Marksman - and we didn't look at any of their homes, but they have been around in the area for an age - so that has to say something! Hotondo have a great name as far as I am aware too. We loved the modern feel of the M3tric0n homes - and they're doing ok so far!! I'd absolutely go for something custom if its the only way you will get to maximise your view - it will be worth it, and especially worth it if you come to sell one day to have those views! As far as Shellharbour Council goes with their application process - we couldn't fault them. They have 40 working days to process your application - and in our case they took around the 3 week mark - so about half that time. If your builder is on the ball and has everything covered, you shouldn't have too many dramas with Council. They don't seem to sit on things - they get it done. I called a heap of times with questions through the process, and someone always helped - and if they didn't know an answer, they always got back to me. Dealing with Council has been the least stressful part of the process so far i'd say (no tile selections - that was stressful!!) I'm sure you know already, but they post all the applications and consents on the net, so its good to be able to follow yours, and the other houses that will go up around you... Its really nice to hear from you - its going to be nice to follow each other's builds and know our neighbours when we all move in. If you want to pick my brain about the process - feel free to drop me an email laureno227@hotmail.com Lauren www.laurenandrichard.blogspot.com Re: Tri Level 15Oct 12, 2010 11:58 am Hi Guys, Does anyone want to share prices and quotes? We are getting our house architect designed, I just had a meeting with the architect and he said to build a 37 square house it would cost approx $478,000 to get a builder to build it. I am shocked at the price, especially as my block cost $330,00 to start with. I don't think I could sell if for a profit when the time comes or even maybe break even!! The project home builders don't seem that bad price wise after all. Anyone help with advise? Thanks my fellow Shell Cover's. Macymoo Re: Tri Level 16Oct 12, 2010 12:12 pm Maceymoo, it depends on what that includes - is that including your fixtures and fittings?? If it does, it might not be too far wrong... The project home prices look ok until you go adding the upgrades... Re: Tri Level 17Oct 12, 2010 2:41 pm Hi Maceymoo, I don't have enough quotes to share with you yet but I can let you know when I do... I know what you are going through, we knew exactly what we wanted and after searching through (literally) hundreds of display homes decided the only thing left to do was to custom build. We didn't opt for architecturally designed as by this stage we were so sold on exactly what we wanted that we didn't feel we really needed one, so went directly to custom builders. The process, if you don't already know, is pretty simple - you sit down with a designer who takes into consideration light, alignment of the block etc and help to come up with the perfect house plan. You then help to design the facade and voila! They price it up and put it in a tender for you. Providing they don't need survey and bore hole reports (which since your architect has already priced you would have probably already have) it is obligation and cost free until you decide to go ahead. The main problem I encountered was that the building designer one of our builders we were getting our work tender for went through (actually an architect but preferred not to be called so) designed our plan he came in at $60K over budget, however when I sat down and spoke to the associated builder there was some really basic things we could do to reel the prices back in, such as putting in a beam or two, or changing from bi-fold doors to sliding which proved to have massive cost savings. We are still waiting on two more tenders but I will keep you posted on the progress. M@rksman have so far been very professional; we didn't even look at them for over 12 months even though they have a display in SC because they just look so dated but they have promised to come back with a very contemporary facade consistent with what we are looking for so here's hoping... should have plans next week (fingers crossed!). Hotondo have been really great as well, identical in process and has been very smooth and professional so hopefully we will get the build all wrapped up pretty soon, whoever we choose to go with. Has anyone had any dealings with "T@sman Design Group"? They have some pretty cool looking houses popping up but they don't have a website and am not sure whether they are design-only...? Bec | Building a custom design with Hamshire Homes in Shell Cove | Re: Tri Level 18Oct 14, 2010 11:11 am Hey Bec, I know where your block is now! Nice!!! Lauren I drove down on yesterday and your build is going so fast!! Your views are amazing and best thing about your blocks are you won't get built out of them!! I checked our block out on tuesday and the house behind us and to the right has built 2 double storey torrens title homes and we have lost our view!! We designed our house around the views and now they are gone. I told my hubby that would happen but he didnt believe me. Well our block now has a port-a-loo on it so atleast our builder hasn't forgotton about us!! hahah just waiting for our fill now!! Council is easy!! if your builder reads through the council and developer requirements and adjusts everything accordingly before they submit then there shouldn't be any dramas. We got knocked back on 2 things: - Our roof was black and they asked us to have dark grey. All our gutters, downpipes and watertank are black so now it will look silly, but what can you do?? - We also had to push our house back 1 m as our driveway was too steep and didnt meet the reccommendations. You shouldnt have any troubles through council. Lauren I recieved the hairpins yesterday ...I love them!! I don't want to give them to my neices anymore cos i want to keep them for myself!! j/j hahahah they are so so cute!! So thankyou!! MaceyMoo it depends on whats included in that price. and if you block is steep then it can easily add on $100k in site costs. for e.g. our block was considered a standard block so site costs were minimal, our base price was $189k but we have pretty much nearly doubled that with the extra inclusions and upgrades and we still have heaps more to add Our house is alot smaller too. 27sq + rumpus and alfresco. So if the price you mentioned comes with quality incusions then it's pretty good, but if you have to add more and more onto it then where do you stop?? I think the only thing we havent been promoted to upgrade is the watertank!! hahaha It never stops! Hope that helps in some way. [i][b]Krissy & Dave Re: Tri Level 19Oct 14, 2010 11:24 am oh and Bec have you checked our huxley and south coast homes?? They are both in haywards bay. I love the south coast homes display but it didn't suit our block and it way out of our budget. They do custom build as well. They are very nice! When i was down on tuesday i drove around and noticed the tasman design group house. I had never heard of them before but the house they are building is very nice. And we too chose the standard sliding stacker doors instead of the bifolds. The bifolds were crazily expensive!! The standard design of our house was a window and 1 sliding door to get out the back, so we paid extra to get the overhead beams in and get the sliding doors to take up the whole back wall, when we priced the bifolds we were like 'ouch', so we had to meet half way. Also when you do you kitchen appt: I wanted the soft closing drawers and doors but they cost like $120 per drawer/door and I have 9 drawers! I rang my best friend who is a kitchen fitter to ask if I was getting ripped off. He said don't get them to do the doors...it is simply a $10 hinge that he can screw in, but he said the drawers need to be made differently, and once you get the drawer in as standard it is alot harder to make them soft closing later (it is possible, but not worth the trouble). So if you want soft closers, just get the drawers but buy the hinge for the doors. Also a good tip is to put the soft closers on the drawers that you will use most (e.g. first 2?), and don't bother about the ones that you won't use that often. My builder has a 1 for all policy. You can't select and choose. If you want it on 1 you have to get it for all. (I left out the doors though) My friend will do that. But how's the markup!! Crazy! [i][b]Krissy & Dave Re: Tri Level 20Oct 18, 2010 8:22 am Hi all, Wow thank you so much for all your help, it is so nice to talk to people in the same situation! Ok, so we got a tender back from Marksmen who couldn't give us what we wanted on our land and then from another local building group saying they could offer us what we are looking for at around the $450k mark before any upgrades, landscaping, driveways, fences... JEEPERS! So, back to the original builder we go... we just need to get our 3D images of the front facade done to make sure we are happy and then we should be able to submit plans to council the day our land settles in November - YAY! Lauren, we saw your house on the weekend (we cant really say 'block' any more, can we???) and it looks AMAZING!!!! I LOVE the bricks you went with, they are to die for... you must be sooo excited!! Did you see the echidna's waddling around outside your house??? There were two of them munching on some ants right in front of your land LOL Krissy thanks so much for all the advice on upgrades, wow $120 per drawer for soft close???? That's INSANE! That advice is sure to come in handy! How is your build going? Where are you up to? Hope everyone had fab weekends, Bec Bec | Building a custom design with Hamshire Homes in Shell Cove | isn't a garage level with the rest of the house a given? pretty sure they 'came around' long time ago. if you have a flat block, the garage is usually level with the rest… 1 17525 they can, it's a fairly standard solution when the slab isn't recessed. the falls need to be in the main floor, if it hasn't been done then you need to ask them to redo… 4 6581 interesting situation what happened after builder issued final invoice? did you list as defect or not does the building surveyor have any responsibility? ie. issuing… 13 46960 |