Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Sep 09, 2010 12:11 am My first posting – yay me! I’ve been a visitor for a while now, learning from everyone’s experience, taking note of what to look out for and what to pay attention to and now I’ve taken a deep breath and feel ready to start posting about my journey to a new home. LESSON 1: BE ORGANISED I had to do 3 things to get the ball rolling, in this order: 1. Sell my apartment, 2. Find block of land, 3. Find house design to build Of course I did it in reverse order: 1. Found house design to build, 2. Found block of land, 3. Sold apartment I started visiting display villages in April this year and after much looking, sore feet (I visited so many display homes it started to blur) and discussion of pros / cons it came down to (as it should) the house design and I finally settled on *** Homes. I found the land in Seville Grove, 500sqm, already titled. However, I hadn’t even put my apartment on the market. Spoke to my mortgage lender and she was FANTASTIC!! Lent me the money to buy the block and then my apartment went on the market and sold in 3 weeks. So far so good. LESSON 2: STOP LOOKING AT DISPLAY VILLAGES WHILE DESIGNING YOUR HOUSE So I found the house design with ***, the ‘Palandri’, it just needed a few tweaks to fit on my block. However, while I was buying the land and selling my apartment, I was also still visiting display villages. So then my plans were tweaked some more, then the living area was reconfigured, then the kitchen moved from one wall to another, then the alfresco area was moved, until finally my best friend said STOP VISITING DISPLAY HOMES OR YOU’LL NEVER BUILD ANYTHING. She was right. I now have a home design that is a very distant 2nd cousin 6 times removed of the ‘Palandri’ but as my sales consultant said “You can now with all honesty say, ‘You designed this house’”. The original 'Palandri' design: http://i1224.photobucket.com/albums/ee379/SuzanneW72/House%20Plans/CollierHome-Palandri.jpg Our home design - *** One-off design http://i1224.photobucket.com/albums/ee379/SuzanneW72/House%20Plans/CollierHome1.jpg Our block of land http://i1224.photobucket.com/albums/ee379/SuzanneW72/House%20Plans/BlockofLand.jpg Next stage - here I come! ____________________________ SuzanneW https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=38219 Pre-Start 01/10/10 Slab 14/01/11 Brickwork 28/02/11 Roof Frame 24/03/11 Re: Building Our Family Home - *** One-off Design 2Sep 09, 2010 12:16 am Welcome to h1 Suzanne. And congrats for the house design, block and apartment selling Re: Building Our Family Home - *** One-off Design 3Sep 09, 2010 12:20 am Congrats on your first post. I think you will find some great advice and tips on this forum. I like your design. I haven't seen one with the main bed towards the back of the house before. In most of the designs I've seen, the main bedroom is to the front of the house. I've always thought that is a bit odd. Nice to see at any rate. Re: Building Our Family Home - *** One-off Design 4Sep 09, 2010 12:38 am Hi Thirsty and Cmooring Thanks for the welcome. cmooring Congrats on your first post. I think you will find some great advice and tips on this forum. I like your design. I haven't seen one with the main bed towards the back of the house before. In most of the designs I've seen, the main bedroom is to the front of the house. I've always thought that is a bit odd. Nice to see at any rate. Your right cmooring, most of the display homes I visited did have the master suite at the front of the house. However, there is a method to my madness. My elderly parents will be moving in with me (when the move back to Australia) and my mother is an invalid who will require more room in the bathroom, so it made sense for them to have the master suite. It's also more quiet at the back of the house away from the street front, and for my parents who retire early in the evening, this was also a consideration. I've actually got bedroom 3 which is why i've got a sliding door out to a private courtyard. ____________________________ SuzanneW https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=38219 Pre-Start 01/10/10 Slab 14/01/11 Brickwork 28/02/11 Roof Frame 24/03/11 Re: Building Our Family Home - *** One-off Design 5Sep 09, 2010 8:20 am your home seems so much bigger than the original..wowoaahahah!!! looks great! what is the cupboard in the master bed for? on the left love the shower..it is huge (and good for mum to use) you are so kind thinking of them. I dont know if I would be that kind, well done! Re: Building Our Family Home - *** One-off Design 6Sep 09, 2010 12:41 pm Hi there Suzanne! We are also building with the same builders you are going through. Love your plans! So much space Can't wait to read through all your building news! Have fun! Plastering 02/03/11 Roofframe 31/01/11 / Electrics,plumbing,gutters,downpipes 12/02/11 Bricks 10/01/11 / Pad 10/12/10 Retainingwalls 5/11/10 / Re-peg 14/10/10 Bldlic appvd 10/09/10 / Plansappvd 12/07/10 Bldcontract signed 19/02/10 / Landsettlement 25/01/10 BlockUOffer July 09 Forum: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=27512 Re: Building Our Family Home - *** One-off Design 7Sep 09, 2010 4:15 pm Hi Kiwi & Ezi Thanks for your welcome messages. kiwi what is the cupboard in the master bed for? on the left love the shower..it is huge (and good for mum to use) you are so kind thinking of them. That's actually the entry into master suite from the family room - and the circle thingie is the smoke detector. They've called it the family room on the plan and it sort of will be but mostly it will be the 'library'. I and my parents have loads of books, magazines, cds and albums so this will sort be the chill out area. The shower was actually the first thing I changed on the original 'Palandri' design because mum needs assistance so a two person shower was going to be a must. And basically when it comes to family - you do what you have to do. They provided some of the funds for the deposit on the land and then I've fund the land, house, & brand new furniture (yay). This house is actually probably their last hurrah. About 5 years ago when they realised mum had the early stages of Alzheimers they sold their house (one they'd lived in for 30 years), cashed in their super and have been travelling the last 5 years living the good life while mum's still able. Both my sister and I are looking forward to having them back home. ____________________________ SuzanneW https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=38219 Pre-Start 01/10/10 Slab 14/01/11 Brickwork 28/02/11 Roof Frame 24/03/11 Re: Building Our Family Home - *** One-off Design 8Sep 09, 2010 4:25 pm Hi Suzanne Just in case...I'm replied to your queries on my thread. Didn't know where to answer... Ez Plastering 02/03/11 Roofframe 31/01/11 / Electrics,plumbing,gutters,downpipes 12/02/11 Bricks 10/01/11 / Pad 10/12/10 Retainingwalls 5/11/10 / Re-peg 14/10/10 Bldlic appvd 10/09/10 / Plansappvd 12/07/10 Bldcontract signed 19/02/10 / Landsettlement 25/01/10 BlockUOffer July 09 Forum: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=27512 Re: Building Our Family Home - *** One-off Design 10Sep 09, 2010 5:51 pm duh! oh yeah, I see that now..ha ha. That is the entrance!! sorry... the clue was the door ay.... thanks Re: Building Our Family Home - *** One-off Design 11Sep 09, 2010 6:20 pm Hi d@n d@n Don't mind the floor plan, especially the family area tucked away from the kitchen. But it's a long walk to the toilet if you're at the back of the house. I had to chuckle, my sister and I had this exact same conversation during the design process. We came up with all different scenarios about how each part of the house will be used, who would use it, distance of 'public areas' to 'private areas' and access routes to those areas. These are what we decided would be the most common scenarios for that particular issue: 1. When having guests over the most likely area to entertain them would be the living/dining area or the alfresco area in front of the kitchen (in middle of house) - therefore the bathroom/toilet is close/convenient enough to use. 2. The family area/theatre room/back of house patio would most likely be used by family and using the ensuite would not be a problem for those times you've just got to go. Isn't it funny the details you think of when designing a house. I start of with 'Nice design, I think it'll work' and then by the end I'm thinking 'How will guests travel through my house to get to the toilet'. ____________________________ SuzanneW https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=38219 Pre-Start 01/10/10 Slab 14/01/11 Brickwork 28/02/11 Roof Frame 24/03/11 Re: Building Our Family Home - *** One-off Design 12Sep 09, 2010 7:27 pm Interesting issue came up with when designing our house. As many of you are aware (in WA at least), particularly those with small blocks like mine, the house can only take up a certain percentage of sqm and the rest has to be land (unless it's specially rated). Issue: Well there wasn’t an issue with my design until I moved my alfresco area (under the roof line) from the back left corner up the side of the house to the middle. Suddenly my alfresco area has 3 ‘walls’ (instead of 2) and a roof so the council considers it to be internal space and part of the sqm of the house. Which meant my ‘house’ was too big. Solution: The builder removed the roof from the alfresco area and suddenly the council considers it outdoor area again. Then after the house is built I get a patio company to put a roof on and as long as it’s 0.75m from the neighbours fence line and they have no issue, the council just ask ‘How big do you want it?. It’s actually given me a great opportunity to design a pitch ceiling alfresco area instead of a flat ceiling. So a ‘What the…’ moment turned into a head nodding ‘Cooool’. Anyone else had these moments? ____________________________ SuzanneW https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=38219 Pre-Start 01/10/10 Slab 14/01/11 Brickwork 28/02/11 Roof Frame 24/03/11 Re: Building Our Family Home - *** One-off Design 14Sep 09, 2010 10:15 pm [quote="TheOK"]Your neighbouring property has 'Alien Crop Circles'. [quote] Just what I need, a ready excuse for the builders: "It's not our fault, the aliens did it!" ____________________________ SuzanneW https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=38219 Pre-Start 01/10/10 Slab 14/01/11 Brickwork 28/02/11 Roof Frame 24/03/11 Re: Building Our Family Home - *** One-off Design - Pre-star 15Oct 02, 2010 10:55 pm LESSON 3: NO MATTER HOW TIRED YOU ARE, CHECK EVERYTHING BEFORE YOU SIGN!!!! Well I had my Pre-start on Friday, 1st October. Thought I was organised as I had made lists for everyroom with things that needed to be sorted, added, removed etc. You know the saying "Measure twice, cut once", they should have one that says "Read twice, sign once". Started at 9.30am and I finished at about 4.20pm (included an hour & half of estimating time). Didn't help that in the days leading up to Pre-start I got hardly any sleep. By the end of the day I was absolutely exhausted. Which leads me to why I missed 5 things - 2 of them serious, 3 that will just niggle me if not fixed. My Pre-start administrator was fantastic. In the days leading up, I had called & emailed her with all sorts of costing questions, so I was sort of prepared walking in with what extra I was going to spend. She was very patient with me, explained alot things, I was very comfortable with her. So overall it was a great experience. Going thru the plans: We went through the layout plans - lots of changes to the kitchen, moved things around, changed most base cabinets to draws, upgraded my bench top to Qstone and a few other things. Extra tiling in the ensuite & bathroom (tiling to at least 1 metre high on all walls). Added loads of power points and lights. Added extra paving to include around the house (not just the front). Added some shallow walls to create display nooks. Changed the sliding mirrored robes to 2 swing doors (kind of over the sliding robe thing - want to open the doors and see everthing at once). Selecting finishes The "fun" part. Actually I was kinda over this because I had been going crazy trying to make a tile / laminate selection prior to pre-start and it was only in the last two days that I made a decision (unbelievably the same choices I had originally made 2 months ago). Kitchen: Base cabinets: (Polyrey) T020 Toraja Wall cabinets: (Polyrey) T039 Ginger Bench Top: (Qstone) Artic Splashback: none as yet. I going to get a mirrored one Ensuite: Vanity: Cabinet- (Laminex) 492 Tawny Linewood (laid horitzonal), Top- (Polrey) V039 Vega Mega White (gloss) Floor Tile: a light cream colour 300 x 300 Wall: white gloss 200 x 300 (laid on the 300 side) Bathroom / Laundry / toilet Vanity: Cabinet- (Laminex) 492 Tawny Linewood (laid horitzonal), Top- (Polrey) V039 Vega Mega White (gloss) Floor Tile: a chocolate / greay colour 300 x 300 Wall: white gloss 200 x 300 (laid on the 300 side) Elevation Front Doors: PMAD 114 stain grade - deep cedar Bricks: Federation Limestone (double width) Render: Taubmans "Woolaware" Roof: Monument Window/Door frames: charcoal Fascia/Down Pipes/Gutters: Dune Front Garage Door: Monument Back Garage Door: Classic Cream Paving: Charcoal & Iron Bark (Atlas - Design Pavers) All signed off So, selections made, all signed off. Things I missed 1 & 2: I asked for 3 lights above the island - I checked that I had 3 lights above the island - I had 3 lights above the island. I didn't check their exact position above the island until I got home and found there was one in right in middle (good), the left one was just on the edge above the bench (not good) and the right was butted up agains the island wall (also not good). 3: When I moved my microwave to beside the UBO I think the drafties have mistakenly thought the power is for the microwave instead of adding another power point. So currently the UBO does not have a power point. 4. I requested a wall light (picture display light) centre between the door opening and the side wall. Which they gave me. Great. Except the door was in the wrong position. So they moved the door. Great. But they didn't recentre the light. Bugger. 5. I started with a door opening to the ensuite toilet. There was always a door opening to the ensuite toilet. No change to this. However, when was going thru my plans last night at home, I don't have a door opengin the ensuite toilet. It's now a toilet in a completely walled room - with a window. Hence, "Read twice, sign once". Frantic call coming my Pre-start admininstrators way on Monday. ____________________________ SuzanneW https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=38219 Pre-Start 01/10/10 Slab 14/01/11 Brickwork 28/02/11 Roof Frame 24/03/11 Re: Building Our Family Home - *** One-off Design 16Oct 08, 2010 9:54 am LOL. Your 'new' plan is sooo far removed from the old one - it really is a completely unique home! Well done ;o) Did they charge you much for the re-jig?? All the best - loving reading your posts! Amazing_Venice [size=50]Signed: 31/07/10 Colour Appointment: 08/09/10 Deposit Tender 20 / 09 / 2010 Final Contract Signed 18 / 11 / 2010 Slab laid 02 / 2 / 2011 Frame completed 25 / 02 / 2011 viewtopic.php?f=31&t=37417&p=553032&hilit=oxford#p553032 Re: Building Our Family Home - *** One-off Design 17Oct 08, 2010 10:10 am This is gonna be one of those fun threads/builds Congrats on all that happened so far Feel for you with your mum,same as mine,its sad & cruel Enjoy the time sharing your home with them Gotta go,check your build later Block bought 1st RBC X! 2nd Ventrua,Keeper! Pstart 18/7/11 Ethwks jan 2012 Slab Bricks- finished 7/6 Roof Trusses 15/6-cbond 21/7 viewtopic.php?f=31&t=41185 Re: Building Our Family Home - *** One-off Design 18Oct 08, 2010 12:39 pm SuzanneW However, when was going thru my plans last night at home, I don't have a door opengin the ensuite toilet. It's now a toilet in a completely walled room - with a window. Whoopsy Daisy......think this definitely needs looking at Re: Building Our Family Home - *** One-off Design 19Oct 30, 2010 10:12 pm amazing_venice LOL. Your 'new' plan is sooo far removed from the old one - it really is a completely unique home! Well done ;o) Did they charge you much for the re-jig?? All the best - loving reading your posts! Hi amazing_venice Thank you for your good wishes, much appreciated. Apologies for the delay in reply, have been un-attached to computer for 3 weeks!!! Hyperventilating, calming down now. I know what you mean about the house design. I started moving a wall here, changing a window there and then by the time I finished I had a different house. Interestingly enough, it's only 4sqm bigger than the original design. Definitely, I got bit in the bank account tush. Hence a visit to my bank mortgage manager. Can't say enough good things about KG, she is a star. I did try to fit in all my extras to begin with so I had my financing pretty much in order before prestart. I did set aside about $10,200 for last minute upgrades at prestart and no joke, it came in at $10,109. I had to laugh. So all up the upgrade from the Palandri to my design is about $30,000. Pretty happy. ____________________________ SuzanneW https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=38219 Pre-Start 01/10/10 Slab 14/01/11 Brickwork 28/02/11 Roof Frame 24/03/11 Re: Building Our Family Home - *** One-off Design 20Oct 30, 2010 10:21 pm kerry-ann This is gonna be one of those fun threads/builds Congrats on all that happened so far Feel for you with your mum,same as mine,its sad & cruel Enjoy the time sharing your home with them Gotta go,check your build later Hi Kerry-ann Thank you for congrats on the house. So far an amazing experience. My heart goes out to you, your family and your mum. It's heart breaking. Suddenly there's this stranger who looks like your beautiful mother and sometimes acts like her but most of the time there's a frigtened, lost person who doesn't understand what's happening to them. Be strong. ____________________________ SuzanneW https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=38219 Pre-Start 01/10/10 Slab 14/01/11 Brickwork 28/02/11 Roof Frame 24/03/11 nothing to do with salespeole. you'd do well to read and ccomprehend the post before bashing away at the keys with some negative comment again. 4 5048 8 3960 5 4916 |