Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Nov 15, 2011 2:14 pm Time to start a new thread for our new home!
What we're working with: - 50m x 20m block, about 400-500m elevation - Almost totally flat, perhaps 1m rise over the length - Facing due North (I'm not sure if that means it's "true north" or magnetic north. - Currently covered in crushed blue-stone rock apart from tree's at the entrance - 7.5m height restriction for the area, 6m if it's close to the boundary - Clear view of the west face of Mount Wellington - $300k limit, probably worth including 10% contingency so $270k. This is fairly firm but it may be possible to go further with some injection from in-laws. - Needs alternative water-treatment - Town water - Power-pole on site - Not sure about the soil Our current direction: - Two-story, keeping building style to basic shapes to keep costs down. - High energy-star rating, 7+ - R6 ceiling, R3-4 walls, R3 under slab and slab edge - Double-glazed with argon filled windows - Entire downstairs as polished concrete - Working with 6:1 ratio of glazing to thermal-mass floor so say 18 sqm north-facing glazing to 100 sqm of polished concrete - We want a good temperature lag for comfort. Aux heating I imagine will be heat pump - Ideally ducted so we can integrate a Lossnay Energy Recovery Unit - Roughly 180 sqm - Living area including kitchen to be all open-plan with room for a lot of plants. - 4 bedrooms dedicated bedrooms - 1 multifuction room that is setup as a library, study, tv-room with sofa bed - Wall or L-shape kitchen with decent island bench - Scope to add a garage if it's not affordable right now, ideally with access directly into the house. 3 cars would be ideal but only 1 or 2 need be fully enclosed. Characteristics of the house and how we'd use it - Primary space used would be the downstairs living areas - A lot of traffic via the north deck in summer and the rear muck-room entry all year round. In winter need to limit cold draft - Bedrooms need not be huge, just enough for double beds in 3 of the 4 rooms and a desk. - Master bedroom to have ensuite or direct access to a bathroom - All 4 bedrooms to have 'robes - Laundry/rear door/cloak area to be very functional with storage, under bench front-load washing machine, coat hanging space and boot storage. Ideally access to a toilet without having to enter into the main living area - All main bedrooms upstairs - A small play area between the two kids bedrooms To investigate: - Evacuated-tube solar hot water - can it be electric-boosted instead of gas? - Possibly strengthen the garage so that a deck could be built on it, or at least some plant area (native grasses grown around it's edges) - Large rain-water tank (some may be required for bushfire management plan anyway) - Number of bathrooms upstairs Re: New home in the hills! (TAS) 3Nov 15, 2011 3:41 pm My current focus is on working out the house style.. From drawing a few rough plans I think we'd be best with two-storey. Does anyone have much experience with what this adds to the price? If only there was a website that could give you estimates of price after ending values like 1/2 storey, materials, extras like double glazing etc I looked into polished concrete flooring prices, as a friend had claimed they were very expensive. That does not seem to be what I found online, which was around $100-140 per square metre for the better style finish. I also need to work out when to engage a consultant/designer. We can't afford a typical 10% architect, but we will need someone to at least vet our design re: thermal mass/glass ratio for proper solar gain design. I would also like someone to take a look just to work out if we're using the space as efficiently as possible. Re: New home in the hills! (TAS) 4Nov 15, 2011 4:14 pm Hi and welcome This guy might be able to help He built in Hobart viewtopic.php?f=31&t=24241 Your plan sounds great, good luck Re: New home in the hills! (TAS) 5Nov 16, 2011 2:37 pm kiwi Hi and welcome This guy might be able to help He built in Hobart viewtopic.php?f=31&t=24241 Your plan sounds great, good luck Yeah I work with him =D Re: New home in the hills! (TAS) 6Nov 16, 2011 5:05 pm ha ha!!!! well, he should be able to point you in the right direction at least! have you got any sketches you could share with us here? Re: New home in the hills! (TAS) 7Jan 10, 2012 12:47 pm PLANS!! We received our first draft from our designer I'll also post our sketch of the layout that we provided to them which they've recreated very similar here. Ground floor: Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Upper floor: Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ 3D render from side: Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Comments? Re: New home in the hills! (TAS) 8Jan 10, 2012 6:21 pm I would put a window down bedroom 4's hall as it will be really dark and like going down a tunnel. just a small high up one, if you want privacy from a neighbour. Doesnt even have to open, just for light and not so claustraphobic (sp) as the ensuite/ bathroom services 4 bedrooms, I would put 2 vanities in. Kids can brush their teeth together then, or one does make up and the other shaves...I dont know..but it is a tiny space for 4 bedrooms and anyway you can make it work easier I would try I know there is one downstairs...but trust me, they wont bother walking down there! are you excited? very dramatic on the outside..whaooaoaoao! Re: New home in the hills! (TAS) 9Jan 10, 2012 8:13 pm Kiwi is right... with all those bedrooms on the top floor, sharing the same bathroom, i'd be putting in a double vanity. Thats a lot of people to share one bathroom! I may even consider something like a 3 way bathroom where the shower and toilet are in their own room, with the vanity accessible while someone is in the toilet or shower... because Kiwi is correct, kids wont bother going down stairs to shower/clean. hahaha Blog: http://matt-and-jo.blogspot.com.au/ Purchased Block: August 2011, Block Settled: Dec, 2011 Contract Signed: 28/6/12, Site Works Started: 9/11/12 Re: New home in the hills! (TAS) 10Jan 10, 2012 8:14 pm Out of interest, as i'm currently also designing a house - did the designs come in within budget? Blog: http://matt-and-jo.blogspot.com.au/ Purchased Block: August 2011, Block Settled: Dec, 2011 Contract Signed: 28/6/12, Site Works Started: 9/11/12 Re: New home in the hills! (TAS) 11Jan 11, 2012 3:07 pm Will answer your posts in a sec.. just going to throw this up. My ipad squiggles for the upstairs after mulling the layout last night. Think I got something if it all fits together ! Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Uploaded with ImageShack.us Re: New home in the hills! (TAS) 12Jan 11, 2012 3:14 pm can you make bed 4, the master, with a walk in robe and small shower room/ loo and then a larger bathroom for the ferrals at the other end where bed 1 is now? use that hall by bed 4 for an ensuite/ wir will show you.... Re: New home in the hills! (TAS) 13Jan 11, 2012 3:15 pm using up some of that hall way space? I think I was thinking the same thing as you kiwi... bazinga! Blog: http://matt-and-jo.blogspot.com.au/ Purchased Block: August 2011, Block Settled: Dec, 2011 Contract Signed: 28/6/12, Site Works Started: 9/11/12 Re: New home in the hills! (TAS) 14Jan 11, 2012 3:25 pm Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ like this...but you do it soooo much better you really (honestly...you will thank us as will re sale value) need 2 bathrooms upstairs...en ensuite (can be small..that is ok, maybe a wet room???) and a bathroom with a bath and maybe a shower over (if no room for a sep shower) people kind of expect an ensuite in a new home, and you will lose value if you dont put it in, can be little..just needs to be there and a bath somewhere..can be downstairs and so upstairs 2 shower rooms? (with loos) Re: New home in the hills! (TAS) 15Jan 11, 2012 3:26 pm the activity/ library/ study area should be next to the master to block the squealling going through the walls into bedrooms next to the master... keeps kids awake! Re: New home in the hills! (TAS) 16Jan 11, 2012 3:31 pm oops. just seen bath is downstairs...so that is cool that is a full bathroom upstairs can be an ensuite (no double vanity needed) and a kids shower room and loo at the other end of the house... easy! having the stairs changed works too, so you go down from the activity area, and not from bed 4 end, Re: New home in the hills! (TAS) 17Jan 11, 2012 3:44 pm Wow such fast feedback, thanks guys I've got the graph paper out atm drawing my idea up rather than relying on the finger squiggles on the ipad (done in the excellent SketchPad btw) The issue with master bedroom changing sides is that we'll lose the view of the mountain. The designer has not put a West side window in that room but I will definitely ask for that to be changed. It's a lovely view too First off I'll explain what I changed in that squiggle: - I swapped the staircase around so that the top of the stairs was to the East, or in the middle of the house. The reason being is that then I can have that bathroom in the South West corner go right against the staircase void and make it bigger - If we keep the master bedroom on that West side with the view I definitely want bathroom access. What I've done is a bathroom that has 2 entrances. In this revised version I've tried an idea that I had in a rental once.. where you walk through a wardrobe into the ensuite. It was awesome, the storage was sliding mirror doors so you could close them and use for mirrors, slide them open to access build-ins, or just walk through into the bathroom. - The number of bathrooms is an issue.. i'm ok with allowing for future bathrooms, but we are very possibly going to be stretched for budget. I'm worried about being close as it is, so if it was a tipping poing I'd have to back out. However if we can have it and just put the pluming in then that'd be ok. My folks suggested even just a separate toilet upstairs, and I guess in that you'd put one of those slim-line wash sinks, but I just feel odd about having 3 toilets in a house!... no? Maybe i've been living in one-toilet-squalor too long! - Yes that area between rooms 3 and 4 is a play area for the kids. With a nice window and as little as say 1800mm width I think it'd be a nice area as long as no doors opened onto it. I thought we could put a day bed against the window with some toy draws underneath, and they could play there. - The extra width corridor below bed4 I was thinking could have a desk at the end, or just loads of storage cupboards along that length and at the end. We've been living in almost no storage and it's driving us nuts.. maybe we'll go overboard with it, but I just love having loads of storage So.. when you say people expect an en suite, would direct-access to a 2-door bathroom be enough? Or do you think that's still not going to cut it, for privacy or just load concerns? The designer has put the bath downstairs but yes I agree it should be upstairs for the kids. Although I haven't re-drawn any downstairs I was as I say imaging flipping the staircase around, removing the bath, possibly making a basic bathroom downstairs with no toilet, but having a separate toilet that is accessible from the laundry/muck-room. The whole point then would be that you could come in from the outdoors, kick off muddy boots and use a toilet but not have to go into the main house area. Phew.. what you think? Thanks again for the quick feedback Re: New home in the hills! (TAS) 19Jan 11, 2012 3:50 pm After reading above Taththi - it reminds me somewhat of my own plans im drawing, Kiwi may remember. I was battling between how many toilets is enough and how many is overkill! haha My house is a tri level as it is on a slope, so think of it as a two story for the benefit of this discussion anyway... We have an ensuite to master - exclusive parents only use, no outside access. A full bathroom near the kids rooms (bath, shower, toilet & single vanity) Then on the lower floor we have a powder room - toilet and wash basin only. Could you do something like that? I dont remember your bottom floor entirely, ill scroll up after I write this and have a better look... Blog: http://matt-and-jo.blogspot.com.au/ Purchased Block: August 2011, Block Settled: Dec, 2011 Contract Signed: 28/6/12, Site Works Started: 9/11/12 Re: New home in the hills! (TAS) 20Jan 11, 2012 3:51 pm 2 way bathroom, sep loo downstairs... walk through robes to 2 way bathroom (I too have lived like that..FANTASTIC) sounds like the way to go if space and $$$ are really tight.. the view of the mountain sounds awesome and I think you should try and keep it.... ok, play with the graph paper, and see how you go (plumbing in but no bathroom yet,...would be a good idea if there is space...) but your concerns are right, and a 2 way ensuite is fine. happy drawing! Even if it's not being sub-divided and you want to keep it as Torrens title, you will still need to talk to a town planner or Council themselves, to see if they will allow… 1 11039 Thanks again Simeon for being so elaborate. Appreciate it. Its gives us a very idea. Kind Regards 4 3687 Is it just a report written to give to the bank initially and it is based on what and how your payments are made up for, or is it a full service where they go out and… 2 5605 |