Things you forget - summary page 32

Photos photos photos during the build. Of all the structural work, frames, electricals, plumbing, waterproofing, everything.

We currently have an issue with a water leak in our patio ceiling. The builders are stumped as to how the water is getting in. Fortunately I had some random photos of the waterproofing stage (not actually deliberately of the waterproofing, more views from the room at the time) but they proved invaluable to the builder. If I had known, of course I would have taken more detailed photos but hindsight is always a handy thing. Likewise, DH took lots of photos of plumbing and electricals, which have been referred to numerous times since we moved in (eg. when we had no hot water at hand-over and the builder wanted to check the cross overs and when DH has installed things on the walls it has helped to remember where electrical wiring is to be careful).

So a reminder that you can't take enough photos (although I am sure we all do), but even of the boring stuff as you never know if you will need it in the future.

question: (couldn't find a good thread to ask on) i noticed on here something about checking lights at PCI? On of the lights at the top of our stairs on the wall is not centred to where I want it.. Is this something that can be changed? I was under the impression it couldnt be

One thing to consider if you are having an instantaneous gas hot water heater on the side of your house is to get a "Smartbox" installed in the framing or brickwork if the space between the house and side boundary is narrow. It is basically a metal box that the heater fits into and means the heater will be flush with the wall and not stick out.
http://www.rinnai.com.au/index.php?opti ... d=2&id=155

Stewie

yeah I hadn't seen flush mounted water heater or flush mounted electricity meter until our house was up
Looks like a few builders are doing both now.

Be aware that the all-in-one Rinna1 Smart Start HWS doesn't fit into the Smart B0x; we now have to fit the system into a metal unit or use the Smart B0x but split the smart start into a rinnai infin1ty 26 + separate heat pump which means two power points instead of one, and because we have hebel, if we use the metal box will protrude 100mm out of the wall instead of sitting flush.

Also make sure, if you're having split systems pre-installed at frame stage, where the water run off pipes are internal, that a 'spoon drain' is attached by the builder's plumber to the sink plumbing and the pipe has been brought through at gyprock stage. Our air con pre-installer forgot to let our builder know and now a hole has to be cut through our painted gyprock to access the powder room plumbing and attach the spoon drain and run the plastic run-off pipe into it (if you know what I mean )

Insulation over your garage and alfresco areas. This isn't always standard, in fact the garage is typically completely uninsulated. If you have a double garage this means that on a hot day you'll end up with a serious volume of heated air.

Seems like a small issue, but remember that most of us will end up with NBN racks in our garage, which include electronics that aren't very tolerant of high temperatures. Easily fixed of course, ceiling insulation is enough for the job and doesn't even need to be the same rating as your main living areas.

I'm also insulating the ceiling space over my alfresco as it's quite large (almost 35 sqm) and I don't want it to turn into an oven in summer!

I'm not sure if this has been mentioned but we have sized our windows to 1200, 1500, 1800 etc so we can buy ready made blinds and put them in ourselves.
Another big one is to extend the garage length beyond the standard 6 metres. 6m becomes 5.4m when internal walls and the garage door are factored in and it is just not long enough.

Great thread!!! I've been reading the forum for a while, but have just signed up as I'm finally ready to build the house that I've been planning for years. I've read all 30 pages, and it has been great to add things to my list.

I'd like to add a few more items that I've got on my own list that I haven't seen mentioned here yet:

* Think about where bedrooms are in relation to living areas, especially televisions. If your children's bedrooms share a wall with your television or living area, then consider adding soundproofing to those walls.

* Add a junction box/light point in the alfresco/outdoor area for a bug zapper with the switch inside.

* Include dimmer switches to any light points in your alfresco. After dinner, you can dim the lights whilst sitting around talking and having a drink, and this will minimise the bugs.

* If you're planning to add to your outdoor area later, add an additional gas point and powerpoint for an outdoor fireplace.

* Put a TV point behind your fridge (yes, really!). Fridges are now being made with televisions/touch screens in the front panel, so consider adding a point for futureproofing.

Another thing we've 'discovered' now that the house is nearing completion - our 'standard' height shower screen by Stegb@r seems too short. It is probably ok in houses that are 2400mm but it doesn't look quite right with 2700mm ceilings. Also tall people may have to duck to get in. Too late for us unless we want to pay for replacement (maybe in the future) but hope this helps others.

We've been in our house for 3 months now and here are some things i wish i could go back and change, not in any particular order
my thread is here
viewtopic.php?f=31&t=58725&start=40

1. rangehood . DO NOT skimp. This is the 'kidney' and 'liver' of your home and it gets rid of the smells and grease from cooking. I got a pretty looking miele one, it does a decent job, but when i think about it, i wish i got a more 'industrial one'. I love my cooking and for a couple of k extra would of been nice to get one that works REALLY good. (Think of the types you see in fish and chip shops, those huge ones ) Sure you can build an outdoor kitchen, but i prefer to cook indoors.

2. Sound insulation. Particular around where the water systems are. Our oven is built into a wall that backs onto the living quarters corridors. It's minor, but is annoying whrn you have guest staying in the bedrooms, and your cooking something late and the oven can be heard. Also sound insulation around where the tv's are going to be mounted. EVen though we do not have a dedicated tv room, it would be nice to watch tv loud at night, bit hard cause when the youngens go to sleep, i need to tone it down. i LOVE watching my movies loud, but atlas can not atm ( 2month old sleeping a couple of rooms away) . Also sound insualtion around laundry. I time delay everything to work at night, and testing it, I can def here the dryer going on in the other bedrooms. At night noise goes a LONG way.

3. Soft close cupboards, not just drawers in kitchen and bathroom

4. overhead cupboards in laundry. I just completely forgot about this until it was all done and thought...hmm that looks abit bare, whats missing. Then realized...cupboards.

5. Windows or skylight in EVERYROOM for natural light. My pantry and study have no natural light, and it REALLY annoys me .
Everyroom means everyroom, even the WIR! (maybe not tv room if you are building one )

6. Windows that don't leak. We have trend windows put in double glaze, and when we get a huge storm, it leaks. Trend have looked at it and said thats normal, and only happens when the water hitting the window is too fast for the drain holes at the bottom to leak....still would be nice if it didn't leak.

7. double head shower if you and the significant other shower together

Thanks Guys, I'll update "The List" shortly with these suggestions......

One item I'd throw in for debate is a suggestion I've seen in the past and raised by unfunkable of a skylight in every room including the pantry ?

Would you prefer the foodstuffs in your pantry to be kept "in the dark" or are you comfortable with constant daylight in there ?

Most (pantry) foodstuffs say to "Store in a cool dark place".

Your thoughts ?

P_D

Many options for Sound Insulation. Just a few.
Make the wall sheets on one side different thickness to the other. 10mm & 13mm, or (better) 13mm & 16mm.
Walls of the same thickness actually behave like a drum, as they resonate at the same frequency.
Do this at the source, eg Oven Wall or Laundry.
Use dedicated Sound Insulation products, though more expensive. Or go as thick as possible.
Sound goes up as well as sideways, so consider more insulation above in specific areas, and 2 sheets of plaster to the ceiling.
For Home Theatres, look at the option of Staggered Stud Walls. Not as good as double, but "affordable"
For Steel Frame, Rondo and Studco have isolating fittings. May also be available for timber frames, not sure.

Seals. Not the aquatic kind.
It is amazing the amount of noise that escapes from minimal openings.
So doors are best sealed top, side AND bottom. Not going to be cheap, but it is the finishing touch.
To get an idea of the Range, check out http://www.raven.com.au
They spec the Noise Isolation in their data details.
This is something you can do if you have already built.

The basic principle in Studios is Mass Air Mass. This is not often practical in homes, but the above may help.

None of the above will help with the way the room actually sounds Acoustically.
That comes down to selection of the best Ratio of Room Dimensions before you build, and subsequent Acoustic Treatment (totally different to Isolation Treatment). A whole other topic.

Hi there guys,

As said above - PHOTOS PHOTOS PHOTOS - of EVERY stage and EVERY thing and EVERY corner and from EVERY angle, as you never know what you will need them for. Future additions, problem solving, pentrating walls if ever needed...
The other good thing we did was insulate the walls between the kids bedrooms & between the rumpus & our bedroom...
Go for bulb and batton lighting & then buy DIY shades to save money...
And ensure above ALL - before you sign the contract - have it looked over by a solicitor... We failed to do this & luckily it hasn't bitten us too badly, but things like liquidate damages were a lot less than our actual costs are now that we've gone over time...



As for the above - I would not put one in the pantry - we were going to do this and this was put to us: "Do you want your potatoes growing?" Nor would I put one in every room... In possible dark areas yes, like hallways with no natural light, but definately not in bedrooms.

I have two small fixed windows in my pantry and glad I put them in but no direct sunlight is on any foodstuff. I do a lot of cooking in there and appreciate the view of my developing garden.

I store the potatoes in a drawer without front doors so there is heaps of air circulating around them.

I would say no to a skylight in my pantry and bedrooms but in our last build we had one in an internal study and was a great idea.

Consider where you will store your rubbish bins, how you'll get them from their storage location to the front kerb, and how you'll move rubbish from the kitchen to the bins. Many of the smaller designs leave you with nowhere to put them.

My solution was to put a rollerdoor on the back of the garage, a concrete apron behind the garage and to use the garage's connecting door to the house for access. Not 100% ideal, means going through two doors to access the bins, but allows for easy access to the street on bin night and discrete storage during the week.

What other drain holes are 100mm?

If you are building a two storey house and all bathrooms are upstairs, consider adding a shower to the downstairs powder room. Someone breaks a leg or becomes otherwise immobile and it can become a bit of a nightmare getting up and down stairs to shower. Also handy for super muddy/dirty kids or spouses.

If you have pets, consider where their water bowl will be placed outside and make sure there's a tap handy. Also consider a veggie sprayer tap in the laundry. Makes rinsing animal bowls and bathing smaller animals a breeze.

Also, really have a good think about adding a hand rail on both sides of any staircases. Many builders seem to think that just having the guard rail on one side is sufficient. I guarantee that on at least one occasion during your life in a multi-story house, it will save you falling down at least a few stairs.

Not sure if they mean drainage pipe sizes for vanities, sinks etc or floor wastes. If the latter they should always be 100mm just so if there is a blockage you can get your hand down there to clear it.

Stewie

Things I actually assumed were in the contract we should have known better :
Butlers pantry
Built in draws in wir
Steps to the back of the laundry
Colour to concrete driveway.

Just missed these ones there's just so much to rembember. Our ceaserstone is way thinner then the display homes also assumed it would be that thick.

As for the skylight in everyroom, I would rather have it dark on a Sunday sleep in morning so don't agree with every room but we did get one in our bathroom as the house design has no windows in it, it makes a really nice difference, maybe in a hallway is great depending on the amount of light streaming in.

Things I'm so happy we remembered to add.

Driveway
Airconditioner
Translucent glass ( so no one can see in through my front doors)
Double entrance doors love the look of them.
Basket in laundry cupboard
Lots of pot draws
Stacker doors to alfresco
Kids playroom sold us right away.
Upgraded large 900mm oven ( last house we build had the cheapest crappiest oven so made sure of it this time)