Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Feb 21, 2013 2:43 pm Hi guys
My husband and I have been voyeurs for quite a while. The information on this website is invaluable. So our story is... We're looking at building either a Fowler Monte Carlo 33 or Masterton Santorini Mk2 and at this stage can't decide. Both these houses are double story and at least 34sq in size. We're doing a knockdown rebuild. Being newbs in the building world there are some questions that we have and hopefully your answers will help us decide which way to go. If you can also give reasons that would be appreciated. 1) Should the tiles be laid before or after the kitchen benches have been installed? 2) What is the best cupboard door, most durable and long lasting? One of the quotes is for Createc. Never heard of it until we went through the tender with a fine tooth comb. 3) We've been quoted Caesarstone for one builder and Quantum Quartz for the other for bench tops. From what I've read on this website, they are much the same. Is that so? 4) Is it worth the added expense to do a double brick home over brick veneer especially as where we live most of the houses are over 70 years old and double brick, with some new double storey houses being built in double brick. 5) Is the quality between bricks (and brick companies, PGH vs Austral) much the same and it's just purely a colour choice? Same with roof tiles or are the terracotta ones better quality than others? 6) Are all paint companies much the same? 7) Is $120 p/sqm a reasonable price for porcelain tiles laid? Speaking of porcelain, is it worth it to upgrade to vitrified? From what we've heard, ceramic tiles aren't the best quality and may chip easily compared to other types. Also, should glue or cement or something else be used on these two types of tiles? Sorry if these questions have already been asked before but there is SO much to go through on this website and we may have missed that thread. Our build looks like it will cost around half a mill and we're wondering if we should take that money and go to a builder and not use a project home company. Or will that blow out the figure heaps more? Thanks heaps!! S&H EDIT: What's an ideal, or minimum, depth for a kitchen pantry? Re: First time home builders 3Feb 22, 2013 9:50 pm Hi Helen and welcome, can't answer all your questions but i'm sure other members will chime in soon. 1) Tiles are usually laid after cabinets are installed. 2) From what i've heard the best door is a two pack door 3) Pretty much the same product, reconstituted stone Re: First time home builders 4Feb 24, 2013 2:25 pm Thanks PaulMac I was just wondering... how long did it take people to decide on their home and sign contracts?? We've been looking for nearly 12 months and taking forever to decide. Are we normal?? Re: First time home builders 5Feb 24, 2013 3:03 pm As far as bricks go just choose the one you like rather than worrying about which company. It's best to go and look at the companies display centre where you can see a wall rather than choose from a few sample bricks. At the display centre you will also see the mortar colour the brick company thinks is best. The Harder You Try - the Luckier You Get ! Web site http://www.anewhouse.com.au Informative, Amusing, and Opinionated Blog - Over 600 posts on all aspects of building a new house. Re: First time home builders 6Feb 24, 2013 3:25 pm With question 4, regarding double-brick - will project-home builders even do double-brick houses these days? Given how thick the walls become, I would think it would mess with their designs too much? Spoke to a few custom-builders who were of the opinion that using double-brick was a leftover from the old days & that modern materials give you better insulation for less wall-thickness than double-brick. Re: First time home builders 7Feb 24, 2013 4:28 pm hi and welcome .
with tiles we are getting them in before kitchen so i think it just depends on the builder another option apart from roof tiles is colorbond you are quite normal in the decision it is a big choice and you must be happy with what you are buying Re: First time home builders 9Feb 27, 2013 11:13 pm Thanks for feedback. Does anyone recommend any building companies (non project homes) that project manager the whole build? Looking at all options and so far we've exhausted the project home side of things. Re: First time home builders 10Feb 27, 2013 11:38 pm Where are you building? I initially looked at project home builders and then found a custom builder. They are worth a look but can be hard to find. Drive around the areas near your land where lots of builds are occurring and look at all the signs on builds underway. You will find a mix of Project Home builders and smaller / custom builders. Then hunt-out websites and contact details for the builders you are unfamiliar with. Check forum reviews and review sites as well. Word of mouth can also be a good thing to pay attention to. Smaller / custom builders may seem a little less streamlined but I think the extra effort for a custom build is worthwhile so you have a house that meets your needs. There will probably be fewer delays also ( there are horror stories on these forums of excessive Project Home build times ... Some in excess of 12 months *after* slab goes down ). Build thread: here Land Nov 12, Contract 6/07/13, Consent 15/08/13, Start 20/09/13, Slab 25/09/13, Frame 4/10/13, Brick 21/10/13, Roof 2/11/13, Lock-up 17/12/13, Handover 3/3/14 Re: First time home builders 11Feb 27, 2013 11:53 pm maximus Where are you building? Hi, and thanks for the info. What you said appeals to me so I'll definitely look into custom builders more. We're in Hurstville council (Sydney). There are a few houses being built in our suburb. As you said, some project homes, some not (do you live near me!?). Most houses in the area are double brick. Project homes don't really do double brick or charge you a complete fortune for it. Are custom builders reasonably priced compared to project homes? I suspect they are dearer but how much more, percentage wise? Re: First time home builders 12Feb 28, 2013 12:37 am I am building out in the Hills District. With the builder I found, I will get a house about 8.5% larger for the equivalent outlay, when compared to a similar style house built by one of the big project home builders. This is for an equivalent specification in terms of fixtures / fittings / inclusions. You really just need to hunt around because custom builders can be hard to find. Since my builder is a smallish builder I think they would be unlikely to build in your area. I don't think double-brick is worth the extra money. My preference is to put the $$$ towards fitout. There is a good discussion on pros and cons of double-brick in this thread in whirlpool: http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/1463597 Build thread: here Land Nov 12, Contract 6/07/13, Consent 15/08/13, Start 20/09/13, Slab 25/09/13, Frame 4/10/13, Brick 21/10/13, Roof 2/11/13, Lock-up 17/12/13, Handover 3/3/14 Re: First time home builders 13Feb 28, 2013 5:19 am i also would put the extra towards the fitout etc i went with adenbrook homes who are building me a custom home they also located in sydney . Re: First time home builders 14Feb 28, 2013 2:05 pm Excuse my noobness here but what are the main differences between a custom home and a project home? The latter can make changes to the house plans but I suppose not on a large scale. Is that it? Thanks Max. I read that whirlpool article. In Hurstville all the new houses that are being built are double brick and from what I've seen, none are project homes. I suppose the Asians prefer them that way, like the Greeks and Italians. I prefer the interior walls of a double brick home, how solid they are, more durable for when kids throw things around. But is it worth an extra $50k-$100k, probably not that's why I was wondering what people thought. 1rocky - does that mean that they are considered as a project home company but will do a design for you from scratch? Re: First time home builders 15Feb 28, 2013 2:19 pm My plan is completely bespoke and to suit my block. In my case I just looked at plans for similar houses that this builder had built. Ultimately the plan is a hybrid of these other plans, ideas from a house I nearly bought and my own requirements (e.g. Storage space). I gave their sales manager and their designer a rough plan for what I wanted and a detailed design brief. Their designer then prepared a pre-plan which has been through several reviews and iterations. Time-consuming but worthwhile! Build thread: here Land Nov 12, Contract 6/07/13, Consent 15/08/13, Start 20/09/13, Slab 25/09/13, Frame 4/10/13, Brick 21/10/13, Roof 2/11/13, Lock-up 17/12/13, Handover 3/3/14 Re: First time home builders 17Feb 28, 2013 6:18 pm yes they do both. ours is a custom design and one of the biggest they have built in town here is their website http://www.adenbrookhomes.com.au/ Thanks NativeZen! I can't wait to start landscaping, though it's going to be a while away yet. No movement on site yet as of the weekend. Hoping to see some earthworks… 3 2160 Can anyone give me any onfo on New Homes WA? Good or bad, hopefully good just need to know if my choice was good or not? Thanks ❤️ 0 4958 Hi All, we are starting to think of building with Masterpiece Builders in Victoria, has anyone had any feedback or experience with them 0 7456 |