Browse Forums Building A New House Re: Building with Kurmond Homes 365Oct 04, 2013 4:51 pm 18/03/15 Deposit 02/09/15 CDC 22/09/15 Slab 05/12/15 Frames 15/12/15 Brick started. 11/04/16 Roof start 04/05/16 Roof finish 09/07/16 Gyprock. Re: Building with Kurmond Homes 366Oct 04, 2013 6:42 pm Hello Everyone, Glad to see there is progress.... Carak, what's going on my sweet????? Slopey blocks Aaahhhh... I am feeling your pain so I truly hope you get some progress too! Just thought I would jump on about the Island bench P/points with waterfall edges - this was one of my biggest issues. I wanted the pop up (they aren't too bad actually), but no one seemed to guarantee them so passed, plus DH wouldn't let me as he said that you pay for this lovely clean white Island stone and then have little round covers on it - I lost my bin hole cut-out for the same reason.... I put a double point at the very front on the inside of one of the end cupboards so I just open the door and can access it quite easily. It sits on the door opening side not the hinge side, so you just pull it slightly ajar, plug and then close the door again. In fact that same cupboard I now use to store the toaster and blender (most commonly used items), so I literally plug in and pull it up on to the island - so far so good. I then push the door back closed as I don't want DS to pull it or trip on the cord. I have seen them on the outside on the side of the waterfall edge, but I just wanted mine hidden, it detracts too much from the stone (only my opinion ) so if you have a choice hide it. I was always planning to have one end (next to the dishwasher) as my bin cupboard, which we had a friend come and put in post build for us, so I made sure it went in the other end. Kurmond put it in my to-be bin so I made them change it. I will take photos tomorrow if you like and post. I'll put the camera on charge tonight. For the glass splash back we just have one over one side but we upgraded the point to the stainless cover so it looks really nice. All visible points went up to the stainless range. Hope that helps. Blog: http://cbcbuild.blogspot.com.au/ Building Thread: https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=62155 Re: Building with Kurmond Homes 367Oct 04, 2013 8:03 pm lilac great idea about putting the point in the cupboard. Easy to access and hidden, and no fancy costs, the best part. It would be great to see your plans, think there is a post somewhere about how to post pictures. We are going through all the internal paint colours. Trying to get it all to match. The ceiling is standard white, we need to select walls, Doors/skirtings/architraves plus 2 feature walls. We have white/slight grey floor tiles so thinking white walls may be to white. But the colour you pick for your walls go all throughout the hose, including the bathrooms and laundry. We made this mistake with our last build, didn't cross my mind and ended up with Primrose walls in a white & blue bathroom. Looked terrible but very yellow, but no chance my DH repaints. So, have to get it right this time round. Have asked for a variation price on painting powder room, ensuite, laundry and main bathroom a different colour, thinking white walls for those rooms as the rooms have grey floor tiles and white wall tiles. He rest of the house thinking winterhaven (light grey colour). Then to work out Doors/skirtings/architraves, most likely a white colour. Our feature walls will be a grey wall opposite he kitchen, so we will match the colour with the charcoal glass splash back, and the other wall a red in the lounge room. Not sure if we want to be that bold but that is the thought at the moment. So hard to put it all together. Plus you have to think of the vanity colours. For those that don't know it is one colour for all bathrooms. Getting there and hoping it all works. What have others selected? They are currently putting our plans together for CDC which should happen in 2 weeks. Our pool is also getting organised and going to council. Meanwhile, a massive house is going up next door to us, it looks huge! It is about 7m longer than ours. It is 620m2, ours is 323m2. Which I think is big. Can't imagine what the cleaning will be like! All I keep thinking is the shadow it will be acting over my pool Behind us is a single storey bate-lax and hey are installing there pool already. There are heaps of other houses starting to go up. Will be interesting to see what others are building. Talk soon Re: Building with Kurmond Homes 368Oct 05, 2013 6:01 pm Will post shortly forgot to charge the camera!! we went with crisp white for all skirtings and architraves ceiling and doors. to have lower risk of colour matching whites, our poly kitchen cupboards we also went taubmans crisp white too. We have crystal gazing on all walls (from the white family but slightly grey so against the cornice it looks grey and not so stark), which I love love love! then our feature walls are Foxtail - again - love it! I am so thrilled with our colour scheme and wouldn't change it. Bathrooms we upgraded to floor to ceiling tiles, so paint in there wasn't an issue for us. The laundry our wall tiles above the bench are white so the crystal gazing was fine in here... Colours were my biggest worry, but it all works out ok... 620sqm??? that's huge, ours I think is 594sqm and I think that's big! Blog: http://cbcbuild.blogspot.com.au/ Building Thread: https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=62155 Re: Building with Kurmond Homes 369Oct 07, 2013 10:27 pm Hi all, are beginning the daunting yet exciting process of building as were going through settlement on a block of land at the moment. So far kurmond are at the top of our list. So I've began reading your posts although I've only gotten to around page 7 so far haha, we are building at brooks reach about 10 mins south of Wollongong, in Horsley. It's were we live now just the newest estate. We are looking at double story although was hoping the Iris would be more appealing than it was today when eerily ventured to Jordan Springs today. Found it felt a but compact for us. Hoping to find some pictures of other kurmond double story designs as I find the plans on paper can look so different in real life. Carak we are in the same boat as you either half of home BAl 40 and back half 29. Definitely a bummer in terms of price. Are going to look into having it downgraded but I think we'll need a few more fingers to cross. I look forward to catching up on this post when I get more time. Re: Building with Kurmond Homes 370Oct 09, 2013 7:42 pm Even a flat block has its issues!!! During our CDC check they discovered the neighbouring properties have a sewer line going down the whole length of the left of our block. Meaning our house will sit on the zone of influence or exclusion zone for the waterboard. So, now we need to do a variation to get the waterboard to come and perform a peg out on the sewer line to see the actual impact to our house footprint. What I am expecting is that we may have additional cost to our foundation as they may need bigger piers on the side closest to the sewer line. Ahhh more $$$. I tried to organise today that the water board include this pegout cost with the one I need to do for the pool anyway, but it seems that nothing is that simple. Would involve people talking to each other and over complicating the matter to combining the applications. They much prefer double hitting us the fee of $1300. Not happy! Trying to think of the finished product. Re: Building with Kurmond Homes 371Oct 12, 2013 7:07 pm Hi Carak, I hope your progress has speed up, what's the delays? We signed off on our plans for DA 2 weeks ago just waiting on confirmation that they have been sent, do we get an email or some sort of confirmation advising us it has been sent? Also not sure if anyone knows but how thick/thin is the glass on the windows, I have been told by 2 friends now who are building (different builders) that they upgraded to thicker glass, has anyone done this? Re: Building with Kurmond Homes 372Oct 15, 2013 8:42 pm G + C Hi Carak, I hope your progress has speed up, what's the delays? We signed off on our plans for DA 2 weeks ago just waiting on confirmation that they have been sent, do we get an email or some sort of confirmation advising us it has been sent? Also not sure if anyone knows but how thick/thin is the glass on the windows, I have been told by 2 friends now who are building (different builders) that they upgraded to thicker glass, has anyone done this? Hey G&C. Re DA application, your council will have an online DA tracker on their website. We were with Penrith council and they do. You can put in your building address and if it's been logged it will appear - or if you know your DA number then put that in. But Kurmond will tell you once logged - all though still check yourself as I checked ours and couldn't find it so called council to be told (after thinking we were near approval as it had been 4 weeks) it hadn't even been logged after we were told by Kurmond it had and they didn't tellus otherwise (I think internal miss-communication on their part). This was then right before Xmas. Council didn't accept the plans due to not having an acoustic report that was required because of the 'supposed' Badgerys creek airportand our block falling in the ANEF lines of one of the proposed runways.. Turned out after fighting we never needed it at all, but we lost 6 months over that issue (not all Kurmond's fault and definitely Council's lack of knowledge and putting us in the same basket as the rest of our estate that most are effected). ANYWAY (many on here have heard that story over and over so won't go in to the whole thing), so my advice is check on line or call them. RE windows glazing, unless you need double glazing and your DA requires it then no - complete waste of money - it's expensive to double glaze. Something we were looking at having to do had we been effected by the airport noise (which we won't if it ever gets built), so I would stay with normal glazing. We have that now and it's perfectly fine - having to build and add the glazing was thousands. Hope that helps Blog: http://cbcbuild.blogspot.com.au/ Building Thread: https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=62155 Re: Building with Kurmond Homes 373Oct 16, 2013 7:34 am Thanks Lilac We found out our plans are in Council so fingers crossed all goes smoothly. I was worried about the window glazing, we have already blown the budget with upgrades and we have only done tiles and external! Re: Building with Kurmond Homes 374Oct 18, 2013 1:21 pm Hi fellow builders, Thanks, Lilac, for the great power point advice. You are one smart cookie We received 2nd prelim plans, which are 98% ok, so now awaiting tender. Colours, colours, colours...aaarrrgh...I am worried we will stuff it up and be stuck with it. Thinking about very neutral tones throughout with a main theme of grey/white/brown/taupe. Starting to google "brown bathrooms" etc and finding lots of themes and schemes. I guess whatever we choose will look nicer than our current home, which seems to have slop marks on all the walls and a nice chunk of red wax from one night when I blew out the scented candles with a bit too much gusto Hope you all enjoy the weekend - slip, slop, slap. Re: Building with Kurmond Homes 375Oct 20, 2013 9:50 am FINALLY - Sorry here are a few images of the power point. They originally put it at the back but I got them to move it to the front because it obviously isn't practical to try and reach to the back when you want to plug something in. To be honest the toaster is pretty much just plugged in all the time and switched off so I just lift it up on to the bench, same with the blender and then anything else I bring out as needed from the pantry and cook at that end of the island and close the door after I plug it in keeping little fingers away from pulling cords off.. The other end is the bin and dishwasher so don't want to prepare the food there anyway. http://i1173.photobucket.com/albums/r590/Lilac500/Kitchen%20post%20handover/4853b190-9377-4dbd-a2ba-2cb3dede69f9_zpse89e47c4.jpg http://i1173.photobucket.com/albums/r590/Lilac500/Kitchen%20post%20handover/38d8c319-f882-43cd-a4fb-250226aa5515_zps6ddd0ca9.jpg http://i1173.photobucket.com/albums/r590/Lilac500/Kitchen%20post%20handover/c52932b4-2165-47ee-81bc-a76ad7b1f117_zpsff905d8e.jpg Blog: http://cbcbuild.blogspot.com.au/ Building Thread: https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=62155 Re: Building with Kurmond Homes 376Oct 20, 2013 9:20 pm I love that idea for the Power Point I am hoping this week we move forward I little faster. Plans still with CDC for approval, both house and pool. We are still going through internals and looking at wet area layouts. Made a few changes, some modifications some more getting to what was agreed in the first place, so waiting for updates. Want to get this all right before I go in. DH did sentinel and happy with that. Can't believe it is October already and we are still at plans and cdc. This build is so much slower and more complicated than our first home 16 yrs ago. We can't figure out why it is harder this time round. Re: Building with Kurmond Homes 377Oct 29, 2013 5:23 pm It is so slow! Plans with CDC Still. Still doing internals, not too happy with our progress, going over layouts and finding discrepancies with what we agreed at plan stage to now but hoping we move forward soon. Others who have built with them have you had issues at this stage? Re: Building with Kurmond Homes 378Oct 29, 2013 9:39 pm Hi everyone, We (the better half and myself) have been looking around for a new home as we have purchased land but are waiting for the registration in April next year. We are trying to get as much info as possible, about who we should build with. We really like the Harmony 25.5 and the Sierra 27 (single story homes) from Kurmond. From what I have read here, Kurmond seem to be fairly good so far. Reading about most builders on this forum, it appears that the admin part is the worst bit of the journey. Can anyone tell me (from their experience) how long did it take to build their house with Kurmond (from land registration day with council) and was their experience with their admin good or bad. Also, most builders give an 180 day tender, what is Kurmonds? What are the standard inclusions like (quality and choice) and how pricey are their upgrades? If people have prices handy, and don't want to disclose here, could they please PM me.....really would appreciate this. Site costs....did anyone get a shock by paying heaps extra? Did you experience certain things were not in the house price but you expected them to be there....i.e power points in kitchen area, door locks to toilet and bathroom. Lot of builders whack you with an additional fee for these which I consider crazy. Also, when do you pay the initial 5% deposit (at what stage)? Sorry about the million questions, but we have a budget we really need to stick to and any help here would be extremely appreciated. Re: Building with Kurmond Homes 379Nov 01, 2013 3:09 pm UpsizeTime glad to hear that you are at the CDC stage but sorry to hear that you are not happy with the progress, building is certainly a roller coaster ride. Understand completely about discrepancies In regard to our build, well nothing is happening STILL having issues with the floor plan and now the issue of trying to communicate e.g. not in, on phone, phone goes to voice mail, try main number, in a meeting, not available ..... you get the picture. We finally received an email Monday (4 weeks after the last contact) asking about our response to the plans they had amended and we replied immediately .... we are still waiting on a response Re: Building with Kurmond Homes 380Nov 04, 2013 2:26 pm Howdy all Just an update on our Allure 37 build. It was a bit slow but we recently got the plans that were are being submitted to council after having signed contracts a bit over a month ago. Our broker has asked us to get a quote for landscaping + window furnishings to go to the bank for the full valuation of the house so just waiting on that to come through. We have our internal colours appointment next week and have done the alarms & tiles already. During our tile appointment we chose the same tiles that are in the single storey display home at Kellyville! The process so far has been fairly positive. We've had to chase things up a bit and they're a bit slow but I'm not losing any sleep over it yet One screw up we made though which we may regret is the kitchen island bench. The plans in the brochure show an island bench width of 1.2m but the plans we signed off on have it much narrower (80cm). It ended up being this way because the version of the house that was used for our plans were the newer design (Allure 35) and then changed to include all the stuff from the older design (which we preferred). We just overlooked that they hadn't used the wider kitchen bench and signed off on it unfortunately. It's ~1-2k to get it increased but we've been told that we can go over it during our colours appointment so we'll see if Kurmond are happy to correct it without charge or say caveat emptor. Ask for references and speak to them. If they are defensive or try to avoid the request, walk. 1 74716 I would never build with Fowler homes. I built with them in 2021 and till date maintenance issues are pending. All their existing trades and businesses don't work with… 14 105599 Hi there! Putting the feelers out there for those who have (or almost) built with Arli homes! Interested in your experiences who've built from their stock home designs… 0 23502 |