Ezza78
Hey Jeeta,
When do u start your build? We just had our first appointment and ate going to build the Votivo after a bad start with another builder. Have been impressed so far! Any tips?
Cheers
Ezza
When do u start your build? We just had our first appointment and ate going to build the Votivo after a bad start with another builder. Have been impressed so far! Any tips?
Cheers
Ezza
Hey Ezza,
We started our build in Feb and hope to have lock up and fixing completed at the end of the month/ealry May (both those stages are being worked on at the same time). Been a good build so far. Our SS is confident of a July finish. The house is currently wrapped up and about to get Hebel put in next week.
In regards to some building tips, although these are more subjective to the wife and I's taste:
-consider the Beaumont plan for the ground floor, I liked it better and made the laundry/downstairs walk in linen a dry room by adding a heating vent. I think it cost $100 odd dollars to do so. The rest of the Beaumont is generally like the votivo except the stairs are semi-open.
-good thing about Arden is they let you make heaps of changes. But having said that, make sure you review your building plans 100 times and think through the changes (ie I like to think I did this, but only this week I noticed there is no power socket behind my wall oven-my instigated change mind you). I made heaps of changes, to the point that my top floor isn't even anything like the votivo.
-get a building inspector for peace of mind
-review all costs and any credits due to changes you make. As I challenged a few things and got my way on some.
-see if you can control who you supervisor is- not that I did but am happy with mine and this is a major component to having a good build.
-have ample time between tender and contract to review any all costs and plans to ensure you are happy with things. Think through the plans will work with your living habits. Check solar orientation as well, make sure you get sufficient light in living areas, otherwise you may be required to upgrade insulation and get double glazing, like I did.
-I recommend getting fully tiled bathrooms, the cost isn't much more considering the appearnce is much more elegant. If gettin standard size niches make them, 600x300 rather than 450x450.
-upgrade the evap cooling to the next unit and get the two units downstairs too, it didn't cost much more
-for some reason they put the man hole in one of the bedrooms/bir. Get them to change it to the walk in linen.
-consider getting alfresco under the roofline and adding ceiling fan.
I could go on, but these are some points that come to mind as I'm sitting on the train and travelling to the footy!