Browse Forums Building A New House Re: SR's custom KDR - A week of ups and downs 21Nov 23, 2013 7:13 pm Well, we've had a week of ups and downs. Late on Tuesday we got a call from our insurance company - our refund cheques for changing our car and contents insurance had been returned as undeliverable. *sigh* Called Aus Post on Wednesday to check on our mail redirection which had been set up for 12 months. They told me it had been cancelled from 8 November, ie nearly two weeks ago. (Mr SR had decided to "put faith in the system" and removed the letterbox up at the old house so any mail sent to that address was being returned to sender!) Then they tried to tell me that as I had set it up online, it was an automated process and I must have entered the wrong dates. Funny how they charged me for 12 months and emailed me a receipt with the correct finish date in October 2014 I was absolutely LIVID. I made an amendment (added my maiden name) on 31 October but I still fail to see how that results in a cancellation 8 days later. So while they look into it, Mr SR has gone and put the letterbox back up and we need to try to work out what other mail we might have missed. The redirection was supposed to restart by Friday so I've posted a letter to the old address with the return address as here - I'll be VERY interested to see where it ends up. Mr SR rang the electricity supplier on Wednesday to check they hadn't sent us any important mail but the abolishment is still in their queue. After all that hassle, it was nice to finally get the call on Thursday to advise our final mortgage approval had finally come through. Off to the bank on Friday afternoon to sign all the paperwork, set up the offset account, etc. So that's another weight off our minds *phew* ~ Anne I used to be indecisive but now I'm not quite sure. Eeek - We're embarking on a knockdown rebuild! Click here for our build thread Our blog: kdrhome.wordpress.com Re: SR's KDR/custom build - A week of ups and downs 22Nov 28, 2013 8:42 am Bleerrggghhh. That pretty much sums up how I'm feeling right now. Today is day 24 since I sent off the electricity abolishment form to Powercor. Just got off the phone (the lady I spoke to was very helpful and very apologetic so no gripe with her). They sent a crew out on 19/11 but they couldn't find the cable. Apparently we're supposed to have a URD pillar (little green box) in our front yard the same as the people across the road do. There's no sign of it (and it certainly wasn't htere when we bought the place back in 2001). So they sent out someone more senior, have gone back and looked at the original estate paperwork in case there's any record of it being moved, but nothing. Next step is to send out a man with a metal detector-type doohickey. *sigh* We were hopeful of getting the slab down before Christmas but at this stage even getting the demo completed by then is looking dicey depending on if/when they shut down. Once it's done I'll be speaking to them about some sort of compensation as this is the only thing we're waiting on to move forward (though I won't hold my breath!) ~ Anne I used to be indecisive but now I'm not quite sure. Eeek - We're embarking on a knockdown rebuild! Click here for our build thread Our blog: kdrhome.wordpress.com Re: SR's KDR/custom build - No house for Xmas! YIPPEE 23Dec 29, 2013 8:08 pm Now I know that for most people, not having a house by Christmas is not a good thing but for us it was the best present ever! It took them three days of work - I guess things go a lot faster when you don't have to worry about damaging walls or anything LOL Day 1: They basically stripped out the wall furnace, kitchen cabinets, stove, bathroom vanity and the floorboards, bearers and joists from the bedrooms and lounge room. Oh, and the front door. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Day 2: After a week or so of no action (they were finishing off some big projects including a school), we know they they did the tiled roof and some of the roof beams - I guess they stripped the rest of the bathroom as well but when we went to have a look we had the kids with us and didn't want to be wandering around inside with them. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Day 3: I saw a neighbour up at school when dropping off the kids and she said the house was half gone. So I hotfooted it up there and all that was left by 9:10 was the kitchen, dining and laundry. The crew stayed until after 5pm to finish off as the next day was forecast to be 40º and they didn't want to be working in the heat. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ So in just over a week we went from having a house to an empty block - bliss! Our builder was going to start organising things last week and he starts back on 13 Jan so hopefully site start will be not long after that. ~ Anne I used to be indecisive but now I'm not quite sure. Eeek - We're embarking on a knockdown rebuild! Click here for our build thread Our blog: kdrhome.wordpress.com Re: SR's KDR/custom build - No house for Xmas! YIPPEE 25Jan 14, 2014 9:21 am LOL - yes, though now we want to change direction and go back the other way We are STILL waiting for our existing mortgage (for the land/old house) that is being refinanced with our construction lender to be settled - GRRRRRR. Apparently the old lender delayed sending the paperwork to the new lender until 23 December - which means it wouldn't have reached them before Christmas. Then the new lender has been put on hold every time they ring to organise settlement. Our broker told them they need to sit on the phone and wait until they get the settlement arranged - you'd think they'd be keen as it means they start getting our money (and we're keen as it will be an extra $100/month in our pocket PLUS what we save with having an offset account - we pulled out everything from the redraw on the old one in case it got mixed up in the settlement amount). Our builder started back in the office yesterday and hoped to start the set out today, plumber booked for tomorrow and concreters hopefully starting by the end of the week. Of course, that's VERY weather dependent with this week's heatwave. But we do have a teeny bit of progress - a sign! Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ ~ Anne I used to be indecisive but now I'm not quite sure. Eeek - We're embarking on a knockdown rebuild! Click here for our build thread Our blog: kdrhome.wordpress.com Re: SR's KDR/custom build (Lara) - SLABBED! 26Jan 23, 2014 7:51 pm Really impressed with how much work's been done given the heatwave we had last week - they've worked every day since last Tuesday doing the set out, plumbing, formwork, etc. DH went up there this morning and came back with a big grin: "We've got a slab". Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ If only everything else with the build happened as painlessly and quickly as this! ~ Anne I used to be indecisive but now I'm not quite sure. Eeek - We're embarking on a knockdown rebuild! Click here for our build thread Our blog: kdrhome.wordpress.com Re: SR's KDR/custom build (Lara) - SLABBED! 28Jan 24, 2014 8:40 pm It sure does! So does getting the invoice the next morning We had some lovely rain this morning and there was just one tiny puddle approx where the pantry will be so it's nice and level. The wall framing was delivered today as well so I expect that will be going up next week. ~ Anne I used to be indecisive but now I'm not quite sure. Eeek - We're embarking on a knockdown rebuild! Click here for our build thread Our blog: kdrhome.wordpress.com Re: SR's KDR/custom build (Lara) - Slab issue/framing starte 29Jan 31, 2014 10:16 pm Yesterday the frame started going up - they seemed to start late in the day so only a couple of pieces were done. Then this morning DH got a call from the builder to let us know there was an issue with the slab - one of the external family room walls needs to be moved out 150 mm so that it's the correct dimensions. We have a site meeting arranged for 8:30 am tomorrow. By 3 pm today we had a copy of the engineer's drawings for the slab edge beam modification. The majority of the wall framing has still gone up as the rest of the slab is correct; they've just left a big gap running from the study through to the back of the family room to allow access for the concreter. We went into this build knowing that it's pretty impossible that every little thing would go perfectly to plan - so many people and processes are involved that human error is going to creep in somewhere even if nobody is trying to cut corners. But we're very impressed with the fact that they were completely upfront and proactive about keeping us in the loop and solving the problem - I suspect some builders wouldn't be the same. ~ Anne I used to be indecisive but now I'm not quite sure. Eeek - We're embarking on a knockdown rebuild! Click here for our build thread Our blog: kdrhome.wordpress.com Re: SR's KDR/custom build (Lara) - SLABBED! 30Feb 12, 2014 12:09 am Were looking at doing a knock down rebuild in Tyabb (mornington Peninsula) after tax time this year, its great to find you to follow your stages. Im so confussed by the whole process, scared to death that we will start and then site costs are blown out and we cant keep going. Re: SR's KDR/custom build (Lara) - SLABBED! 31Feb 23, 2014 10:03 am I felt exactly the same about a year ago, newhome2013. I read, read and then read some more and asked lots of questions. Even so, I was fairly stressed the day started excavating for the slab even though I knew that where we are, we were going to be very unlucky to hit anything that would cause problems and a cost blow out. I think it helped that we are using a smaller builder who has some experience with KDRs - you see some sales people get a frightened or confused look as soon as you mention it whereas others take it in their stride, nod and say, "oh, that's fine, we're doing one now over at such-and-such a suburb". ~ Anne I used to be indecisive but now I'm not quite sure. Eeek - We're embarking on a knockdown rebuild! Click here for our build thread Our blog: kdrhome.wordpress.com Re: SR's KDR/custom build (Lara) - Frame done 32Feb 23, 2014 11:06 am The slab extension was rectified (or so we thought) within a couple of days and the frame was completed by the end of that week. Then on the Monday we had our first independent inspection on the frame stage. A few issues were picked up but nothing that overly concerned us to the point we thought "oh no, have we done the wrong thing??" DH had a site meeting with the builder and framer on Wednesday to discuss the faults and getting them rectified. We're very happy overall with how things are progressing and how things are being addressed by the builder - he might not be ecstatic about having to get the chippy back to add more nails or the framing company to double check that the wall that was built as loadbearing was supposed to be that way (it wasn't) but understands that it is a huge investment for us and we want to protect it. A bonus of having the inspector batting for our team is that we've been told we're getting the builder's best bricklayer on our build. I can easily imagine that every single tradie is now going to get a "make sure you do everything by the book because otherwise you'll be coming back at your own cost to fix it" chat from the builder. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ ~ Anne I used to be indecisive but now I'm not quite sure. Eeek - We're embarking on a knockdown rebuild! Click here for our build thread Our blog: kdrhome.wordpress.com Re: SR's KDR/custom build (Lara) - Bricks have finally start 33Mar 30, 2014 12:03 pm Wow, a month since my last update. Things have been chugging along slowly but steadily. We got our Colorbond moment at the start of March. I love the Ironstone - it looks completely different colours depending on the time of day, the light and even where you stand in relation to the direction of the corrugations. We got a sprinkle of rain a couple of days after the roof was finished which washed off the dust which made it look even better Our windows have been installed and the external door frames are almost done - the door company made the front door frame the wrong width as it's slightly wider than standard so that's still being redone. The last couple of weeks have seen the carpenter straighten the internal frames ready for plastering and the plumber has been there this week doing the piping. A panorama from the back corner of the block - the photo join in the middle is wonky but trust me, the house itself isn't! Oh, and if you don't mind stone cold water from a hose and giving the neighbours a show, you can go and have a bath if you want The first lot of bricks were delivered three weeks ago but we've been waiting for the brickie to finish his last job. More bricks were delivered on Thursday and we had some real soaking rain on Friday so nothing happened. We went for a look today with the boys and my father-in-law to find that over late Friday and yesterday, we now have sand, bags of cement and lime for mortar, a concrete mixer and... the first bricks have been laid We're really pleased with the colour of the batch of bricks! One of the houses we looked at with our brick colour (Selkirk Coastal Stone) was quite a bit paler than the others so we were hoping that it was from a quite old batch and the other ones were more current. Seeing as we did our selections nine months ago, it was complete pot luck though. The forecast is for "isolated showers" later in the week so fingers crossed there's not enough to hold up the bricklaying any further. Definitely excited to be seeing obvious progress over the next few weeks! ~ Anne I used to be indecisive but now I'm not quite sure. Eeek - We're embarking on a knockdown rebuild! Click here for our build thread Our blog: kdrhome.wordpress.com Re: SR's KDR/custom build (Lara) - Bricks still going 34Apr 21, 2014 8:45 pm We have one lone brickie doing our house so it's going slower than we'd like. However, he is doing an absolutely stellar job so we really can't complain too much - if it was rubbish AND slow, then I definitely wouldn't be very impressed. I wonder if the builder has given him a bit of a rev, though - he worked Good Friday, Saturday and again today (Easter Monday). Then again, as it's just him he doesn't need to worry about cheesing off an offsider or apprentice by insisting they give their weekend so he can work as much as he wants. The south and east walls are pretty much done, the long west side is up to head height with the scaffolding up ready for that side to be finished off and the front has been started. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ The more we see, the more we love the bricks. I just hope we end up loving the rest of our decisions just as much ~ Anne I used to be indecisive but now I'm not quite sure. Eeek - We're embarking on a knockdown rebuild! Click here for our build thread Our blog: kdrhome.wordpress.com Re: SR's KDR/custom build (Lara) - Shopping! Taps and chairs 35Apr 21, 2014 9:01 pm I ordered our basin, shower and bath mixers today from ABL in Sydney as they had a sale on. We still need to get our showers and kitchen tap but I can get them cheaper from another supplier. I'm currently waiting to hear back on an ETA for the new Kiri chrome exposure shower for our ensuite. It was due out in November but keeps getting delayed from the Methven factory - if it's going to take too long, we'll have to go with our second choice of the old Kiri. It doesn't look as nice but realistically, it's going to do the same job. Last week we went up to Ikea. We sussed out their panel glide blinds which we're looking at putting up on our two sliding doors - they won't be forever but they'll certainly do the job for a few years without breaking the budget ( to $3000 of car repairs just before Christmas which ate a chunk of my window coverings budget). We also bought new dining chairs to match the table I bought four years ago (!). Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ We've been making do with some old office chairs we acquired from dad but they have metal legs which rubber protectors don't fit and I refused to risk them tearing up my vinyl planks if one of the boys took a chair off the rug. I was stoked to also find foam chair pads with velcro instead of wadding with ties (which annoy me). We also picked up two matching bar stools as we've never had anywhere to use them before and we could get a $50 voucher if we spent $250 on chairs. We'll go back up once we've moved in and pick up an extra two chairs and another bar stool so we have enough for Christmas. I'm also driving DH crazy looking at lights - we need to get kitchen pendants, one for the dining room, exterior lights and some for over the shaving cabinets. ~ Anne I used to be indecisive but now I'm not quite sure. Eeek - We're embarking on a knockdown rebuild! Click here for our build thread Our blog: kdrhome.wordpress.com Re: SR's KDR/custom build (Lara) - Bricks have started! 36Apr 21, 2014 9:28 pm Hey Anne - just wanted to pop in and say hello as I'm liking the updates as we are on a similar journey and in the process of packing and prepping for a KDR. Looks great so far! Re: SR's KDR/custom build (Lara) - Bricks have started! 38May 21, 2014 4:32 pm Thanks Yvonne and MLW - Today I realised that I'm VERY glad we're having ceiling fans with lights in the bedrooms, lounge, study and family room. I think if I had to choose lights for those, I'd go insane I need to start checking in on other people's threads again but time is tight at the moment. We had a kid-free afternoon after taking our youngest to an appointment this morning, so took advantage of the time to look at lights without distractions (we've tried several other times without success with the kids in tow). We ordered our kitchen pendants. I'm not in love with these but I'm happy with them and DH likes them so that's good enough for now LOL. I'm actually really pleased with the size of them (20 cm wide at the base)- as our island is 3 m long, I wanted to make sure that we got decent coverage and I didn't want them too small or too big. I'm sure they'll grow on me - I made DH promise that I'd live with them for a year before being allowed to change them Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ We also got our front wall lights. I like these because they throw a bit of light outwards as well as up/down...and they're not the cylindrical ones that nearly every house I see has on them as I wanted something a bit different. I preferred the grey/silver but DH liked the black so we went with that. Now I have a bit of ammo if there's a dining light I fall in love with that he's not so keen on! Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Bricking is progressing slowly but surely - fingers crossed it might be done by the end of the week - yay!!! Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ ~ Anne I used to be indecisive but now I'm not quite sure. Eeek - We're embarking on a knockdown rebuild! Click here for our build thread Our blog: kdrhome.wordpress.com Re: SR's KDR/custom build (Lara) - Bricks have started! 39May 22, 2014 1:32 am Loving the progress pics. Brickwork looks fantastic. I'm waiting for the mid year sales to buy lights and furniture. The costs seem never ending!! Nice to follow another Vic build. We moved from Geelong last year and I miss it a lot. Have you checked out the light shop on the highway around North Geelong? We were lucky in that our old house was so small (86 square metres) compared to the new house, they were able to take enough readings around the old backyard house before… 8 37159 The biggest challenge will be if you take out a loan and then run out of money - you'll have an incomplete security and lenders do not like this so you can get stuck.… 2 19114 Hi, I am looking into doing a KDR in Melbourne and am contemplating using Kialla Homes. I am looking for feedback on them from others who have built with them. 0 13449 |