Burns Beach *. Guest room.

I've spent the last 3 weeks looking at virtually every house plan available from the major players on the w.w.w. and still I can't find anything I like that's in budget.

I haven't got a long list of must haves but there are a few that we can't go without.

Must have:-

A study, not on display to every visitor as I'm as messy on the desk as I am in my head.

Master bedroom, must not be on front of house. Insomniac.

Scullery or extra large WIP. We're down sizing and I have 16 large base cupboards of stuff to move with us.

10sqm to 12sqm of storage tagged on the garage for DH and sons motorbikes.

Overhead cupboards to the kitchen and a cupboard with counter trough in the laundry. Not one of those tin things.

31c at least in family, dining and kitchen.

Max budget of $250 for build.

Would like to haves:-

Solid stone/essa counter tops, at last in the kitchen.

Semi frameless shower screens, maybe hobless shower bases would be nice as well.

31c ceiling through out.

Reverse cycle aircon.

Does this list sound over budget to anyone or am I going to have to give up something?

Time Line:-

26/02/12, Site Works Start.
13/03/14, Site plumbing and rio laid for slab.
19/03/14 Slabbed.
26/03/14 Windows and shed delivered.
30/03/14 Slab repaired and Electrics run to slab.
01/04/14 1st site clean up.
11/05/14 - 20/06/14 Brick works.
03/07/14 - 11/07/14 Roofing and ceiling Joists.
11/07/14 Garage ceiling gyprocked.
15/07/14 Electrical cut in.
15/07/14 Gas in.
16/07/14 Gutters and downpipes fitted.
17/07/14 1st electrical fitting.
17/07/14 - 18/07/14 Plumbing 1st fitting.
22/07/14 2nd site clean.
28/07/14 intelligent home fit alarm and data.
30/07/14 - 02/08/14 Colourbond roofing.
05/08/14 Exterior render.
08/08/14 - 15/08/14 Grey set completed
19/08/14 Ceilings fitted.
22/08/14 Windows fitted with glass.
24/08/14 Cornices fitted.
01/09/14 -05/09/14 White set
04/09/14 Front and garage internal doors fitted.
05/09/14 Internal doors delivered.
05/09/14 LOCK UP
10/09/14 Doors Installed.
12/09/14 Bath and plumbing Installed.
13/09/14 Ceilings and cornices sanded.
15/09/14 Linen and wardrobe shelving done.
17/09/14 Termite treatment No2
18/09/14 Grano in garage laid.
22/09/14 Kitchen Delivered
23/09/14 Kitchen Installed
30/09/14 Screeding started.
02/10/14 Counter tops and sinks installed.
06/10/14 Waterproofing.
08/10/14 - 16/10/14 Tiling.
13/10/14 Ceilings Painted
16/10/14 Showers and tap ware installed
17/10/14 Garage Doors
17/10/14 Constant Hot Water
17/10/14 Electrics started
21/10/14 Roof Batts
21/10/14 Oven and Hotplate
22/10/14 A/c Installed
22/10/14 Alarm and Data points
24/10/14 Exterior painting
24/10/14 Doors Hung
25/10/14 Internal Glossing.
27/10/14 Wardrobe slidders fitted.
28/10/14 Splashbacks installed
28/10/14 Fencing Installed
28/10/14 Door furniture fitted.
28/10/15 Towel rails
30/10/14 Extractors
31/10/14 Roof Vents
31/10/14 THE TAP
03/11/14 Render painting
04/11/14 Mirrors
04/11/14 Shower screens
06/11/14 Feature waterproof flashing installed
08/11/14 Floor tiling started
11/11/14 Gas Run In
17/11/14 Floor Tiling finished
17/11/14 Exterior Feature Tiling
17/11/14 Extractor in Kitchen

Sorry. That budget is $250k max

where are you building? you want 4 x 2 plus study or 3 x 2 plus study? total size of house you're after? I reckon its doable! We had the same budget and would easily fit those requests in but it does depend on how big overall...and Im assuming single story?

Oops. It helps to tell you those facts. We need a 4 x 2 single story. I'm looking for 290sqm or more, but that's including the extended garage and an alfresco. We're building in Burns Beach.

I don't know what Perth prices are like but I think it would be difficult to find a plan with the changes you'd require for that price in Sydney.

Are you after 4 bed PLUS study or happy to use one bedroom as a study?...

How about this?

http://porterdavis.com.au/homes/prestige/ivanhoe

- Bedroom at the back
- Study at the front, can easily put a door on the study entrance.
- Garage extension to accommodate extra garage storage for bikes, etc
- Price is within budget, and luxury inclusions (which are included in the prestige range) include essa stone bench tops.
- Overhead cupboards can be added without blowing the budget
- Has a WIP as requested
- Luxury package should include laundry cupboards not cheap looking trough

I would recommend other builders floor plans but we only seriously looked into Main Vue and Porter Davis.

Apologies, did not realise you were from Perth. I believe Porter Davis only build in Victoria.

Hmm 290m2 is about 31 squares I think. For the houses we've been looking at, costs are $10-11k per square for a finished house. So that's about $310k. I think you're pushing it for $250k. Have you spoken to a custom builder? They may be able to design what you want for a cheaper price.

Im building with Redink who will adjust their designs to suit you or even draw up a totally custom design but you really need to know what you want.

their promos usually include stone benchtops, reverse cycle ducted aircon, semi frameless shower screens and lots of other goodies. They also have packages that you can pay for that make finishing the house cheaper overall.

290m2 should be achievable for $250k through them! also look at home group WA and maybe even Gemmill. These are some builders we seriously looked at. Depending on the finish level you are after you can also look at Celebrations homes etc but Im not sure how flexible they are with custom designs like the first three I mentioned.

we also wanted our master bedroom tucked away and to do this for us meant pushing the other 3 bedrooms to the front of the house and then the design sort of evolved around that...took a few months to get what we wanted

Think you would be pushing it at 250k at that size of house... .What is your land situation? Do you know the approx cost you will need to incur for site works etc?

http://www.homegroupwa.com.au/the-flore ... lete-292m2

check out this link, its not a design that will suit you but its a nicely finished 292m2 home for $230k. Im assuming siteworks on top of that 8-14k depending on your soil?

its got 31c to living/dining/kitchen, stone benchtops, flooring throughout, internal wall painting, led lighting, aircon etc. you would need to add in cabinets to the laundry and depending on what builder you go with it could be cheaper after handover. Our laundry after handover is $2000 for gloss cupboards 2.6m long with a benchtops going over the WM and overhead cupboards all above. Looks like the scullery would need some help too but start drawing up your own design on graph paper and stay within the 290m2 and take it to builders to quote!

Thanks Guys

IMLOST you got me all excited. You get so much for your money in VIC. Rip off WA. That house would have been perfect with the rumpus room wall removed and really opening up that family area.

XXKATXX. Gemmill actually did the perfect plan for us and it was only slightly over budget. but I was a good girl and did my homework on them. They have had such bad press and feedback about their reputation and quality of service that there is no way I am risking my hard earn $ with them. If it was one or two disgruntled customers then maybe, but when all the reviews are shocking. No way!.

Its funny you mentioned the "Florence" from HGWA. I have actually already had them change that plan to suit us. I am just waiting again for the costings.

I have also got Ventora costing up this plan.
http://www.ventura-homes.com.au/home-de ... iumph-plus

and ContentLiving doing this one.
http://www.contentliving.com.au/promoti ... Camdem.pdf

When I figure our how to do that photo thingy I will post a picture of the changes.
All of these houses would be perfectly ok, its just Im not excited by or in love with any of them. I feel like Im just making do.

JTREADWELL I have a 629sqm block. It took us $50k over budget, hense why I have less to spend on the house now. But all of the other lots left were around 520sqm or less and on corners, opposite T junctions, point in the wrong direction or face the openings of back lanes to garages. Actually they had a new release last week and the smaller lots are now all up around the same price we have paid for our larger one.

Site works are actually not that bad. The builders have said it is normally around $8k to $10k including the soak wells because its all clean sand dunes that have just been flattened.

have you walked through any display homes and thought wow I love the layout of this room?? even just a master/ensuite combo? I cant really remember walking through any displays in my budget and thinking wow I could so live here so Im a bit like you....we have taken a gamble and just hoping we like our design once its up! in a week or so when the bricks are up we should know :s

I wouldn't drop thoughts of Gemmill completely...we were so close to signing up and they were bending over backwards for us but in the end the horror stories we had heard got the better of us give Redink a go, the way they draw their house plans turned me off for some reason but its just a drawing lol they have been fantastic!

250 max

Do you mean 250 to finish?

Those last 2 plans as they are now must be close, and you wish to add to them ?

You have my interest

The plan from Gemmill was fantastic, it really was, but I cant take the gamble of it all going wrong or the house being sub standard and being just "ok" when Im spending over $840k all up on the Land, Stamp duty, House and Pool. It would kill my mentally if the house didn't live up to the location of the land and the feel of the tranquil back garden we want.

We are building a custom design with Gemmill and I don't regret it at all. Yes, the admin side is hideously slow, it took us a lot longer to get to site than we would have liked and the level of communication from our CLO could do with some improvement but at the end of the day it is the quality of the house that matters and the work on our house so far has been top notch. Having had a nightmare experience with another builder I understand the need to want to bad mouth them to anyone that will listen and unfortunately people are more likely to post reviews about negative experiences than they are good ones. It is human nature to want to vent when you are frustrated with something and as a result I don't think reviews necessarily give a fair and balanced view.

Have you thought of designing a plan from scratch? I think I visited almost ever display home in Perth and none of them suited what we wanted. There were bits and pieces of some of them that worked but nothing that worked as a whole. That's when I decided to buy a graph pad and design our own plan incorporating the elements we liked about other plans. A few late nights later and we had a design that we took to three builders to price up. We are now around 4 weeks for PCI and I can honestly say that I love my house! I have been to some of the newer display villages over the last month looking for decorating ideas and I still haven't walked into a house that gives me the same "wow" that our house does now in its undecorated, unfinished state.

Sorry for dribbling on but I guess I'm trying to say, don't just settle for a design. It is such a huge investment and should be perfect for you

ECHO The Ventura house is $227.000 before our changes and the HGWA house is S229000 before our changes. Its about $10000 just to add the store to the garage.

I have Champagne tastes and Lemonade budgets.

Soakedblonde. The Gemmil house was drawn up for us from a concept of ideas we had. It was done before I learnt about them. but I need to know that when I want an answer or to ask a question I have someones full attention, not left blowing in the wind.

I also have a good friend who is a contractor to them. If he cant get through to talk to them what chance do I have.

Let me get the 3 plans up I have and you might all have Ideas on where I can things or items to bring the price down without losing the integrity of the house.

I knew this , just making sure you did.

Best budget $120K+ to finish , this figure doesn't include the pool or pool related landscaping .

The term over capitalizing is threatening to get a say here. trust you will be residing there a while then.

I do wish you the best of luck, enjoy the ride

I don't know if you've seen Ultimate Homes Grandeur 295. The gold spec inc stone worksurfaces and o/head cupboards is $204K. Or The Sandalwood 284 @ $194K.

Had we not gone for a Ben Trager 2 storey, I think we'd have gone with Ultimate. They've got some really good designs.