Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Aug 23, 2013 11:43 pm Hi All, I have been a lurker on this forum for a while now and thought I would start our thread. I have found the forum very useful and informative. My partner and I have booked a block of land in Aveley (near the Primary School, had to camp for it for three days) to be titled in November. We haven’t signed anything yet but we are thinking of going with Dale Alcock, we have just received the first concept plan. We have been to their showroom in Osborne Park and the sales guy we are dealing with has been amazing, he has been patient with us over the last few months. It is still scary to read what other people are going through. We are planning on building a modified version of the Aurora. These are our final building plans; Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ The land is 513sqm with a frontage of 18.56m. Any ideas much appreciated. Mr. Wolf Timeline First Meeting with Dale Alcock 27/07/2013 Preliminary Plans – 23/08/2013 Final Building Contract – 15/10/2013 Finance approved - 29/10/2013 Prestart – 15/11/2013 Settlement - 28/11/2013 Final Contracts, Addenda and Building Plans - 15/12/2013 Building Permit - 10/02/2014 Slab - 28/02/2014 Bricks Delivered - 20/03/2014 Bricks Work Completed - 30/04/2014 Roof timbers delivered - 30/04/2014 Roof frames completed - 09/05/2014 First Independent Inspection - scheduled for 13/05/2014 Our build thread: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=66797 Re: Wolf’s Dale Alcock Aveley Build 2Aug 24, 2013 12:59 am Such a big house I'd make the robes in the bedrooms larger, single is never enough If it was me I would rotate the kitchen 90degrees, have the fridge to the right of the WIP, or even moe the door right over to the right. And possibly make the kitchen a U shape, with the opening facing the minor bedrooms. You could then bring the WIP door forward so it lines up with the cabinets. I just like the idea of the kitchen overlooking the living/dinning but many of these things are personal preference... Are you panning on putting any other cupboards in the laundry? I'd make the door a standard door, with glass if you like and then have the trough butted up in the corner next to the external wall. Again personal preference but something I wish I had seen before I signed off on my plans! Re: Wolf’s Dale Alcock Aveley Build 3Aug 24, 2013 1:03 am Asp I would add doors or at least frames so doors can be added later next to the WIP to close of the kitchen/living/dining and also the corridor into the minor bedrooms. It will make heating and cooling much easier and reduce noise! Re: Wolf’s Dale Alcock Aveley Build 4Aug 24, 2013 2:29 pm fmac Asp I would add doors or at least frames so doors can be added later next to the WIP to close of the kitchen/living/dining and also the corridor into the minor bedrooms. It will make heating and cooling much easier and reduce noise! Thanks fmac - I have been following your build too. We hadn't thought of the doors and it makes a lot of sense - esp adding a door to the corridor. Our build thread: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=66797 Re: Wolf’s Dale Alcock Aveley Build 5Aug 24, 2013 2:34 pm fmac Such a big house I'd make the robes in the bedrooms larger, single is never enough If it was me I would rotate the kitchen 90degrees, have the fridge to the right of the WIP, or even moe the door right over to the right. And possibly make the kitchen a U shape, with the opening facing the minor bedrooms. You could then bring the WIP door forward so it lines up with the cabinets. I just like the idea of the kitchen overlooking the living/dinning but many of these things are personal preference... Are you panning on putting any other cupboards in the laundry? I'd make the door a standard door, with glass if you like and then have the trough butted up in the corner next to the external wall. Again personal preference but something I wish I had seen before I signed off on my plans! Yes, the house is big, we thought of building something small but the the thought of going through the same process three or four years down the line when we have kids changed our mind. We also get visitors from overseas. We will revisit the kitchen again with OH, but we are looking at having cupboards in the laundry. Thanks for the suggestions. Our build thread: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=66797 Re: Wolf’s Dale Alcock Aveley Build 6Aug 24, 2013 5:26 pm Yeah we would have loved a bigger house but had to compromise. Not sure we'd build again though I wish we'd added a door frame to our corridor, because we didn't I didn't think about where the light switches are and it is now going to make it difficult to add a door later! Look forward to seeing your build Re: Wolf’s Dale Alcock Aveley Build 7Aug 24, 2013 5:43 pm my comments - your entry space is quite large, have a think about how you would use the space Also the hallway to your Bed 2- it's quite long. Hallways are wasted space, while some hallways are inevitable, I would have a think about if you can shuffle things around a little Other than that it looks great Re: Wolf’s Dale Alcock Aveley Build 8Aug 24, 2013 7:23 pm Hi Mr Wolf, We are building a very similar home you, it's called the Venus. We've made a few changes to the front and raked the ceiling as per the Aurora. We have added a nib wall in the ensuite so there is no gap between the screen & vanity so there is no hard to reach area to clean. We are also building in the same release in Aveley, due for titles in November. I look forward to following your journey. Good luck! bevnic Re: Wolf’s Dale Alcock Aveley Build 9Aug 26, 2013 1:16 am TinaG my comments - your entry space is quite large, have a think about how you would use the space Also the hallway to your Bed 2- it's quite long. Hallways are wasted space, while some hallways are inevitable, I would have a think about if you can shuffle things around a little Other than that it looks great Thanks TinaG - that space was even bigger and we enlarged the garage so as to have a store on the side. Yes, I agree on the hallway to bed 2, that is something we are also thinking about. Our build thread: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=66797 Re: Wolf’s Dale Alcock Aveley Build 10Aug 26, 2013 1:28 am bevnic Hi Mr Wolf, We are building a very similar home you, it's called the Venus. We've made a few changes to the front and raked the ceiling as per the Aurora. We have added a nib wall in the ensuite so there is no gap between the screen & vanity so there is no hard to reach area to clean. We are also building in the same release in Aveley, due for titles in November. I look forward to following your journey. Good luck! bevnic Thanks Bevnic, probably we might have been camping at the the same time? I have had a look at your plan too and the Venus looks great on your block. I am not sure if the plan utilises our block effectively. The more I look at it the more I get confused. Our build thread: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=66797 Re: Wolf’s Dale Alcock Aveley Build 11Aug 26, 2013 6:50 pm I completely understand how your feeling! We spent so long with our sales rep putting different plans on our block. We felt that we wanted to make the most of the width at the front. I think spend more time doing this until you are really sure. I remember one of the new advantage series plans fit even better, the layout was just not quite right. I can't recall the name but it had a similar layout to the Goldburn display. Have you thought about adding a storage area at the side, it has come out far cheaper than expected for us. It makes me feel like we are getting lots of useful space for not too much. Good luck Re: Wolf’s Dale Alcock Aveley Build 12Aug 26, 2013 10:40 pm Love the floor plan. My only advice is, as usual, "what fmac said!" Building with Dale Alcock Homes in Aveley Our thread: https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=63880 And yes, my pants are indeed fancy. Re: Wolf’s Dale Alcock Aveley Build 13Aug 27, 2013 10:50 am Hey Mr Wolf. I'd make a couple of changes as there is certainly alot of hallway space that could be better used and reconfigure the kitchen depending on your lifestyle it may or may not suit. 1) Change to a Cavity Sliding Door or Pivot the existing door and so it opens up into the garage, this means you could use the wall ( dressing room ) as a feature wall, get some down lights or a recess and have a nice picture or art work there to greet friends and family 2) Cavity Sliding Door into the media room, this will if possible go behind the robe to bedroom 2, then making the home office slightly bigger to take some of the space away from the entry, shouldn't cost much more as its not a load bearing wall. Cavity Door will cost you more than a normal pivot door however. 3) Make all robes in the 3 bedrooms larger, have the doors sliding, so you have more usable floor space without having to worry about things hitting the door as you open them. 4) Put a bench in the laundry, so your wife has somewhere to fold washing, maybe install a broom closet for brooms, mops, vacuum cleaner that sort of thing. 5) I'd move the fridge to beside the WIP, which will make the island shorter, may have 3 seats instead of 4. Move the stove top left a little and have the sink to the right, put in a window so you can pass food out from the kitchen to the alfresco area ( great for parties ) 6) if the living room will get a TV in there, maybe look at having two vertical windows either side of the centre of the rear wall, with the bulkhead there, it could make a perfect spot for a tv and cabinet. 7) Cavity Sliding Door, Door or atleast a frame for later to the games room, incase the boys are playing in there and the girls want to chat !! Some ideas, they may or may not seem worthwhile to you as everyones situations are different, but food for thought. I have 3 small kids, so noise is a big factor for us, so doors are good haha Re: Wolf’s Dale Alcock Aveley Build 14Aug 28, 2013 8:22 am fancy pants Love the floor plan. My only advice is, as usual, "what fmac said!" Thanks fancy pants, your build has also been our inspiration! Our build thread: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=66797 Re: Wolf’s Dale Alcock Aveley Build 15Aug 28, 2013 8:26 am Caxam Hey Mr Wolf. I'd make a couple of changes as there is certainly alot of hallway space that could be better used and reconfigure the kitchen depending on your lifestyle it may or may not suit. 1) Change to a Cavity Sliding Door or Pivot the existing door and so it opens up into the garage, this means you could use the wall ( dressing room ) as a feature wall, get some down lights or a recess and have a nice picture or art work there to greet friends and family 2) Cavity Sliding Door into the media room, this will if possible go behind the robe to bedroom 2, then making the home office slightly bigger to take some of the space away from the entry, shouldn't cost much more as its not a load bearing wall. Cavity Door will cost you more than a normal pivot door however. 3) Make all robes in the 3 bedrooms larger, have the doors sliding, so you have more usable floor space without having to worry about things hitting the door as you open them. 4) Put a bench in the laundry, so your wife has somewhere to fold washing, maybe install a broom closet for brooms, mops, vacuum cleaner that sort of thing. 5) I'd move the fridge to beside the WIP, which will make the island shorter, may have 3 seats instead of 4. Move the stove top left a little and have the sink to the right, put in a window so you can pass food out from the kitchen to the alfresco area ( great for parties ) 6) if the living room will get a TV in there, maybe look at having two vertical windows either side of the centre of the rear wall, with the bulkhead there, it could make a perfect spot for a tv and cabinet. 7) Cavity Sliding Door, Door or atleast a frame for later to the games room, incase the boys are playing in there and the girls want to chat !! Some ideas, they may or may not seem worthwhile to you as everyones situations are different, but food for thought. I have 3 small kids, so noise is a big factor for us, so doors are good haha This is one of the many reasons why we love this forum. OH agrees with suggestions 4 and 7, we are looking at the others. Many thanks for the suggestions! Our build thread: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=66797 Re: Wolf’s Dale Alcock Aveley Build 16Sep 05, 2013 2:09 am Just wondering if any one can recommend good timber flooring and curtains/blinds companies in Perth? I remember reading one sometimes last year which took deposits from customers and went bust? We are doing these things on our own. Our build thread: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=66797 Re: Wolf’s Dale Alcock Aveley Build 17Sep 08, 2013 4:47 pm So we have signed preliminary works contract with Dale Alcock and received the second concept plan. http://s982.photobucket.com/user/MrWolf ... te=replace These are the changes we have done so far (after reading the forum and the suggestions given to us): 1. Increased the width of the master suite. 2. Increased the width of the Ensuite vanity and provided an additional inset basin 3. Increased the ensuite shower recess 4. Added a 25x8.5 sliding door to the master suite in lieu of a window. 5. Added gas point to the Alfresco area. 6. Changed the entry to 1200w clear glazed sentry door in lieu of double M&B designer entry doors. 7. Provided plasterboard ceiling lining to Alfresco in lieu of Hardiflex. Raised alfresco ceiling to 31c. 8. Enlarged the alfresco. 9. Provided overhead cupboards with crown trim above the either side of rangehood, raised splashback tiling to 700h. 10. Reconfigured the garage, store and porch – this has reduced the wasted space (ridiculous they have charged us while it appears it is just flipping over) 11. Reconfigured the kitchen to face the dining area. They have however told us it will cost $1,500 – we have asked for a breakdown of this charge; I would have thought the cost would be very minimal. 12. Added a 3c rendered planter to the front of master suite to meet design guidelines 13. Added a door to the corridor and door frames to the theatre. 14. Increased the depth of the Master Suite Dressing Room. Additional changes we have requested: 1. Roller door to the garage 2. Adding a bench to the laundry Things which have been suggested to us and on our wish list (subject to our already stretched budget allowing): 1. Enlarging the robes to the minor bedrooms, we do not have kids yet and not sure if this will add value. 2. Having an undermount sink in the kitchen. 3. Cavity sliding doors. Things we have left until after handover: 1. Aircon 2. Timber flooring and carpets 3. Landscaping (mainly for the backyard, developer is providing for front, not sure what that covers). 4. IntPainting 5. Blinds and curtains The most ridiculous price we received was for a rendered letter box – about $3k. Just for a letterbox? We will do it on our own. We welcome any ideas and suggestions, we are still a few weeks from signing the contract. Thanks every one. Wolf Our build thread: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=66797 Re: Wolf’s Dale Alcock Aveley Build 18Sep 09, 2013 6:04 am lots of changes are you having a window servery from kitchen to alfresco. plans are looking great letterbox is a ridiculous price we nearly went for a brick letterboxcost over $550 after handover went for a sandstone one it is huge cost $500 and best of all our postie thinks it is awesome Re: Wolf’s Dale Alcock Aveley Build 19Sep 09, 2013 1:42 pm $3000 for a letterbox?? I hope it folds my washing and makes my morning coffee too! Building with Dale Alcock Homes in Aveley Our thread: https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=63880 And yes, my pants are indeed fancy. Re: Wolf’s Dale Alcock Aveley Build 20Sep 13, 2013 7:58 pm $3k letterbox!! That is crazy! We were also surprised about the costs. Some weren't as much as we thought and some were over the top. Expect to pay a lot for your cavity sliders, and make sure they are standard sizes. They originally charged us for custom made cavity sliders for our pantry and when we changed to a standard size we saved $1000! My build thread: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=64437 This is 100% true. You can not hang anything on steel frames. very frustrating 8 8021 Any advice on a builder in NSW who is demanding an extra 22000k after the house is completed and contract paid in full .Standard HIA contract. Never received a variation.… 0 20515 This certainly doesn't look good. I would be engaging with an independent inspector to have a look at this. As for the unscheduled site visits, most builders are quite… 1 28320 |