Browse Forums Building A New House Re: Experiences with Blueprint Homes 81Aug 20, 2014 6:21 pm Mine is happening prior to land being titled (our land is due to be titled in about 5 weeks time and our prestart is the 5th of September) Re: Experiences with Blueprint Homes 82Sep 08, 2014 10:32 am Benn away for 10 days and returned last Thursday morning (without luggage I might add) to then have to head over and get the NBN set up for the house. Completed that ($2200 later) and the following day (Friday just gone) we completed our prestart!!! Had a very good time doing it and found it rather easy, we upgraded about 25 different items however the annoying thing is we don't have our total cost yet as the estimator wasn't there to sum up all the costs. They are pretty sure we are within our budget with everything except the raised ceilings in some rooms might push us over. Should be getting costs back today so fingers crossed. Some upgrades we made - extended kitchen benchtop 600mm - della-vita stone benchtop to kitchen and both bathrooms - electric stove top - upgraded range hood - paving (went with granite paving 190 x 190) - upgrade to front door & interior doors - upgrade to handles and locks - upgrade to kitchen cupboards (silk finish) - semi-frameless shower screen to both bathrooms - Upgraded garage door (caboa colour) There are plenty of others I just cant remember them all... Setback - The brick colour we wanted has been discontinued, lucky they had a new one which was nice so went with that. Re: Experiences with Blueprint Homes 83Sep 09, 2014 5:28 pm Charlie Hustle Benn away for 10 days and returned last Thursday morning (without luggage I might add) to then have to head over and get the NBN set up for the house. Completed that ($2200 later) and the following day (Friday just gone) we completed our prestart!!! Had a very good time doing it and found it rather easy, we upgraded about 25 different items however the annoying thing is we don't have our total cost yet as the estimator wasn't there to sum up all the costs. They are pretty sure we are within our budget with everything except the raised ceilings in some rooms might push us over. Should be getting costs back today so fingers crossed. Some upgrades we made - extended kitchen benchtop 600mm - della-vita stone benchtop to kitchen and both bathrooms - electric stove top - upgraded range hood - paving (went with granite paving 190 x 190) - upgrade to front door & interior doors - upgrade to handles and locks - upgrade to kitchen cupboards (silk finish) - semi-frameless shower screen to both bathrooms - Upgraded garage door (caboa colour) There are plenty of others I just cant remember them all... Setback - The brick colour we wanted has been discontinued, lucky they had a new one which was nice so went with that. Wow that's so expensive...we didn't get the NBN done. That would be quite frustrating not having your prestart costs on the day! Have you got them back yet? We got the granite paving and pretty sure that was under $200. Extended bench top shouldnt cost too much cos it's only a small amount. Hope it comes within your budget for you! Exciting news that its all completed now. No more stressful decisions Re: Experiences with Blueprint Homes 84Sep 09, 2014 5:56 pm Well we got the pricing back yesterday, $22k total (only 12k in the budget) so had to trim down a couple of items which we expected. We decided against the raised ceilings which was $5500 alone. Then we decided against a upgrade on the front door as that was $1200. One big question mark was the credit given to us for the hot water system ($132). I have never come across a hot water system and labour that totals that amount... I am hoping they left the zero off the end (have emailed them today to look over a couple of things and make some amendments). They have not gotten back to us yet (emailed them last night) so will be calling them shortly to give them the hurry up. Re: Experiences with Blueprint Homes 85Sep 11, 2014 1:11 am Charlie Hustle Well we got the pricing back yesterday, $22k total (only 12k in the budget) so had to trim down a couple of items which we expected. We decided against the raised ceilings which was $5500 alone. Then we decided against a upgrade on the front door as that was $1200. One big question mark was the credit given to us for the hot water system ($132). I have never come across a hot water system and labour that totals that amount... I am hoping they left the zero off the end (have emailed them today to look over a couple of things and make some amendments). They have not gotten back to us yet (emailed them last night) so will be calling them shortly to give them the hurry up. Wow, $1200 for a door upgrade! That seems expensive. We just went with the standard door too. Hmm that's odd. We did notice that all the credits and costs seemed to tie in perfectly so they didn't have to give us any credit back. Funny that! Hope they give you a call soon. I have found that whenever I try to ring I get to reception but the person I need to contact is always on another call and rarely calls me back. It's rather frustrating so email may be a better option. Re: Experiences with Blueprint Homes 86Sep 11, 2014 1:12 pm In our prestart meeting the girl we had was fantastic. She promised us she will always get back to us within the day and so far that's been close enough (we emailed one day but didn't get a reply til first thing the following morning). With the hot water system the reason the credit is so small is they are doing all the plumbing and electrical work to have it ready for a solar hot water system, so all we will need done is for our guys to put the hot water system on the roof and connect it up. So that has worked out quite well. I have just emailed them back the final list of upgrades we wanted and the ones we can go without... Ended up being just over 12k so am pretty happy with that. In regards to calling them I had the same problem - they are either in a prestart meeting or on the phone. So I chose the email route and its worked well, she replies right away and tells me she will call me once finished prestart or just emails me back with all my answers later in the day. Its been testing - I think mainly because I want answers immediately so im not stuck guessing and assuming things, but need to be realistic and understand im not the only customer they have. How is your build going? anything to update? Re: Experiences with Blueprint Homes 87Sep 12, 2014 12:30 am Charlie Hustle In our prestart meeting the girl we had was fantastic. She promised us she will always get back to us within the day and so far that's been close enough (we emailed one day but didn't get a reply til first thing the following morning). With the hot water system the reason the credit is so small is they are doing all the plumbing and electrical work to have it ready for a solar hot water system, so all we will need done is for our guys to put the hot water system on the roof and connect it up. So that has worked out quite well. I have just emailed them back the final list of upgrades we wanted and the ones we can go without... Ended up being just over 12k so am pretty happy with that. In regards to calling them I had the same problem - they are either in a prestart meeting or on the phone. So I chose the email route and its worked well, she replies right away and tells me she will call me once finished prestart or just emails me back with all my answers later in the day. Its been testing - I think mainly because I want answers immediately so im not stuck guessing and assuming things, but need to be realistic and understand im not the only customer they have. How is your build going? anything to update? That's great!!! Yay! You should have the final prestart variations posted soon then for you to sign. Then scheduling Our build is going great! We had our slab down last week and they are preparing block while they wait for the bricks to arrive. Should be delivered in a couple weeks. It's all happening fast, hope it stays this way and we get some news on when the brickies will begin. Re: Experiences with Blueprint Homes 88Sep 12, 2014 11:27 am That's great news Steph, good to see things are starting to move along quickly for you. I have made all my changes to the prestart costings now so its just a matter of getting the updated list sent through so we can sign it and get it on the way. Titles should be a couple of weeks away hopefully! Re: Experiences with Blueprint Homes 89Oct 02, 2014 2:30 am Hi all looks like im jumping in late here but I have also been dealing with blue print and have just had my prestart meeting.. The main thing I have found is there not very flexible with things and some of there upgrade options prices are way over the top.. There upgrade from the standard SS cooktop to the Glass one was priced at just over $900 very hefty when you consider that the price difference between the two at Harvey norman is only $300.. They wanted $3000 to upgrade to a free standing bath that can get retail for $1800.. Wanted to supply 2 toilets from another supplier can get 2 for $750 that look much better than there ones. but was told they would not fit them they will only fit caroma toilets.. Also wanted a sink and vanity basins from a different supplier as was told they will not fit them or even do the cut outs for them.. Its like there trying to force you to only get there products.. Re: Experiences with Blueprint Homes 90Oct 02, 2014 9:42 am Hi Butch, welcome to the thread... I agree some of the upgrades came in a lot more expensive than I imagined they would. The thing I am finding (and will be interesting if you start to encounter the same) is that from the moment prestart finished it all of a sudden became difficult to get in touch with them or get replies from them. I was told on the prestart day "I will always get back to you on the same day as you contact me" and that has not been the case. Re: Experiences with Blueprint Homes 91Oct 02, 2014 5:44 pm Hi Charlie.. It has only been a week from pre start meeting. I have sent a few email off to them and so far they have replied with in a 24hr period...I even rang them today and was surprised that I got to talk to them.... Just wondering if things will change after I sign off on the pre start.. Re: Experiences with Blueprint Homes 92Oct 02, 2014 7:20 pm Butch Just wondering if things will change after I sign off on the pre start.. Hi Butch, I don't think it will change. Our brickwork has finished now and they did it in 20 days! (started brickwork a month after slab down though). Blueprint has been prompt to answer anything within 24 hours and they are very accommodating with changes as well, except for money . Once pre-start done, any changes you make will attract astronomical $$. So I suggest to wrap up everything before you sign the final time Well the work quality has been good so far and we are happy the way things are progressing. Can't wait for the roof Re: Experiences with Blueprint Homes 93Nov 18, 2014 6:24 pm Hi All I have been reading this forum for a while & need some advise. I have just signed my contract with Blueprint last week & my pre-start will be in 2 weeks time. I'm wondering if anyone could advise how much does Blueprint charge for upgrades based on your past experience. Below are the things that I'm planning to upgrade & hoping to have rough idea how much it will be without getting great shock 1. Heaps of kitchen drawers 2. Upgrading paving to granite / stone wash 3. Additional GPO's? 4. Changing shower screen to semi-frameless 5. Undermount kitchen sink 6. Above counter sink 7. Upgrading kitchen cupboard to silk finish. Any advise will be greatly appreciated. Re: Experiences with Blueprint Homes 94Nov 20, 2014 9:28 am Lady_Zu Hi All I have been reading this forum for a while & need some advise. I have just signed my contract with Blueprint last week & my pre-start will be in 2 weeks time. I'm wondering if anyone could advise how much does Blueprint charge for upgrades based on your past experience. Below are the things that I'm planning to upgrade & hoping to have rough idea how much it will be without getting great shock 1. Heaps of kitchen drawers 2. Upgrading paving to granite / stone wash 3. Additional GPO's? 4. Changing shower screen to semi-frameless 5. Undermount kitchen sink 6. Above counter sink 7. Upgrading kitchen cupboard to silk finish. Any advise will be greatly appreciated. Wow, that's quick! Hope it all goes well. I can try help you out with a few of the costs I was quotes for mine. The kitchen was my major upgrade zone, I put in about 4 additional cabinetry/benchtop and it was $2000 (so about $500 per cupboard). Granite upgrade: 190mmx190mm pavers $100 (I guess this cost depends on how small or big your design is) GPO's: 1 socket costs $55 and 2 sockets cost $68 I'm not too sure about the other costs though, so hopefully you can try get some more info. You may be able to just email or call blueprint and ask for the costs? All the best with your build. Re: Experiences with Blueprint Homes 95Nov 20, 2014 9:34 am Charlie Hustle One big question mark was the credit given to us for the hot water system ($132). I have never come across a hot water system and labour that totals that amount... I am hoping they left the zero off the end (have emailed them today to look over a couple of things and make some amendments). They have not gotten back to us yet (emailed them last night) so will be calling them shortly to give them the hurry up. I'm building with another builder and was told that the credit you get back will not be the full retail price of the product. This is due to the bulk discounts that the builder gets when purchasing their "standard" range of items. My guess is that builders get some items in bulk at dirt cheap wholesale prices, so if you get a credit back that is much less than the anticipated when comparing with regular retail pricing, that is probably the reason... That being said, $132 seems very low! Hope you get it clarified by the builder. Our Build Thread: The "Extended" Marina by Visionone Homes Our Inspirations: Frank Lloyd Wright | Houzz Re: Experiences with Blueprint Homes 96Nov 21, 2014 5:52 am Hi Lady-zu.. Can help with a bit of a guide for you from what I was quoted.. The semi-frameless shower screen cost me $225 The frameless one cost $1037 Brikmakers Granite collection pavers in lieu of Builders standard range was $150 Over head cupboards in the kitchen $2000 Provide (4 of) bank of 3 plate drawers to kitchen as per plan in lieu of cupboards $2200 Bin draw $188 There Glass splash back price was good about $700 cheaper than what I was quoted at other places.. Hope this helps you out a bit.. Re: Experiences with Blueprint Homes 97Nov 21, 2014 12:49 pm Hi Steph23 & Butch, Thank you for the advise. It has givesnme rough idea now. Some of the upgrades don't seems that bad but seems like the kitchen cupboard going to be a killer. Before signing up, I've already asked the sales consultant to quote me on overhead cupboards, stone bench tops & glass splashbacks. All that are covered in my original house quote. But there are still some cosmetic things that need upgrading. I guess I just have to wait for the pre-start day to find out Re: Experiences with Blueprint Homes 98Nov 25, 2014 12:16 pm Granite paving cost us around $250 from memory, the dellavita stone benchtop cost us around $3000 (of course comes down to size of benchtop). I have the paperwork in my car so will grab it out later and PM you the details of some of the other upgrades you are looking for. Re: Experiences with Blueprint Homes 99Nov 25, 2014 4:17 pm Charlie Hustle Granite paving cost us around $250 from memory, the dellavita stone benchtop cost us around $3000 (of course comes down to size of benchtop). I have the paperwork in my car so will grab it out later and PM you the details of some of the other upgrades you are looking for. Hi Charlie Hustle Thanks heaps. If you can PM me will be great. I'm also looking at upgrading the internal doors. At the moment I have about 30 items on my list to be quoted. Re: Experiences with Blueprint Homes 100Jan 21, 2015 6:33 pm Butch Hi Lady-zu.. Can help with a bit of a guide for you from what I was quoted.. The semi-frameless shower screen cost me $225 The frameless one cost $1037 Brikmakers Granite collection pavers in lieu of Builders standard range was $150 Over head cupboards in the kitchen $2000 Provide (4 of) bank of 3 plate drawers to kitchen as per plan in lieu of cupboards $2200 Bin draw $188 There Glass splash back price was good about $700 cheaper than what I was quoted at other places.. Hope this helps you out a bit.. Hi Butch and anyone else who has gone to prestart with Blueprint. Was it definitely $225 to upgrade your shower screen to semi frameless?? I got quoted a much higher price..... You have mandatory building inspections and privately engaged building inspections. The difference between the two comes down to inspecting the building so it's safe and… 3 18058 Ask for references and speak to them. If they are defensive or try to avoid the request, walk. 1 74686 |