Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Feb 12, 2014 9:43 pm Hello everyone, I've been lurking for a few months now and thought I'd finally take the plunge and join.
We bought a very 'original condition' 1960,s brick veneer tiny 3 bed house on a 748sqm block in Adelaide 5 years ago when I was still at uni. Our intention was to either renovate or knock it down, but as soon as I graduated, my now-husband was made redundant and we were forced to move interstate so the plans were put on hold and we rented out the house instead. Late last year he was made redundant again so we moved back in, and as we now both have jobs again (phew) we have decided now is the time to do our knock down rebuild. We have been looking at plans and various builders, but have settled on Steventons Construction and have received our sales drawing and first quote from them. We are now in the process of nutting out the quote to make sure it includes everything we need it to.... And I need help! The sales drawings: Ground floor showing positioning on the block: Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Top floor: Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: Newbie first post... Custom SA build getting started... 2Feb 12, 2014 9:47 pm What else needs to be included in the quote so that the house will be liveable? I have already asked about: - shower screens - bath for ensuite - extra data points/powerpoints/lights - facade options - laundry cabinet/joinery - flooring The quote also gave options for the alfresco and air conditioning and we will do landscaping after handover. What else would you ask about? Also, is it okay to post the schedule/plans. The plans are copyright Steventons. Re: Newbie first post... Custom SA build getting started... 3Feb 12, 2014 10:28 pm Or any feedback on the plan? Re: Newbie first post... Custom SA build getting started... 4Feb 13, 2014 5:31 pm Bump... Any feedback? Re: Newbie first post- Custom SA build - floor plan + schedu 5Feb 13, 2014 6:18 pm Hi bobbin, the quote looks pretty comprehensive and certainly should lead to a liveable home! Stormwater, bir? I'd recommend visiting their suppliers and having a look at their standard range so you have a heads up about if/what you need to upgrade and get the cost included in your quote. Oh and trying to think of functional things such as water tap behind fridge, extra taps around outside of house, gas point for bbq. If I think of anything else will let you know. Have you read many threads? If you read ones such as mine that should help you out too. Re: Newbie first post- Custom SA build - floor plan + schedu 6Feb 13, 2014 7:10 pm Carefully think about your electrical requirements and selections items like tiles, etc upfront. That is if you are planning to roll the upgrades into your construction loan. Allow $5k extra for electrical - adds up very quickly. Maybe move the rear access garage door so it aligns with one of the front ones. Build thread: here Land Nov 12, Contract 6/07/13, Consent 15/08/13, Start 20/09/13, Slab 25/09/13, Frame 4/10/13, Brick 21/10/13, Roof 2/11/13, Lock-up 17/12/13, Handover 3/3/14 Re: Newbie first post- Custom SA build - floor plan + schedu 7Feb 13, 2014 8:31 pm The house looks like it will be liveable with most 'needs', you'll probably just need floor coverings, window furnishings and a tv aerial. At some stage not long after you'll want a solid driveway, the engineers report will detail perimeter paving/concreting etc so you are not driving and walking through mud each day. You'll also need a rainwater tank. The comes the 'wants'. As others have said, check the builders range of inclusions but do this before you sign while you still have bargaining power. You can easily drop well over 10k upgrading your kitchen to caeserstone bench tops, drawers instead of cupboards, glass splashback etc. At plumbing it'll cost you another $5k+ to go for the fancier taps, freestanding bath and inset or recessed sinks. Another $5k at electrical if you like the look of downlights throughout, want an NBN provision and like the fancy light switches etc. Check out this post viewtopic.php?f=31&t=5823&start=720 Start from the end, there is a good summary of what people wished they included but forgot. Also get the builder to give you a sketch of the front elevation so you can see what it'll look like from the front. Also be prepared for the additional cost of footings to be a lot more than what the builder includes, especially if your soil has a high clay content. Re: Newbie first post- Custom SA build - floor plan + schedu 8Feb 14, 2014 9:31 pm Maximus - good idea to move the rear garage door in line with the front one. I really have no idea about electrical upgrades - I'm going to leave that to my IT nerd husband! Fairmont - I've read through quite a few threads over the last month or so but haven't picked up on much of the negotiation stage stuff - it seems like most people start a thread after they sign on with a builder. I had to double check the storm water - yes it is included. BIR to bedrooms are not included but we will do them gradually as needed I think. The WIR has the standard shelf and rail but I have asked them to take that out as we prefer to have mostly shelves and drawers. Building the dream - TV Aerial! Of course! That is something I had forgotten about. I think window furnishings might just be old sheets when we move in and we'll do them as we go. Is a rainwater tank a must? I hadn't planned for one. We don't have one on the property now (and we are doing a knock down rebuild). I have looked at the 'Things you forget' a few times but it just has so much stuff on there now, and many of them are wants rather than needs, that I just get overwhelmed by it. The builder was recommended to me by an ex-coworker and he said he was really happy with their standard range of tiles and laminates etc but I think we will go and look at the suppliers this weekend. What you said about drawers did make me realise though that I have no idea how many drawers/cupboards etc are included - that isn't on the plans, just an overall shape for the kitchen. I'll have to check that. I am hoping not to have two many upgrades for the bathrooms, from looking at their standard inclusions, I think I will be upgrading the ensuite basin to a counter top basin, but the other two will be recessed which is standard. They have included a freestanding bath for the ensuite in the quote which is awesome. The shower screens are fully framed though, we might upgrade to semi- or frameless if we can. I will ask for a sketch of the front elevation before signing as well. Thankyou for your input everyone. From now we are going to check on the standard range, then we are going to decide whether we want to have the floor coverings and patio included in the quote and I think it will then be signing time! Hooray! Re: Newbie first post- Custom SA build - floor plan + schedu 9Feb 19, 2014 7:02 pm Rainwater tank is a must. Every new house in SA needs one and (I think) it must be plumbed to a toilet or washing machine. The government brought in the rule a few years back now. I am not 100% sure on the regulations. The builder should know. With the Things You Forget post, go to page 32 and about halfway down, there is a summary of all of the posts. Makes it much easier to follow. You'll be glad you read it when you realise what is available. From reading lots of posts on here, builders dont ask, you have to know what to ask... Re: Newbie first post- Custom SA build - floor plan + schedu 10May 24, 2014 8:48 pm Hi there, we are building with your builder too and you have made a great choice. Extra costs we have made were: - extra on plumbing supplies - our kitchen joinery was about $15k - about 2k extra for lighting - we spent $100sqm for hard wood flooring so spent more there. Current: BUILDING - finishing soon! Re: Newbie first post- Custom SA build - floor plan + schedu 11May 24, 2014 9:23 pm Ms_Teapot Hi there, we are building with your builder too and you have made a great choice. Extra costs we have made were: - extra on plumbing supplies - our kitchen joinery was about $15k - about 2k extra for lighting - we spent $100sqm for hard wood flooring so spent more there. Thanks for stopping by Ms Teapot! I'll have to check out your thread. We STILL haven't signed on yet as I changed jobs in March and wanted to wait until my probation for the new job is finished - late June. What were the standard kitchen joinery options and what did you upgrade too? We have also budgeted about 2k for electrical. We have decided not to upgrade any tap ware or doors etc, but are upgrading the ensuite sink and adding full length tiling to the wall behind the bath in the ensuite. Re: Newbie first post- Custom SA build - floor plan + schedu 12May 25, 2014 1:28 am Is double glazing standard now? It doesn't say in your schedule. Are you going to do ceiling fans after the build? I would consider making the ceiling on the ground floor higher. A mirror over the vanity in the ground floor powder room. I would get clarification on the smoke detectors is there only 1 or is there 2 etc Security system Outside lighting Lots of these things are easier to do before all the walls are covered in gyprock but I know builders charge a bomb for them Re: Newbie first post- Custom SA build - floor plan + schedu 13May 30, 2014 9:01 pm Bobbin Ms_Teapot Hi there, we are building with your builder too and you have made a great choice. Extra costs we have made were: - extra on plumbing supplies - our kitchen joinery was about $15k - about 2k extra for lighting - we spent $100sqm for hard wood flooring so spent more there. Thanks for stopping by Ms Teapot! I'll have to check out your thread. We STILL haven't signed on yet as I changed jobs in March and wanted to wait until my probation for the new job is finished - late June. What were the standard kitchen joinery options and what did you upgrade too? We have also budgeted about 2k for electrical. We have decided not to upgrade any tap ware or doors etc, but are upgrading the ensuite sink and adding full length tiling to the wall behind the bath in the ensuite. Hi - i haven't got a thread actually has haven't had time to keep one up and decided to keep the build a bit more private. The PC for our kitchen we upped to $10k but it's ended up being $15K (pantry too). We paid more for our appliances too. The problem is, we said that about tapware too, but then we went to do our selections and decided YES we do want the next step up, and we do want toilets that are flush against the wall (no gap for cleaning easily).. and it all adds up. For outdoor lights you may be happy with just a batten light i.e. a globe in a wall which is all that's provided. One thing I would say is put in more LED down lights rather than all the batten fix we had in our home and have ended up paying for additional light fittings for the batten lights. Think about things like dimmers etc now for kids rooms if you have or are planning children. Current: BUILDING - finishing soon! Re: Newbie first post- Custom SA build - floor plan + schedu 15Jun 09, 2014 6:43 pm Air con was quoted separately but will be included. Thanks Pellana. We have increased the height of both floors to 2.55m. I did look at and work out outdoor lighting and have included that in the extra lighting expenses I have requested to be in the quote. Haven't thought about security systems though. Not sure about double glazing. I actually don't like ceiling fans so I am not intending to get them put in at this stage. We may do it later down the track though. Re: Newbie first post- Custom SA build - floor plan + schedu 16Jun 09, 2014 8:23 pm Hubby and I had been reviewing the plans and we became a bit concerned that we wouldn't have enough space in the living area. I found a display home with the same layout/dimensions and we went to visit it yesterday. It did feel a bit cramped. We found ourselves saying "We could cope with it if we put furniture in this particular way and didn't have anything else in the room" but I don't want to be paying this much money to 'cope' with our new house, I want to enjoy it! However, we don't have too much room left in our budget so really wanted to limit any additions to the house size overall. So I sat down and had a play with our plan. I moved the powder room to behind the kitchen, which reduces the dining room space but extends the living area. Then I reduced the study by .5m and moved everything down, increasing the living room length to 6m. But I then still wasn't happy with the width of the living area so decided we should add .5m of width to the back of the house. Upstairs bedrooms 3 and 4 will have an additional .5m of width too. My very rough sketch of the updated floor plan is below. Any thoughts, reasons why it wouldn't work or suggestions? I am also interested on opinions of windows/light in the living area. We don't have any windows on the north facing wall in the living area at present, but I am worried about putting one in as that is the wall the TV is likely to end up on! Original plan is in the first post. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: Custom SA build - Floor Plan Help PLease!! Post 16. 17Jun 09, 2014 9:15 pm How badly do you want/need the study? If it were me I would not have it and give the space to your main living area. You could have a study bench in the main space and/or the room at the front? As for windows if the tv is on the north face wall it is ok to have windows as you won't have the sun directly shining in. That only happens on the east and west face walls. I would have windows either side of tv or a high window going the length of the room. Spend the time getting the plan right, you won't regret it. Maybe think about professional help? We drew ours up in a 3d architectural programme so you really got a feel for the rooms and house. You could put furniture in the room so we got an idea of whether it would suit our requirements. You can do that on paper too as they have rough dimensions of furniture online. Is there a reason for cutting space off the lounge ie why it does not line up with the rest of the house? Re: Custom SA build - Floor Plan Help PLease!! Post 16. 18Jun 09, 2014 9:38 pm What about something like this on the ground floor? http://www.metricon.com.au/south-austra ... r-plans/34 Re: Custom SA build - Floor Plan Help PLease!! Post 16. 19Jun 09, 2014 9:46 pm Thanks for replying Fairmont. We do have a custom builder we are working with, but I wanted to get an idea in mind before approaching him to change the plan! We are meeting with him in two weeks. We have been considering getting rid of the study, however hubby has had to give up his dream career recently due to redundancy, and he wants to have a quiet place to be able to do some work in his area (making games) in his own time. Plus we both study and I have to take work home sometimes so we are reluctant to get rid of it. If we have to we will though. It is hard, as at the moment we have one child. We are not sure whether we are only going to have one more, or if we will end up with 3 kids. If we only have two, we really don't need the study as we can use a bedroom, but we won't know for a few years! The cutting off space is for setback from the side fence. The setback is supposed to be 2 metres but at the front of the house the double garage wouldn't fit with a 2m setback. The builder spoke to a planner at the council who said that a 1m setback only at the front would be okay. Do you think a high window on the north side would add a significant amount of light to the area to make it worthwhile? We don't know exactly where TV will go yet and will probably play around with it a bit before deciding. It will be wall mounted eventually though. Ooh.. and the layout in the M home downstairs is great. I might print it out and see how we can play with it for upstairs too. I really like our upstairs plan! Re: Custom SA build - Floor Plan Help PLease!! Post 16. 20Jun 09, 2014 10:02 pm Yep I thought the metricon plan was such a great use of space, it's a new plan My hubbie works from home a lot being in IT means working at night. We ended up putting a study in our wir. Strangely enough he loves it, we have two kids and it is prob the one space I can keep them out of and it's quiet. When the kids are older I will put a desk/bench in the main space where I can supervise them. Then when they are older again they have space in their rooms for a desk. I agree though it's hard to know what to compromise on. We opted for bigger but fewer rooms. Meant foregoing a spare room as well (we have 3 bedrooms) but it works for us and when guests come which is not very often we have options. As for light on the north side yes it is definitely worth it. The northern light is great, otherwise once the sun starts heading from east to west it will be very dark in that back room. Make the eaves as thin as possible on the north side to maximise light. We have our living space with big glass doors all on the left wall at the rear of the home which is north and we still don't get enough light, mainly in the afternoon when the sun is heading towards the front of the house which is where your study/lounge is located. I am looking at putting skylights in. Oh and when you wall mount a tv you actually have it quite low in the room otherwise you will be craning your neck back so a window above would not be a problem 6 55355 Hi, Seeking volume or semi-custom builder in victoria(east), which have existing double story wide floor plans. Seeking 18-20m wide homes with depth of 12-15m long. Or… 0 25171 Hi Mofflepop, I would recommend finding a building designer to prepare plans, they should design to your specified budget. The benefit is you can tender the project out… 9 20432 |