CountryHome's country build pg 16 we are in!! :)

CountryHome · Mar 07, 2014 11:10 am

I suppose it's time I start my own thread! Eep. I've been stalking build threads for months now and I still feel like such a novice and get so overwhelmed at times.

So please be kind to me! I appreciate any and all feedback and have so many questions. :oops:

A bit of background first: DH and I own our current home (an old 2 bdrm brick place) as well as part owners in three businesses, but this is our first build. I'm currently a SAHM to our 18 month old boy and DH works full time so I've taken the reigns with the build. He's pretty happy for me to make all the little decisions and just occasionally run things by him. So forgive me if I accidentally sometimes talk about "my house" and what "I" want, instead of "our" and "we" etc :oops:

We live in a small rural town of about 900 people in southern NSW. Because of this, we aren't building in an estate like many people on this forum and so our journey seems to be a bit different in some regards.

We want to live in town still and so have found a block that's across the road from the back of the local public school, a few doors up from the preschool, around the corner from the public swimming pool, parks and tennis courts, and about a 3-4 minute walk to our business and the local shops. It's 1014sqm and never been built on before. We are in the process of exchanging contracts and have just paid our deposit today. I'll upload a pic in a moment. So far we have been told that there shouldn't be any problem connecting telephone, gas and electricity and council have said they'll foot the bill to get us connected to mains sewerage (and yes we have that in writing). We are still awaiting results from soil testing.

We have been looking and deciding on blocks for a good 6 months now and in the process have been talking to a number of local builders and working on a plan to suit our family. We want this to be a 15year + home, so we have made it big enough to accommodate the whole family, however big that might get! :z:

we got our preliminary working drawings last night, so I thought it was time to jump on here and get some feedback. We are really happy with the builder so far. They have been so accommodating and are really flexible to adapt and adjust the design until we are happy. Nothing has been too much trouble so far.

Ok, now to jump on tapatalk and upload some pics!! Give me a few minutes...

CountryHome · Mar 07, 2014 11:28 am

Ok, here's our piece of dirt:

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The things we were looking for in a plan were
- something that would sit on our corner block well
- 4 bedrooms, 2 living areas + study/spare room/activity room (so essentially 5 bedroom but we didn't mind if one of the rooms was smaller)
- big kitchen with WIP
- laundry near garage
- having one bedroom near the master that we will use as the nursery when babies are little and then having the other bedrooms slightly separate that will be kids quarters as they get a bit older (so baby doesn't wake kids and vice versa).
- having the nursery slightly separate from the main living area and entry and alfresco to minimise noise disruptions
- as well as the usual requirements like ensuite and alfresco etc

Here's the original plan we decided on from the builder, before changes:

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And here's our current plan:

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This is how it sits on the block:

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And in 3D

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Some of the changes (amongst many) we have made are:
- moved rooms around to try and optimise the position on the block (bedrooms and formal lounge all north facing windows and garage along western side),
- extended WIP (and in doing so have changed the WIR and ensuite a fair bit),
- added a basin as a 'powder room' near main bathroom
- added an activity room, which we have made like a 5th bedroom if needed,
- extended garage and garage door
- up sized front door from 820 to 1020
- added a section of wall at the end of entry hall to add privacy when ppl come over so they can't see straight into living from front door
- looking at double glazing windows in living areas
.. And lots more, as you can see.

CountryHome · Mar 07, 2014 11:34 am

So my first question! First of many, I'm sure!

We have changed the ensuite around so much and now I'm just not sure if I'm happy with it. DH and I have discussed what we want and basically this is our list:
- we don't mind if the toilet is separate or not
- we don't want a double basin and would prefer the extra bench space
- we want lots of natural light, hence the couple of windows.
- we don't really feel the need for a double shower or a bath
- we want lots of storage and I want a big mirror

So I keep looking at our ensuite and feel like it doesn't use the space well, but then it ticks all of our boxes so I guess maybe it's ok? Does anyone have any suggestions?

Here's a pic:

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1rocky · Mar 07, 2014 11:47 am

hi and welcome your home is amazing.
with the ensuite i so was tossing up
your layout looks fine it looks spacious

what i did was have it very open plan you can see how my ensuites are on my thread
mine is you walk straight in and have the vanity (double sink in one single in the other)
behind the vanity you have a shower on one side and the loo on the other i have plenty of light from the two skinnny windows

CountryHome · Mar 07, 2014 11:59 am

Thanks 1rocky! I just checked out your thread and your ensuite design is quite clever. The whole place is stunning! I might show DH your ensuite layout and see what he thinks. It would be a good way to hide the toilet.

CountryHome · Mar 07, 2014 12:36 pm

I'm just going to keep rambling away in here to put down my thoughts and ideas as ATM I have them written in books, on Pinterest, in my photo albums on my iPad.

I have an appointment with the colour consult this Thursday and so am trying to work out some more ideas from the samples and info she gave us at our last meeting.

For external, I am thinking a red/brown brick (I want to keep it inline with the other houses out here and so not too ultra modern and more of a rustic, country feel). The brand the builder uses is boral and these are my two fave shades:

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I think I'm leaning toward the mocha more:

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I want a dark roof and am leaning toward the colorbond woodland grey with maybe a slightly grey guttering like the iron bark? Can't decide on fascia though. Or windows!? I don't like anything too black or too white/cream. Maybe iron bark would work for the windows too.

For internal paint, the company uses haymes and I've been browsing on the website and these are the shades I'm liking the most:

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At The display home they used the basic instinct colour, which I really liked

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I also really like the carpet they used in that above pic too.

For the flooring i want to do the laminate floorboards in a dark grey/brown. This is what they used in the display, which I'm quite a fan of:

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joannek · Mar 07, 2014 12:57 pm

Hi Country Home. I love your plan and we too are building in a small country town so it definitely has its challenges. Luckily ours was a tiny estate so everything was connected. Very generous of your council re the sewerage. Your plan looks lovely and spacious. The only thing I wondered was if your walk in robe was big enough. Depends what you also have in your bedroom like dressers and things. The kitchen and walk in linen look lovely. Will it.have a country style verandah? I wish my husband would just leave me to my own decisions lol. I'd have a massive walk in robe!

Dukecaddy · Mar 07, 2014 3:20 pm

Hi Countryhome, nice plan!

My only comments would be that your new plan has the kitchen/living/meals all with south facing windows. As these will probably be the most used rooms in the house you may be better off to have these on the north side to capture more natural light and passive solar type stuff! Also, the kitchen's a long way from the garage to carry your groceries in :lol:

You could possibly swap the kitchen to the left hand side of that open plan space? It would still be near the bathroom plumbing/services so I doubt it would cost anything.

Cheers,
Duke

CountryHome · Mar 11, 2014 1:51 pm

Thanks for the replies

I've had a hectic few days so just getting a chance to reply now.

joannek

Hi Country Home. I love your plan and we too are building in a small country town so it definitely has its challenges. Luckily ours was a tiny estate so everything was connected. Very generous of your council re the sewerage. Your plan looks lovely and spacious. The only thing I wondered was if your walk in robe was big enough. Depends what you also have in your bedroom like dressers and things. The kitchen and walk in linen look lovely. Will it.have a country style verandah? I wish my husband would just leave me to my own decisions lol. I'd have a massive walk in robe!

Thank you Joanne. Hmm, I keep thinking the WIR is huge in comparison to what we have now.. But we are likely to fill it quickly. I'll have a bit more of a look at it. Building in a small town does have challenges, but it also has some perks. I don't know if it's the same where you are, but our block of land was so cheap compared to City prices. And yes, I'm not complaining that DH is leaving me in charge

Dukecaddy

Hi Countryhome, nice plan!

My only comments would be that your new plan has the kitchen/living/meals all with south facing windows. As these will probably be the most used rooms in the house you may be better off to have these on the north side to capture more natural light and passive solar type stuff! Also, the kitchen's a long way from the garage to carry your groceries in :lol:

You could possibly swap the kitchen to the left hand side of that open plan space? It would still be near the bathroom plumbing/services so I doubt it would cost anything.

Cheers,
Duke

Thanks for the response Duke. The north side of the house is actually the street side and I think I'd be inclined to keep blinds closed a lot if our open living area was north facing so we have decided to keep it at the back of the house. We are having large windows all along the back wall to help maximise the amount of light coming in. It took us awhile to find a plan that we were happy to work with on the block because of the orientation.
Also, I've considered the walk with the groceries too!! There's so much to consider :th:

Thanks for the feedback!

TinaG · Mar 11, 2014 2:30 pm

welcome country home

CountryHome · Mar 12, 2014 5:34 pm

Thanks Tina

CountryHome · Mar 14, 2014 7:31 am

I spent 3 hours with the colour consult and another 2 hours at the tile place and driving around looking at bricks yesterday. I've told my husband we are never building again. All the fun of this is getting zapped away and replaced by the enormity of it all! I struggled to even make a decision on door handles! Gah.

So after all that, I still haven't actually locked in many decisions, but we did make some progress. We are making some changes to the ensuite and WIR, I'll post a pic once the builder sends me a copy (hopefully next week) and I'm really starting to cement in some of my ideas for my 'traditional/provincial yet modern' home!

The colour consultant is looking in to sourcing/pricing me some old world tap handles like these, but with a goose neck spout:

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And I'm getting a quote for moulded panelled cabinetry in the kitchen, but am told it might cost a bit more. If it is out of our budget, there is a polytech/laminate finish that has a the textured finish to it that I think will work.
Apparently the splash back look I am after in the kitchen can be done with standard tiles (no upgrade cost), so that's exciting. It looks like this:

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I've also decided on moulded panel garage door, as it also comes standard with my building range. And have decided on a front door and internal doors.

1rocky · Mar 14, 2014 4:20 pm

like your idea of the kitchen and the taps are awesome

EmyN · Mar 14, 2014 4:37 pm

Naw gorgeous. I wanted the same sort of tap ware but DH thought it was too "pretty". I can't believe your town has 900 people in it! Haha. Awesome that you can walk to so many places.

We've got a profiled door kitchen in the works so I'll be following your build with interest.

CountryHome · Mar 15, 2014 6:43 am

Thanks guys! I'm a bit nervous about it because it seems to buck the normal trend of 'ultra modern' kitchens. But I figure this is the house we plan to live in for a good number of years and so it's important to stick true to what I (we? :lol:

) want. Also, I'm hoping going a more traditional look means it is less likely to date?

Emy, I haven't actually run the taps past DH :/ maybe I should! I'm still not 100% sold that they won't be a bit OTT anyway. So I may change my mind on that yet.

Thanks for the vote of confidence guys

Pantone · Mar 15, 2014 9:03 am

Looking forward to following your build CountryHome! I recognise you from another place

I love the tile look for the kitchen and those taps are gorgeous. Hopefully you can convince your DH

CountryHome · Mar 15, 2014 9:53 am

Pantone

Looking forward to following your build CountryHome! I recognise you from another place

I love the tile look for the kitchen and those taps are gorgeous. Hopefully you can convince your DH

Hmm, trying to work out who you are now. At least my username is similar to my other one. I'm going to have a stab in the dark and say, are our boys pretty much the same age??

do you have a build thread? I can see your blog, but no thread?

Pantone · Mar 15, 2014 10:03 am

Yep our boys are pretty much the same age! Good guess!

I only have a blog at this stage. Hopefully when my build starts I can start a thread!

LeanneR · Mar 15, 2014 2:01 pm

Posting so I can follow your build

CountryHome · Mar 16, 2014 4:30 pm

Naw, I have all my BM followers

had a busy weekend with first aid course and netball committee meeting tomorrow so have to do my treasurers report so haven't had a chance to update yet, but hope to later in the week