Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Mar 15, 2014 4:03 pm Hi everyone, So it's 5 years since we moved into our current house so how better to celebrate that then start a new build, right? Ha! We are a that the organising land stage and have fallen for a design from Snowdon homes that we've changed pretty heavily to suit the block. It's a very steep block with a nice view so we've opted to build a top a large garage and workshop and gym. Here's a pretty low fidelity design we've been playing with in Google Sketchup: Yes it's only 3 bedrooms, and the stairs are leading down to a 6 car garage with a home gym, yes that makes it a little 'different' but we have a 5 bedroom house at the moment and use very few of the rooms, it's just the 2 of us. Before we decided on the build route we looked at established homes for a 3 bedroom home with a 4-6 car garage but kept getting asked "who would build a house like that?", to which I'd always respond, "this guy... this guy is going to build a house like that!" So we are choosing to spend our money in the spaces we use a lot, so that's a large garage, gym, kitchen, master bedroom and a central relaxation space in the light court. We are pretty happy with the design at the moment, maybe the only thing we are asking ourselves is where would we do normal 'study' type things? Setting up a printer and the wifi and that sort of thing. We have a study at the moment and thats pretty much all thats in there, oh and a filing cabinet. I think the obvious answer is just use one of the spare rooms that will be empty for a while. So give me your 2cents! ** the wall just inside the front door is actually a bar height wall so you can see through the light court from the front door all the way outside Re: Planning a new build, have a look and give some ideas 2Mar 15, 2014 4:14 pm I like the idea that you have come up with. I would probably shift the stairs towards the living room to make them a bit of a feature. I would then think about having access to the bathroom from both bedrooms since it would be in the middle. Not sure about the light court looking down in to the gym etc. I would probably building a few course higher an have highlight windows flanking the surrounds to provide a bit of light in and then maybe some well placed velux roof windows to give the open feeling. what are the block dimensions??? Interesting project, this is where I sunk a lot of time into my planning. Look forward to watching this progress. Cheers Mark Re: Planning a new build, have a look and give some ideas 3Mar 15, 2014 4:28 pm It was always my dream to build a home around a central atrium type space, like your light court. I think it's lovely. I like it when I see people build for themselves rather than the "herd". If you know how you use your home, what will work for you better ( ie 4+ car garage and fewer bedrooms) do it. If your plan is to stay long term, then it should suit you. I gate that re-sale is an important thing, and in a lot of cases people should be aware of it, but it shouldn't always define what you do... It's not a crazy, impractical design & definitely would have appeal should you ever sell and move on anyway. Looking forward to seeing a build progress story! Thread: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=66299 Slab: 16/6/14 Frame: 4/7/14 Roof: 22/7/14 Lock Up: 20/8/14 Fixing: 26/8/14 PCI: 9/10/14 Handover: 20/10/14 Re: Planning a new build, have a look and give some ideas 4Mar 15, 2014 5:05 pm AussieMark I like the idea that you have come up with. I would probably shift the stairs towards the living room to make them a bit of a feature. I would then think about having access to the bathroom from both bedrooms since it would be in the middle. Not sure about the light court looking down in to the gym etc. I would probably building a few course higher an have highlight windows flanking the surrounds to provide a bit of light in and then maybe some well placed velux roof windows to give the open feeling. what are the block dimensions??? Interesting project, this is where I sunk a lot of time into my planning. Look forward to watching this progress. Cheers Mark Thanks Mark, the block is 27m x 40m but it is steep, 8m fall across the block high at the back and falling towards the front (4m fall across the building envelope) hence wanting to build atop the garage. I didn't draw the garage clearly enough on the sketch but it extends from the front of the porch to the rear of the stair well (about 16.5 x 9) so the light court would not look down into anything rather it's a glass walled outdoor void 4 x 6.5 room that we'd look to deck and install a very large water feature. I loved the idea of moving the stairs and giving the 2 rooms access to the bathroom, not sure how I'll pull it off but I'll have a play around and see if it's doable. Re: Planning a new build, have a look and give some ideas 5Mar 15, 2014 5:06 pm deluxes It was always my dream to build a home around a central atrium type space, like your light court. I think it's lovely. I like it when I see people build for themselves rather than the "herd". If you know how you use your home, what will work for you better ( ie 4+ car garage and fewer bedrooms) do it. If your plan is to stay long term, then it should suit you. I gate that re-sale is an important thing, and in a lot of cases people should be aware of it, but it shouldn't always define what you do... It's not a crazy, impractical design & definitely would have appeal should you ever sell and move on anyway. Looking forward to seeing a build progress story! Oh finally someone thinking on my level! Thankyou! If I hear someone "what about resale" again I'll slap them! Re: Planning a new build, have a look and give some ideas 6Mar 16, 2014 6:17 am your plan is great love the idea of a six car garage Re: Planning a new build, have a look and give some ideas 7Mar 16, 2014 9:00 am Most people use lap tops or tablets now so in our last big house the kitchen bench was where we did most of our 'Study' type stuff. Have you thought of a 'Mission Control' (see http://www.anewhouse.com.au/2012/02/mission-control/) the only trouble is you could be too close to those jars of tempting biscuits! The Harder You Try - the Luckier You Get ! Web site http://www.anewhouse.com.au Informative, Amusing, and Opinionated Blog - Over 600 posts on all aspects of building a new house. Re: Planning a new build, have a look and give some ideas 8Mar 16, 2014 1:25 pm Yes we use our laptop and tablet for most things, I'm not sure about having a printer and filing cabinet in the kitchen :S But sticking the wifi behind a tv upstairs and a printer and filing cabinet near the stairs downstairs might be enough. Re: Planning a new build, have a look and give some ideas 9Mar 18, 2014 11:12 am You could have a 'study wall' in the living or lounge, a desk/shelf setup with space for your electronics and the filing cabinet. I'm not quite sold on the main bed set up, seems like a bit of trek to the robe? Re: Planning a new build, have a look and give some ideas 10Mar 18, 2014 2:27 pm I find the master/ensuite/WIR setup very awkward and there's a lot of wasted space in the "hallway" to the WIR. There's gotta be a better way of arranging that. I'd also be inclined to shift the loo to the inside wall so you could have a window to the outside near the vanity (natural light etc). Build thread: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=65085 Re: Planning a new build, have a look and give some ideas 11Mar 26, 2014 8:34 pm Okay so it took a lot longer to find time than I expected but I've taken on a few of the suggestions, mainly around the master bedroom, and I'm liking it more. I don't think I am going to be able to move the shared toilet to take on any of the suggestions there, but I like where it's heading. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: Planning a new build, have a look and give some ideas 12Mar 31, 2014 11:00 am We purchased the land, the last of the finance is being sorted out, so it looks like this could be a go'er! We met with the builder yesterday and hashed out a few of the last things, the list is getting smaller thankfully. We looked at the rear door and they are going to chat to their suppliers to see what the largest door we can fit in there will look like and get back to us. But most of the other details are starting to become pretty solid. So we are starting to move into roof lines and facias now. We added a few little things, we went with a study wall downstairs in the garage, I don't ever expect anyone to sit there and work but more of a place for a printer, filing cabinet and the like. We decided to make it a european study wall so it can be closed up to keep it safe from any garage nasties when I'm making a mess down there (always). We also added a small shower and toilet down next to the gym. By next week we should have some official drawings then its off to engineering so we can get a firmer quote. Then I can start worrying about floor covering and profiles and then landscaping a block with 8m of fall across it! Re: Planning a new build, have a look and give some ideas 13Mar 31, 2014 3:20 pm If you have enough room in your pantry/larder that is where I would put the printer and router I am on my mobile so hard to see real well but where is your laundry will that be downstairs in the garage? Also I would bring the stairs closer to the kitchen if possible cause carting shopping all that way might pee you off (its the small things lol). Re: Planning a new build, have a look and give some ideas 14Mar 31, 2014 3:26 pm belzey If you have enough room in your pantry/larder that is where I would put the printer and router I am on my mobile so hard to see real well but where is your laundry will that be downstairs in the garage? Also I would bring the stairs closer to the kitchen if possible causer carting shopping all that way might pee you off (its the small things lol). Yes the laundry will be downstairs with a chute from the master ensuite down to it and it has an external door to the west side where the clothes line will be. I think there will be a wireless router upstairs somewhere as thats where we will be most of the time, but I don't like the idea of sitting next to the printer at work much less the idea of laser toner around my food, but it's worth a thought, I'll see what the size is when we get some proper sketches soon hopefully. Re: Planning a new build, have a look and give some ideas 15Mar 31, 2014 3:49 pm mikkyG belzey If you have enough room in your pantry/larder that is where I would put the printer and router I am on my mobile so hard to see real well but where is your laundry will that be downstairs in the garage? Also I would bring the stairs closer to the kitchen if possible causer carting shopping all that way might pee you off (its the small things lol). Yes the laundry will be downstairs with a chute from the master ensuite down to it and it has an external door to the west side where the clothes line will be. I think there will be a wireless router upstairs somewhere as thats where we will be most of the time, but I don't like the idea of sitting next to the printer at work much less the idea of laser toner around my food, but it's worth a thought, I'll see what the size is when we get some proper sketches soon hopefully. hmm true sorry did not think of that I guess if it was a Larder with a cupboard specifically made for the printer then you had a separate pantry it would be different - was just the first place I thought of as it would be out of sight! Not that I use my printer it is just a dust collector haha. Can't wait to see your plans! Give Jonathan a call. Tell him you know me. He is in my opinion the best surveyor I have ever worked with. His number is 0425 285 622 All the best Simeon 3 12425 I am not based in Victoria however i had a quick look into your question to understand what you were asking. The way I read the regulations, overshadowing relates to the… 1 2241 "is it exempt or do I need to get permission from council" Call your Council and ask them 1 1583 |