Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Mar 25, 2014 4:57 pm I initially posted this topic in OB forum but I think it is better posted here? Hi everyone, I wonder if anyone out there would mind offering some advice to a young couple trying to build the (modest) dream.. We have got our (tiny) block of land in Alkimos Beach (Perth) and are quite reluctant to build with a big project builder due to their inflexibility, bad reviews and seemingly high costs for upgrades. Pretty much we have become distrustful after we dodged a bullet. I don't think we could cope being OB's from start to finish. It is a big job for novices with a young family and work commitments. Also, I don't think as OB's we would get the bank to give us any money because of our inexperience. Don't get me wrong, we are by no mean lazy, but I am a bit stingy and I think taking on a project like this ourselves will cost us $$$$$ which we can't afford. Having said that I suppose our options are probably quite limited. Does anyone know if it is possible to employ a professional/s to get us from beginning to lock up stage? To guide us though the endless amounts of red tape and paperwork, help schedule work as required, negotiate quotes, and make sure that the work is completed to a high standard, and everything else in between! If this is possible, would this option be cheaper and better quality than a project builder? And could complete muppets manage on their own from lock-up through to completion? Thanks so much for any advice you can offer. Re: WA house building general advice (repost) 2Mar 27, 2014 12:49 pm Hi rohnanz, Wow, you sound very enthusiastic and building your own home is a very exciting project. You say that you have bought at Alkimos Beach. Is that the Lend Lease project? The reason that I ask is that they may have someone there that can help you. I used to work for Lend Lease in Sydney on our projects in NSW as a design co-ordinator/covenant officer. I would assume that they would have someone at Alkimos in that role. I used to have conversations with customers all the time about the options that were available to them. It might be worth asking your sales person if you can have a chat with someone on the project team who can help you. As far as project builders are concerned, there are builders and there are builders. The reason why they are priced the way they are is that they have particular designs and they have squeezed every type of efficiency they can (for them) out of it in terms of suppliers, trades etc. So if you want to make any changes, then things start looking tricky for them. Some of the smaller builders are sometimes more willing to make changes and develop new designs even. Many of the large ones are quite fixed with their designs as the have their business structured as discussed above. You will still probably find that a project home builder or volume builder will be cheaper in the end because they have their efficiencies sorted. A one-off builder probably won't be able to get the same discounts from suppliers. e.g. brick manufacturers, plasterboard manufacturers etc. One way you could get things cheaper is if you have tradie mates that can do things for you at mates rates. I know this sounds painful but you will need to shop around with the builders to see what you get for your cash. If you do have some time up your sleeve it can help. You may be able to find someone to manage the project for you but it wouldn't necessarily mean it would be cheaper. Think carefully to about exactly what you want from your house and your block because it is often the decisions made right at the start that can have a flow on effect and have significant impact on costs while you are living there. Think electricity bills etc. I am not sure whether this has helped you any but possibly given you a couple of things to think about. I wish you all the best with building your new home. Cheers, Jenny. Need hints, tips and inspiration? Join me on my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ournewhomecoach Who am I? See my LinkedIn page: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/jennifer-crawford/1a/429/296 Re: WA house building general advice (repost) 3Mar 27, 2014 5:30 pm I agree with most of what jenathome said with the exception of trade mates rates, stay away its not worth it. The reason why project builders have become so successful is because of economies of scale they will give you the biggest bang for the buck but there are limitations on flexibility and quality. However when you start talking of extras and finishing to a high standard that will hit you out of bounds because you are really talking custom build. As for employing a professional that will take you from A-Z it will cost too much. Foremost Building Expert in Australia,assisting with building problems/disputes, building stage inspections,pre-contract review advice for peace of mind 200 blogs http://www.buildingexpert.net.au/blog Re: WA house building general advice (repost) 4Mar 28, 2014 12:41 am Thanks for offering your advice. We appreciate it very much. Jenathome - your advice was very helpful. Thank you. We did buy from lend lease. I am eager to speak to whoever might be willing to help us. Exactly what does a design co-ordinator / covenant officer do? The sales staff at alkimos beach have been really great to deal with so far. Building-expert - thank you also. I think that your advice stay away from tradie mates is sound. I assume this is if we chose to ob. However, if we were to go with a project builder (which is looking more likely) and we were allowed to nominate one trade would you suggest we used our concrete, brickie or roofer trade or avoid using our mates altogether. We do trust they won't do a crap job. Thanks again! Re: WA house building general advice (repost) 5Mar 28, 2014 8:57 am Hi ronahnz, The design co-ordinator/covenant officer approves your plans from a Lend Lease point of view to ensure they meet design guidelines etc. before they go to Council for approval. This is what I did in Sydney. The system may be the same at Alkimos, although they may have a slightly different system. I would ask your sales consultant. I am a registered architect myself but the person doing this job may or may not be. They should have expertise in this area though and so should be able to give you a bit of help. I wish you the best of luck with it all. Cheers, Jenny. Need hints, tips and inspiration? Join me on my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ournewhomecoach Who am I? See my LinkedIn page: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/jennifer-crawford/1a/429/296 Re: WA house building general advice (repost) 7Apr 14, 2014 5:28 pm Hi Ronahz and welcome to Alkimos Beach! Where in the estate are you? First Build, Commodore Homes, Alkimos Beach. My build thread: https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=69032 You should check your detail drawings, it may show downpipe within brick pier. 14 14021 Versaloc is a mortarless besser block system that still needs a properly engineered footing. If you just do a 400x200 footing it will fail in time. At 17m long you need it… 1 15215 I posted the floorplan on Houzz.com forum and got some really good ideas and advice from people there. Then we reached out to a couple of renovation companies and one… 5 10017 |