PREAMBLE:
It was late 2011 when we started to actively look into property & not much fit our budget or our needs. It had to be an established property in western Sydney & below $500,000...ha ha ha...no, I'm quite serious here! We were tired of the apartment lifestyle and I've been dying to get a dog or 2. We did a few months of intensive hunting, gave up for a year & picked it up again in early 2013.
We never really entertained the thought of building, as the preconception was that it’s an expensive, time consuming nightmare. But as fate would have it, we couldn't afford anything pre-built, so we mulled it over and decided to at least research building before completely discounting it. Then, on a fine sunny April weekend, we happened upon our future little block of land. Reserving fee was paid and we walked away thinking...'wow, that was easy'.
STORY:
The real leg work started 2 weeks post reserving our land…we visited 30+ builders (ranging from the big, medium, small, project, luxury, custom, hairy, etc, etc). So many designs, so many different types of inclusions, so much $$$$$.
We finally narrowed it down to 3 and got tenders from them all. The final choice, by a slim margin, being Elderton Homes. The base design: Carrington Grange 29, Orana Facade. 'Phew...surely now its time to sit back and relax right?'
...soon after, we would go through the arduous process of getting the plans finalised & approved…contract signed, land settled and loan finalised.
DESIGN:
The base Carrington Grange plan is simple & easy to work with, good use of space & a fairly open plan design. No rumpus, no butler’s pantry, no scullery, no retreat, no trillion hallways, no gazillion lounges. Just a 4 bedda with a lounge!
Ideas were scribbled on paper and the plan started transforming to better suit our needs & of course…the estate requirements. Some of the changes are listed below...
Downstairs...
Garage was moved to the back side & attached next to the kitchen
Original garage space was converted to a guest bedroom
Laundry was moved to the other side of the house between the lounge and the home theatre.
Original laundry space was converted into a pantry
Upstairs...
Bed 4 deleted to make way for the Ensuite
Ensuite relocated to original Bed 4 location
WIR to master deleted and moved to original ensuite location
Landing pushed back to bed 2 wall
Linen cupboard increased
Main bathroom increased by pushing it a bit further into the upstairs lounge
General…
Almost all windows were changed to capture more light and increase ventilation.
Corner articulation as per estate requirements was also added to the facade.
PLAN:
Removed due to hosting issues.
TIMELINE:
I’ll continue to update it as the build progresses.
- 22nd April 2013 - Land reserved
12th September 2013 - Land settled
21st November 2013 - Estate Final approval
10th December 2013 - CDC approval
26th January 2014 – Camp out!
21st February 2014 – Peg out
24th February 2014 – Site cut
7th March 2014 – Slab poured
18th March 2014 – Frame started
20th March 2014 – Frame completed
21st March 2014 – Windows delivered
25th march 2014 – Windows installed (except kitchen & bed 4)
15th April 2014 - Brick laying has started! "Goop" applied to downstairs windows.
6th May 2014 - Bricks finished
19th May 2014 - Roof Started
26th May 2014 - Solar Panels installed
11th June 2014 - 1st floor eaves
12th June 2014 - Cladding installed
22nd June 2014 - rendering started
22nd June 2014 - downpipe installation started
1st July 2014 - painting of eaves, downpipes, cladding completed
2nd July 2014 - scaffolding removed
6th July 2014 - Site cleared
24th July 2014 - Roof finished
7th August 2014 - Electrical rough in completed
8th August 2014 - Insulation completed
9th August 2014 - Gyprock started
16th August 2014 - Gyprock completed
18th August 2014 - Stairs started & completed
19th August 2014 - Cornices started and completed
20th August 2014 - Downpipes completed (western facade only)
22nd August 2014 - Doors delivered onsite
25th August 2014 - Door & architrave fit-out started
26th August 2014 - Door & architrave fit-out completed
29th August 2014 - Water tank installed
29th August 2014 - Water proofing completed for wet areas
2nd September 2014 - Cabinet work started & completed
3rd September 2014 - First coat of paint for internal
6th September 2014 - Garage doors installed
10th September 2014 - Screeding started for tiles
12th September 2014 - Floor tiles to wet areas laid
18th September 2014 - Stone bench-tops in kitchen delivered and installed
19th September 2014 - All wet area tiling completed
19th September 2014 - All down-pipes completed
26th September 2014 - Second Coat Paint to all internal walls and stain to doors and staircase
29th September 2014 - Tapware, toilets and tubs installed
2nd October 2014 - Site Cleaned - bricks, boxes, pallets, excess materials removed from the land
2nd October 2014 - Driveway cut & form work started
8th October 2014 - Electrical fit-out started
9th October 2014 - Driveway complete!
Thanks for reading our build thread. If you have any questions, please drop a private message or post below