Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Oct 13, 2014 8:12 am Hi All, First time builder here. Looked through the "thing you forget" thread and it has been a great help. On the flip side, I was wondering what is the list of items we should try to do ourselves to try save cost or get better quality item at the same cost. Any advice or guidance would be greatly appreciated. Our McDonald Jones Cordova Two Build - http://cordovatwomjh.blogspot.com.au Re: Things we should do ourselves 2Oct 13, 2014 8:50 am I would say the biggest cost saving and easiest to organize would be your flooring. Carpets/tiles/timber floors, whatever you are going for, it's generally a very easy thing to arrange with an external provider, and saves a bucket-load off the builders prices. And you get a lot more choice as well 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: Things we should do ourselves 3Oct 13, 2014 9:27 am We decided to do quite a few things after handover, generally it was because they were quite expensive with the builder and/or the builders range didn't offer what we wanted. Painting of feature walls, fit out in our WIR, pendant lights, downlights, better light switches and powerpoints. Building a Sierra on the Gold Coast https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=68899 Full timeline on Pg 1 Settlement: 13/05/14 Retaining Walls: 20/06/14 Site Start: 02/07/14 Re: Things we should do ourselves 5Oct 13, 2014 11:44 am We are doing; Concrete Driveway, portico and alfresco Wardrobe fitout Timber Floors Light - pendants and downlights Painting Carpet Fencing/Gates Blinds/ curtains Landscaping My build: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=68002 Re: Things we should do ourselves 6Oct 13, 2014 12:00 pm We are doing: Flooring (bamboo and carpet) Lights Overhead cupboards Scullery fit out Laundry fit out Driveway we got paved but will rip out later and get exposed agg Decking the porch and alfresco Retaining walls Soakwells Fencing Letter box Internal painting Robe fit outs Landscaping Window treatments Hmmm I think/hope that is it mostly... Our build thread: https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=70984 Re: Things we should do ourselves 7Oct 13, 2014 6:55 pm For those that is doing flooring after lock up, how does the skirting work? Our McDonald Jones Cordova Two Build - http://cordovatwomjh.blogspot.com.au Re: Things we should do ourselves 8Oct 13, 2014 7:09 pm Jazz926 For those that is doing flooring after lock up, how does the skirting work? in WA the builder doesn't do skirting Re: Things we should do ourselves 9Oct 13, 2014 7:11 pm my list overhead cupboards in the larder & L'dry rangehood alfresco paving garden stuff splashback blinds the flooring, aircon & paint of the inside came with the package Re: Things we should do ourselves 10Nov 19, 2014 10:39 am we did allot of things ourselves and once your put your mind to it and do a little research (if you think you are capable of course) it is fairly easy, but allot of hard work and tiring. We did- all retaining walls and fencing, all concreting including driveway, all gardens and landscaping, clothesline, letterbox, all internal and external flooring, tiles and carpet inside, decking and pavers outside. all internal and external painting work window coverings, frosting on glass (front door), Its all finished now and its great to look back and know that we did it all ourselves. Very satisfying! Re: Things we should do ourselves 11Nov 22, 2014 3:23 am Not being very handy myself, but through building industry contacts I sourced: Tiles Carpet, vinyl Insulation Landscaping Window furnishings Bath Appliances Was able to save on costs, get total control on colours and styles we wanted. Had to weigh this up against cons: Anything we source ourselves, if there's an issue, we're responsible. If it's builder-supplied, it's one phone call. Anything we supply delivered to site is not covered under builder's insurance. Wanna make sure lock-up really means 'LOCK-UP'! Home is where the lot is Construction commenced 3rd November 2014 Re: Things we should do ourselves 12Dec 26, 2014 12:00 am Quick update. We will be doing the following after hand over. - flooring to living area, bed rooms and Alfresco - drive way and fencing - blinds, plantation shutters and fly screen - mailbox - landscaping I'm sure this list will grow as we progress with our build. Our McDonald Jones Cordova Two Build - http://cordovatwomjh.blogspot.com.au Re: Things we should do ourselves 13May 14, 2015 6:23 pm My tender listed moroka finish to two front piers for $1,250. I am DIYing it. Built a Masterton's Symphony Elite @ Oran Park Slab pour 01/03/16 PCI 28/09/16 Keys 7/10/16 Depends what you're current inclusions are, but we're not including wardrobes and will just use second hand ones until we can save later on to get them built. Also have a… 3 11646 i imagine you also have another contract with an architect? and yeah, whatever other's said about special conditions and appendices 16 16019 hey there! π so, itβs kinda common for standard drawer depths to be around 500mm since most cabinets use this size to fit the usual runners… 3 20915 |