Lorri's One day House in Cradoc Tasmania-- update. 5/6/17

I am trying to track the Primetex down over here, seems some stores sell it and the colours have the same names and patterns. Unlike the Dulux paint which has different names for their colours. I rang Dulux over here in the UK and they said every country has different names and even the formula is different. They offered to send me bigger paint chips of the colours I like to send to Australia so the builders can match up the colour which is very nice of them.
No progress with tiles, that's still a work in progress !
No sure when we find out the soil test stuff, do they tell you before you get the contract? Or is it after?

We told them we want to install the hydronic system and the said we can't that they would quote us on it, had an email from Helen the lady who is our new home coordernater and she wanted to know what boiler and radiator brand so I sent her that info then the next night another wanting to know if she had the right radiator, I told her that they need to get proper quote for an installer as she didn't seem to know that it is worked out on a formula, can't just stick any size radiator wherever!

So will see what the next email has in store for us.

I wonder what the guy meant by "too problematic"? Sounds more like he decided it was too problematic to source it for you!
We got the soil test done after signing contract but could have done it independently and saved a bit of money, rather than through builder, as it turns out.
If you can get a friend to send you a paint chart in the mail, any paint store can try for a similar colour in their range or even match if they have a computer colour analyser, it doesn't work 100% but it's usually pretty darn close.

Yes, we had to take the kink out, like you say it will make it easier to furnish and I guess easier for laying tiles etc.
We are still waiting for the BAL guy, Wilsons, (the builders) have put it to the council for DA over two weeks ago but nothing is showing on the council website where they are all shown.

I can't believe it, the temps 24 here at the moment, summer at last! now I can take my coat off.

We are waiting for the final price, the tender still has to come and then we have to decide whether to go ahead, if they come back with some crazy price will have to reconsider. Its really just the site costs we worry about.
Fingers crossed they will be reasonable.

Have you got your price back yet?

I'm assuming you've paid a deposit at this point; the deposit will be covering the council stuff - I'd imagine they're doing what they are now to work out where the building will be sited, what cut/fill they need to provide pricing for, what surprises if any are in store as far as council requirements/changes etc.

Hey Lorri, we had the same deal with a custom builder, it covered drafting, council approvals, and initial survey of block.
If we had not gone ahead with the builder, everything was in place for another builder to step in- and all the drawings belonged to us.

And all I wanted was a price, I guess they think you are less likely to back out if you have paid into it and have the " other costs " sword hanging over your neck if you do cancel.

I can tell you my hubby will if the costs come back high, he doesn't like to be messed around lol.
Waiting still for a price, seems it's gone back to the drafters since they received the BAL report even though they knew it was BAL 29 already, bet ya their going to try and hit us up for more costs lol.

As you can tell I am not really impressed with the whole process, if I hadn't found this site I would be in blissful ignorance still until the end never having built before.

I am sure once we get the price and know what the costs are it will be better. Maybe I am being too negative and should just go with the flow.

Hi Trees, no we didn't know about it, never even knew it the BAL thing existed. But once we found out we realised that the cost would go up and we said to the builders from the start that it will have to be at least BAL 19 when we got them to start drawing it all up.. So they should have taken that into account when doing it.

They have quoted us on them putting the power on from the pole down the road, we were going to do it but they said they will, hope they realise that they have to put in a request to Tasnetworks or something because they have to design it it all as there will have to be a transformer etc. I can see that there will be a big delay to get the power on as I am sure Tasnetworks told us 5 month to do.

Waiting for an email from a guy who was going to quote on putting driveway in, not concrete I think gravel or something, just got to be up to BAL level, so should be interesting to see the costs on that one!


I have picked tiles and carpet but think we will get them after handover, the choices from the builder are so so, and we can get a better quality for the price afterwards.

Picked paint colours but since we can't see them who knows what they will look like once painted lol, same with carpet and tiles , how can you pick without seeing them in person.

On a good note, we have an offer on the cottage over here so it looks like it's sold if the finance is ok
so one less thing to worry about.

Already thinking about landscaping, we will be doing it all ourselves as we like doing stuff, most of the 5 acres will be left as is as it on a steepish block, so the big area around the house is the main thing,what on earth can we do with it as it's big bare area and we have to comply with the BAL management thing.

And I am still going to stick a pergola up the top of the hill, even if I have to build it myself lol. Has anyone tried building a cob hut? Looks interesting and we have plenty of mud

Edited to add they might put the septic drainage trench in the front, I don't think they would put them above the house as it slopes down from the back/top of the hill to the front road side, so it would drain past the house if that was the case.

Thanks for your kind offer SileNceR, I might take you up on it if I don't get any results from Dulux.

I can't wait to get the tender back to see the prices, can't move forward until we get them. We want to go back to Tassie before they start building as soon as the house sale has gone though over here.
But we have no idea of dates as yet from either things so can't book plane tickets, rent a house or arrange car hire so it's all up in the air.

I was looking at landscaping ideas and like the idea of a dry creek bed in the front somewhere and I want to plant some tree that change colour in autumn, we are surrounded by stringybark and native cherry and she oaks with bracken at the top so some colour will be nice.
Cheers