Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Jan 15, 2015 7:16 am I know there is a thread on 'things you forget' but I thought it would be useful to get one started specifically on things you would change or regrets you may have... this would include things you went ahead with or deliberately chose not to include, only to regret it later. I was speaking with my friend this week about her decision not to include a butler pantry as my husband and I were talking about whether a large pantry/lots of cupboards would be adequate and I was really interested to hear what she had to say- as I don't think you can really make decisions about this until you have 'lived it'- all you can do is make a list of proposed pros and cons. To kick it off, has anyone built an alfresco with a voided space (i.e. roof to alfresco in line with second level roof)? While it looks fab, my concerns are it would do little to shield you from the bad weather. Is this design on anyone's regret list? What are your regrets? What would you change if you had your time over? M Y C U S T O M C O R A L B R O N T E 43 ...............Kitchen! 16 Nov 2016 https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=79581 Re: What would you change? What do you regret? 2Jan 15, 2015 7:51 am For my last house I really regretted building too big. Always thinking "We are only really using half the space" Would have been better with a smaller house, lower mortgage, less furniture to buy, lower heating and cooling cost, less cleaning. As far as that Al Fresco is concerned: No weather protection, No real shade, No point. 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: What would you change? What do you regret? 3Jan 15, 2015 12:22 pm I'm almost with Bashworth on size; except that proportion would be all wrong. We built a large house partially because we wanted lots of storage, and it'd kinda be weird if we had lots of big cupboards instead of rooms. I regret not having more patience; we were nearly 2 years into the process when we focused solely on project builders due to the massive estimate from the initial custom builder. I wish I'd been able to wait longer & get an architected design & pimped it around builders & seen what that would've cost to build; at least then I'd know. I regret not making the rear shed 6.3m x 7m instead of 6m x 7m ... interior depth would be better with that extra 300mm and 300mm less between shed & house wouldn't have been noticed. Oh, I regret getting the kitchen drawers which go all the way down to the tiles; this made them install all floor tiles before the kitchen & before painting, and tradies being tradies the tiles are a mess (and Jim's Cleaners being Jim's Cleaners there's been no attempt to clean the dried paint off the tiles short of a slightly damp mop). I can't think of anything else; we spent a lot of time planning it ... Re: What would you change? What do you regret? 5Jan 16, 2015 6:46 pm I wish we got an architect to design our house rather than us design the layout. I think giving them a brief to come up with a plan would of been more individual. Then get custom builders to quote the plan. Re: What would you change? What do you regret? 6Jan 16, 2015 7:03 pm MrsJM I know there is a thread on 'things you forget' but I thought it would be useful to get one started specifically on things you would change or regrets you may have... this would include things you went ahead with or deliberately chose not to include, only to regret it later. I was speaking with my friend this week about her decision not to include a butler pantry as my husband and I were talking about whether a large pantry/lots of cupboards would be adequate and I was really interested to hear what she had to say- as I don't think you can really make decisions about this until you have 'lived it'- all you can do is make a list of proposed pros and cons. To kick it off, has anyone built an alfresco with a voided space (i.e. roof to alfresco in line with second level roof)? While it looks fab, my concerns are it would do little to shield you from the bad weather. Is this design on anyone's regret list? What are your regrets? What would you change if you had your time over? Hi Mrs JM Our previous house that we built (was our first build) with Adenbrooke was a 2 storey house with the alfresco roof at that height. It looks great. BUT ours was west facing and provided little protection from the sun during summer. Rain would blow in so we wouldn't sit outside if it was raining. Lighting was also an issue. We has 2 down lights that didn't provide much light at all. Changing the light bulbs was also a challenge! Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: What would you change? What do you regret? 9Jan 16, 2015 9:14 pm bashworth For my last house I really regretted building too big. Always thinking "We are only really using half the space" Would have been better with a smaller house, lower mortgage, less furniture to buy, lower heating and cooling cost, less cleaning. As far as that Al Fresco is concerned: No weather protection, No real shade, No point. I really like your observations Bashwork.I think as we age there will be a glut of double storey mcmansions on the market as people find the stairs and up keep too much.I really like the idea of duplexes coming into back into favour. What would you change? What do you regret? 10Jan 17, 2015 5:36 am We have stairs now and hate them. That is a regret of mine because like you said they are not suited to the elderly. This has reduced my rental ability. We've opted for single story Re: What would you change? What do you regret? 11Jan 17, 2015 8:52 am Following! Great topic! Live Love Lough Building thread: https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=74918 Building blog: http://uniquebyeva.com.au/ourhome/ Our food forest blog: http://www.foodforestcookery.com Re: What would you change? What do you regret? 12Jan 17, 2015 9:48 am For the double void alfresco, one design we were toying with had that and I asked the builder to either extend the upper storey out or give the upper storey a balcony to which the underside would be the roof for the alfresco. My build is taking a very long time because of my OCD approach as its my first build. From start to pad down was 3.5 years. I have only the pad down but I wish I had a lift. Re: What would you change? What do you regret? 13Jan 17, 2015 10:53 am DG85 On ur previous house Found a few for you. Built in 2008 and now rented out as we relocated for work. Front Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Back/side Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Kitchen Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Living/dining area Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Media Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Master bedroom Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Ensuite Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Bed 2 Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Activity room Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Hope that helps Re: What would you change? What do you regret? 14Jan 17, 2015 10:54 am AussieMark For the double void alfresco, one design we were toying with had that and I asked the builder to either extend the upper storey out or give the upper storey a balcony to which the underside would be the roof for the alfresco. My build is taking a very long time because of my OCD approach as its my first build. From start to pad down was 3.5 years. I have only the pad down but I wish I had a lift. That was an option for us with the house design but unfortunately not within budget Re: What would you change? What do you regret? 16Jan 18, 2015 9:18 pm I regret not having a huge outdoor space. Ours fits a standard 6 seat table and bbq, but when we have all our friends or family around (which is pretty often, since we are the only ones with a pool!), we have to bring an extra table out in the sun. I regret listening to the interior designer too much and choosing against having grey tiles to the ceiling in the shower and going with white instead. I regret not getting enough extra tv and power points because I thought they were too expensive at the time. And a lot more - hence the reason we've sold this house and are planning the next 1st build: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=59376 *New*-2nd build: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=70324&p=1154282#p1154282 What would you change? What do you regret? 17Nov 26, 2015 8:18 pm Lol just saw this old thread. I can now say I regret using my builder B homes. 13mths and still arguing. Has not been a smooth building process at all. So many defects it's not funny. Some rectified others disputed and refused to fix. Had massive contractural issues regarding them not following the correct contract laws. I had a provisional sum claim of 400% more than the contract allowed which was later withdrawn under mutual agreement. Won't be going through this again with them. Bought in Nov 21 at the height of the market (classic). Good area, atrocious floor plan. BUT has land out to the left-hand side that we can extend out on (see second… 0 8784 Thanks mate. Yeah good points! Leaning towards Option 3 to get a bit extra space in the cabinets but not going too crazy high (and expensive). Would require a mini… 13 39767 Hi It came to my attention after the handover that - The facade cladding on the face and the side are not straight. -The face tapers down by 50mm from left to right and… 0 2473 |