Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Jan 26, 2015 12:50 am Land : The Avenue by Peet
Builder : Dreamstart Homes Block : 12.5m*35m / 437.5m2 North facing TIMELINE Paperwork Stage Land: Signed Contract for land with developer : 27 Feb 2014 Land titled : Est. End April 2015 (still waiting) Land Settlement : Finance: Applied for formal finance : 15 April 2015 Formal Approval signed: 9 July 2015 Builder: Signed PPA with builder : 05 March 2015 Signed formal Building Contract with builder : June 2015 Pre-Start selections meeting : June 2015 Original:http://imageshack.com/a/img913/9595/IHhfYv.jpg Personalised: Pre-PPA update/upgrade requests: 1 Extend Bed 4 2 Add weatherproof door to back of garage - solid core painted door with lockable handle 3 Double Slider robes with mirror to secondary bedrooms (2,3&4) 4 Double shower to ensuite 5 Double basin to ensuite 6 Hot water unit system location to bed 2 7 Additional ext. light outlets for LED 240V Lighting (total 4) 8 Bathroom extension tiling work (removal of IT nook) 9 NBN Intelligent Homes 3 point wiring package 10 Upgrade entry door Corinthian "Urban" Range 920mm 11 10 x 10 HiLite window to theatre 12 Add door to Laundry entry 13 Upgrade tiled living area to 450mmx450mm 14 Upgrade elevation 15 30c throughout (incl. 28c alfresco & portico) 16 Enclose IT Nook as linen with single door 17 18 Deeper sink to kitchen 19 Sliding door to alfresco (2-panel door with 1.2m opening) 20 Enclose theatre with wall & Double doors (hinged) 21 1/2 Hobs to showers in Ensuite 22 Semi-frameless shower screens to ensuite and bathroom (2 nos) 23 Gyprock to Alfresco and porch 24 Chrome plated waste drains 25 Fridge space extended to 1.1m 26 Soft close drawers& Cabinets throughout 27 3 x conduits for TV/Internet 28 Tiling to kitchen splashback to range hood height 29 Enlarge window in bathroom Re: Getting it all started (1st Build) 2Jan 26, 2015 6:49 am You don't say if you have a block. Orientation is a key factor in the livability of a house. if you are still looking for a block there is some advice here (http://www.anewhouse.com.au/?s=orientation) If you have already got a block what diretion on your plans is North? 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: Getting it all started (1st Build) 3Jan 29, 2015 4:27 pm Hi Bashworth, I am in the process of swapping my land from a 313m2 (A) to a 375m2 (B) due to delays in titles giving me the option to do so. As such, I am now able to look at a bigger lot. Block B is a North-West facing block. I did have a read on the placing of blocks - thank you for that. Block A was facing South-East. Re: Getting it all started (1st Build) 4Mar 01, 2015 11:40 pm I like your floorplan a lot. Very spacious. I wish our block is that big. I should point it out that DS doesn't allow you to swap to laminate floor. I am not sure if this depends on the sale guy or not. Ours say no because it is easier to replace a tile if someone accidentally damages it during the work than to replace the laminate. In the case of laminate, they will have to take the whole area apart and start over. The only way to do it is to take the tiles/carpet out of the package, which the credit is usually not very good. We stick with the tile/carpet in the end. Ha...we are the only people who make the fridge recess smaller to make the kitchen more usable. 1m fridge is certainly nice! Tip: try to keep your benchtop less than equal 3m. That's the standard length for the essastone. If you go over, the joint will cost a lot. Looking at $500--$800 per joint. Wall on point 13: it depends on your TV entertainment system. Without that wall, it does create more space visually when one enters the house. But it might make the living room area a bit too small with everything cramps to the left. BTW, how much extra if you move the wall of living and dining aligns with the bed1? Then, you can in principle get rid of wall at 13. Timeline: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=76782 Re: Getting it all started (1st Build) 5Mar 02, 2015 8:04 pm I'm with Bashworth and that in before you start tinkering see if you can get a north facing block (one where the north boundary has your living areas on it). I think your changes are good. Especially increasing storage with double wardrobes. If you can stretch budge and are making the shower bigger than doing double shower probably worth it. I think your number 13 wall is a very good idea. I don't like people being able to look through your front door and see all the way into your living area. Bedroom 2, would be better with wider wardrobe but if it's already small maybe not. Although at. 3 x 3m it's Prob ok to have double slider wardrobes as you've made bed 3 bigger. Your WC is quite far from your living area and bathroom. Id suggest swapping your linen and WC so WC is accessed off Hallway and linen accessed off laundry. I think good idea removing the study book when you could maybe use bed 2? Is there any reason why the gas hot water is outside dining/ lounge? Usually it's best placed close to where you need the hot water (bathrooms kitchen laundry etc) so is change it to the other side of house. Perhaps on wall between bathroom and WC. It looks like your sliding door to the alfresco is only one slider making for not a very wide access. Any chance it can be made into four panels where two panels slide aside? Check out your builders window supplier website for their configurations available. Depending on space outside dining, maybe it would be nice to have that window as a slider too? My builder had no cost price diff to swap brick wall to windows or sliders. Hope those help! Re: Getting it all started (1st Build) 6Mar 02, 2015 10:36 pm Good to hear some comments from you guys! Hope you've had a great long weekend. A LOT has changed over the past month and it’s all been pretty positive. So long story short my initial build was going to be in Sienna Wood, Hilbert. I signed on a 313m2 block March last year but titles have been delayed (twice already at est title June-July 15) and looking to be delayed AGAIN as civil works was still pending as at last Monday. Around the end of last year I got into negotiations with Stockland to upgrade to a 375sqm block – that was approved late Jan but a price was not yet determined. I found out last Monday that the price was finalised.. Only to be greeted by an e-mail 5 minutes after by the DS sales rep that I have been talking to that a block at The Avenue in Hilbert (2 mins down the road) has become available. The best part; 1) Land is prepped and ready to go with all provisions, street lights, roads and pegs visible 2) Is 437m2 (12.5m * 35m) and north facing 3) A private estate with planned parks and live stream surrounding the house (within sight or 2 mins walk) 4) Titles expected in the next month or so 5) And last but not least.. Significantly CHEAPER as it was a stage 1 block! So after 4 visits to the site and some research into the development, I bit the bullet and signed for it, cancelling the Sienna Wood one. I have just signed the PPA over the weekend with a list of upgrades and modifications. Original DS Ardent: http://imageshack.com/a/img913/9595/IHhfYv.jpg My sort of final (before elevation upgrade): Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Upgrades list: Variations 1 Extend Bed 4 2 Add weatherproof door to back of garage - solid core painted door with lockable handle 3 Double Slider robes with mirror to secondary bedrooms (2,3&4) 4 Double shower to ensuite 5 Double basin to ensuite 6 Ensuite Sinks upgrade to flickmixer + above mount basins 7 Additional ext. light outlets for LED 240V Lighting (total 4) 8 Bathroom extension tiling work (removal of IT nook) 9 NBN Intelligent Homes 3 point wiring package (might not do it with builder and add conduits instead) 10 Upgrade entry door Corinthian "Urban" Range 920mm 11 HiLite window to theatre 12 Add door to Laundry entry 13 Upgrade tiled area to 450mmx450mm 14 Upgrade elevation 15 30c throughout (incl. 28c alfresco & garage) 16 Enclose IT Nook as linen with single door 17 Flickmixer with top mount sink to bathroom 18 Deeper sink to kitchen 19 Upgrade toilets (2 nos) to china sistern & "closed wall s-trap" 20 Enclose theatre with wall & Double doors (hinged) 21 1/2 Hobs to showers in Ensuite and Bathroom 22 Semi-frameless shower screens to ensuite and bathroom (2 nos) 23 Gyprock to Alfresco and porch 24 Chrome plated waste drains 25 Fridge space extended to 1.1m 26 Soft close drawers& Cabinets throughout 27 3 x conduits for TV/Internet 28 Tiling to kitchen splashback to range hood height 29 Enlarge window in bathroom 30 Hot water unit system location to bed 2 31 Sliding door to alfresco (2-panel door with 1.2m opening) So that’s where I am at now. I am hoping to keep a build log like the rest of you as I find the participants in this H1 forum to be a wealth of knowledge. @Sofia14: Well the rep was ok with laminate floor for a slight price upgrade. I opted for 450mm*450mm tiles instead but have a clause that allows me to swap to laminate if I decide to (doubt it). Hehe with the fridge recess I actually made it 1.1m just to ensure it could fit practically any fridge and will probably add a tap at prestart. As for the kitchen bench, it’s 2.9m so hopefully no dramas. I didn't adjust any sizes to the stones. As for the wall on point 13, it’s grown on me and I visited the Seabreeze in Alkimos this morning to see the house (as close to the Ardent as possible) and felt for a narrow lot, it feels pretty spacious. As for aligning the wall, I asked but it’s apparently not possible as there is a 1.5m setback requirement. @Beazley77: I agree with you on the wall 13, I like the split between entry and living however there is a small gap that you can see through, but can’t close the gap without shrinking the walkway, so I’ll position something when I move there in the line of sight to draw away from this (you can’t really notice it unless you are LOOKING for it). I agree about bed 2 as well! I have taken out some linen space in lieu of flushed wall doubled mirror sliders in there. The reason I didn't swap the toilet is I like the idea of having a bit of light into the toilet as well as the functional space lost placing the linen there (I will also need to then give up the window and brick it up). Regarding the HWU, my thoughts as well! I have asked for it to be moved between home theatre and bed 2 wall. I have also asked for the sliders to be swapped to a 1.2m opening slider for the same reasons. Space outside dining is 1m to boundary so can’t do it. I do however have 2 courses followed by window to 28c(I think) and I will be making my own pelmets after handover to create a ceiling high window illusion. Thanks for the feedback, it gives me comfort knowing I am looking at the right things and covering as many bases before signing the dotted lines. Re: Getting it all started (1st Build) 7Mar 03, 2015 12:05 am Wow. It is going to cost you a lot to make these changes. I hope the base price is reasonable priced. You havent even gotten to prestart yet. Basically, we werent allowed to add any clause to the contract. Everything is standard on the final contract. Hope you have a better luck for changing the floor later on. Ok, didnt know that your house is pretty close to the boundary. I remember the 1.5m set back rule. Otherwise, the window has to be high up, not full length for the room that has less than 1.5m set back. You dont want that for the living room. Good deal on a larger land! I can never understand why the developer is allowed to legally sell the land faster than they can keep their promise. Since you have seen the site, i hope they are right about issuing the title soon. I think their nbn package is about $900 from memory. There isnt much being included so we didnt take the offer but to have conduits for rooms that dont have an external wall. We get burned badly for the soakwell so dont get them do it in case a drama like us happens and are forced to take all the paving work out of the contract or pay up the ridiculous amount. I know that it doesnt happen to every DS client. We are just very unluckly for this. If you can think of any upgrade, i might still have the pricing from memory. Good luck. 2 Timeline: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=76782 Re: Getting it all started (1st Build) 8Mar 03, 2015 12:15 am Oh....the only back to wall toilet suite that we are allowed to have is caroma opal. It is $1200 each. No thanks. Caroma toilet is horrible. They dont source anything from reece since we did mention one we like. So we will basically rip the new toilet out after the handover, what a waste of effort. If you dont upgrade to alter tapware, expect to pay out the rebate builder gets and in addition to the price of the tap. The door is at least $600. Some uogrades are reasonable, some are over the top. Semiframeless is $360 each. We are also going to replace all the locks after handover. No idea if we can find any locksmith who will buy back brand new locks and knobs. Soft close something like $250 for the kitchen only. 2 Timeline: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=76782 Re: Getting it all started (1st Build) 9Mar 03, 2015 12:22 am Well I got all those changes costed in hopes the only thing left to do at Prestart is Color selections and some minor gpo/conduit additions. The changes I've gone for are ones that I can't do myself after handover. Yeah the base ardent was competitively priced with reverse cycle ac, flooring, blinds and stone benches. So the PPA I signed had the dollar figure on it. Hopefully they don't throw it back for whatever reason. As for the nbn, I believe I read on here that iiNet can do it for free if you sign into the 2 yr contract? I will find some time to go talk to a smart homes consultant to find out what I need then do my wiring accordingly. Ouch, I hope the soak well didn't cause you too much of a stir! Well I have made provisions for Siteworks based off the display going into the estate a row in front, so fingers crossed no surprise numbers added to final price. Re: Getting it all started (1st Build) 10Mar 03, 2015 12:35 am It's worth doing NBN with the DS builder as its not just conduits in your walls. They will trench a conduit from the NBN pit in the road to your house aswell and fit the NBN boxes. I could t be bothered shagging around with that after handover personally. I just wants to be able to call an ISP set up an NBN account and have them come pull the cable through and connect me up! I like your plan changes and wise move doing them now. I would have moved the toilet personally. I just think when they are tucked away off a laundry they're like a back door toilet. If they don't have s window you can just get a flumed exhaust fan to the roof cover. If your space outside the dining is only 1m does that mean those windows don't have an opening? Usually in the rcodes, windows in a habitable room such as dining area must open...? Are you sure it's 1m there? Because if that's the case, and your master bedroom is on the boundary that means your eaves are 1m wide? Usually they're about 459-500mm. To me it looks more like you master wall is one m off boundary hence no opening windows, and your dining would be 1.5? I could be wrong but it might be worth checking. Are all your window head heights going to be 28c in the 30c rooms? Re: Getting it all started (1st Build) 11Mar 03, 2015 8:48 am Sorry it was meant to read if I extend the wall it will be 1 m, in which case I'd need the high windows. At present the space is 1.5 between living wall and boundary. As for the windows in living, I know they are 2c off the ground but Up to approx 27-28c in a 30c area. I'll find out exactly about this NBN package and make a decision at Prestart, but I do know what you mean. At this stage, the NBN services has not yet been made available to the estate (it's just pegged blocks with constructions due to start very shortly) and it's got a green tag (planned) on the nbn co website. Re: Getting it all started (1st Build) 12Mar 03, 2015 2:47 pm Quick reply. Yes. That's what I wrote on Perth aussie blog. My workmate who is building told me that. If u r going with them, they will pull the cable from the road to the house for free. I am not sure if they r still doing that. Need to check their web. Timeline: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=76782 Re: Getting it all started (1st Build) 13Mar 03, 2015 6:27 pm sofia14 Quick reply. Yes. That's what I wrote on Perth aussie blog. My workmate who is building told me that. If u r going with them, they will pull the cable from the road to the house for free. I am not sure if they r still doing that. Need to check their web. The ISP provider pulls the cable from the road to the house, not the smart wiring company. The data package through your builder installs conduit from pit to house and the internal hardware and internal cat 6 cables and data point face plates. Telstra is not permitted to install old copper cables to new estates so people have to use the likes of Internet dongles etc for wifi until NBN cable has been installed in the pit and pipes in the new roads. Re: Getting it all started (1st Build) 14Mar 04, 2015 9:54 am this whole NBN thing has my head in a knot. Hopefully I will have enough time to scout out the best way forward with that. I have also e-mailed my shire to find out if it really is a requirement to have the builder do the soakwells - it doesn't sound right. I am planning to get a quote from SoakwellRUs as I'm pretty sure it will be cheaper than through the builder. Re: Getting it all started (1st Build) 15Mar 04, 2015 10:20 am Have a read here. I posted on H1 and took these people suggestion in the end. viewtopic.php?f=31&t=75039&p=1294006&hilit=smart+wiring#p1294006 Timeline: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=76782 Re: Getting it all started (1st Build) 16Mar 04, 2015 10:51 am sofia14 Have a read here. I posted on H1 and took these people suggestion in the end. viewtopic.php?f=31&t=75039&p=1294006&hilit=smart+wiring#p1294006 That was a handy read indeed! Thanks! In other news, land contract accepted last night - now bring on titles! Re: Getting it all started (1st Build) 17Mar 26, 2015 9:17 am Nice plan! Congrats on your land contract being accepted and hopefully titles soon. Will be following your build Our Build Thread: The "Extended" Marina by Visionone Homes Our Inspirations: Frank Lloyd Wright | Houzz Re: Getting it all started (1st Build) 18Apr 02, 2015 4:52 pm Hello everyone!
So apparently the utilities point outside the house (main connection point) is going to be an issue on my block so I have 2 options: 1) I move the house back 2.5m which means I lose out on that much backyard, effectively making it 5.8m long at the back instead of the current 8.1m 2) Option 2 flip the house but I end up with my living area on the west end (not liking this very much) Re: Getting it all started (1st Build) 19Apr 05, 2015 3:13 pm I think it looks lovely like that, you definitely DON'T want to have your living areas on the west side trust me. I wouldn't move the theatre doors though - where is your tv going to go in the family room? What if you want to put a side table somewhere? Blank walls are much more useful than doorways - you then need to create a pathway because it's the entry to your theatre so all your furniture gets shoved back even further. I'm jealous, I wish I had four bedrooms! Yanchep build with Dreamstart Homes ____________________________________________________________ Our build thread - viewtopic.php?f=31&t=73323 Re: Getting it all started (1st Build) 20Apr 05, 2015 3:15 pm Oh and look at your lovely big bathrooms and that linen cupboard OMG! Green with envy Yanchep build with Dreamstart Homes ____________________________________________________________ Our build thread - viewtopic.php?f=31&t=73323 Ask for references and speak to them. If they are defensive or try to avoid the request, walk. 1 74701 I would never build with Fowler homes. I built with them in 2021 and till date maintenance issues are pending. All their existing trades and businesses don't work with… 14 105533 Hi there! Putting the feelers out there for those who have (or almost) built with Arli homes! Interested in your experiences who've built from their stock home designs… 0 23480 |