Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Mar 07, 2015 4:26 pm Hi all I have been considering buying a home since I sold my last one eight years ago. In the last twelve months I have been tossing up between buying an established house or build my own. Decision is made, I am going to build. I have been lurking aka stalking these boards for awhile now and OMG there is some truly amazing homes around. I am building small because I have a very small family hehe, it's just me and my eleven year old daughter. Plus I want low maintenance, minimal garden,lawn to look after. So it looks like I will be building on a 225m cottage block in South West WA. I have looked through several displays of these style homes and they suit me and my lifestyle. I am currently considering a design by WA Housing Centre. What do others think of the plan as it stands? My first change will be to remove the bath, which will seem odd to most but I struggle to use them and keep them dust free. Thanks for reading Editing to add timeline 10/03/15 - PPA signed 14/03/15 - Land offer 20/03/15 - Land and Builder deposits paid 20/04/15 - Contracts given to me for review 28/04/15 - Signed contract copies arrive in mail 08/05/15 - Prestart 13/05/15 - Land is Titled 29/05/15 - Finance Approved 03/06/15 - Building Permit Issued 17/06/15 - Settlement 24/06/15 - Site cleared 01/07/15 - Trenches and pipes 02/07/15 - Footings 03/07/15 - Slab 06/07/15 - Soakwell installed 16/07/15 - Bricks delivered 24/08/15 - Brickwork finished 25/08/15 - Roof frame done 16/09/15 - Roof tiles installed 17/09/15 - Grey float done all in one day 23/09/15 - White Set started 30/09/15 - Ceilings installed 01/10/15 - Cornices installed 02/10/15 - Glass installed 06/10/15 - Front door installed and sliding door locked 15/10/15 - cabinets installed 09/11/15 - Tiling starting 10/11/15 - Tile meeting 19/11/15 - Electrical fit out includes power meter 20/11/15 - Gas hot water system installed , taps installed, pavers delivered Mum of One South West WA Re: My first build South West WA 2Mar 07, 2015 7:47 pm Congratulations Smiley! Sounds like you and your daughter are embarking on an exciting journey with the build and no doubt she will have some input also. Plan looks great. I would recommend against removing the bath in the main bathroom only as it may effect resale and potential purchasers in the future. But if you're planning on living here for a long time then no one else can really comment on what you are wanting... you need to do what makes sense to you and your lifestyle. Once again congrats and look forward to seeing your build develop. Posting to follow Re: My first build South West WA 3Mar 07, 2015 7:55 pm Go you! My comments would be given that North is where your garage is, I can you perhaps push your gas hot water unit as close to the edge of house as possible, and then put sliders all the ay along that living and dining area? It would help give such a sense of space and indoor outdoor flow. Perhaps if that creates issues with the alfresco, perhaps a long tall window where you currently have wall to let more light in. That would help with solar passive living principles... Also perhaps a highlight window in your dining room to let more nice morning light in There? My builder charged no extra to turn brickwork into windows or sliders and vice versa. I wouldn't remove the bath. I think houses with no baths are not family homes and perhaps limits your market for resale? Good luck with your build! Re: My first build South West WA 4Mar 07, 2015 10:06 pm Welcome to the H1 family, Smiley I like Beazley's suggestion for larger sliders/windows in the living/dining area - would it be possible to move the HWS around the corner against the dining room wall? I also love the idea of highlight windows against the dining wall to let in as much light as possible. Something that some people have said on here is that a laundry next to a bedroom might be a bit noisy. In our plan we'll have a bedroom next to it, so I'm hoping it isn't that bad, but you could possibly swap the bathroom and laundry around and not have that as a potential 'issue'? You could also consider swapping bed2 and the master around - that way the master and one of the minor bedrooms will have ample light from larger windows. Regarding a bath - I'm with you on that one I can't really see the point of them, but as d3us and Beazley said, it may impact on resale value so we decided to keep it in too. It is your home though so you should do what works best for you Good luck with the build looking forward to following your progress! Re: My first build South West WA 5Mar 08, 2015 11:23 pm Thank you all for your welcome and feedback. I especially like the idea of swapping the master bedroom, hadn't thought of that at all. I also see the resale value of a bath which is something I am really going to have to think about... I have a meeting tomorrow with the salesman, hopefully get some more information about the build cost and my budget Mum of One South West WA Re: My first build South West WA 6Mar 08, 2015 11:51 pm Good luck with your meeting tomorrow let us know how it went Re: My first build South West WA 7Mar 09, 2015 12:35 am Have you thought about switching the laundry and bathroom around and reconfiguring it a bit so that you can have access from bedroom 2? That way with your daughter getting close to being a teen she kind of has her own ensuite? Just a thought to consider. Congrats and looking forward to following your build Re: My first build South West WA 8Mar 10, 2015 8:03 am Hi all Meeting with WAHC was good, answered some of my questions but now the salesman from Aussie Living is meeting with me today because he can give me a better home, his words. I am feeling a bit of pressure to make a decision and sign with a builder. I also feel bad that they have done work on my behalf and then I may sign with someone else I just to need to take some time to consider what's best for me and stop worrying about everyone else I think. Mum of One South West WA Re: My first build South West WA 9Mar 10, 2015 8:14 am Agree with you completely - they try to pressurise you into making a decision - but it is your money so make sure you're happy before you sign anything! Re: My first build South West WA 10Mar 28, 2015 10:06 pm OMG, I signed with Aussie Living on the 10th March, it just felt right . The price is different to WAHC but as I said looking at the plan and specs it felt like it was the one. So here is my new plan, I have deleted the other one. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Mum of One South West WA Re: My first build South West WA 11Mar 28, 2015 10:41 pm Hello neighbour! Another South Westie here! Looking forward to hearing about your build and seeing the photos! Love the plan, the only alterations I'd be making would be to put doors on the robes, ensuite and laundry, even one into the kitchen. Re: My first build South West WA 12Mar 29, 2015 7:36 pm Congratulations, Smiley! It looks like you'll have much more natural light with those bigger windows to the front and the extra one for the living area Re: My first build South West WA 13Apr 01, 2015 8:25 pm Thanks, I am adding doors to robes and hopefully laundry, depending on budget. Sales consultant rang yesterday, they have put the order in for soil test and something else for the block. I wasn't feeling 100% so don't remember what else he said. I am feeling better tonight so might email for clarification. I have started getting payslips, bank statements etc organised for my finance meeting Mum of One South West WA Re: My first build South West WA 14Apr 04, 2015 11:47 pm Aussie Living are building my design just around the corner which is at roof frame stage, so I went for a looksee today they have included an alfresco area at the rear and its looks great, really wish my budget stretched that far. Hmm, the master bedroom is a bit smaller than I thought but at least there is the WIR. The minor bedrooms are fine though. The living area is smaller than I thought too but still big enough for the two of us. My daughter really liked looking through, starting telling me where her furniture will be going. Being able to walk through an actual build makes the plan really come alive. I even took note of where they have put their powerpoints hehe Mum of One South West WA Re: My first build South West WA 15Apr 05, 2015 1:07 am Hi! Posting to follow, we are building with Aussie Living as well, we just got titles so hopefully slab isn't too far off My topic thread: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=76249&start=20#p1316378 Re: My first build South West WA 16Apr 05, 2015 7:32 am How lovely to be able to walk through your future home Re: My first build South West WA 18Apr 05, 2015 4:19 pm Hi SW build, I'm building a rental in the south west. The plan is very similar to yours for the living areas. When I looked at plans a while back, no one could come up with a plan with raked ceiling in our budget, or do a few other things we wanted, so we went with a custom builder. . . Looking forward to following your build! Re: My first build South West WA 19Apr 08, 2015 10:13 pm I went to Trevor's Carpets and Trimview Ceramics today, to look at vinyl, carpet and tiles. I also popped into the VHG office to look at their selection room. I mainly went to look at brick and roof tile colours. My small person and I had great fun looking at tiles, but my small person has champagne tastes on my extremely cheap beer budget hehe, but gee she found some beautiful tiles. Most of my choices are light grey for the interior trying to make it as light as possible inside especially the bathrooms and laundry. I am pretty sure the splash back tile for the kitchen I picked is the same as the one in my current rental. Mum of One South West WA Re: My first build South West WA 20Apr 09, 2015 4:18 am How exciting Smiley can imagine the fun with the small person! Bathroom renovation will likely include a back-to-corner bath and we’re considering a freestanding tap with hand-held shower such as the picture included. My hesitation… 0 24692 Well these guys are not looking good... I sent them a written enquiry last week and they have not yet replied. If they cannot respond to a simple… 4 10629 Adam Baines Grad Cert Bldg Surv / Grad Dip Bldg Surv / MSAAPA Accredited Building Professional APB20210035 Builders Lic 183023 Pest Control Lic 84868 Ph 0412202336 PO… 3 46829 |