Building Monaco Lux Q1 - Handover 2 Sep !!!

Hello Folks,

After a long time of being a stalker and lingering around on different threads I've finally decided to start my own thread hoping it will be helpful to atleast a few others if not all.

A bit about ourselves to start with, we have recently migrated to Australia (the land of opportunities) from the UK and have been loving it so far. The people, food and travel have far exceeded our expectations And here we are, building our first Home in Melbourne.

So after alot of running around we have finally settled down at Truganina in the West (the only area we could afford after North like Epping, Cragieburn, Greenvale etc). And we're so happy that we made this decision. Our block is facing towards the East with all living areas towards the North and Alfresco in the North-West. The development of roads and infrastructure seems to be going so fast and we're hoping it all happens even faster than it is at the moment

It was only after we finalized a block of land that we realized that the battle has just begun.. Choosing the right builder was much more harder than we would have thought. So we went to potentially every builder out in the market to survey their floor plans, prices and inclusions. After a lot of running around we shortlisted Boutique, Carlisle & Henley. And frankly none of the builders are bad, it's just the one who suits your pocket. At the end they will all make money and Yes that is your money
At the end Henley struck us as the most professional and accommodating builder (thanks to our sales consultant) for our needs. After going through tonnes of floor plans for both Henley & Mainview we shortlisted Monaco Lux Q1 from Henley Homes.

And I must admit the process with Henley was much more professional than we saw at any other builder. Yes we've had our share of hiccups but that was overcome with the excitement of having setup on this amazing journey. But we found Henley to be the most genuine when it comes to quality & transparency although "productreview" did not seem helpful at all.

OK so coming back to our build - we are on Henley's Quiktrak program (for titled blocks only) which promises to get on site within 12 weeks from when you sign up. And I must admit they have been pretty keen on trying to make this happen. Although a word of caution for all newbie's (like myself) is that you should only sign up for this program if you know what you want. They are in a rush to get you over the line and it sometimes doesn't work as perfectly as you would want. So, make sure you get your requirements right and clear. We visited Cosham number of times to be exactly (or atleast approximately) sure of what we wanted.

I hope I'll be adding enough information here to make this thread helpful for you.

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more updates.

Floor Plan: Monaco Lux Q1
Facade: Galleria
Total Covered Area: 28.65 sq
Total Plot Area: 448 sqm

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Timelines

Sign Up - 8/02
Colour Selection - 12/02
Tender - 26/02
Contract - 6/03
Electrical - 1/04
Site Start - 15/04
Slab - 29/04
Frame & Windows - 15/05
Roof - 27/05
Insulation - 29/05
Trusses & Gutters - 1/06
Electricals - 7/06
Plasters - 13/06
Cabinets installed - 17/06
Bricks - 3/07
Paint - 3/07
Lock Up & Fixing Invoices received - 30/06
Tiles Completed - 11/07
Electrical Fit off's & Plumbing - 28/07
Grouting & Sealants, Downpipes Installed - 31/07
Carpenter works, Termite treatment (PART B) - 8/08
Final Independent Inspection - 17/08
NHP - 28/08
Handover - 2 Sep

Original Monaco Lux Q1 Floor Plan



Our Modified Floor Plan

Congrats on starting the process, your plans look really good. Look forward to seeing your progress hope you get a site start date soon.

Congratulations on getting started! The way you've done the robes for bed 2/3/4 is far more sensible than the default plan. What kind of colour scheme are you going for?

Thanks Tribe7 & Ilaeria.. Look forward to share more insights soon

Good to hear that you sorted out everything and have gone ahead with the build. Did you still go ahead with smeg upright cooker or got something else ?
Good luck with your build .... It's gonna be quick from here
Cheers

Thanks Dreamz9.. Yes, we've finally sorted our issues with Henley and progressed ahead..

Just had our Electricals last week..and now just waiting for a site start date

We did upgrade to the higher model Smeg for $1700.. The prices on the Smeg models had changed and there was no way they would listen to us on that.. Ha ha..

However our admin has been a big slacker in the whole process..

Howz your build coming along ? What stage are you on now ?

That's good that everything came out good in the end. We had same three building companies shortlisted as well
Our build is going a lot faster then we expected thanks for asking ,we had few build defects pointed out by our private inspector which are currently being looked upon.
We will be in lock up stage soon.

This is the most recent picture

Woooooooohhhh... That seems to be coming along pretty well Mate !

Good luck with the steps ahead... I'm sure I'll be needing alot more help in the coming days

Thanks Ilaeria..

I know the robes make a lot more sense now..and they didn't cost a ton to change.. I'm glad you liked it..

Our exterior Colour scheme is below



I'll post more pictures for our interiors soon

Thanks Mate.... Its all happening pretty quick as of now..... I will be glad to help anytime mate....

Hey Folks..

Sorry for being away for a while..

Here are further updates on our selections at Cosham and build progress

Kitchen


Ensuite & Bathroom


Carpet & Tiles


Front Entry Door


Sink


Front Render & Bricks


Taps


Ensuite Shower

Looking great!

Good choices..... We have got lot of things common with you. Same front door , showers,basin mixers,sink and more

Thanks Folks !
Look forward to sharing more updates soon
Dreamz9 - we're on a pretty similar journey... What's the progress on your build ?

Its going very quick. It looks like a house now. Locked up and internal tiling etc has started. Will post some pics soon.
Thanks

That's awesome !!!
Look forward to your updates I'm sure you're enjoying the journey so far..
Have you taken an independent inspector at any of these stages ???

Great selections, nice neutral colours. Really like the floor tile. Hope you can get a site start date soon

Yes i had private inspections for three stages....for slab / frame then preplaster and next will b before final handover.... I would highly suggest you. To engage one as well.
My private inspections made a huge difference to the quality of build.