Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Oct 05, 2015 4:52 pm G'day guys,
Thought I'd chuck up a build blog of my house - It's almost at fitout now, but better late than never and I've taken heaps of photo's. First - Design. I used the Chief Architect program to design my home, and a pad of paper and pencils. The architecture program has been invaluable once I learnt to use it (Easy to do the real basics, hard to get every little detail correct) It let me create things in 3D that made it so much easier to visualise both to my wife and I and our builder. In fact some of the renders I did of the bathrooms are in our build contract. My wife and I thought up and tossed so many idea's after visualising them in the program. Some things especially were great, like putting in both of our cars with their real dimensions, and then placing them in the garage to really see how much space was left to walk etc. The plan was a long evolution, it was about 2 years between putting down a deposit on our land to (mostly) finalising the plan. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ It has also been absolutely amazing to see the renders come to life in our house. Before the build started we of course had to figure out which builder to go with. They all included so many different things, it was extremely difficult to compare. I fell back to the normal nerd way and created a spreadsheet to deal with the comparison. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ This helped us to narrow it to 3 builders, we then decided on Bendella due to communication, seeing our vision and Rondo frame internal walls instead of rendered blockwork, which saved us about 8k. Dan Re: Custom House - Bendella - Darwin 2Oct 05, 2015 5:13 pm 3D render of the front of the house
Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ November 14 - Land titles Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Feb 15 - Our neighbours had their slab started the week of titles being issued. No messing around! Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ March 15 - Our indoor and outdoor tiles picked. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Kitchen sink picked - Masters (Franke) Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Main bathroom basin picked - Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Ensuite basins picked - Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Dining room pendant picked (from Ikea) Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: Custom House - Bendella - Darwin 3Oct 05, 2015 5:16 pm 23 Jun 15 - House is finally started! After much mucking around with the bank and contracts etc etc etc!
Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ 26 Jun and we have a slab! Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: Custom House - Bendella - Darwin 4Oct 05, 2015 5:25 pm 2 Jul 15 -
Looks like a construction site alright! Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Kitchen/bed side of house Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Master bed Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Dinner that night in the master bed! Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ 6 Jul 15 - No messing about. blockwork completed. Kitchen Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Looking out our huge cavity stacking doors- Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ 10 Jul 15 - Steel framework in and roof trusses delivered Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: Custom House - Bendella - Darwin 5Oct 05, 2015 5:32 pm 11 Jul - Bunnings had a ridiculous clearance sale. Picked up this mailbox for $30 down from almost $300! Builder credited mailbox cost back to us.
Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ 17 Jul 15 - OMG it looks like a house! Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ 18 Jul - Sarking Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ 22 Jul 15 - Roof almost finished Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Our house compared to our neighbours Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Big stacking door is in (crooked) An SMS picture to the builder and she had the installers back out the next day to fix. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: Custom House - Bendella - Darwin 6Oct 05, 2015 6:28 pm 25 Jul - Roof finished & internal Rondo framing going in
Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Again the huge stacker door Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ We may have used leftover framing materials to mark out where the kitchen cabinetry was going to go! Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: Custom House - Bendella - Darwin 7Oct 05, 2015 6:34 pm 1 Aug -
Marking where we would like timber supports put into the rondo frame for stuff like pictures, an inbuilt desk and the TV in the theatre room/bed4 Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Wall between the kitchen and the WIR/Ensuite is in Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ looking down the main corridor - My vertical garden nook is at the end Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ back corridor towards the main bath and bed 2 & 3. Timber supports marked out for pictures Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ plumbing in the ensuite has begun Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ builder let me wire in my home theatre speaker cables - including 2 to the alfresco Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: Custom House - Bendella - Darwin 8Oct 05, 2015 6:43 pm 8 Aug 15 -
Our windows are in! Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Outside is mostly rendered Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Site inspector doing her thing. This is the Bed 4/Theatre window and you can see the main bath next to it. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ 15 August - looking out the stacker doors at the street Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Gyprock is in This is the kitchen wall/window Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Main corridor - Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Master bedroom Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Back corridor with Gyprock on Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Bed 2 Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Main bath Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Storage room / Laundry Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Cornice guy doing his thing (Anyone else find it weird that there's a guy that literally just goes around installing cornices in houses?) Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Front of house. Alfresco not poured yet Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Last but definitely not least - Our Cavity stacking doors are in! The 2 end panels have no glass and will be covered by a false wall the builder will create. When the doors are opened fully it appears as if they aren't there at all. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: Custom House - Bendella - Darwin 9Oct 05, 2015 7:12 pm 22 Aug 15 -
Inside ensuite - Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ looking outside from our shower - We wanted an outdoor shower originally, but for the sake of practicality this is the compromise we arrived at (between my wife and I) Being up in the tropics there's nothing worse than a shower in Wet Season when the tap water doesn't even go cold enough to cool you down, so we have had a 900mm wide 1.8m high louvre window installed, and another small window behind, facing the street. Hopefully we can get a nice breeze through the shower! Not to mention it will be a beautiful view of our landscaped back courtyard. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ False walls are in at the front of the house for the stacker Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: Custom House - Bendella - Darwin 10Oct 05, 2015 7:24 pm 29 Aug
Front facade of the house is on - Builder addressed our concerns about seeing the metal structure from the street by bringing the planking down over the steel. Alfresco has also been poured! Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ looking at the street from inside the living room Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Laundry / Storage. We realised at this point that we made a huge mistake with the door in here! We had a solid door picked for this spot, but looking at how little light is getting in we were worried. We asked the builder about replacing the window and door with a sliding door that you see on a lot of new laundries, but unfortunately it would have meant re-engineering the house. temporary solution for now has been to buy a new door from Bunnings that has a half height window in it. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Master bed Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Master bed - Looking at WIR and ensuite Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Side of house & Alfresco Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Rear of house looking at Master Bed, Bed 2 & 3. Render on, Facade on Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Other rear quarter of the house, looking at Bed 2, 3, Main bath Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Renderers doing the blue board on our blade wall - Gonna look great! Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: Custom House - Bendella - Darwin 11Oct 05, 2015 7:32 pm 12 Sep - Tiling has begun! House has also had a coat of paint.
Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Back corridor looking towards Master Bed. Tiles look Amazing! We got them on a special too, $35/m2 (inside our allowance) down from $80/m2! They are 600x600 and a beautiful Matte finish, with both purple and brown tones through them, but primarily a warm grey. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Bed 3 Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Ensuite shower area done! Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Main living area Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Closeup of the tiles Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Solar hot water panels are on, blue board has been rendered below the roofline to make it appear that the blockwork goes all the way up. (this happened due to our roofline and eaves) Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: Custom House - Bendella - Darwin 12Oct 05, 2015 7:35 pm 12 Sep - Time for us to start thinking about our front landscaping, pool and front fence!
Here are a couple of renders for our ideas Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: Custom House - Bendella - Darwin 13Oct 05, 2015 7:44 pm 19 Sep 15 -
Wall tiles are in in the bathrooms. We really really detest the metal strips that almost all modern tilers use on corners, so we paid a little extra to get mitred edges on the tiles. I think our tilers are the only guys in Darwin that can do it! They aren't perfect compared to pics I looked at on the net, but they are pretty bloody good, way better than metal strips and definitely acceptable. (and the bathrooms look great) Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Looking at paving for around the pool. Hmmm, I think it might be a little out of our budget. (not that we need a lot) Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ More mitred edges Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Fit out begins! Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ 23 Sep - Cabinetry has started. Maximum excitement. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: Custom House - Bendella - Darwin 14Oct 05, 2015 8:05 pm 25 Sep - Dining room pendant assembled
Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ 29 Sep - We have a front door Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ 29 Sep 15 - We paid a bit extra for some clearance Timber Veneer from Laminex - A black walnut that they were trying to get rid of. It's been sanded and varnished and is going on the front face of the kitchen bench. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Trying some different blind colours - We originally really wanted white translucent blinds, but you can see what happens with the grey glass that's installed in the windows - Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ So we are now thinking black blinds (and they complement the floors really well) Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ 30 Sep - Kitchen cabinetry is flying along. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Original render - Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Not too sure about the veneer - It has come up a lot lighter than we thought it would Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ New laundry door installed - Ugly but much more light. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ My vertical garden nook Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ And what it will look like (hopefully) Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ One of the conditions of our having our Alfresco at the same height as our internal living area, with a recessed door was that there had to be a drain across the door. Our brilliant builder came up with this ingenious solution. Has anyone seen the smart grates in the bathrooms? This is the same concept but on a much larger scale. The bolts in the concrete support the metal "casings". These will have tiles tiled onto them, and should mean that the drain is almost invisible! Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ A/C's have arrived too. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Main bathroom vanity is in. We paid a little extra for Laminex Riven Amari Oak finish. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Ensuite vanity - Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ That's it for now! Probably will be out again next week to have a look at more progress. Re: Custom House - Bendella - Darwin 15Oct 05, 2015 9:43 pm Worked on the pool design today...
Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: Custom House - Bendella - Darwin 16Oct 15, 2015 2:15 pm Hi guys,
Update from the weekend! Retractable fly-screen is in and looking great. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ When it's retracted Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Checking out how our outdoor tiles will look with the indoor ones Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Main bathroom shower screen is in: Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Smart drain! looks great Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Ensuite shower screen is in too. Slight issue with the door location but we are waiting for the shower head to go in to see if it needs to move or not. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Kitchen is just waiting on stone now to finish the cabinetry and then the tiling. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: Custom House - Bendella - Darwin 17Oct 15, 2015 2:23 pm WE went to the stonemasons a few days ago to check out our benches and make some decisions on basin and sink placement with the mixers etc.
Stonemason was really nice and very proud of his work. We are using Quantum Quartz manufactured stone throughout the house. This is the "floating" island bench in the kitchen. 40mm stone (everyone told us that 40mm stone was just a 20mm sheet that they put another 20mm of edging around. INCORRECT! This is a solid 40mm the whole way. We have to have a stainless leg in the middle of it to stop it cracking, and the rest of the weight is born by the cabinetry on one end and the 40mm waterfall on the other. It's going to look amazing! Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Stonemason showing us the "V" join that he is using to join the 40mm bench to it's waterfall. We can't mitre that edge unfortunately as the waterfall needs to bear the weight of the bench so it's a butt joint with the "V" joint between the two pieces. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Our main bathroom vanity top with it's basin. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Our other "island" bench with the cooktop cut out in it. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ The rest of the kitchen bench with the sink cutout. Note the stone being quite wide, that's because it will run into the windowsill! and the end will run into the appliance cupboards at the end. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ [ There's a lot more stone in the kitchen than we thought there would be, seeing it on a computer program is pretty different to seeing it all in a workshop... Re: Custom House - Bendella - Darwin 18Oct 17, 2015 9:27 pm G'day guys, We went out to the house today to have a look at progress, only the AC's have gone in partly our fault for changing our minds on a couple of small things but still a little disheartening! Not sure about handover in 4 weeks though Re: Custom House - Bendella - Darwin 19Oct 28, 2015 7:01 pm G'day guys,
Bit of a late update from me: Stone is 70% in. The waterfall bench needs the tiles done underneath it first (which the tiler had to previously rip up as he was told bench had to go in first) so that has to wait. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ You can see here the stone that goes into the appliance cupboard, and also it heads right into the windowsill, which we are chuffed with! It looks great and they did a great job. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Ensuite Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: Custom House - Bendella - Darwin 20Oct 31, 2015 7:39 pm Hi Guys,
Another week, another update. Progress is smashing along at the moment! You can see here that the Alfresco area tiles have gone down, and look great, our steel columns are being dressed in their Jarrah coat, and the ceiling of the Alfresco has been completed in Western Red Cedar! Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ And a close-up of the steel/timber columns Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ A close-up of the stacking door intersection of the indoor/outdoor tiles and the "smart drain". The levels of the "smart drain" need a little work but they are adjustable. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ The timber look tiles on the Alfresco look a treat! $34/m2 on special. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ The ensuite mirror is in, and man it makes a HUGE difference opening up the space and making a small area look massive! Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Kitchen - The end cabinet/appliance cupboard is installed, including the bit of cabinetry going into the windowsill. We think this looks great! Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Another overview of the kitchen! The rest of the stone was meant to go in today/monday which will be exciting to see. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Lastly, we had a meeting with our pool guy today, he's excavating on Monday! We also have a meeting with the front fence builder (separate from the house builder) early next week to finalise that. Full steam ahead! Next big things to the character of the house will be the garage door & exterior painting. Our builder thinks that we are 2 - 3 weeks from PC. Hello, we can help you please get in contact 0421019219 thank you 3 32007 Hi, Seeking volume or semi-custom builder in victoria(east), which have existing double story wide floor plans. Seeking 18-20m wide homes with depth of 12-15m long. Or… 0 25277 |