Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Nov 25, 2015 2:38 pm We are looking at a knock down rebuilding our home in Ryde NSW. the home is greater than 700sqm but it is in a flooding zone and sloping from front to rear backyard. I have been reading alot of posts in the forum and trying to figure out which project home builders have experience in sloping and flood prone sites. this is the first time i ever built so please bear with me. Anyone can tell me which builder builds sloping block? any other recommendation is welcomed. Re: Which project home builders for sloping blocks? 2Nov 25, 2015 6:07 pm Hi zc12345 You have a few of options Generally project builders avoid difficult builds, but you might see a display that can be modified? The other option is to go with a local Builder that specializes in sloping blocks and flood zone requirements he'll generally sort out your design. The final option is to have it properly designed and engineer first off and get (both?) builders to quote.. I prefer the last one why 1. If they want your business they will sharpen their pencil,on the quote 2. You can spec the design the way you want it 3. You own the copyright should you decide to change builders 4. If everything ( all costs) is worked out up front then there shouldn't be any surprises later on (sticker shock). 5. You should aim to deal with the builder and not the salesman 6.7... Designer,Engineer (Civil,Const & Envir),Builder,Concrete & Masonry Contract.Struct Repairs Which project home builders for sloping blocks? 4Nov 26, 2015 5:23 pm We came to a similar conclusion building on a gentle slope from knockdown. This was after coming close to all those options! It was easier to first decide what we wanted, then work out how to build it. Problem with the project builders is they bamboozle you with display homes and try and tell you what you want! We found with a site that was even a smidge away from totally standard the best course was to have our plans drawn up and eningeered first. Then we shopped them around to local builders and chose three to tender with. Anyway, the only builder we found who might have something for a sloping site was Montgomery but personally I didn't really like their designs and was a bit concerned about the build quality Of course going this way means you need to pony up front for your plans and engineers but it is. I think, worth it. Start by driving around and looking at houses going up in your area or that have recently gone up. See how the site looks. Is it tidy? Ask the owner if you see them how it all went. Takes a bit of embarrassment but it's the best way to find builders if you don't have any personal recs. i Custom knockdown rebuild Newcastle NSW viewtopic.php?t=78271 Re: Which project home builders for sloping blocks? 5Nov 27, 2015 11:44 pm I have seen Montgomery homes in the Ryde area built on a downslope, and also Huxley. Definitely do your research about the builders. We are building with Binet on a sloping block in the Ryde area. They weren't fazed by our slope, they have built on much steeper sites. Can't say what their experience is with flood-prone sites though. Re: Which project home builders for sloping blocks? 6Nov 28, 2015 7:57 am Thanks, Great advice guys. I might also add check with you insurance company Premiums may also vary by the type of building construction and materials used. Basically Coastal Perth is free draining sand unlike the East coast. Designer,Engineer (Civil,Const & Envir),Builder,Concrete & Masonry Contract.Struct Repairs Re: Which project home builders for sloping blocks? 7Nov 28, 2015 11:13 am Hi zc We are presently building in ryde on slopping block with overland flow (flood) zoning - it took over 12 months to get through da/cc We tried all the project builders, even handed clarendon the $1k to get started only to find out they couldnt build on our site (we kind of used them a bit as $1k bought us both survey + soil survey which was a good deal) The rule of thumb seemed to be that over 1.5m across the build envelope = no project builder would touch... We then went to binet and they would, but they were hugely expensive. So finally we settled on drawing our own plans, getting da then getting engineering drawings and finding a builder. This isnt easy - builders wont quote without engineering and engineers wont draw until you get da (unless you are prepared to pay them again when council wants plans changed) Then you cant get cc without builder... so whilst doing your own plans is a good idea it will signifacntly push out your start date. If I were to do it all again I would still go the way I have I would just factor in a delay... Re: Which project home builders for sloping blocks? 8Nov 30, 2015 8:28 am ouch over 12 months to get DA!!! how did you come to realize that you cannot go through complying development CDC and has to go through council to obtain a DA? what did you mean by "The rule of thumb seemed to be that over 1.5m across the build envelope = no project builder would touch..." ? is this the slope ? sorry for the inexperience questions =) Re: Which project home builders for sloping blocks? 9Nov 30, 2015 9:01 am Quote: how did you come to realize that you cannot go through complying development CDC and has to go through council to obtain a DA? zc12345, you should start arming yourself with a bit of knowledge. You can download the state govt guide to CDC which will outline how you can design a home to comply with the CDC rules. Next get onto your local councils website and download their LEP ( Local Environment Plan ) and their DCP ( Development Control Plan ) . These will give you guidelines like Floor/Space ratio, side boundary setback, total impervious area for your site, height controls etc. Then you can start to adjust a plan to suit either going CDC ( quicker ) or through your council for a DA. I've done both for clients depending on the council and what the clients are trying to achieve design-wise. Quote: what did you mean by "The rule of thumb seemed to be that over 1.5m across the build envelope = no project builder would touch..." ? Yes, that is the slope over the width of the house. Stewie Re: Which project home builders for sloping blocks? 14Dec 03, 2015 8:31 am A lot of project builders won't touch a sloping block without first seeing a soil test and contour survey anyway so they can determine if it fits into their specs. Around our place (Melbourne) Porter Davis are willing to do sloping blocks, up to a significant fall of land. Bear in mind your fixed site costs will be much, much higher than their standard flat block. Many people think 25k is expensive for site costs, but with what we're building (36 sq single storey on bearers and joist) I expect our site & engineering costs to be between 50 - 75k, and don't forget added costs if you hit rock. Boutique has said they'll go up to about 2.5m slope depending on the site. Also, keep in mind that most project home builders will ONLY build on slab, therefore meaning you need to excavate and you may sit very low on your land. For this reason we chose to do a stump / bearers and joists build, otherwise we'd have been sitting 1.5m lower than all our neighbours. We have gone fully custom with a small builder, we have a slope of 3.5m front to back (approx 2m in the building envelope) and 1.5 cross fall south to north which complicates the build. Re: Which project home builders for sloping blocks? 16Dec 03, 2015 10:29 am Hard to know re: the price, as we haven't costed out with a project builder (no point, didn't want to sit in a hole). We will probably end up about 50k more than a project builder, but that is purely due to quality of finishings (ie solid timber floorboards throughout etc, options that we most likely would have had to do ourselves at handover if going with a project builder). We're looking at between 12k to 15k per square, depending on final engineering and final builders quotes. Project homes are generally between the 8 - 11k per square, with many varying factors. That's just from what I've read on here & researched. The only true way to know your slope is to get the contour plan done. We did our own before selecting a designer / builder as we wanted control over owning the contours etc (if you get them done through a project builder, they will own them unless you have written permission to use them should you choose not to go through with the project home build). Re: Which project home builders for sloping blocks? 17Dec 07, 2015 6:11 am The issue with costs is a little confusing. However, if a good designer creates a unique design to suit the site it may not be more expensive than the price paid to a volume project builder. One has to take into account the big excavation, risk of rock, spoil removal, and retaining walls/drainage. It is not apples with apples but what is most important surely, is the outcome and achieving your desired effect. cheers Those span tables can be pushed a little for a low deck if you dont mind a little flex. Last deck I did, I pushed it a little and it was still rock solid - no noticeable… 6 13704 Hi all, Been browsing project builders' website and saw Masterton with attached granny flat design Seeing bad reviews from masterton in this website/facebook, does… 0 18245 Howdy all. I am looking for feedback on what people would do to maximise and make an area as flat as possible. First, out the front of the house is a sloping hill, pretty… 0 20051 |