Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Jan 27, 2016 10:19 pm Hi All,
Long time HomeOne stalker, finally deciding to put up our build as we're getting to the latter stages of the Admin component of the build. And what a journey it's been! We sold up our last house that we spent a couple of year renovating to move closer to my wife's family. We bought a place that had been repossessed by the bank in the Moonee Valley area. The house next door to ours went up for sale shortly after ours was completed, which was also a repossession (This causes some pain down the track). We spent the time before the sale of our old house settled deciding what we were going to do with the place, between a full renovation and extension, or Knockdown & Rebuild. We ended up deciding on the latter due to the amount of work required to get the place we bought to look the way we wanted. After going through the display village after display village; we ended up going with the first house my wife saw, which we were both drawn to instantly (The Amalfi at Greenvale). After we decided on a house, we began the process of demolishing the old one. Before we demolished the old house, we decided to put a Pre-Demolition sale on GumTree and had very successful results. We put a substantial amount towards our demolition with the proceeds of this sale. Definitely recommend, and you'll be surprised about the sort of stuff that people are interested in buying, providing you're realistic with the asking price. We engaged the services of a demolisher; however we made a fatal error of taking the cheapest quote; and he was a good talker, so talked us into going against someone we were recommended by a friend (BIG mistake). In regards to the actual demolition, the whole process took around 4 months. He applied for the permits late, and took forever to get the council the correct details, whilst telling us "stories" the whole time and blaming the council for the delay. As he low-balled his own quote, and we had quite a lot of concrete out the back that he never bothered to check on when he came to quote the job, we were not high on his priority list. This meant that he would rarely send guys out to site, he would get them there after 10am, and leave before 2pm. His equipment was wildly under powered for the job, and he would use the council as an excuse for why he wouldn't show up. He would tell my wife not to ring the council to check however, as they wouldn't talk to her (Red Flag number 1). We called the council anyway along the journey when he told us that the council were holding him up for the demo permit, we found that he had not lodged the permit application. When he said that he was receiving EPA complaints about the concrete dust, we again checked with the EPA and no complaints lodged. When he said our next door neighbour on our RHS was complaining about the noise in the morning, we checked with him and he made no such complaint. When he said the neighbour on our LHS kept popping his head over the fence and complaining about the noise, we informed him that the property on the LHS had been vacant for months after being repossessed by the bank. There were plenty more run ins with this guy along the way, and a lot of screaming and yelling from both sides, but to go through it all here would take too long. Just trust me when I say that you need to do your homework on the company you choose. Check reviews of the company you choose, or talk to someone who has used them before. Make sure the quote is realistic, as anything that seems too good to be true normally is. The council themselves have actually been really helpful, and in all my dealings with them so far I haven't had a bad experience yet. The basics of our build are as follows: Amalfi 532 - Double Glazing to all windows Promo Eclipse Facade Grand Family Area option in lieu of Alfresco Grand Alfresco Area to provide covered alternate alfresco option 5 Star Heating Option & Refrigerated Cooling Option Butlers Pantry Fit-out Chromagen Eternity Water Service, with Rainwater Tank for toilets We had our Colour Appointment back in July 2015. We've gone with the following options (which we have changed so many times!): Daniel Robertson Bricks - Apricot Blend Colorbond Roofing - Basalt Fascia, Down pipes, Windows - Surfmist Timber feature doors - Dark Oak Internal Walls - Vivid White Skirting & Arcs - White Bench tops - Nougat We'll be doing floors, lighting, curtains, WIR Fit-out, & driveway post-handover.' Our site costs came back at an astronomical number. Due to the fact that we're near a busy road, which is near a school, we're got "No Standing" on our side of the road during School hours. For this reason we have a considerable amount of provisional costs in Traffic Management, Crane Spotting, and Parking Permits. We also have to upgrade to a waffle "P" slab. We were totally naive in our understanding of how long this whole process would take. Initially we had hoped to be in our new house by Christmas 2015. It's now January 2016, and we still have to obtain the dispensation approvals, have final finance approval, and get the building permits approved before we even hand over to build. However with all the negative experiences along the way; we're finally starting to see some light at the end of the tunnel. TIMELINE TO DATE: April 2015 - Settled on property Initial Walk-through with MainVue & first deposit Paid May 2015 - Second Deposit Paid with MainVue June 2015 - All Services Abolished & Asset Protection Permit Arranged Pre-Demolition Sale on anything and everything on the property (Highly Recommended) July 2015 - Demo Contract Arranged MainVue Colour Appointment @ Cosham <INSERT A LIFE LEARNING LESSON HERE ABOUT TAKING THE CHEAPEST DEMO QUOTE> November 2015 - Demolition finally complete (Worst Demo guy in the world) Follow up work to finish the job the worlds worst demo guy didn't complete Soil Tests & Site Survey Completed MainVue Tender Appointment Tender Signed December 2015 - Contract Signed Application for council dispensations (409, 410, & 415) January 2016 - Next Door finally settles, so we've been able to get the adjoining neighbor's consent February 2016: Unconditional Finance Approved 11 Feb 2016: Advised that dispensations have been approved. 3 March 2016: Received Energy Rating 17 March 2016: Building Permit Approved. 8 April 2016: Works Zone Permit Approved & Handed over to build! 20 April 2016: Temp fencing and Portaloo to site 28 April 2016: Meter box installed and site cut completed 2 May 2016: Plumbing and Electrical laid in preparation for slab 6 May 2016: Slab preparation - all boxed up and ready for pour 9 May 2016: Pre-slab inspection completed with Darbecca, with all defects fixed on the spot. Pour was cancelled due to bad weather (storms) 10 May 2016: Slab poured 22 May 2016: Frame base complete 2 June 2016: Roof Trussed installed 4 June 2016: Wall wrap, Fascia, Gutters, Windows, and Door Jambs installed, started Plumbing Rough in 7 June 2016: Installed roof battens 8 June 2016: Installed roof sarking, and Colorbond roof 17 June 2016: Electrical rough in 30 June 2016: Bricks started 8 July 2016: Plaster Hung 23 July 2016: Cabinets installed & Doors hung 27 July 2016: Brickwork Complete 7 August 2016: Stone benchtops installed 10 August 2016: Tiles started & Sinks installed 12 August 2016: Electrical fit off 15 August 2016: Garage door installed 16 August 2016: Toilets installed, and Internal Plumbing fit off Currently working on: Fit off before PCI I was initially skeptical of starting a thread until I knew all our approvals had come through; however I have gained a lot of knowledge through other people's experiences on this forum, so I think it's only fair that I share the good and the bad. Looking forward to updating this with some real progress Re: MainVue Amalfi 532 - Contracts Signed 2Jan 28, 2016 6:08 am Congratulations on getting that contract signed. Our builds will be only a few weeks apart. I'll keep on eye on yours. Let's hope our builds run smoother than our demolitions And yeah, my dad always told me "never take the cheapest quote for anything". Oh why didn't I listen this time. We should be on site within 2 weeks woohooooooooo Re: MainVue Amalfi 532 - Contracts Signed 3Jan 28, 2016 8:42 am Thanks Saint. We think based on other builds that we have about 8 weeks before we get someone out on site. I'll have the remaining items to the council for dispo's by Friday, so maybe another 2 weeks to get approved, and then another 4 weeks max for our building permit, plus another couple of weeks to hand the site over the build and the guys arrive on site. All worst case scenarios, so hopefully sooner. You are very close to getting the fence up and site cut done! You must be getting excited Re: MainVue Amalfi 532 - Contracts Signed 4Jan 28, 2016 9:37 am We signed contracts on Jan 7th, green energy rating back a couple of days later, building permit approval received Jan 22nd, being handed to construction by the end of this month with a site start 1-2 weeks later. Just waiting now.............. What colours are you using for your kitchens and bathrooms? Re: MainVue Amalfi 532 - Contracts Signed 5Jan 28, 2016 10:03 am We're going with all white kitchen, crystal gloss on the cabinetry and Nougat stone for bench tops. Under-mount sinks and double wall mount ovens. The bathrooms were going Jazz Tusk Lopatto for feature tile and gloss white tiles for the other walls. We went floor to ceiling with the tiles. Re: MainVue Amalfi 532 - Contracts Signed 7Jan 28, 2016 12:41 pm Plans look good Camma. I have been in my Amalfi for nearly 3 months now. It's a great house! My Build Journey - Mainvue Amalfi 530 in South Eastern Melbourne https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=75810&p=1353804&hilit=mainvue+amalfi#p1353804 Re: MainVue Amalfi 532 - Contracts Signed 8Jan 28, 2016 1:20 pm Thanks Chloe I followed the progress of your build and was impressed by how quickly it all came together. Your house is looking fantastic! We've got the final pieces of red tape to get through before we hand over to build, but we're slowly getting there. Just gotta get the dispo's approved, finance paperwork, and then build permits. Doesn't sound like much, but we figure we're about 8 weeks before guys arrive on site. If things go well, we should be in by September, so fingers crossed. Follow my MainVue build viewtopic.php?f=31&t=81716 Re: MainVue Amalfi 532 - Contracts Signed 10Jan 28, 2016 7:08 pm Elite01 Welcome to the Amalfi family camma18. I'm also building the 532. Can't wait to get started! Signing contracts in a couple of weeks. Thanks Elite. Your build might start around the same time as mine, so it'll be good to see how yours progresses. Have you got any dispensations? Re: MainVue Amalfi 532 - Contracts Signed 11Jan 28, 2016 11:00 pm Hi Camma18 - we are doing a knock down re-build in Moonee Valley too!!! We are almost done!!! I thought at one point we would be in by Christmas 2014 - so naive was I too. We didn't make Christmas 2015... Lol. We had lots of issues with council - it's glad to hear a positive story with them. We didn't do a demolition sale as we needed the demo done ASAP - turns out it sat there for 6 months once demolished so we could have. Anyway, I'm starting to block all the negative things from my mind as it just upsets me. Our actual build has been positive though and I can't wait to get in. I'm building with Boutique. Looking forward to watching your progress. Good luck! Blog: www.dapplegrey.com.au Blog: www.dapplegrey.com.au Re: MainVue Amalfi 532 - Contracts Signed 12Jan 29, 2016 10:47 am donovansdaily Hi Camma18 - we are doing a knock down re-build in Moonee Valley too!!! We are almost done!!! I thought at one point we would be in by Christmas 2014 - so naive was I too. We didn't make Christmas 2015... Lol. We had lots of issues with council - it's glad to hear a positive story with them. We didn't do a demolition sale as we needed the demo done ASAP - turns out it sat there for 6 months once demolished so we could have. Anyway, I'm starting to block all the negative things from my mind as it just upsets me. Our actual build has been positive though and I can't wait to get in. I'm building with Boutique. Looking forward to watching your progress. Good luck! Blog: http://www.dapplegrey.com.au Thanks Donovans. I've just had a look at your thread and you place is looking very close to done. You must be itching to move in and make it your own! I'll be following your progress We had a look at the Boutique Homes when we started looking around and really loved them; but we wanted to go with a single story, and the floor plan of the Amalfi fit more to our needs. Yeah MVCC can be a mixed bag, depending on who you speak to. The people in the Building area have actually been really helpful with me, as we took on the dispensation applications ourselves (to save on costs as there was a 100% margin MainVue wanted to charge for submitting the forms). What sort of problems did you run into, if you don't mind me asking? Follow my MainVue build viewtopic.php?f=31&t=81716 Re: MainVue Amalfi 532 - Contracts Signed 13Jan 29, 2016 11:15 am We are in a flood zone, and a design and development overlay as we are close to the river. But our main problems were with Water Sensitive Urban Design. Boutique didn't understand how to meet the requirements and council didn't even understand their own policy. It was new when we were going through it. If you have any problems with WSUD yell out - I'm an unqualified expert now. Lol. PS: the Amalfi is a great plan. Blog: www.dapplegrey.com.au Blog: www.dapplegrey.com.au Re: MainVue Amalfi 532 - Contracts Signed 14Jan 29, 2016 11:21 am Oh and we didn't realise we had to do dispensation. (As they were all sent the plans during planning permit stage.) After getting the planning permit, went to get building permit and we couldn't as the dispensation hadn't been done. Insert another delay here. Lol. One neighbour signed straight away, the other house isn't occupied. So we gave the owner 3 weeks to sign, he didn't. (But didn't object) Then council gave him another 3 weeks (with a couple of weeks in between) - he still didn't sign, nor object. So then council made the decision to approve it, but again that took a couple of weeks. A couple of months wasted on that alone. Blog: www.dapplegrey.com.au Blog: www.dapplegrey.com.au Re: MainVue Amalfi 532 - Contracts Signed 15Jan 29, 2016 11:46 am donovansdaily Oh and we didn't realise we had to do dispensation. (As they were all sent the plans during planning permit stage.) After getting the planning permit, went to get building permit and we couldn't as the dispensation hadn't been done. Insert another delay here. Lol. One neighbour signed straight away, the other house isn't occupied. So we gave the owner 3 weeks to sign, he didn't. (But didn't object) Then council gave him another 3 weeks (with a couple of weeks in between) - he still didn't sign, nor object. So then council made the decision to approve it, but again that took a couple of weeks. A couple of months wasted on that alone. Blog: http://www.dapplegrey.com.au Yeah we had the exact same issue with the neighbour on our left hand side, as the property was a bank repossession, they had no incentive to comment on our dispensations. I spoke with the council and they said that there is no legislation on getting your neighbour to respond within a certain time frame, so we had to wait for it to sell before we could proceed. Lucky we didn't have to wait too long, but we still lost at least a month with that issue. And also lucky that the new neighbours are good sports and signed off straight away after they settled on the property. I was saying to SaintGirl that the whole KDR process sounds so easy before you get involved with it, but it is a bit more tricky in reality. Re: MainVue Amalfi 532 - Contracts Signed 16Feb 02, 2016 8:35 pm Another step closer to build! Unconditional finance approval just came through. Just got the Council stuff to go. I've been told that they'll be looking at the dispensations tomorrow, so hopefully won't take long to get approved. Work Zone permit. I'll submit the application for this tomorrow. Again, hoping it won't take too long to get this approved. Follow my MainVue build viewtopic.php?f=31&t=81716 Re: MainVue Amalfi 532 - Contracts Signed 17Feb 03, 2016 2:04 pm Maybe I was wrong about the Council being really good. I thought human beings worked at this council, when it turns out that it's run entirely by robots. Looks like my applications will take longer than expected. Follow my MainVue build viewtopic.php?f=31&t=81716 Re: MainVue Amalfi 532 - Contracts Signed 18Feb 03, 2016 2:25 pm I sympathize with you It was just one thing after another with us too. Good Luck.... Re: MainVue Amalfi 532 - Contracts Signed 19Feb 03, 2016 2:56 pm Saint Girl I sympathize with you It was just one thing after another with us too. Good Luck.... It honestly seems like these guys get some sort of thrill in knowing that they've delayed you from building your home for weeks upon weeks. Hopefully comes in sooner, but I might have just lost 3 weeks. Re: MainVue Amalfi 532 - Contracts Signed 20Feb 04, 2016 10:40 pm They get paid well to do nothing... It felt like that to me too (that they enjoy shattering your dreams) I actually think they out source some of it, as our town planner didn't even recognise or understand a letter she apparently wrote and signed. I thought they would favour KDRB or extensions, but I think they want development (they get more $$$$ out of developers) So we get shafted to the bottom of the pile. I actually think councils need to be privatised - I would prefer to pay more and then get actual service!!! Blog: www.dapplegrey.com.au Blog: www.dapplegrey.com.au Thanks for much mate. I see that you do cabinets before flooring. For timber flooring, for most parts it's fine because it's got base plates, and for door jabs you can… 7 11565 Hello everyone Please advice me how can I install mesh security window or we cab say mesh flyscreen inside while the pvc plantation shutters are already installed? Is… 0 11607 This is the current bathroom with a european laundry. 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