Hi all, we are first time home builders and after a long old slog of designing our home and struggling through issues with finance our build has finally started yay!
After getting pre approval from our bank we worked with our niche custom builder over a period of about 6 months designing our dream home to the budget we were given. When we were finally happy with everything and submitted to our bank, apparently their approval only lasted for 3 months and their policies had since changed and cutting a long story short after reasessment we needed to find an extra $30,000
, talk about changing the goalposts!
We ended up going to another financier and finally got approval for just a couple grand less than our initial bank first offered - yay the build could go ahead woohoo. It felt like such a relief hearing that news, as it was beginning to feel like we had just wasted six months of our precious time on a project that just wasnt going to get off the ground.
So here we are with the base stage complete and partial framing already up, it really feels totally surreal, is that a normal feeling?
Im still deciding my final colours, ive been back and forth the buliders for weeks now with who knows how many change of minds for colour scheme flooring materials etc etc. Im just imagining them hanging their heads every time i pull up in the car thinking oh no here she comes again haha. The builder says I'm definitely their record holder for how long its taking to finalise my selections, but they have been excellent, fair play, putting up with me! I just feel overwhelmed by all the choices and it weighs on me how important it is to make sure i get it right first time, I'm continually doubting myself! I think I've finally settled on my kitchen colours and will post some pics later when i get a chance maybe get some peoples views on my ideas, but for now here are a couple of pics of where the build is at the moment, I had to share as im just a tad bit excited
I love that it's on stilts. We wanted to put our house on stilts too but kept getting told it was too expensive.
We are at the quoting stage with our builder. But we have a sloping block of land in Gympie.
I love that it's on stilts. We wanted to put our house on stilts too but kept getting told it was too expensive.
We are at the quoting stage with our builder. But we have a sloping block of land in Gympie.
Yeah we kept getting told the same again and again although we were set on not digging ourselves in when we had a view to maximise. We eventually found a builder who specialised in sloping blocks who basically told us that its more the project builders, who dont want to venture outside of their comfort zone who tend to make it sound worse than what it is as they dont particularly want to go down the road of stilts. Did you try Oakvale homes? I know they advertise here in hervey bay as specialising in sloping blocks but have head office in gympie. We didnt approach them as ended up very happy with the service our builder was giving us. Just a thought
, though i guess youve already spoken with them.
Looks great, can't wait for your build to progress... It's very similar to our house design as originally being designed on stilts and the skillion roof. This is my thread... Would love to see a plan of yours..Great southern 2.5 acre new family home
https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?url=ht ... are_type=t
Hey hrvat_ica, i had a look at your thread, exciting times! Heres our floor plan and elevations, its kind of split level to account for the slope. Kids rooms laundry corridor etc are a couple of steps down from kitchen dining and living and main bedroom area is about 7 steps up over a large carport to accomodate the oh's extra long ute! We hope to enclose the carport at a later date but the budget dictates differently at the moment!
Following along with your build! I live in Hervey Bay too and am building in Urraween
I love your plan it looks so big and spacious! Can't wait to see it progress!
Hey sunandstars, its both an exciting yet daunting time isnt it. Its been a long time coming for us but so relieved to see it starting to take shape. So who have you decided to build with?
Same here! Its good to finally see some progress!
I am building with GJ Gardner. Very happy so far! Have you decided on colours yet?
GJ and PJ burns were our other chioces. Because of the custom design to suit the slope and view Bungalow won purely because they designed and quoted before they wanted any money from us. This meant we could guage what we could achieve with the budget we had.
As for colours yes we have. I dont have any images of the colour scheme of the exterior but we are going for white as the main colour which will be a mix of render and weatherboard, with a combination of colourbond dune and monument wall cladding and timber stained axon cladding as feature colours. The stained axon should pick out the staining of the deck and entryway. We are going with a surfmist roof, I was tempted to go with a contrast colour up there but i'm more concerned with heat as we havent planned for any airconditioning. We are thinking the sea breezes we should get will be adequate, time will tell!
Colours are as follows:
Entry kitchen living dining area an off white 600x600 gloss tile, with bamboo floor going down up the steps to main bedroom and media and down the steps and into the corridor leading to the kids area. Then the brown carpet in the kidzone and bedrooms. Im having a cream carpet in the main bedroom and media room but dont seem to have a picture of that.
Kitchen:
The kitchen we decided to go gloss 2 pac, id rather spend my money on getting my kitchen how i want it first time around rather than have an enclosed garage.
Im going to have a 2 tone kitchen using beige royal and a colour match to laminex sorrel. The benchtop is silestone amazon grey, as long as this isnt going to be crazy expensive - getting prices on this at moment. My alternative is a stone benchtop that pretty much matches perfectly to my floor tile, a bit of a difference in options but there was no other dark benchtop that I really liked and I have my mind set on it so Im crossing my fingers! I'm planning a mirror splashback as there will be a view through my beautiful wide cavity stacker doors. The main paint colour through most of the house is going to be dulux white cloak quarter.
Flooring in the bathroom and ensuite will be a gloss mocha tile 300x600. I dont have a pic
(think i was too stressed to worry about taking pictures hahaha!
Bathroom powder and ensuite cabinets will be formica gloss streetlight, and benchtops stipple seal (very similar shade to floor tile) diamond gloss benchtop. Bathroom wall tiling will also be the mocha tiles behind bath and all around the shower, with a lighter limestone tile for splashback as i wanted a contrast to the benchtop. All painted walls will be dulux beige royal quarter, a little darker shade but i thought it was a better tonal match to the tiling.
In the ensuite most wall tiles are going to be limestone with the mocha on the rear wall of the shower as a feature. Again walls here will be painted royal beige quarter.
For the laundry corridor i went with alexandria stone diamondgloss ( thought the darker colour here would pick out the darker grain areas in the bamboo floor)
My cabinetry is going to enclose the washing machine so that it isnt seen as you walk through.
I think thats it for colours. So pleased I'm done with that i didnt find it the most enjoyable of experiences, it was a very stressful time in fact, just hoping it all turns out well now.
I love the colours!! Great choices!!
This was Friday! Roof trusss and all main house framing done, just the deck left.
Not managed to get to the block this week as usual, will end up going up on friday or saturday, wonder what another week will bring? So exciting!
You're flying SJ!! Wonderful to see your build progressing so well!
Well its been a while since updating, its so much like hard work trying to juggle this house build around life and 4 kids let alone get time to go see the build and get pics up on here! Anyway we have had a lot of progress. We are at lock up stage now and managed to get in yesterday for a few pics whilst discussing tiling layouts. It was so uplifting going in, so light and bright already and thats before any painting gets done. A huge difference to our south facing townhouse we are renting and staring at a 1.8 m wooden fence. I just cant wait to get in now!
Love seeing the progress of your house from Day 1. Can you share more photos, I bet its nearly completed now. I'm getting excited! By the way who's your builder? My parent lives in Hervey Bay too and they hired the
Maddock Builders a year ago to do their home.
Where are you building. We have our land in River Heads and cant wait until our house is sold down south so we can begin! Your home looks wonderful!