Open Floor Plan Suggestions

Hi All,

We are in the process of finalizing a builder for our 16x32 flat plot, and are keen to have an open living floor plan.

The only two floorplans which we like at the moment are Simonds Cambridge/Dakota (29 squares, 214k base price) and Metricon Berkshire (34 squares, 297k base price), which are nearly identical. Our concern is, we are not confident about Simonds based on what we've read/heard and Metricon plan is too expensive for our budget.

We would much appreciate any advise along the following lines -
1. If this is a good layout to begin with.
2. Similar floorplan by another builder.
3. What your thoughts about building with Simonds would be.

This is our first home, we spend every spare minute of our day reading/researching and it is all quite overwhelming. So any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Cheers.

There’s quite a difference in 34 squares compared to 29, do Metricon not have a similar floorplan but smaller that would be in budget?
The Simonds plan has wasted space and not much storage, the Metricon is much better.
Where are you located?
Metricon Delta (had a 2 second look no idea on price). Could mirror it from garage up and it’s almost the same as the Metricon you like.

Thanks for your response MandM+4.

Unfortunately, Metricon only does the Berkshire in 34 and 39 sq, said the sales consultant we talked to.

The issue with Delta is, bedrooms 2, 3 and 4 of Delta 28BP are smaller than the second bedroom of the 2 bedroom unit we currently live in (it's 3 x 3.5 m). Considering the size of the house, total investment and effort we will end up putting into the project, that just seems unacceptable.

We came across the Metricon Hayman 29 today, and it seems like a spot on fit if they can just reverse the back. It is solid open plan living with massive bedrooms. Base price is pretty decent, 206k, not sure how much to expect from Metricon in terms of add-ons.

To reverse the back you’d need the garage wall to line up with the ensuite/WIR wall so either by making the garage smaller or taking from bed 2 etc but I’ve no doubt it can be done.
Likewise with the delta you could extend the house out 600mm or so from bed 2 up to bed 4 to make the bedrooms bigger and allow for a double vanity in the bathroom.
I’m sure Metricon will have something that works for you.
The Hayman doesn’t come with an Alfresco so that’d make a considerable difference in price. It gets pretty confusing trying to figure out the different inclusions with builders, especially because you don’t find out the cost of a lot of upgrades until further on in the process!

Wishing you and you loved ones a Very Happy New Year MandM+4.

Yes, this is what we are hoping they'll say once they reopen. We like everything about the Hayman 29.

Another question, would these builders be able to include the cost of Crimsafe-ing and landscaping in the contract ? It would suit us much better if these items can be made a part of the loan. Any other things that are needed which may be outside the building contract ?

Please advise.

Thanks

Wishing you and you loved ones a Very Happy New Year MandM+4.

Yes, this is what we are hoping they'll say once they reopen. We like everything about the Hayman 29.

Another question, would these builders be able to include the cost of Crimsafe-ing and landscaping in the contract ? It would suit us much better if these items can be made a part of the loan. Any other things that are needed which may be outside the building contract ?

Please advise.

Thanks[/quote]

I’m not sure if Metricon do landscaping but you can get external quotes and include them in your loan. We found it hard to get landscapers and concreters to quote prior to construction though so ended up just using the builders quote. They aren’t actually doing our landscaping but the excess loan amount will get put in our account after handover.
Security screens are 30% cheaper to get done after the build, we got a quote for these with blinds and curtains and included in our loan.

We've built the Helsinki, which was the Berkshire in the Signature range (they have discontinued it and moved it into the designer range).

The floor plan is excellent - really suits us as the orientation is perfect for our block. Huge north windows for the living and dining, a great alfresco area opening up onto the backyard, We extended our alfresco though and changed a few room sizes so the 34 ended up as 38 squares.

Metricon isn't cheap; however they do have some good inclusions. Have they confirmed though that they can build this on your block? It's almost 27 metres long, and as your block is 32m that doesn't seem like much wiggle room. Our block is 43m long and it feels super big on our block. You can see pics in my build thread.

Metricon don't do landscaping but they do work with Flemings. I had my landscaping plans done independently. They can however do your concreting and driveway. We got them to do our driveway included in the quote. Wasn't much more expensive then getting it done after handover. Recommend doing your blinds after handover though otherwise you'll pay a 30% markup.

Agree with you completely. Berkshire 29 would be the right size for us but they don't do one.

We've decided to go with the Hayman 29 (if they can reverse the back of the house, ours is a west facing plot).

MandM+4, landscaping I am not too concerned with, our land is pretty flat and we can make do with some DIY initially.

I am waiting for the stores to reopen so I can get an approximate quote for the Crimsafe (or another brand of similar type), curtains and blinds. Ours should be about 29 sq house with big windows and 2 big bi-folding doors in the living area. We plan to Crimsafe the whole thing, should be a significant cost, so adding it to the loan might be better.