Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Feb 08, 2018 11:28 am First time poster but i have been following a couple threads for a while and thought this was a great way to get ideas for our up and coming build and also have a nice log for ourselves!
My partner and i are building with Smart Homes for living, a modified version of "the colossus" on a 508sqm block in Byford! We have our pre start on the 14/2/18 after many many months of organising our land, floor plans and contracts! My first question: is there anything you’ve realised after your build of after you have signed contracts that you feel would of been a great idea to include: ie power point in a certain area ect. 2nd: for anyone who went through key start how long was the turnaround from submitting your formal application for finance until receiving notification all has been approved? And 3: what was the rough turnaround of finance approval to slab down? Cant wait to share more of our build once it gets started! our timeline so far: sept: pre approval 21/Oct offer on block! 24/Oct offer accepted 2/11 land deposit paid 6/12 final house plans received and signed 12/12 building deposit paid 28/01 land contract extended by 30 days 30/01 build quote signed 14/02 pre start!!! 23/02 final building contracts received and signed 1/03 FHOG and keystart application finally submitted! 14/3 building permit received 17/3 noticed a watertap on the block! 21/3 land contract extended by 30 days 23/03 FHOG approved 29/03 finance with keystart declined (cannot re apply until July) 30/4 land contract extended to 15 August. 17/07 re apply keystart 28/8 FHOG + finance approved, finally! 19/9 Settlement! 4/10 site works started 8/10 visited and noticed plumbing/ready for slab to be poured Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: Byford Build! 2Feb 09, 2018 9:07 am Hi KD, Whilst I can not give you any info on Keystart you might want to update your location on your profile to WA and see if that helps. Re: Byford Build! 4Feb 12, 2018 11:28 am Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅
On Saturday we went down to Crosby Tiles and chose our tiles! Pictures detail what we chose but may change as we wanted the colour “Ashen Cloud” which is shown for the kitchen counter tops but we may have to change if its not within our selection range… if so its not a big fuss we will just change the kitchen counter to match the bathroom and laundry and change to essastone crystallite. Ive also added the colour of our timber look laminate flooring that we chose a couple weeks ago; hazelnut red! 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: Byford Build! 5Feb 12, 2018 1:10 pm Good luck with pre-start! We've had many things we wish we'd included.... but fairly specific to us so not sure they would be much help! Stuff like the plinth in the kitchen running underneath our integrated dishwasher, a bermuda tile insert drain in the laundry rather than the chrome one, putting in a microwave recess cupboard. All little things that aren't dealbreakers but we are not prepared to pay the $250 variation to get sorted! Finance approval wasn't what held us up, it was the building permit. So from building permit to slab down was 2 weeks. Re: Byford Build! 6Feb 12, 2018 3:49 pm nicolac34 Good luck with pre-start! We've had many things we wish we'd included.... but fairly specific to us so not sure they would be much help! Stuff like the plinth in the kitchen running underneath our integrated dishwasher, a bermuda tile insert drain in the laundry rather than the chrome one, putting in a microwave recess cupboard. All little things that aren't dealbreakers but we are not prepared to pay the $250 variation to get sorted! Finance approval wasn't what held us up, it was the building permit. So from building permit to slab down was 2 weeks. Thankyou! very very excited, we were so lucky because our initial pre start date was actually the 27th of feb and i got it moved 2 weeks forward! Actually the microwave suggestion got me, i dont think we put one in at all!! time to double check! Uhhh i see! and the building permit is through the council? sorry still learning! Re: Byford Build! 7Feb 12, 2018 4:07 pm Yes that's right. So you'll do pre-start and then they'll send off to the Council for 'Council Approval' that takes 2 weeks, then once they have that back they'll apply to the Council for a 'Building Permit' that takes another 2 weeks. So you need Building Permit and Unconditional Finance approval, then you'll be good to go! Re: Byford Build! 8Feb 12, 2018 4:10 pm KD1sthome First time poster but i have been following a couple threads for a while and thought this was a great way to get ideas for our up and coming build and also have a nice log for ourselves! My partner and i are building with Smart Homes for living, a modified version of "the colossus" on a 508sqm block in Byford! We have our pre start on the 14/2/18 after many many months of organising our land, floor plans and contracts! My first question: is there anything you’ve realised after your build of after you have signed contracts that you feel would of been a great idea to include: ie power point in a certain area ect. 2nd: for anyone who went through key start how long was the turnaround from submitting your formal application for finance until receiving notification all has been approved? And 3: what was the rough turnaround of finance approval to slab down? Cant wait to share more of our build once it gets started! (p.s this is our floor plan!) Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Hi KD1sthome, - KEYSTART OFFICIAL REPRESENTATIVE – If you are applying for a loan with Keystart, once all your paperwork for your application has been completed correctly, it is then assessed. One of our New Lending team will review your application. This process takes between 3-5 business days however it may be sooner. You will then be notified of the initial outcome, as to whether your application has been pre-approved, deferred (pending further information), or declined. Good luck with your new home! Regards, Keystart Home Loans Re: Byford Build! 9Feb 12, 2018 5:38 pm nicolac34 Yes that's right. So you'll do pre-start and then they'll send off to the Council for 'Council Approval' that takes 2 weeks, then once they have that back they'll apply to the Council for a 'Building Permit' that takes another 2 weeks. So you need Building Permit and Unconditional Finance approval, then you'll be good to go! Uh i see! really hope it all flows through, thanks! cant wait till i can upload more ! Re: Byford Build! 11Feb 13, 2018 8:23 pm Best of luck KD1sthome, we went through Keystart and they were really good on their turn arounds. The critical path that we found was getting the final plans and contract signed for Keystart to review for final finance approval. Once you have finance approval, and the building permit, every thing seems to fly through from our experience. Re: Byford Build! 12Feb 15, 2018 10:45 am Mathew_Nikki Best of luck KD1sthome, we went through Keystart and they were really good on their turn arounds. The critical path that we found was getting the final plans and contract signed for Keystart to review for final finance approval. Once you have finance approval, and the building permit, every thing seems to fly through from our experience. thanking you! oh i love hearing that! fingers crossed ours is too! the building contract and final plans? what company did you build with ?:) Re: Byford Build! 13Feb 15, 2018 6:10 pm finally had our pre start and we couldnt be happier! got all the things we want and still came in under budget! we had to change quite a few things in regards to colours though but in the end we are still very happy! exterior paint colours are: main render- Dune Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ this shows the new flooring, new zinc benchtops and also the new laundry and kitchen splash back! :)Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ framing- monument roof, gutters, contract render: Basalt garage: cosmopolitan style & Basalt We ended up having to change our flooring because when we went into trevors carpets we were told the wrong selection! i cant remeber the new name of the boards but ill attach a photo We also changed: kitchen bench top from crystallite to "zinc" & laundry benchtop from crystallite to laminate polar white & the kitchen/laundry splash back from vento white , we changed to a shinier back cant remember name but ill upload a photo. Changed/upgraded - Stone cladding to front elevation ($961.00)\ - Upgrade electric meter box to have a lock with viewing point ($76) - hiline window to theatre in lieu of 25cx1410 window - Delete 11c x7.5 window to family - add 25c x 2410 window to family - upgrade to double rebated timber frame to front door ($29) - upgrade front door to PMAD104 ($505) - provide zanda mace door handles throughout in lieu of standard ($255) - provide gold foam underlay to theatre & master room ($150) - add additional tiling to kitchen splashback to underside of overhead and returns ($26) - change standard mixer in kitchen to vito bertoni ($109) - relocate washing machine taps to inside laundry cabinet - provide 2x zoe kyra insert basins to ensuite ($170) - provide x2vito bertoni rainfall shower heads to ensuite ($974) - provide additional feature strip to ensuite ($76) - provide semi framless shower screen to ensuite ($392) - provide soft closing doors throughout Re: Byford Build! 14Feb 16, 2018 9:10 pm Hi! Welcome to the forum Do you happen to have a copy of your floor plan that has been finalised for contracts yet? I'm curious to see how much space has been left around your island bench, as by your sketch plan above, it looks like a bit of a bottle neck for the main thoroughfare. You don't want to be banging your hip on the island bench every time you walk past! Find my build thread here: https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?t=88694&f=31&p=1729530#p1729530 Re: Byford Build! 16Feb 19, 2018 11:04 am Honestly, if it were me, I would be reducing the size of the games room and adding a bit more into the Family which in turn gets you a bit more clearance around that island bench. 900mm is not a lot of room at all. Does that Games room serve some other purpose or is it just purely another living area? 4.26m is not a lot of depth for a Living room if you have anything bigger than a 2 seater sofa. Find my build thread here: https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?t=88694&f=31&p=1729530#p1729530 Re: Byford Build! 17Feb 19, 2018 11:33 am just_a_draftee Honestly, if it were me, I would be reducing the size of the games room and adding a bit more into the Family which in turn gets you a bit more clearance around that island bench. 900mm is not a lot of room at all. Does that Games room serve some other purpose or is it just purely another living area? 4.26m is not a lot of depth for a Living room if you have anything bigger than a 2 seater sofa. Yeah the games room we have purposely made larger so that it can be the "man cave/pool room" so it needed to be larger to fit a pool table and possibly a bar so i had to give up some of the family space which i didn't mind as i didn't think we would utilise it much due to having the theatre room too. Re: Byford Build! 18Feb 19, 2018 2:47 pm Fair enough! Up to you in the end Find my build thread here: https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?t=88694&f=31&p=1729530#p1729530 Re: Byford Build! 19Feb 28, 2018 12:58 pm Bit late on the reply here so might be too late for you! But a couple of thoughts from my experience: - didn't check the depth of our wardrobes so the standard IKEA wire baskets won't fit (by 5mm). So work out if there any off-the-shelf type products you want to use in wardrobes/cupboards/rooms and make sure the dimensions work. We put in IKEA Pax wardrobes into our master WIR and luckily it JUST fits, so well that it looks custom. Luck not good planning! - same as above in the kitchen. there are so many cool drawer inserts / baskets etc but the dimensions of my cupboards don't work - double check the location of light switches, making sure there are two/three way switches where need be - we added a little extra width to our garage but no extra length. bit annoying with my massive car (3 kids!!). - can't see the orientation of your house, but we added a highlight window on the side of our corner kids bedroom, and it adds a heap of extra natural light. The room originally had just a small window. Our builder didn't charge any extra for a window instead of bricks. Good luck! Re: Byford Build! 20Feb 28, 2018 1:22 pm Hi there, welcome to the forum! We went through Keystart, their turnaround was great. Submitted for pre-approval and was told the next day we were pre-approved. Can't remember how long the wait for official approval was but it wasn't long. Their turnaround was fantastic despite the negative reviews. Haven't had any issues with them thus far and we are about to have PCI and send off for Keystart to make the final payment (hopefully their turnaround in this respect is still quick) I can't see clearly what it says on your plan, but if you have large 4WD's or SUV's I would suggest if possible changing the garage height to 28c instead of 25c (we did this prior to prestart though and got it included in the contract) Also depending on how much room you have from your boundary to the right hand side of the garage, if you have any large items needing to go from the garage out to the back I suggest getting a wide manual roller door instead of a standard 820 door (may mean extending your garage width wise also). We managed to fit in a 1100 wide roller door instead of a 820 normal door so is possible without changing width of garage. We wish we had more room to make it even wider though. Make sure you have enough powerpoints in each room, better to have extra than not enough. Looking forward to seeing everything take shape! Thank you so much everyone. This all makes a lot of sense. I guess when you talk to a builder who butters up everything to look very polished, you get to start believing… 7 19436 Hi We have finally decided to complete a KDR on our corner plot in NE Melbourne suburbs. Given its a corner plot approx. 400 sqm just a standard design may not fit the… 0 9197 |