Note that your slab is sitting higher than your ground.
This was a huge issue we are going through with Como. Leaving the perimeter around the house sloping and having to now spend a large amount of levelling and landscaping.
Inspired Homes/ Como Homes - Custom Build Corner Block
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Note that your slab is sitting higher than your ground.
This was a huge issue we are going through with Como. Leaving the perimeter around the house sloping and having to now spend a large amount of levelling and landscaping.
This was a huge issue we are going through with Como. Leaving the perimeter around the house sloping and having to now spend a large amount of levelling and landscaping.
Hi jbal
I’d be very interested to hear more. There is not much Como will do for you once site cut has been made is there?
We will be in a similar position with our build.
Em
A dispute that Como is taking no responsibility for. Como says they have built the house and landscaping is not part of the contract. But the difference in height from the slab to the previous ground is too much to ignore, it is a safety hazard. We can't walk around the home as it slopes away too much. A real issue for us and huge filling it to be done to make it level. Got to build retaining walls all around the home, fill it up and level it.
Will try and attach photos if I figure it out.
Will try and attach photos if I figure it out.
A dispute that Como is taking no responsibility for. Como says they have built the house and landscaping is not part of the contract. But the difference in height from the slab to the previous ground is too much to ignore, it is a safety hazard. We can't walk around the home as it slopes away too much. A real issue for us and huge filling it to be done to make it level. Got to build retaining walls all around the home, fill it up and level it.
Will try and attach photos if I figure it out.
Will try and attach photos if I figure it out.
A dispute that Como is taking no responsibility for. Como says they have built the house and landscaping is not part of the contract. But the difference in height from the slab to the previous ground is too much to ignore, it is a safety hazard. We can't walk around the home as it slopes away too much. A real issue for us and huge filling it to be done to make it level. Got to build retaining walls all around the home, fill it up and level it.
Will try and attach photos if I figure out how to.
Will try and attach photos if I figure out how to.
A dispute that Como is taking no responsibility for. Como says they have built the house and landscaping is not part of the contract. But the difference in height from the slab to the previous ground is too much to ignore, it is a safety hazard. We can't walk around the home as it slopes away too much. A real issue for us and huge filling it to be done to make it level. Got to build retaining walls all around the home, fill it up and level it.
Will try and attach photos if I figure out how to.
Will try and attach photos if I figure out how to.
Note that your slab is sitting higher than your ground.
This was a huge issue we are going through with Como. Leaving the perimeter around the house sloping and having to now spend a large amount of levelling and landscaping.
This was a huge issue we are going through with Como. Leaving the perimeter around the house sloping and having to now spend a large amount of levelling and landscaping.
Well spotted.
Our land is on a special building overlay (SBO) which means that the land can potentially flood in a 1 in 100 year storm.
The finished floor level of the slab therefore needs to be higher than the surrounding land, to prevent the house from flooding in that potential storm. Therefore the slab is higher than the ground, as specified on the permit.
The surrounding ground is not allowed to be filled in to the floor level of the house either, so it will be landscaped flat. The driveway will have a gentle slope to the garage finished floor level. I don't think it will be much of an issue, and one that I planned for anyway.
Note that your slab is sitting higher than your ground.
This was a huge issue we are going through with Como. Leaving the perimeter around the house sloping and having to now spend a large amount of levelling and landscaping.
This was a huge issue we are going through with Como. Leaving the perimeter around the house sloping and having to now spend a large amount of levelling and landscaping.
Well spotted.
Our land is on a special building overlay (SBO) which means that the land can potentially flood in a 1 in 100 year storm.
The finished floor level of the slab therefore needs to be higher than the surrounding land, to prevent the house from flooding in that potential storm. Therefore the slab is higher than the ground, as specified on the permit.
The surrounding ground is not allowed to be filled in to the floor level of the house either, so it will be landscaped flat. The driveway will have a gentle slope to the garage finished floor level. I don't think it will be much of an issue, and one that I planned for anyway.
We are in a similar area like you Ben888, Arden built our house up. But they filled the side of our house to avoid the steep area since thats what they proposed including building a retaining wall as well for us.
And then the framing started in earnest. I didn't realise it would go up quicker than it takes me to build a house out of Lego.
Than halfway through the framing, we realised that the heating and cooling plans hadn't been completed, and the return air voids needing adding in. So using a paint app on my mobile phone from a hotel bathroom, I managed to draw and convey to them where the voids should go (isn't technology great nowadays?)
Hoping your build goes well.
Couple of questions:
Why not a treated frame? I'm genuinely interested to know why some builders do this. The only benefit I know of is the potential for reduced VOC's when treating the timber?
Also, where is the DPC (damp proof course) where the frame meets the slab perimeter? I've seen a house near me being built without it and I thought it was a requirement. Do they do some sort of treatment to the slab instead?
Regarding the slab height. I think that's actually good. You want water to fall away from the slab and not pool around it. Especially during construction.
We are in a similar area like you Ben888, Arden built our house up. But they filled the side of our house to avoid the steep area since thats what they proposed including building a retaining wall as well for us.
Are you on an SBO too?
The permit for the land specifically says that
"Imported fill must be kept to a minimum on the property and must only be used for the sub floor areas of the dwelling, garage and driveway ramp. The open space areas within the property must be maintained at natural surface levels and no fill or retaining walls should be used in the development of this land."
which means that we cannot fill in the sides or open area around the house, or have a retaining wall. I think your situation might be slightly different.
Anyway, it's not a huge step from the natural surface level to the finished level of the porch or garage. Only 20cm step up to the garage, and 35cm step up to the house level. That's one extra step to get up to the house, and the rest of the land is completely flat anyway. I don't envisage this to be a huge problem; I guess time will tell...
Hoping your build goes well.
Couple of questions:
Why not a treated frame? I'm genuinely interested to know why some builders do this. The only benefit I know of is the potential for reduced VOC's when treating the timber?
Also, where is the DPC (damp proof course) where the frame meets the slab perimeter? I've seen a house near me being built without it and I thought it was a requirement. Do they do some sort of treatment to the slab instead?
Regarding the slab height. I think that's actually good. You want water to fall away from the slab and not pool around it. Especially during construction.
Couple of questions:
Why not a treated frame? I'm genuinely interested to know why some builders do this. The only benefit I know of is the potential for reduced VOC's when treating the timber?
Also, where is the DPC (damp proof course) where the frame meets the slab perimeter? I've seen a house near me being built without it and I thought it was a requirement. Do they do some sort of treatment to the slab instead?
Regarding the slab height. I think that's actually good. You want water to fall away from the slab and not pool around it. Especially during construction.
Thanks Chase,
I'm afraid I don't know the answers to your questions. I thought all the timber that was used in the construction of the frame was treated to some degree against things like shrinkage and rot.
Perhaps someone with more knowledge of the timber framing could answer this question for you, and also about how to damp proof the whole house; I'm assuming (hopefully) this kinda stuff is all standard so I haven't looked at it specifically.
Well a few more update photos: this was week 7.
Windows and roof have been done.
And the latest photo, week 10.
The house has been wrapped in a blue waterproof membrane, and then some of the external bricks have started to go up.
We are in a similar area like you Ben888, Arden built our house up. But they filled the side of our house to avoid the steep area since thats what they proposed including building a retaining wall as well for us.
Are you on an SBO too?
The permit for the land specifically says that
"Imported fill must be kept to a minimum on the property and must only be used for the sub floor areas of the dwelling, garage and driveway ramp. The open space areas within the property must be maintained at natural surface levels and no fill or retaining walls should be used in the development of this land."
which means that we cannot fill in the sides or open area around the house, or have a retaining wall. I think your situation might be slightly different.
Anyway, it's not a huge step from the natural surface level to the finished level of the porch or garage. Only 20cm step up to the garage, and 35cm step up to the house level. That's one extra step to get up to the house, and the rest of the land is completely flat anyway. I don't envisage this to be a huge problem; I guess time will tell...
Ben888 ours must be very different, we have a 1.6m fall - was filled in to build our house up.
20cm step is not a huge thing at all we have 7 steps down from alfresco to normal ground level ...
Week 14 of the build and the rest of the external brickwork and the Hebel went up with the scaffolding, which made it look all a bit of a mess, but at least it's starting to look like a house.
Whilst internally they starting building all the kitchen cabinetry
Still hard to fully imagine what it'll look like when it's all finished.
Whilst internally they starting building all the kitchen cabinetry
Still hard to fully imagine what it'll look like when it's all finished.
Week 16 and the scaffolding has come down, and the external render and paint is all done and dusted. Apart from stonework to the front porch, I can finally see the finished colour of my house.... and it's a bit grey LOL. I guess the Melbourne winter doesn't help to give it any more warmth, but hopefully with some sunlight, trees and greenery over time, it'll look a tad warmer.
Week 16 and the scaffolding has come down, and the external render and paint is all done and dusted. Apart from stonework to the front porch, I can finally see the finished colour of my house.... and it's a bit grey LOL. I guess the Melbourne winter doesn't help to give it any more warmth, but hopefully with some sunlight, trees and greenery over time, it'll look a tad warmer.
looks great, now all the fun inside bits come
Indeed, the inside bits make it feel like a home
like my 1 yr old who is admiring the staircase (or maybe thinking when are we getting out of here...)
And that marks the finish of the fixing stage. Although it doesn't feel like the fixing stage, since there are no worktops, and no baths or basins installed yet - apparently Caesarstone is installed after plastering and painting. Fixing stage is 90% of the total cost of the build, whereas I'm not convinced we're at 90% of the build yet! But I figured I'll have to pay it sooner or later anyway....
Only surprising mistake I have noticed so far is that the cabinet maker has only given 1180mm of space in the laundry for the washer and dryer. The appliances are 600mm wide each! Surprising because I would have thought this was bread and butter dimensions in laundry builds everyday for them. Hopefully the SS will sort it out before the worktops get installed.
like my 1 yr old who is admiring the staircase (or maybe thinking when are we getting out of here...)
And that marks the finish of the fixing stage. Although it doesn't feel like the fixing stage, since there are no worktops, and no baths or basins installed yet - apparently Caesarstone is installed after plastering and painting. Fixing stage is 90% of the total cost of the build, whereas I'm not convinced we're at 90% of the build yet! But I figured I'll have to pay it sooner or later anyway....
Only surprising mistake I have noticed so far is that the cabinet maker has only given 1180mm of space in the laundry for the washer and dryer. The appliances are 600mm wide each! Surprising because I would have thought this was bread and butter dimensions in laundry builds everyday for them. Hopefully the SS will sort it out before the worktops get installed.
Indeed, the inside bits make it feel like a home
like my 1 yr old who is admiring the staircase (or maybe thinking when are we getting out of here...)
And that marks the finish of the fixing stage. Although it doesn't feel like the fixing stage, since there are no worktops, and no baths or basins installed yet - apparently Caesarstone is installed after plastering and painting. Fixing stage is 90% of the total cost of the build, whereas I'm not convinced we're at 90% of the build yet! But I figured I'll have to pay it sooner or later anyway....
Only surprising mistake I have noticed so far is that the cabinet maker has only given 1180mm of space in the laundry for the washer and dryer. The appliances are 600mm wide each! Surprising because I would have thought this was bread and butter dimensions in laundry builds everyday for them. Hopefully the SS will sort it out before the worktops get installed.
like my 1 yr old who is admiring the staircase (or maybe thinking when are we getting out of here...)
And that marks the finish of the fixing stage. Although it doesn't feel like the fixing stage, since there are no worktops, and no baths or basins installed yet - apparently Caesarstone is installed after plastering and painting. Fixing stage is 90% of the total cost of the build, whereas I'm not convinced we're at 90% of the build yet! But I figured I'll have to pay it sooner or later anyway....
Only surprising mistake I have noticed so far is that the cabinet maker has only given 1180mm of space in the laundry for the washer and dryer. The appliances are 600mm wide each! Surprising because I would have thought this was bread and butter dimensions in laundry builds everyday for them. Hopefully the SS will sort it out before the worktops get installed.
Your little is so cute!
Yes get on to that laundry space. Ours is 1300 wide on the plan and the washer and dryer fit in there snugly with barely a gap in between. Also ask you SS to have a hole for the pipes drilled in the side of the cabinet, we had to do that ourselves. And you'll need a hose clamp for the washing machine outlet pipe to hold it to the drain underneath - and dont forget to drill a hole in the connector so you don't flood!
The colour selection with Como Homes was interesting too, and if anyone is considering building with Como they should take note:
As Como was a subsidiary of Arden Homes (a reputable volume builder) they still use the same design studio and interior designers of Arden Homes. So whilst they are a custom builder, they still seem to default to the mindset of a volume builder - ie they will try to offer you a limited number of fixed colours and options, as this is obviously the way a volume builder would work to cut costs and improve efficiency.
But fixed options whilst cheap and efficient, are not always the best or what you might want in your house. And so for many things you would have to ask them "are there any other options for this?", or "could you do this instead?" and then they would um and ah for a bit before then trying to accommodate your request.
A good example was the staircase. They offered about 5 different designs, but none that I wanted; in particular I wanted a fairly open modern design:
and they literally didn't know whether they could do it or not, so in the end I contacted their staircase manufacturer directly to liaise with them and to get an answer - and as a custom builder, of course they could do it!
So just have to remember that Como are a custom builder, but you really have to ask about everything or else you'll end up with the standard range.
As Como was a subsidiary of Arden Homes (a reputable volume builder) they still use the same design studio and interior designers of Arden Homes. So whilst they are a custom builder, they still seem to default to the mindset of a volume builder - ie they will try to offer you a limited number of fixed colours and options, as this is obviously the way a volume builder would work to cut costs and improve efficiency.
But fixed options whilst cheap and efficient, are not always the best or what you might want in your house. And so for many things you would have to ask them "are there any other options for this?", or "could you do this instead?" and then they would um and ah for a bit before then trying to accommodate your request.
A good example was the staircase. They offered about 5 different designs, but none that I wanted; in particular I wanted a fairly open modern design:
and they literally didn't know whether they could do it or not, so in the end I contacted their staircase manufacturer directly to liaise with them and to get an answer - and as a custom builder, of course they could do it!
So just have to remember that Como are a custom builder, but you really have to ask about everything or else you'll end up with the standard range.
Those stairs are next level (excuse the pun). Sexy! I want them!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Thanks mate, this helped a lot. Managed to get it back in.
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I'd get the gutters to match your roof and pipes to match the paint - otherwise they become a feature. Nice pick with the paint colours!