New Build advice - Prelim Drawings

Hey guys,

I'm about to embark on this build journey, so at the moment I'm reading up as much as I can hunting down information, but I'm completely new to this all.

I've got a set of drawings from the builders, and I can read them well enough but, from a building point of view I'm just not sure what I should be looking for, so any information or tips I can get would be much appreciated!

There's a few things that are not marked on on this set yet:
- The colours are gonna be different for everything (Render, roof, gutters etc).
- There is going to be built-in robes to bedrooms 2 & 3.
- The block is South-facing (North East Adelaide), I read up that in this case it's better to have living areas at the back?
- The lights are not all going to be downlights, only to living areas, hallway & kitchen. Would it be better to do these separately?

One area I'm interested in is the electrical layout, I've trying to keep it as economical as possible while as efficient as possible, as the future goal is to possibly rent it out.

I've attached a copy of my drawings, and I know it isn't as flashy as some of the builds I've seen up on here but any help I can get would be much appreciated, thanks!





















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Couple of thoughts come to mind

• the living areas downstairs face north, which is where both winter & summer sun come from. If you can extend the eaves over the big sliding door down there to … about 900mm I think but your builder might have an opinion on what's correct … then in winter as the sun is at a low angle it'll shine in & yet in summer when the sun is more overhead the windows will be shaded. The same shading concept can be used for bed 3, although a simple shade might be cheaper than extending the eaves up there.
• it might be worth asking about the extra cost of windows that open wider, eg "casement windows" … Adelaide does get hot, and the ones you've got won't let a lot of breezes through. Particularly upstairs, those little awning windows don't allow much airflow (IMHO at least install sliders so that at least half the window opens). They might have done it due to rules on people being able to fall out of big windows, if that's the case see how much security fly-screens like CrimSafe cost to install upstairs (which is how we got around that problem).
• it's a nice compact design, but I wonder about a 3-bed place with 3 toilets - is that overkill when there's not a lot of storage space? Can the ensuite be rejigged somehow so the WC can be accessible to the living area as well as from the ensuite, maybe move the linen under the stairs & have a big under-stairs cupboard as well? Just a thought, not quite sure how the ensuite rejigging would work
• I suspect the wardrobe in the main bedroom doesn't go all the way to the door to make the room feel more open near the entrance? I kinda/sorta suspect the extra storage space might be worth reducing that feeling of airiness slightly though (maybe mirrored doors on the wardrobe would help that?).
• would it make sense to move the laundry window to the back wall of the house, so it's above (or next-to-above) the washer - hence allowing you to put something like a cheap Ikea tall-boy or set of shelves in the corner where that window currently is? Actually a windowed laundry door might be just as good as you currently have & save you some money (although my window-moving suggestion plus a windowed laundry-door will get you a bit of extra light in there).

I think the laundry takes up a bit of space. Id consider moving it to the GGE.

Id add doors to the study so it could be perceived as a bedroom if needed.

I think the master bed is small and wonder if its better placed upstairs, not knowing what your family scenario is, worth considering. Then upstairs you decide if an ensuite is needed or just a good sized main bathroom with a wc on ground floor.

Add more GPOs, you wont regret it

Also consider furniture placement, I think living area would be tight...

Thanks for the input! I had the same thoughts on the windows as well, they do seem kinda small but I do believe that it was done based on design rules, I'll have a chat with them about this. And with the shading I think that might be cheaper to DIY some shades after.
And yes I see how that can be abit of overkill with 3 toilets, the idea behind it was to have a private ensuite, and a shared bathroom upstairs, but since we had that space under the stairs we figured that it would make sense to have a bathroom there too that is more accessible than having to run upstairs for it. This is going with the assumption that the people renting (In the future at some point) may not all be family/close friends.
Yes that's correct the robes in the master stop about 800mm from the door, precisely for that reason. The width is about 1.8m, which i thought was standard, wouldn't that cost more having it a non-standard width, including the mirrored doors?

Thanks for the advice Alymei The major restricting factor i believe is the size of the block. It's not large, and its tapered backwards, with the front wider than the back, so the usable width is about 11m, which with this layout gives us about 1m left down the left side. The garage is on the fence on the other side. That little area behind the garage & next to the house, I'll also be getting that concreted so I can use it as an entertainment area.


I did want to make the study a bedroom, but due to design rules regarding minimum internal areas, for the purposes of the build I couldn't. I have thought about converting it after the build as it makes sense sense for renting. Living area downstairs might be a little tight, but it's open-plan so maybe I can create "space" through creative use of furniture?

Regarding GPOs, should i just throw in double points everywhere I can, or in specific rooms? What about data points, should I also be including these upstairs?

This is a great, compact plan only needs a few minor changes.

1) put laundry cabinets up against the back wall for better access

2) mirror the rear living room sliding door so you can fit a corner lounge in the back right corner without blocking access. TV will then go on the wall backing onto laundry.

3) mirror the swing on the powder room door so that you don't have a line of sight from the kitchen/ dining room to the toilet when opening the door.

Thanks! Very practical tips, never would've picked up on them on my own. Very much appreciated