Browse Forums Building A New House Re: Knockdown Rebuild - North West Sydney 8May 18, 2020 12:25 am Hillsbuilds Custom builds take longer than volume builds anyway I believe. Not counting the design phase and time for council approval, this will probably take us to just under two years to build. The delays due to Sydney Water and AGL account for about 6-7 months. At least a straight month of no work due to weather. And then all this has a knock on effect on the rest of the scheduling and availability of contractors which results in more delays. Builder has a policy of using top quality contractors so was keen to wait for their availability. Some factors due to the one-off uniqueness of a custom build - frames took 2 months as they are not mass produced off-site. Each was measured for and built onsite. Design is not a rectangular box that has been built multiple times, so sometimes issues arise when design on paper does not translate to real life/best practice. Eg the peak of the cathedral ceiling in the MBR was not centred in the room, so the carpenters pointed out to me that it would be better if it was. Changing that then had a bit of a knock on effect to other parts of the design too that had to be tweaked so windows lined up etc. Another delay was due to misunderstanding with windows by the window guys. Your builder has been stretching the truth by the sounds of it, there is no significant reason why a custom build should take longer, everything is basically computer generated with timber frames at worst you would lose a week. The drafting stage is absolute key in a custom, plan understanding and "buildabilty" is the formula needed. Most builders wont go through that level of detail with the clients and hope for "extras" later, my builders are not like that if the original house is in good condition most of what you listed could be added in stages without the need for KDR and costs and disruption of having to live elsewhere… 1 10456 Hi I live in a 100yr old semi and my neighbour added an additional floor last yr and our architect has advised that we can knock down our semi and build a free-standing… 0 29022 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 4006 |