Well i must be a glutton for punishment but here we are again about to embark on a 3rd build... yes i know im missing a screw or two lol
Anyways i though this would be a good way to document our build as i never did on the first two we built and regret not taking the time to do one, with the slow demise of forum usage these days and fb groups being the go to i do hope homeone is around for many many more years to come.
A little bit about us, im a mechanic by trade and the missus is a high school teacher. We have 2 gorgeous children that are starting to get to that stage in life where they want things that will take up space ( trampolines and dirt bikes etc ) so it was time we explored our plan of relocating somewhere that still has affordable decent sized blocks and houses dont sit on top of each other.
Our first rodeo was back in 2010 in Gregory Hills, it was a lovely corner block on 612sqm , We managed to finish up the whole home with everything from 2.7s , 40mm stone, poly kitchen, shutters, down lights everywhere , full landscaped , driveway and all that good stuff for $520k this was a 30sq single story custom design by a custom builder .I remember at hand over thinking to myself OMG im in debt so much and this place owes us over 1/2 a million what have i done lolol
In late 2016 we sold up whilst the market was really strong and downsized. We purchased a spec home through Edgewater with a land size of 330sqm, again another corner block but with a 28sq double story. It was basically all house which was perfect for a few years until we outgrown the outside available space.
Back in 2010 when we were out looking to build our first home i was very close to buying in Bingara Gorge, it was such a gorgeous estate but the issue for me back then starting a young family money was tight... Back then Bingara Gorge was designed for acerage style homes and the blocks were 2000sqm+. There was no way i could have afforded to build a home large enough to do a block of that size justice.
Bingara Gorge was always stuck in the back of my mind and i told myself one day i will build a home there.... Well a decade later its happening
Just as the market was staring to climb again on late 2019 i started to look around, it was early 2020 i actually went and paid George a visit at Bingara after looking at surrounding areas ( Picton, Thirlmere, Tahmoor, Appin) Ultimately the location by the Hume hwy was something that the other estates couldnt match . 20mins to work and 20mins to play ( beaches @ Wollongong ) i couldnt have asked for more. I actually liked Bingara Gorge so much i paid a deposit on my first visit lolol . After talking to a few builders it was clear that my dreams of having an extra garage for our boys toys was not going to happen on this block as it splayed and the front setback wasnt far enough to allow for such a wide house . I could have been the first to build and push my house back killing off the backyard but our future neighbors would want to kill me if i did so hehe.
After going through all the other blocks available in the Fairways East nothing met the criteria so i looked to the other side of the estate called Greenbridge East as the lots are a lot bigger. Unfortunately this side has been in the making for 5 years as there were many delays due to a rare breed of frog and a plant. So the majority had already been sold and what few were left were the premium golf lots which were $150k+ more then what i was willing to spend. I could have taken the plunge on one of these but the extra money would need to come from somewhere which would mean a smaller or less spec build.
After a few weeks of getting the run around by a real estate agent who was clearly playing games and looking at a few others that were either overpriced or just didnt suit the home i wanted to build we came across another listing. I was very familiar with this lot as i had been close to buying the one directly across from it. The price was right and so was the timing so we signed on the dotted line.
It turns out the original purchaser paid his deposit 5 years ago with the understanding registration would be 6 - 12 months at the latest. Well i guess there comes a point in time where you just cant wait any longer and move on. It was lucky for us but still id hate to be in that situation. The vendor was happy to move it on before registration so i paid the 10% and was on my way
Anyways enough of the chit chat here are some photos
As mentioned we had already started to look at land even though we still had'nt even put our home on the market, this was when COVID was spreading and the market was very uncertain. Lucky for us we had a great team selling our home and we managed to sell on the first weekend for our asking price even though many said it would'nt happen .
This pic was taken after the cooling off period expired
We were actually quite lucky and the timing was just right. We ended up putting a deposit on lot 72 in Greenbridge East , its a 700sqm block with a 20m frontage and a depth of 35m. There are no easements the soil came back for a m class slab and the land is a flat as one would hope to find in Bingara Gorge. We paid our deposit end of April and will be doing a simultaneous settlement as we bought it through someone who has waited 5 years yes thats right 5 YEARS !
The day of settlement ( May 2020 ) on our home in Willowdale Denham Court... It was only a few years but we made a lot of memories and met some really nice people in that short amount of time. It was a day of both sadness and excitement... As they say onto bigger and better things!
Woohoo ive been made aware that registration for Greenbridge East lots 1 - 83 have gone through and settlement will take place on the 5th of June just in time for the wifey's birthday
I guess its time to get a move on and choose a builder and this is where im a little unsure which road to take.. For a long time now ive always liked the Seaside retreat by Mcdonald Jones, there is something that they do that just works for me. I really like their floor plans and also the street appeal they have with their facades. Out of all the project builders these guys are my favourite. The problem with a project builder is the hit n miss when it comes to workmanship and their inability to be flexible without paying through the nose.
I have an appointment with a custom builder tomorrow that is well known in the area but i do feel this will be way out of over the budget, i guess we will find out tomorrow where we stand.
Back to MJH i always have been a huge fan of their Seaside Retreat 16 Executive but because of the location of the master being in the middle it probably isnt a good idea for someone who does rotating shift's . If we do go ahead with MJH it will be the Miami 16 executive with a 3rd car garage , Hebel construction , Colorbond roof and possibly the Balinese Facade which i find still looks great after i first seen it a decade ago.
Woohoo ive been made aware that registration for Greenbridge East lots 1 - 83 have gone through and settlement will take place on the 5th of June just in time for the wifey's birthday
I guess its time to get a move on and choose a builder and this is where im a little unsure which road to take.. For a long time now ive always liked the Seaside retreat by Mcdonald Jones, there is something that they do that just works for me. I really like their floor plans and also the street appeal they have with their facades. Out of all the project builders these guys are my favourite. The problem with a project builder is the hit n miss when it comes to workmanship and their inability to be flexible without paying through the nose.
I have an appointment with a custom builder tomorrow that is well known in the area but i do feel this will be way out of over the budget, i guess we will find out tomorrow where we stand.
Back to MJH i always have been a huge fan of their Seaside Retreat 16 Executive but because of the location of the master being in the middle it probably isnt a good idea for someone who does rotating shift's . If we do go ahead with MJH it will be the Miami 16 executive with a 3rd car garage , Hebel construction , Colorbond roof and possibly the Balinese Facade which i find still looks great after i first seen it a decade ago.
Check out Kastelan Designer Homes, Custom designs at good prices, friends just started talking to them to build at Caddens Hill
Hi GrahamB i tried to google a website but only found an ABN... Where are they located?
As MOJO are also offering a free quote I thought i may as well give it a shot just to compare with sister company MJH... Keeping in mind their base price is higher you get alot more clearer picture on what your costs will be as you can purchase their iconic packages which cover everything from kitchens, to laundry, to bathroom, to accessories etc etc instead of getting disappointed at the end of the build when you can’t afford that stone upgrade or those fancy down lights.What i also appreciated was the fact the alfresco is included in the base price instead of being offered as a “ free upgrade “ if you sign by COB lol Even things like alfresco and porch tiling is standard. I was pleasantly surprised with the initial tender i will be making the drive up to Newcastle to take a closer look at both the Oasis 31 and the Symphony 31. I did ask why we had a very limited choice of singles in Sydney to view and his answer was “ nobody builds singles anymore the blocks aren’t big enough “ 🤦🏻♂️ Looking forward to seeing these 2 designs.
Was meant to have settlement for the land on Friday but has been pushed back to Tuesday due to a lack of staff... i guess settlement of over 70 blocks in one day was never going to happen
Really not sure what to do in terms of the build, i had plans to add a hoist in my 3rd garage but its not possible on the waffle pod slab these volume builders use. I can either add a shed to the rear that can take a hoist which means even more money or find a custom builder that can cater to the extra engineering needed for a hoist install .
Fancy not being able to jack up a car in the garage lmfao
Was meant to have settlement for the land on Friday but has been pushed back to Tuesday due to a lack of staff... i guess settlement of over 70 blocks in one day was never going to happen
Really not sure what to do in terms of the build, i had plans to add a hoist in my 3rd garage but its not possible on the waffle pod slab these volume builders use. I can either add a shed to the rear that can take a hoist which means even more money or find a custom builder that can cater to the extra engineering needed for a hoist install .
Fancy not being able to jack up a car in the garage lmfao
You should give me a call, if you want to chat let me know I will send you my number
As part of the process today i had my appointment with the Austral Bricks Studio even though its a hebel build. This is one part of the build im finding really difficult, being a visual person I can’t for the life of me picture what my selections will look like. The website has software to show renders but they don’t look anything like the end product lol
This is what we managed to come up with but im still in two minds about it.
Monument roof and gutters
Evening haze fascia and render
Monument window frames
Caboa stain piers, entry door and garage
Evening haze gutters
I may change the render colour to more of a beige / paperbark type colour but i will hit up the local Taubmans for some sample pots tomorrow
Would love to hear some feedback on my selections, this is for the Balinese Resort Facade from Mcdonald Jones Homes
In other news this week we finally had our settlement go through... this section of Bingara Gorge has been delayed for over 5 years ! What a lovely sight it was to finally see the gates removed
Not much to has happened and it feels like things have come to a standstill ... MJH are very slow and at present we are still waiting for our CT to be presented. They were so quick to give us a quote however after the deposit was paid we are moving at a snails pace.
Hope this isnt a sign of things to come ???