Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Jun 02, 2020 8:43 pm Hi guys Just wondering if anyone has gone with a custom builder with their own custom design and had a good experience . After having countless discussions with builders and not getting the design we love , we’re thinking of going down the custom route . Not sure how hard/painful it is to build a custom home especially with council approval etc . Any feedback or experiences would be appreciated ! Re: Custom builder 2Jun 02, 2020 9:18 pm We are building a custom house currently. We used a local architect to design the house and get us to DA. Being local, the architect was familiar with our council’s requirements, but even then there was a bit of to-ing and fro-ing to get it through. I’ve been told sometimes it depends on the individual council person you get. The design does push the boundaries a bit though, so we had to go through council rather than CDC and that takes extra time. Re: Custom builder 3Jun 02, 2020 9:26 pm Hillsbuilds We are building a custom house currently. We used a local architect to design the house and get us to DA. Being local, the architect was familiar with our council’s requirements, but even then there was a bit of to-ing and fro-ing to get it through. I’ve been told sometimes it depends on the individual council person you get. The design does push the boundaries a bit though, so we had to go through council rather than CDC and that takes extra time. Yeah I would expect a bit of back and forth with council. Which council did you go through if you don’t mind me asking . Mine will be hills shire and I haven’t heard great things about them . Also how easy was it to find a builder to build your custom design ? Do u mind sharing who your building with . Re: Custom builder 4Jun 02, 2020 9:39 pm Sbanu, we have just had approval with Hills shire council (in April) I read many stories about many delays, and I’m following a few on instagram that had between 6-9 months for approval, one was a project build and one was an owner builder. We were in council for exactly 8 weeks, we are building a custom design, with a small builder like Hillsbuild. Our two neighbours have also just been approved, also between 7-8 weeks, one is building with a small project builder, and the other an owner builder. It does not seem to matter what type of build, however it does depend on whether you can do a CDC approval or whether you will need a full DA. I think if you can get approval by CDC, then definitely go that route, if you have to do a full DA, then make sure you cross your Ts and dot your Is, the more detail, the less chance you may have problems. Re: Custom builder 5Jun 02, 2020 9:40 pm We’re hills shire as well. There’s a couple of people on here that are custom building in this council too. I’d say Hills were ok - I’ve heard other councils are much worse (Ku-Ring-Gai!). Actually, come to think of it most of our tweaking was to do with landscaping - the council person seemed mainly concerned that we not disturb the root systems of our neighbours’ trees. I have a thread documenting the build if you wanted to read more about it. viewtopic.php?f=31&t=92728&p=1871857#p1871857 Re: Custom builder 6Jun 02, 2020 9:44 pm gogo65 Sbanu, we have just had approval with Hills shire council (in April) I read many stories about many delays, and I’m following a few on instagram that had between 6-9 months for approval, one was a project build and one was an owner builder. We were in council for exactly 8 weeks, we are building a custom design, with a small builder like Hillsbuild. Our two neighbours have also just been approved, also between 7-8 weeks, one is building with a small project builder, and the other an owner builder. It does not seem to matter what type of build, however it does depend on whether you can do a CDC approval or whether you will need a full DA. I think if you can get approval by CDC, then definitely go that route, if you have to do a full DA, then make sure you cross your Ts and dot your Is, the more detail, the less chance you may have problems. Oh, re builders, we found plenty around. Met some, got some quotes. Decided to go with our current builder Capital One Projects. So far so good! Re: Custom builder 7Jun 02, 2020 9:59 pm gogo65 Sbanu, we have just had approval with Hills shire council (in April) I read many stories about many delays, and I’m following a few on instagram that had between 6-9 months for approval, one was a project build and one was an owner builder. We were in council for exactly 8 weeks, we are building a custom design, with a small builder like Hillsbuild. Our two neighbours have also just been approved, also between 7-8 weeks, one is building with a small project builder, and the other an owner builder. It does not seem to matter what type of build, however it does depend on whether you can do a CDC approval or whether you will need a full DA. I think if you can get approval by CDC, then definitely go that route, if you have to do a full DA, then make sure you cross your Ts and dot your Is, the more detail, the less chance you may have problems. That sounds good . Almost too good haha . We have looked at countless designs But none Of them appealed to us . I suppose the trick to be to keep it within the floor space ratio for cdc approval . Now almost tempted to go the owner builder route but don’t really have the time to supervise the build constantly . Although not sure how much of a saving there is in doing owner builder .. Re: Custom builder 8Jun 02, 2020 10:00 pm Hillsbuilds gogo65 Sbanu, we have just had approval with Hills shire council (in April) I read many stories about many delays, and I’m following a few on instagram that had between 6-9 months for approval, one was a project build and one was an owner builder. We were in council for exactly 8 weeks, we are building a custom design, with a small builder like Hillsbuild. Our two neighbours have also just been approved, also between 7-8 weeks, one is building with a small project builder, and the other an owner builder. It does not seem to matter what type of build, however it does depend on whether you can do a CDC approval or whether you will need a full DA. I think if you can get approval by CDC, then definitely go that route, if you have to do a full DA, then make sure you cross your Ts and dot your Is, the more detail, the less chance you may have problems. Oh, re builders, we found plenty around. Met some, got some quotes. Decided to go with our current builder Capital One Projects. So far so good! That’ sounds good . Just wondering if you had a good experience with your architect . And also if you would be able to share his details . You can PM me the details if you are comfortable sharing . Re: Custom builder 9Jun 02, 2020 10:09 pm Yes, love the design my architect came up with and working with her. Unfortunately she doesn’t take on clients anymore, she now does internal designs for a large commercial entity. Re: Custom builder 10Jun 02, 2020 10:23 pm Hillsbuilds Yes, love the design my architect came up with and working with her. Unfortunately she doesn’t take on clients anymore, she now does internal designs for a large commercial entity. Oh that’s a shame . Where did you find her if you don’t mind me asking ? Would like to know if there is a resource available to look for reliable local architects . Don’t really want to go the google search route . It would be good to get in touch with an art chote this someone has used and could recommend . Re: Custom builder 11Jun 02, 2020 10:35 pm sbanu Hillsbuilds Yes, love the design my architect came up with and working with her. Unfortunately she doesn’t take on clients anymore, she now does internal designs for a large commercial entity. Oh that’s a shame . Where did you find her if you don’t mind me asking ? Would like to know if there is a resource available to look for reliable local architects . Don’t really want to go the google search route . It would be good to get in touch with an art chote this someone has used and could recommend . why are you looking for an Architect? Most overcharge and don't care about buildability of the home, more than often costing more and blowing budgets/dreams. Drafting designers on the other hand, very good, I use 4 different ones Re: Custom builder 12Jun 02, 2020 10:36 pm sbanu Hillsbuilds Yes, love the design my architect came up with and working with her. Unfortunately she doesn’t take on clients anymore, she now does internal designs for a large commercial entity. Oh that’s a shame . Where did you find her if you don’t mind me asking ? Would like to know if there is a resource available to look for reliable local architects . Don’t really want to go the google search route . It would be good to get in touch with an art chote this someone has used and could recommend . You could get onto the Aust Institute of Architects website and find one that way. But I agree, word of mouth is always good. Re: Custom builder 13Jun 02, 2020 10:37 pm Hillsbuilds We’re hills shire as well. There’s a couple of people on here that are custom building in this council too. I’d say Hills were ok - I’ve heard other councils are much worse (Ku-Ring-Gai!). Actually, come to think of it most of our tweaking was to do with landscaping - the council person seemed mainly concerned that we not disturb the root systems of our neighbours’ trees. I have a thread documenting the build if you wanted to read more about it. viewtopic.php?f=31&t=92728&p=1871857#p1871857 worst council in Sydney to deal with is Inner West followed closely by Bayside Hi Mofflepop, I would recommend finding a building designer to prepare plans, they should design to your specified budget. The benefit is you can tender the project out… 9 20426 Hello, we can help you please get in contact 0421019219 thank you 3 31852 Hi, can anyone recommend a custom home builder who can build in north east area? Looking to build a custom 4-br energy-efficient home with a max budget of 750k. If they… 0 22823 |