Browse Forums Owner Builder Forum 1 Jun 02, 2012 12:47 pm Hi, so excited to be doing my first post. We have just purchased a smart block in Warralily, brand new subdivision in Geelong. This wil be the eigth time we have Owner Built around Geelong. We love building. Our motivation is usually a bit more space and accommadating changes in our family- are children are now 2 teenagers and 2 young adults. Reducing debt is also a factor, but more times than not we have ended up in building a larger house, bigger investment than paying off morgtage. This time, this time, hopefully we can build similar size house that we are in now. Love reading everyones posts! Re: Smart Block Owner Build 2Jun 02, 2012 1:10 pm Congratulations and welcome to the forum. There is a Warralily thread on homeone - do a search for it - you might find some neighbours!! 8 times owner/builders!!!! Wow - some would say you are CRAZY ... We are also on our third owner/build in Geelong. Best of luck and look forward to following your build. When do you hope to settle on your land. Do you have design plans?? Re: Smart Block Owner Build 3Jun 02, 2012 1:34 pm The block is a corner block, 12m x 32m. There a quite a lot of covenants- coastal style and colors, Eaves all around house, garage set back at least 1/2 metre from house front, landscaping plans etc. Wishlist for downstairs is; Kids/guestBedroom with ensuite and robe Large family room along back of house- fireplace, folding bifolds to alfresco Kitchen- galley style, white vinyl wrap, 4 metre island, granite benchtop (but if budget is tight, I am happy to have laminate -don't hate me, but we have laminate now and I think it looks fine),900mm upright cooker, computer nook for laptops. Walk in pantry- no sink, but bench space for toaster, mixmaster, food processor, microwave, oh, and tins and packets looking organised, gorgeous and easy to find ???Is this even possible! Laundry- have friends with huge laundries and lots of bench space, but honestly want to spend as less time as possible in here. Walk in linen and broom cupboard. have seen some pics with gorgeous underbench washers and dryers, but our washing machine still good Study- was going to forgo the study and have 2 sets of cupboards in hall because everyone has laptops and we hardly use the study, but decided to keep everthing in one place. Entry with lots of light Stairs- not planning on these being a focal point but could easily change my mind. *Warning this list can change at the blink of an eye without notice, cause I am female and apparently it is a perogative! Re: Smart Block Owner Build 4Jun 02, 2012 1:51 pm Thanks for the welcome Rocketship. I read your build the other day and love, love what you are creating. At this stage, the land is ready in January and we will put our house on the market in September. Our homes have tended to be more traditional in style, but coastal is more modern, another reason why I loved reading about your build. With such limited space it has to be a double storey rectangle. I think the floor plan will be easier than deciding on the exterior elevations- most of what I like does not have eaves. Re: Smart Block Owner Build 5Jun 03, 2012 10:02 pm Are you designing yourself or having designed? If so design your house with everything you want in mind. Even if hand drawn. then transfer to graph paper and see if it lines up. The seek pro help if you wish. just remember you have to attain 6 star energy rating now. There is a little bit more to it than you think. Do some rough costings then eliminate what you cant afford. Sounds really easy doesn't it. We changed our plans at least a dozen times, had plans drawn, all approved, frame up, roof on, and we have shifted 2 walls coz we didnt like it. being an owner builder means you have the ability to change and are not locked in to a certain design. Settlement 1/2/12 New Shed 23/3/12 Slab poured 27/3/12 Frame complete 4/5/12 Roof complete 1/6/12 LOCKUP 29/6/12 Our new build blog http://kareenhillsownerbuild.blogspot.com/ Re: Smart Block Owner Build 6Jun 04, 2012 3:06 pm Thanks for the tip Delatite 13. I have been using floor plans on my iPad but I think using the graph paper, will help me know for sure I have the stairs in the right place on the second floor. I just checked your floor plan out- looks fantastic. I love how the family have their own area and LOVE all the storage! Re: Smart Block Owner Build 7Sep 18, 2012 4:14 pm Thought I would post our plans ( now that I have hopefully figured out how to do it!) This is a sketch from "floorplans" on the ipad. They are with the draughtsman so we are looking forward to seeing some elevations and hopefully will not have to change much. [img Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ ][/img] Ground Floor Re: Smart Block Owner Build 8Sep 18, 2012 4:38 pm [img Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ ][/img] Second Story. We are a family of 6, kids are young adults that dont look like they are moving out any time soon ( average age is 26, right?) Bedroom downstairs is for my neatest child, 20yr old son, so much tidier that his 2 sisters and much less "Stuff!" If we need a guest room or for aging parents, he will come upstairs. House can only be 10 metres wide, but a focal point can be .5mt into frontage setback (Entry and Study) Downstair plan is missing door into shed cause I did not really want it opposite stairs, I was picturing a large mirror there. North is along the side wall with dining table and television. We have tried to fit as much house as possible on the block. There is a large park with BBall crts across the road. Beach about 7 mins away. We already paid for somfy motors for the blinds. The quote above was purely for “pre-wiring” so the blinds company can install the motors and blinds. That’s why we… 5 16275 Shelly switches require a paid subscription for full access to all features which is ridiulous given the lifespan of a home and if you were to sell it or buy a home with… 2 4516 Sorry but you have a crap builder. Probably too late now. For our last build I only spoke to builders who would allow me easy access (at no cost). I used my own sparky… 10 9820 |