Browse Forums Owner Builder Forum 1 Nov 27, 2014 7:20 pm Hi everyone, After a horrendous experience with a local builder we demolished the slab he allowed to be laid at our expense and looked into building with a builder again. We were gun shy and learned that they can pretty much do what they want if they choose and get away with it to our detriment. Our consideration of owner building came about because of this and as we were now severely financially compromised between losing our $15K deposit, demolition, legal fees and holding costs. (currently in the equally horrid process of NACT, so I can't comment on specifics) We then realised that as some builders have little clue and no morals, we decided with help from someone like Matt at Greenify Consulting we could do this and likely do it better and cheaper....well that was the hope and we have!!!!!!!! The builder laid the slab start of Dec 2013 but it was not according to plan so we demolished under Council order in July 2014. We broke ground on the new owner build on the 16th of September and we are all locked up with gyrockers finished and the tiler about to start. So far we have done better than the original builder by far and as a bonus we have a bigger house without technical problems like the old slab had as even the termite barrier would not have worked even laid according to plan! The best thing is we have saved around $150K (on new size tender prices from other builders) all up and by sourcing items ourselves and have been able to upgraded from the basic provided ranges to mid to high end items. We have built according to the plans with no dramas and with the help of Matt explaining the technical issues and order of when to do what (our biggest no idea) and giving a guide to prices of we should expect to pay.... off we went! We have had the help of some local builders and tradies who witnessed the previous disaster of an attempt to build and felt for us. Together with people like Matt who gave unconditional support (weekends and after hours at times - ie when we were home and able to do things) it has actually been quiet easy and not a scary as we thought! There are some awesome honest tradies and people out there - it restores your faith in humans after something like this happens to you! My hubby has project managed the construction side and I have done the ordering and paperwork. We are still running our business at the same time although it is suffering from the lack of attention and we have had to outsourced work and accounting to ensure our customers are happy until hubby gets back to work full time. We will likely be moved in full for Christmas the way we are going So anyone who is thinking about going OB...I say go for it...get Matt to help you with bit you don't understand use his program to keep you on track and budget, take holidays to minimize conflict of work and availability to get the house done and troubleshoot on site...most of all... enjoy the process and the sense of achievement! So a big shout out and thank you Matt from Greenify Consulting! Re: Greenify Consulting - a huge thank you and recommendatio 2Nov 27, 2014 7:34 pm Hi Nectar, So good to hear from you! I was thinking just this week about you and whether I could bear to send you a PM to see how things were going. Little did I know you were being so spectacularly successful. Wonderful story and what a great credit to Matt at Greenify Consulting. Post some pics when you can. Re: Greenify Consulting - a huge thank you and recommendatio 3Nov 27, 2014 7:47 pm Hi thank you we are stoked the other mess of course is ongoing and not likely to be resolved until early next year..the wheel of NCAT roll with the handbrake on You can send a PM any time you like I hope all is ok your end too. Re: Greenify Consulting - a huge thank you and recommendatio 4Dec 11, 2014 9:24 pm Congratulations Matt has been a great help to us so far on our project! Build thread http://tinyurl.com/llgc7yk Re: Greenify Consulting - a huge thank you and recommendatio 5Dec 24, 2014 4:12 pm We are in before Xmas! Yeeeehaaaaa...even our little pool is in and concreted and we have been swimming in it
Only really landscaping/turfing to go and a few fit out things that xmas got in the way of but they were not worth delaying moving in for. We are absolutely exhausted as it has been a whirlwind but of course very happy! It took us 13 weeks of long days from breaking ground to moving in! It was so worth it , we LOVE everything about our house. We were sitting in the dark last night listening to the crickets and the pool water feature spurty thingos and it was just one of those rare perfect moments of reflection. It is so humbling to have so many people caring and looking out for you and offering unconditional help (Matt) It is also satisfying to see what we (and our helpers) had achieved....more so I think because I am still here to see it After such an awful few years medically and the awful protracted experience with a licensed builder we really could not have hoped for a better outcome. The one thing we all said when deciding to go OB or not was - we couldn't possibly do any worse than having to demolish a slab! I think importantly, we have not tried to work beyond out competence level and when we needed technical help we utilized Matts advice, experienced (recommended) tradies and inspectors. This minimized errors and of course saved time and money in the end. The inspectors actually commented on the quality of the workmanship and finish. We had awesome tradies! We did not want to build ourselves, we don't know enough, hence why we employed a builder but finances after the demolition and 7 months of holding costs on 2 properties dictated the need and I am so glad we did! I know our situation was different to most but I would encourage anyone with half an ounce of common sense to give it a go yourself - with support it IS doable. I will post some pics when I get a chance to figure out how soon. Good to hear that Bigblock7 What stage are you at? Sorry it's a long winded post I am so tired and excited lol but I am off to have a nanna nap by the pool now so have energy to put some more stuff away ready for Christmas Day lunch at ours - hopefully the first of many Merry Christmas everyone and have a safe and happy New Year. Re: Greenify Consulting - a huge thank you and recommendatio 6Dec 24, 2014 4:15 pm Awesome. Happy Xmas in your new home. Congratulations. Re: Greenify Consulting - a huge thank you and recommendatio 8Dec 26, 2014 7:02 pm Hi Nectar, Congratulations on your achievement and thanks for your recommendation. The real hero here is YOU as you have proved that taking a risk and knowing your limitations and asking for help can really pay off. I look forward to seeing some of your photos in the near future. It's all about wireless, self install now. The cost/benefit of wired setups for the house are no longer what they used to be. Lots of wireless options. Eufy, Arlo and… 2 9797 ideal house depends on the site and location as much as internal floor plan....what is the distance from the house to all four boundaries, where is north, describe your… 3 15169 If you need to pay for a project manager you would be well advised to just engage a builder who would take full responsibility for the build. As opposed to you OB where… 5 15084 |