Browse Forums Buying Land 1 May 08, 2015 9:40 am Hello, My house build is finishing in around 3 months However, after handover I have to do the followings : 1-Install lighting (chandeliers, down-lights, lights over kitchen island, external lights...) I thought I will fix everything (hand chandeliers, drilling...) except the hot wiring as it needs a licensed sparky. 2-Install curtains I will do it myself because windows sizes is standard and I can get something out of the box. 3-Build a driveway I will setup the timber frames, iron... and hire somebody to do the finishing only when the concrete truck comes in 4-Build Alfresco/pergola DIY 5-Landscaping DIY 6-Fencing Hire a pro to split the cost with my neighbours I am considering things I can DIY vs Hire a pro... Is my plan sound, will I run into trouble? Any advise? hot tips? Many Thanks ! Re: Any Tips on saving after handover ?? 2May 08, 2015 10:09 am Fence is about the easiest to DIY. just go halves with neighbour on materials and ask if they will help. I would advised against you setting the driveways then pour and someone to finish you will prob struggle to find someone using that scenario I'm instead using my mate bob cat and mates trade account for the mix then paying concretor for rio and boxing and finishing. Re: Any Tips on saving after handover ?? 3May 08, 2015 11:35 am MrBee Fence is about the easiest to DIY. just go halves with neighbour on materials and ask if they will help. I would advised against you setting the driveways then pour and someone to finish you will prob struggle to find someone using that scenario I'm instead using my mate bob cat and mates trade account for the mix then paying concretor for rio and boxing and finishing. Thanks MrBee, wish I had a friend with a bobcat I like the design of your house. congrats... Thanks for the tips ... What about electricity and other items... any tips ? Re: Any Tips on saving after handover ?? 4May 08, 2015 1:09 pm I have a cousin and a mate who are sparkies so beer economy and cash helps with those. But I still did a lot with my build because it's easier and don't want to wear out friendships. But if you know of someone or someone who has a relative etc then hit them up I mean mowby is money you may find a 3rd of 4th year apprentice willing to do it cheap. Same goes for most things 4th Yr apprentices are usually itching for cash jobs in all sorts trade ask friends and relative who they know. Re: Any Tips on saving after handover ?? 5May 08, 2015 1:13 pm I have to say, if you're thinking about downlights and chandeliers there's probably not much of the electrical stuff you can do yourself. In my home I simply put in mostly DIY fittings (ie: you take out the globe and plastic surround thingy, put on the fitting then replace the globe) then got an electrician in to put in my more fancy fittings (including outside lights) when I could afford it (12-18 months after handover). Also I think living in a home for a while gives you a good idea of what your lighting needs are (in my case I didn't realise that I couldn't see to wash the dishes at night until after I moved in!) My advice would be to prioritise what MUST be done and then work your way down from there. For example most people will want fencing and driveways done first (for obvious reasons) but if you have to put up with a few bare lightbulbs and no pergola for a while it's not going to be the end of the world. You could also do things like installing window furnishings on the rooms you use the most first and then do other rooms as you can afford. I put up with redi-shades in my living area for quite a few months lol. Re: Any Tips on saving after handover ?? 6May 08, 2015 1:24 pm If u can't afford blinds straight away you could look at www.betterthansheets.com.au Re: Any Tips on saving after handover ?? 8May 12, 2015 3:02 pm Window furnishings are very straight forward when it comes to DIY, and I think you'll find you'll save a lot by measuring/installing yourself - even if you choose to still buy custom made blinds/shutters. When it comes time to measure/install, check out these quick videos for tips on how to do it: http://www.homeblindsaustralia.com.au/content/how-to-videos I hope it helps! Re: Any Tips on saving after handover ?? 9May 12, 2015 4:15 pm HBAustralia Window furnishings are very straight forward when it comes to DIY, and I think you'll find you'll save a lot by measuring/installing yourself - even if you choose to still buy custom made blinds/shutters. When it comes time to measure/install, check out these quick videos for tips on how to do it: http://www.homeblindsaustralia.com.au/content/how-to-videos I hope it helps! This is true I did a whole house of 21 windows for $1300 using 50mm Venetian style blinds. The DIY was dead easy 2 brackets and 4 screws per window. Re: Any Tips on saving after handover ?? 10May 12, 2015 4:19 pm That's good to know! Thanks. Regarding lighting, I thought the chandeliers (crystal)needed big time putting together and hanging vs little time putting the power cables in. Any experience doing so? Thanks Re: Any Tips on saving after handover ?? 11May 22, 2015 1:07 pm Mrbee for someone who never does handiwork, but is fairly ok to learn and pickup how hard is it to diy standard or basic venetians (will be for a rental) on your windows? How much would you realistically have paid vs your 1300 do u reckon had you got someone in to do it? I was also contemplating diy painting of internal walls but have never painted in my life. Heard u could also get junction boxes and conduits into the roof and structures. The electrician for 60 bucks a light can then cut the roof holes and hook up any halogen downlights you buy yourself. At least that's what the paros did for our current house? Not sure how easy it is to screw up painting and window treatments as a first timer though....? So would love to heat feedback. brokers will also be in a position to get you a better rate than the advertised rate most times. 6 7557 Thank you so much. This has been very helpful. We definitely wish to settle and get these people out of our life. They are trying to charge us interest on late… 7 14187 Just be careful with building stability during construction, that is when the structure may be weakened, refer to your engineering drawings for stability methodology. 1 7205 |