Browse Forums Building A New House Re: Alkira Homes "The Sienna" KDR Ryde area (NSW) 3Oct 14, 2014 7:56 pm The plan
What the house looks like in 3D The floor plan has not changed from the standard so I won't bother posting my own plans. Only changes were the front facade windows and we removed all sliding doors to hinged doors. As well as having a cornerless stacker doors to access the alfresco Front Elevation The display home had the Corvina facade which we were not keen on and we didn't want a rendered look as we felt it was more a fad. However, we liked the way the windows were positioned. So we changed the Malbec to be a mixture of Malbec and Corvina. The original looked like this: Corvina (picture courtesy of Alkira homes) Malbec (picture courtesy of Alkira homes) What we ended up with West Elevation Due to the land sloping ever so slightly and council did not allow for fill to be put in rather it must flow with the land. Plans had to be amended after DA approval to meet the conditions set out by council. The slab is to be constructed with drop edge beams and because of the drop by the time you get to the rear of the house. I now have a concrete landing and steps for the laundry entry and exit. As well as steps from the alfresco to the back yard (see rear elevation) Rear Elevation Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Since I have to redo a side street wall (it is a corner block) I did a mock up of what the Modular wall could look like. As it is not constructed of masonry I don't need a separate DA submission. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Landscaping I didn't have any grand plans for landscaping. Only thing I stipulated was that it must be simple to maintain, trees don't lose their leaves in the winter and must be pretty hardy. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ What I hope to see when mine is complete. Picture from Alkira's Sienna display as seen from the rear corner of the house in the living room. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ I won't be doing a war and peace for the electrical, the plan speaks for itself. (This was done back in July and having more time to think some of the locations need amending. I hope I will be able to speak to the electrician when it is time instead of trying to get Home Options to update and send back to Alkira and incur more delays Ground Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ First Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Happy to answer any question anyone might have. Re: Alkira Homes "The Sienna" KDR Ryde area (NSW) 4Oct 14, 2014 7:57 pm Selections
Unbeknownst to us we somehow ended up with a “theme” for the house. Some names for the colours revolved around beverages. Ie (Latte, Cappucino, whites, browns) We’ve kept it relatively simple sticking with most colours that are already at the display home. Our thinking was if it didn’t look good a feature wall or wallpapered feature will fix it. We can always paint it a colour we want later and we wanted to avoid variations and to keep it simple. We took their “Indulgence Package” plus the take your pick from a choice of 3 options free (pick the air conditioning). External • Façade: The Malbec with the Corvina windows • Bricks – Austral Bricks [Urban One Range – Latte] • Roof tiles – Monier Traditional Profile [Barramundi] • Window frames – [Surfmist] • Gutter – [Basalt] • Fascia – [Basalt] • Downpipes – [Surfmist] • Garage Door – [Surfmist] • Front Door – Hume Savoy XS26 [Maple] Internal All walls – Taubmans [Windy Peak] Carpets – [Light brown] Upstairs floor – Hebel equivalent brand LOXO floor panels Kitchen • Benches – Caesarstone [Osprey] • Base cabinets – [Classic White Sheen] • Wall cabinets – [Latte Lini Sheen] • Splashback – [Natural White] • Kickboard – [Brushed Pewter] • Floor tiles - Xilo 145 x 1200 porcelain tiles[creamy white refer to display home floor] Bathrooms, Ensuite, Laundry • Benches – Caesarstone [Osprey] • Cabinets – [Cappucino Sheen] • Wall tiles – Brilliant White Rectangle • Floor tiles – Eclipse Nocciola (in a light creamy brown colour) Alfresco & porch tiles – [600 x300 grey granite] Master Bedroom • Door to retreat – Hume Savoy XS26 Stairs • Tread - Maple • Risers and everything else - Crisp White I'll add more if someone asks and it isn't listed ... Re: Alkira Homes "The Sienna" KDR Ryde area (NSW) 5Oct 14, 2014 7:57 pm What kept me sane throughout this journey thus far:
Some helpful links I found along the way (I know this forum is great for information but a bit hard to search unless you know the keywords to use. I am not from the building industry so some terms are foreign to me). What I have listed below I do not have any affiliations for their products or services. They are ones that I have used or will be using when I have a completed house to move into. (I will update as I move along this journey) Sun Calc helps to see how the sun rises and sets throughout the year. A fantastic tool! Stegbar PDF Doc what I used to understand windows Building PDF Doc found this online which explains the sequence of a build and what to expect Modular Walls boundary walls/fencing BrightGreen LED LED lighting / downlights edmonds roof and house ventilation GarageTek garage flooring Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Ikea Hackers for the creative and lovers of Ikea Jetmaster Gas fire place that I've been looking at, something looking like the one below to be located in the living room (just off the alfresco). I had one in my other house Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Real Flame Landscape 1600 Decided to go with a Real Flame Landscape 1600 fireplace, i think it suits the design and decor of the house We had a glass board in our other house which proved to be useful to write the grocery list or to use it to help my daughter with school work link Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ GuttaFilta Gutter filtration that I found at the homeshow .. seems pretty cool More to come Re: Alkira Homes 7Oct 14, 2014 8:42 pm b2o What do you believe can be done post build? whirly birds, anything to do with upstairs where you can get into the roof cavity (lighting and electricals) if you so desire carpets for the rooms blinds and flyscreens unless the builders have a package deal that covers ALL Re: Alkira Homes "The Sienna" KDR Ryde area (NSW) 8Oct 14, 2014 10:46 pm I loved the Sienna too, although hubby didn't. It was far too big for our block and needs though, and much as I loved the light from the void, I was also a little concerned about noise. So no Sienna for us! Interesting to see your timeline. It took us ages to get the first tender too. But you moved to part B far more quickly than we did! Re: Alkira Homes "The Sienna" KDR Ryde area (NSW) 9Oct 14, 2014 11:45 pm AvaG I loved the Sienna too, although hubby didn't. It was far too big for our block and needs though, and much as I loved the light from the void, I was also a little concerned about noise. So no Sienna for us! Interesting to see your timeline. It took us ages to get the first tender too. But you moved to part B far more quickly than we did! Hi AvaG Tbh it is pretty big we only have one child so a 5 bedroom house is overkill . We were going to remove the wall between bedroom 2 and bedroom 3 and create a really big room. But decided not to just in case we sell in the future it is worth more as a 5 bedder. I think we just wanted to get it over and done with so moved very quickly. There wasn't anything we noticed that was a shock so we kept moving forward with the process ... The only challenge I have at this stage is in that void area and what to put in the ceiling at 5m! We provisioned 2 lights there but hanging pendants may just block the views. Last option is 2 fans in lieu of lights for practicality, summer keep the place cool with lower running cost. Keep the dining and kitchen area warm by using the gas fireplace from the living and having the fan on slow to push the warm air back down. Re: Alkira Homes "The Sienna" KDR Ryde area (NSW) 10Oct 15, 2014 6:06 am An upstairs living area is great, especially as the children grow up. We also looked at The Sienna but in the end opted to use a custom builder due to the narrow nature of our block. We also liked ideas from other builders, which we also incorporated into our plans. Things like a mud room, and better access to the laundry from the garage, were on our list. I'm currently attempting to finalise our electric plan. Where do you intent to terminate your network cabling? The electrician by default planned for termination in the garage however I have a number of servers which should be in a cooler and dust free environment. Out of interest, what's the cost quoted for the installation of a data point? Who and how are you planning the installation of your lights? It's obvious our prescribed electrician isn't a designer and I'm noting the exact distance from walls downlight should be installed. Re: Alkira Homes "The Sienna" KDR Ryde area (NSW) 11Oct 15, 2014 6:32 am Slippery-dip! I went for a walk weekend-before-last, firstly to buy a router from Harris Technology (only to find out it'd closed forever the day before - and I'd checked their site to be sure it was open!) & then over to Top Ryde for some headlight bulbs ... so walked through a few backstreets and MAN there're some constructions happening! I recall at least a couple of Alkira blocks but can't quite remember whether any were still at "site clean" stage ... Re: Alkira Homes 12Oct 15, 2014 7:48 am b2o I'm currently attempting to finalise our electric plan. Where do you intent to terminate your network cabling? The electrician by default planned for termination in the garage however I have a number of servers which should be in a cooler and dust free environment. I've used the section under the stairs as the main IT area. I had a similar setup in my previous house where I had bought a wall mount rack and a patch panel, then cable everything back to a switch. I was fortunate enough to have got my hands on a small business Cisco IP PBX which I used to hook up 6 IP phones around the house. b2o Out of interest, what's the cost quoted for the installation of a data point? its $94 per port (Cat 6 cabling), over 4 years ago I was quoted $115 per port (Cat 6) b2o Who and how are you planning the installation of your lights? It's obvious our prescribed electrician isn't a designer and I'm noting the exact distance from walls downlight should be installed. I went to a dealer of Brightgreen who was at the home show a few months back. I had spoken with them about requirements and the electrical plan. No real changes other than saved myself 2 batten lights. Its all got to do with the type of downlight and the spread of light achieved and to avoid any black spots. PM me if you would like further details of the dealer. Re: Alkira Homes "The Sienna" KDR Ryde area (NSW) 13Oct 15, 2014 7:52 am Forg Slippery-dip! I went for a walk weekend-before-last, firstly to buy a router from Harris Technology (only to find out it'd closed forever the day before - and I'd checked their site to be sure it was open!) & then over to Top Ryde for some headlight bulbs ... so walked through a few backstreets and MAN there're some constructions happening! I recall at least a couple of Alkira blocks but can't quite remember whether any were still at "site clean" stage ... you know the slippery dip is just for the display home no way will I want one in the house. Mind you that would be a quick way to get downstairs ... "to the bat cave robin!!" There's definitely a good number of us that has gone with Alkira, one near you Forg and then a couple on the other side of Lane Cove Rd. . Re: Alkira Homes "The Sienna" KDR Ryde area (NSW) 15Oct 15, 2014 8:32 am deluded There's definitely a good number of us that has gone with Alkira, one near you Forg and then a couple on the other side of Lane Cove Rd. . Yeah, since you pointed-out that upcoming build near us, I've been waiting impatiently for signs of it being about to start ... maybe the owners are renting it out, their Commodore is the same age & colour as ours and nobody with a car that old can afford to build a house. Re: Alkira Homes "The Sienna" KDR Ryde area (NSW) 16Oct 15, 2014 11:38 am deluded Selections Unbeknownst to us we somehow ended up with a “theme” for the house. Some names for the colours revolved around beverages. Ie (Latte, Cappucino, whites, browns) We’ve kept it relatively simple sticking with most colours that are already at the display home. Our thinking was if it didn’t look good a feature wall or wallpapered feature will fix it. We can always paint it a colour we want later and we wanted to avoid variations and to keep it simple. We took their “Indulgence Package” plus the take your pick from a choice of 3 options free (pick the air conditioning). External • Façade: The Malbec with the Corvina windows • Bricks – Austral Bricks [Urban One Range – Latte] • Roof tiles – Monier Traditional Profile [Barramundi] • Window frames – [Surfmist] • Gutter – [Basalt] • Fascia – [Basalt] • Downpipes – [Surfmist] • Garage Door – [Surfmist] • Front Door – Hume Savoy XS26 [Jarrah] Internal All walls – Taubmans [Windy Peak] Carpets – [Light brown] Upstairs floor – Hebel equivalent brand LOXO floor panels Kitchen • Benches – Caesarstone [Osprey] • Base cabinets – [Classic White Sheen] • Wall cabinets – [Latte Lini Sheen] • Splashback – [Natural White] • Kickboard – [Brushed Pewter] • Floor tiles - Xilo 145 x 1200 porcelain tiles[creamy white refer to display home floor] Bathrooms, Ensuite, Laundry • Benches – Caesarstone [Osprey] • Cabinets – [Cappucino Sheen] • Wall tiles – Brilliant White Rectangle • Floor tiles – Eclipse Nocciola (in a light creamy brown colour) Alfresco & porch tiles – [600 x300 grey granite] Master Bedroom • Door to retreat – Hume Savoy XS26 I'll add more if someone asks and it isn't listed ... Deluded! I am also doing a KDR in Ryde. Same colour bricks as U. Which demolition company did u use? Re: Alkira Homes "The Sienna" KDR Ryde area (NSW) 19Oct 15, 2014 2:34 pm Loved going through your thread and thanks for the summary of the useful links. Quite handy (till i figure out how to understand that sun calc ) Our first choice was Sienna too because of the void but we moved on for the Elyse later. Our situation is similar to yours too (both in IT with a single child) and Elyse is going to be huge for us and wanted to take down a bedroom, but kept it considering the resale later down the line We are in part-A stage and waiting for architectural drawings and hoping and praying we don't have any issues down the line. Good luck with the build. Alkira homes - Elyse15 Re: Alkira Homes "The Sienna" KDR Ryde area (NSW) 20Oct 15, 2014 4:16 pm Forg DG85 Deluded! I am also doing a KDR in Ryde. Same colour bricks as U. *three-way high-five* Hi starting the process of looking around for Dual Occ builders. Looking to build a home shared with family either as a duplex or front back. Has anyone done any recent… 0 2257 3 6389 Hi, I am looking into doing a KDR in Melbourne and am contemplating using Kialla Homes. I am looking for feedback on them from others who have built with them. 0 13437 |