Hello Folks,
After a long time of being a stalker and lingering around on different threads I've finally decided to start my own thread hoping it will be helpful to atleast a few others if not all.
A bit about ourselves to start with, we have recently migrated to Australia (the land of opportunities) from the UK and have been loving it so far. The people, food and travel have far exceeded our expectations And here we are, building our first Home in Melbourne.
So after alot of running around we have finally settled down at Truganina in the West (the only area we could afford after North like Epping, Cragieburn, Greenvale etc). And we're so happy that we made this decision. Our block is facing towards the East with all living areas towards the North and Alfresco in the North-West. The development of roads and infrastructure seems to be going so fast and we're hoping it all happens even faster than it is at the moment
It was only after we finalized a block of land that we realized that the battle has just begun.. Choosing the right builder was much more harder than we would have thought. So we went to potentially every builder out in the market to survey their floor plans, prices and inclusions. After a lot of running around we shortlisted Boutique, Carlisle & Henley. And frankly none of the builders are bad, it's just the one who suits your pocket. At the end they will all make money and Yes that is your money
At the end Henley struck us as the most professional and accommodating builder (thanks to our sales consultant) for our needs. After going through tonnes of floor plans for both Henley & Mainview we shortlisted Monaco Lux Q1 from Henley Homes.
And I must admit the process with Henley was much more professional than we saw at any other builder. Yes we've had our share of hiccups but that was overcome with the excitement of having setup on this amazing journey. But we found Henley to be the most genuine when it comes to quality & transparency although "productreview" did not seem helpful at all.
OK so coming back to our build - we are on Henley's Quiktrak program (for titled blocks only) which promises to get on site within 12 weeks from when you sign up. And I must admit they have been pretty keen on trying to make this happen. Although a word of caution for all newbie's (like myself) is that you should only sign up for this program if you know what you want. They are in a rush to get you over the line and it sometimes doesn't work as perfectly as you would want. So, make sure you get your requirements right and clear. We visited Cosham number of times to be exactly (or atleast approximately) sure of what we wanted.
I hope I'll be adding enough information here to make this thread helpful for you.
Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more updates.
Floor Plan: Monaco Lux Q1
Facade: Galleria
Total Covered Area: 28.65 sq
Total Plot Area: 448 sqm
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Timelines
Sign Up - 8/02
Colour Selection - 12/02
Tender - 26/02
Contract - 6/03
Electrical - 1/04
Site Start - 15/04
Slab - 29/04
Frame & Windows - 15/05
Roof - 27/05
Insulation - 29/05
Trusses & Gutters - 1/06
Electricals - 7/06
Plasters - 13/06
Cabinets installed - 17/06
Bricks - 3/07
Paint - 3/07
Lock Up & Fixing Invoices received - 30/06
Tiles Completed - 11/07
Electrical Fit off's & Plumbing - 28/07
Grouting & Sealants, Downpipes Installed - 31/07
Carpenter works, Termite treatment (PART B) - 8/08
Final Independent Inspection - 17/08
NHP - 28/08
Handover - 2 Sep