Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Jan 21, 2009 10:57 am Hi All,
I'm new to this forum so this is my first post to introduce myself, say Hi and to let everyone know what we are up to. My partner and I are out of space. We are parents to 14 month old twins so we are embarking on a Knock Down Rebuild. Our existing house is your typical 70's Red Brick Veneer, Tile roof, 3 Bed, 1 Bath, with an L shaped Living and Dining, no BIWs and no insualtion. All of this on a 700sq block. We priced up the idea of extending but given the position of the existing house on the block (large front setback) we decided to knock it down and start a fresh. We looked around and, of all the houses we looked at we have settled on a Memphis 28Mk3 Eden Brae home. The layout is great and it suits our corner block perfectly. Been through the soil test, site survey, initial Tender, and have signed a Building Contract. We are currenlty up to the options, electrical, and colors selection phase. Had a small setback yesterday. The Demo dude that provided a really good priced quote did a runner on me saying he miss quoted the price. So I'm after a new demo guy in a bit of a hurry if you know of anyone. Anyway I plan to take plenty of pics along the way and post them here for everyone to see. Just out of interest - I'm keen to hear from other ppl that have built with EB. Cheers Leonard. Re: Built an EB Memphis28Mk3 2Jan 21, 2009 11:18 am Hey Leonard - welcome!
Love the house you've chosen - so spacious! There are a few posts on here about demos in Sydney - might be worth doing a search Can't wait to hear more After 4 years - we're in! Re: Built an EB Memphis28Mk3 3Jan 21, 2009 11:43 am Hey Leonard,
we're alos building with EB. Here's our thread : http://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?t=10142&highlight= Upto Xmas, we were extremely happy with the speed of the build. However, we have had a setback due to EB not having organised tiger tails on the adjacent power lines. Consequently, no roofing can be done until then. Heaven only knows how long energy aust will take to do this. As a result, twisting of our frame is evident in places, the timber in general is drying out & our upstairs flooring is cupping & swelling ! Not Happy ! We are yet to resolve this. Other than that....welcome ! This is a great forum with very generous members who are always willing ot offer advice & their experiences. Built the Eden Brae Cambridge 34 Family with Boston Corner Facade Re: Built an EB Memphis28Mk3 4Jan 21, 2009 2:59 pm Yes just received a quote from Democorp for $12,250 plus GST which is within budget to the finacial plan and is not that much more than the other * demo dudes quote. Just waiting on 1 more quote to come in and then we will get underway with council submission etc.
EB had a sale on recently, 2 sqm for $2,000 (it's now 2sqm for $3K) which we opted for and it really made a difference to the house. I asked the designer if he could split the house diagonally to add the extra sapce from the corner of the kitchen across the meals and into the rumpus instead of just adding the space accross beds 3, 4 and the rumpus. Not an issue. It made the house 1.5mtrs longer and makes the most used areas of the house bigger for everyone. Due to our block orientation we are also biulding a mirror image to that of the display home at homeworld which means we get to use the alfresco area all year round. Sun on Winter mornings and shade on Summer afternoons. We also opted for the "living package" in the deal as we got to select from a wider range of bricks, tiles and fixtures etc. Cheers Leonard.[/img] Re: Built an EB Memphis28Mk3 5Jan 21, 2009 6:45 pm Welcome Leonard,
Nice to have another Sydneysider Congrats on the twins - my twins (boy/girl) are 2 and a bit, we also have a 6yo. I totally understand the running out of room - that's why we are building also! I'm not building with EB but you will find lots of info on here. Would you give us a rough idea where you are (north south eat west??) (We do love to know details ) Have fun Still not in. Don't ask!? Re: Built an EB Memphis28Mk3 6Jan 22, 2009 7:19 am Hi Leonard! Welcome!
We loved the Memphis 28 MK III as well... but decided against it after massive amounts of tossing up pros and cons on different house plans we were choosing from Hope to hear more about your building journey! there's quite a few threads about EB builds on here lots to learn from! Good luck! Re: Built an EB Memphis28Mk3 7Jan 22, 2009 9:08 am We are buidling in the North (Mount Colah)
Received a call from Homeforce this morning. He is obtaing a Demo quote for me from Civil. So by mid next week I will have selected my Demo contractor and submitted the DA to Council for assesment and approval. Fingers crossed. I'll try and attached a pic of the current house. Electrical Plan Done 10Jan 27, 2009 3:32 pm Hi Guys,
A quick update - did the electrical plan last Friday. No probs - the consultant was very good and we were done in just over an hour. We had a very good idea of what we wanted before the meeting so we did not have to agonise on the spot over things we had not already thought of. Tiles is next. Rgds Leonard. Building an Eden Brae Memphis 28MK3 11Jan 29, 2009 1:22 pm Hi All
A quick update: Received some of the costs back on the variations and upgrades as a result of the colour selection meeting. We didn't go totally overboard so the costs were quite acceptable. However, Kitchen variation costs are yet to be provided so we are still holding our collective breaths. It shouldn't be too bad (we hope) we did make the fridge space bigger (850mm to 1000mm) to accommodate a double door fridge. We also extended the kitchen bench by 200mm and moved the draw-stack to between the stove and the pantry. We had a choice of a gas benchtop with a separate under-bench electric oven or the freestanding all in one unit. Both were standard inclusions so we opted for the freestanding stove. The reason being the freestanding unit has a larger oven over the under bench one. We are thinking about ditching the timber look garage door and reverting back to standard inclusion and putting the cost savings toward the blinds I got them to quote separately on a darker paver for the driveway which ended up comming in at a figure unacceptable to us so we have already reverted to the standard inclusion. I was happy with colour selection of the standard inclusion anyway so no great loss. Received notification that the Council have stamped the BASIX plan. Q. Who determines the final position of the rainwater tank? On the intial drawings my tank was at the back of the house (Standard round 3000L which I changed to a slimline but in the same position). On the drawings I received this week I see the tank has been moved to the side of the house. This is no good as it reduces access from the Laundry door to the Back yard down the side of the house. I have 1300mm between the side of the house and the fence. My 3000L slimeline tank is 850mm wide which leaves 450mm to get the washing past it. My partner is pretty miffed at that. I have emailed EB to clarify the issue - awaiting a response. New Demolition quote accepted today. Got a good price so I'm happy with that. They are also filling in the paperwork for the Council which I'm very happy about. Spoke to the Council today just to make sure I'm covering everything and they also pointed out that the DA needs to include: Statement of Environmental Effects Work Method Statement Waste Management Plan Site Plan 18 copies please - 3 for Council and 15 to be posted to my future neighbors. This is my first DA with any Council so I'm sure to have a stack of questions in the next few weeks. If there is anyone on the forum that has dealt with Hornsby Shire Council regarding a Demo DA, I would greatly appreciate any advice or info you may wish to share. Floor and Wall Tiles appointment confirmed for this Monday 2/2/09. rgds Leonard. Re: Building an Eden Brae Memphis 28MK3 12Jan 29, 2009 2:41 pm KnockItDown Hi All Received notification that the Council have stamped the BASIX plan. Q. Who determines the final position of the rainwater tank? On the intial drawings my tank was at the back of the house (Standard round 3000L which I changed to a slimline but in the same position). On the drawings I received this week I see the tank has been moved to the side of the house. This is no good as it reduces access from the Laundry door to the Back yard down the side of the house. I have 1300mm between the side of the house and the fence. My 3000L slimeline tank is 850mm wide which leaves 450mm to get the washing past it. My partner is pretty miffed at that. I have emailed EB to clarify the issue - awaiting a response. New Demolition quote accepted today. Got a good price so I'm happy with that. They are also filling in the paperwork for the Council which I'm very happy about. Spoke to the Council today just to make sure I'm covering everything and they also pointed out that the DA needs to include: Statement of Environmental Effects Work Method Statement Waste Management Plan Site Plan 18 copies please - 3 for Council and 15 to be posted to my future neighbors. This is my first DA with any Council so I'm sure to have a stack of questions in the next few weeks. If there is anyone on the forum that has dealt with Hornsby Shire Council regarding a Demo DA, I would greatly appreciate any advice or info you may wish to share. rgds Leonard. Hi Leonard, We have the draft architectural designs from our builder (we nearly went with EB but ended up going with Wisdom) and I guess we'll sign the contracts soon therefore will be submitting the DA for the build sometime soon (I hope). We are not doing a demolition re-build job but we can share Hornsby Council info regarding the building DA. We have found out that the minimum tank requirements for Hornsby Council is 3400L, so I would double check this if I was you. Also, keep in mind that Hornsby requires a Landscape plan with the house DA and some builders forget to tell you this, you need to provide this to the builder. I'll shoot more info when/if I think of it. From our experience you should be able to decide where your water tank goes unless there's some restrictions/constraints that you are not aware of, ask the builder for the reasoning to put it there. Sometimes is just a plain mistake from the Draftstman, it's unbelievable the things they move in drawings "by mistake". Welcome to building in tough Hornsby Council! Re: Built an EB Memphis28Mk3 13Jan 29, 2009 8:12 pm Hi Jochicho,
Thanks for the info. Yep already submitted a Landscape plan to the builder. Didn't know about the min spec of 3400L. I'll shoot an email to EB. I double checked my doc's and it is clearly indicated as 3000L on all of them. Thanks for the heads-up. cheers Leonard. Re: Built an EB Memphis28Mk3 14Jan 30, 2009 10:34 pm No probs Leonard, the last thing you want is for the Water tank to be delaying your DA submission.
Did you get your Landscaple plan done by a qualified Landscape architect or did you do it yourselves? Did you use many native plants? Hornsby Council are really big into using native plants, specially if you have to cut a tree down... Good luck with DA and let us know how you go! we should be right behind you (we hope) Ciao Re: Built an EB Memphis28Mk3 15Jan 30, 2009 11:24 pm I did the landscape plan myself, I was advised that a concept plan was all that was needed for HSC and I have had this confirmed via my own enquiries to the council. I used a buch of plants off the HSC approved list so I should be ok.
I spoke to the council Tree guy and the rules are listed in the Tree Presevation Order. Rule No.1 - If the tree is less than 3mtrs tall then no coucil approval required to remove it. There are a bunch of other requirements for taller tress in the TPO doco. expected lifespan - dead or dying - safe and good condition. etc. Well I poped up to the site today, tape measure and 2 of my Mrs curtain rods inhand (Taped together of course) and thanks to my mates at Energy Aust whom cut the top out of my tree a few years back it is less than 3 mtrs tall. Apart from that they were succesful in killing it anyway which is another allowance on the TPO of HSC. Tree issue is no more.......WhoooooHooooo!!!!!!!! I told the council guy the tree was dead due to the actions of Energy Aust. He didn't seem too concerned after I told him it was dead. Nonetheless I gave him the exact address detail and made him look-up the tree register and it is not listed as a significant tree on their tree register. So fingers crossed I'm good to go once the DA is logded for the demo which I'm doing early next week once the demo guy sends me the completed froms. Re: Built an EB Memphis28Mk3 16Feb 01, 2009 11:11 am Thanks for the info Leonard, the builders gave us the names of a couple of Landscape designers and we just weren't sure if we could do the plans ourselves. I know some people in this site did it themselves but different Councils have different rules. Good to hear that you can do your own with Hornsby Council.
How on earth did you get to talk to the tree guy at Council???? We have had a lot of luck with getting answers from Council by going to see them in person but normally just in the town planning and DA section. As soon as we have tried to get info out of the environmental section we never get pass the cranky lady in reception! she keeps saying that all these questions would be answered at DA approval time... but we want to know now! she just wont budge and won't get someone to come to the counter to see us... Unfortunately our tree is a gum higher than 3m so we will need approval and the Council's rule is "you take one tree down, you put a tree in" this applies to natives. So since we'll have to chop the gum tree (currently in the middle of the block, so it would be in our loungeroom if not cut, lol) and plant 2 more, but the site has too many constraints for big trees. We'll have a look at the HSC recommended plants and will do our own design accordingly, thanks for the heads up. Did you hear back from EB re: the 3000L tank? Ciao Re: Built an EB Memphis28Mk3 17Feb 02, 2009 8:38 pm I think it was beginers luck with the council. I spoke to planning division about my demo forms then remembered about my tree. I rang the planning division back and was directed to another guy. I rang him - left a message and he rang me back and we had the conversation as presribed in a previos post of mine.
However - Please don't go of what I'm saying though. Goto the HSC Website, they have a whole section on Trees http://www.hornsby.nsw.gov.au/servicesfacilities/index.cfm?NavigationID=713 Tiles, Demo, and Kitchen 18Feb 03, 2009 10:16 am Hi all,
A couple quick updates; Tile selection completed yesterday. A pretty good experience. The consultant was helpful. Very limited choices from the Builders Range though. We upgraded a few tiles and picked a feature tile for both bathrooms. I will gather all of colour choices and place them togehter in a further update. Council Forms completed and in the post to me from the Demo Contractor. Kitchen variation costs received - NOT HAPPY JAN - We changed very little and still got slugged. Example - There are 2 overhead cupboards either side of the stove. They come standard with stupid pull up spring loaded doors. We requested to change the doors to a conventional side hinge with glass inserts and a lightbox allowance for a upsidedown downlight. The side hinge change was at no cost. The lightboxes came in at $256 The glass inserts for the 2 doors came in at............wait for it.........are you sitting down?............$1,280 Needles to say I'm going to question this cost and more than likely just go with the side hinge and do the glass change myself after handover. Re: Built an EB Memphis28Mk3 20Feb 03, 2009 1:29 pm Hi Leonard,
I only found your posts today. We just finished building in the Hornsby shire council area. Looking back, I suggest you WAIT before demolishing your house. Are you renting? Or are you living in the house? It is important that you get a DA for the demo, but wait until you have the DA for the house before you demo the house. We made the big mistake of demo our house first. The empty land after was a target for people dumping rubbish. The site was also overgrown with weeds and we had to get another excavator to remove the weeds and topsoil before our builder was willing to build. See my blog. Don't worry about the trees that will be in your lounge! Wait until you have DA for house. Any trees within 3m of the building area is automatically given the all clear to remove! Once you know which tree, you can get the demo guy to remove all at the same time. Hornsby only require concept plan for landscape. Make sure you put in all the retaining walls, fence or any hard landscape so you don't need a seperate DA for them later. Any retaining wall or structures within 2m of boundary would need a DA. Don't worry about putting in plants or names. If you do, you are obliged to plant them later. Just hard structures is enough. We are removing almost 15 trees, most natives. There was no requirement to replant them. If you need any more info, pm me. Good luck. Have fun. Sammy DIY, Home Maintenance & Repair We purchased a 1960s property that is on timber stumps mostly, and a newer section is on concrete stumps. We had a building inspection initially and they reported some… 0 12749 Strong enough for what? For linen, absolutely. To climb on, no. I've got similar shelving in my garage and it holds a decent amount of weight. 900 wide shelves will carry… 1 4194 Probably a not bad thing to mention particle board should in case anyone else reading this got the two confused. 6 4906 |