Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Nov 12, 2017 4:35 pm Am in the process of building in Country Vines Estate, Cowaramup in the beautiful SW of WA. Signed contracts before the June 30th FHOG boost deadline, and now it looks like we might *finally* be ready to get things started! Settlement on the land is due 23rd November, and hopefully the earthworks will be ordered for the last week of November. As the FHOG boost deadline is 30th December 2017, the builder needs to be slab down by this date, so hopefully the timing all works! Has anyone got a clue as to how long this process usually takes? We have had a few setbacks and things haven't even started yet: - engineers were unable to get out to site for almost a month due to flooding and bogging on the site - once the engineers did get out, the block was found to be an S class site, when it was anticipated it would be a sand site, so the siteworks costs ballooned to 32k instead of the estimated 25k - somehow, the R15 zoning of my block was forgotten by both my New Homes Administrator and the drafting team, so I initially had a zero lot wall planned on the block, as there is a storm water drain on the road right in the middle of my block and we wanted to avoid a diagonal driveway. This was knocked back by the Shire and now it has to be 1m off the boundary, this means final plans need redrawing and to be submitted back to the Shire yet again. I am building a slightly modified version of the Carbunup promo house (based on the Bunker Bay design). Changes I have made include: - double vanity and enlarged shower in ensuite - extended bench top in bathroom to remove gap between shower and bath - sink in kitchen moved to scullery and cabinets added below - opening in the theatre changed to accommodate future sliding doors (cannot do at build due to energy efficiency ratings), also added a fixed highlight window which I will tint black so as to not create glare) - added a fixed window in lieu of splashback - reduced height of windows throughout - sliding door to master - 1200mm front door - deleted broom cupboard from laundry to accommodate for full length benchtop Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Overall, kept everything fairly standard as my sales rep was very good at selecting a design she thought would fit my lifestyle. I'm in love with the kitchen/alfresco area! Pre-start was an expensive trip but I'd rather have everything done when I move in as my work schedule will make any extra work done after handover a massive pain to organise. This house is in the elements spec, so I upgraded most things to the advantaged specification. My colour choices are as follows: Flooring: - Vinyl Planks: Godfrey Hirst Polaris 350 Starlight Kitchen/Scullery: - Tile: Plain Glossy White 300x100 tile in brickbond layout with light grey grout (to go around the window) and in the scullery - Bench: 20mm Smartstone Arcadia with 300mm overhang instead of standard 150mm overhang - Cupboards: Laminex Sarsen Grey Silk Finish for all cupboards, pot drawers and overheads (added 2 banks of 3 pot draws beside the oven) Laundry: - Splashback Tile: Plain Glossy White 300x100 tile in brickbond layout with light grey grout - Skirt Tile: Lanka Vento Gloss White 200x400 - Floor Tile: Belga Grey 300x300 - Bench Top: Laminex Fresh Snow - Cupboard: Laminex Sarsen Grey Silk Finish Ensuite/Bathroom: - Wall Tile: Lanka Vento Gloss White 200x400 - Floor Tile: Belga Grey 300x300 - Vanity Top: Laminex Fresh Snow - Vanity Cupboards: Laminex Rural Oak So hopefully with all the set backs and council changes, we might be in by May/June 2018, fingers crossed! Re: Building in Cowaramup 2Nov 25, 2017 10:44 pm Exciting!!! Love your selections. We're going with Sarsen Grey too, and I was so close to choosing the Belgra Grey tiles. Fingers crossed with the timeline working out to your favour. How are things progressing so far? Look forward to following your build Re: Building in Cowaramup 3Dec 08, 2017 12:06 am Things have progressed! It’s been 2 weeks tomorrow since settlement of land, and a week tomorrow since they finished earthworks. Slab is now down, and curing nicely! I am starting to panic about my choice in sarsen grey however, I’m worried it will be too stark, so contemplating asking if I can change the colour for the lower cupboards to a darker grey. Just not sure! Hopefully bricks are delivered next week, and then a nice curing period before walls up in January. Happening very quickly now!!! Re: Building in Cowaramup 4Dec 24, 2019 6:29 pm Hi, I am wondering if you have any feedback about the Polaris flooring? My builder is recommending it but I have read some stuff about gaps appearing between the planks due to temperature changes. Have you experienced that? Thanks for your help! Thanks for your reply. I will just wait and see I guess. Trying to get some more information from our builder. 9 30233 go upvc window frames ensure insulation under colorbond. not just sarking, lighter color roof also not sure if you have seen this viewtopic.php?t=5823 last couple of pages… 4 110226 |