Well i must be a glutton for punishment but here we are again about to embark on a 3rd build... yes i know im missing a screw or two lol
Anyways i though this would be a good way to document our build as i never did on the first two we built and regret not taking the time to do one, with the slow demise of forum usage these days and fb groups being the go to i do hope homeone is around for many many more years to come.
A little bit about us, im a mechanic by trade and the missus is a high school teacher. We have 2 gorgeous children that are starting to get to that stage in life where they want things that will take up space ( trampolines and dirt bikes etc ) so it was time we explored our plan of relocating somewhere that still has affordable decent sized blocks and houses dont sit on top of each other.
Our first rodeo was back in 2010 in Gregory Hills, it was a lovely corner block on 612sqm , We managed to finish up the whole home with everything from 2.7s , 40mm stone, poly kitchen, shutters, down lights everywhere , full landscaped , driveway and all that good stuff for $520k this was a 30sq single story custom design by a custom builder .I remember at hand over thinking to myself OMG im in debt so much and this place owes us over 1/2 a million what have i done lolol
In late 2016 we sold up whilst the market was really strong and downsized. We purchased a spec home through Edgewater with a land size of 330sqm, again another corner block but with a 28sq double story. It was basically all house which was perfect for a few years until we outgrown the outside available space.
Back in 2010 when we were out looking to build our first home i was very close to buying in Bingara Gorge, it was such a gorgeous estate but the issue for me back then starting a young family money was tight... Back then Bingara Gorge was designed for acerage style homes and the blocks were 2000sqm+. There was no way i could have afforded to build a home large enough to do a block of that size justice.
Bingara Gorge was always stuck in the back of my mind and i told myself one day i will build a home there.... Well a decade later its happening
Just as the market was staring to climb again on late 2019 i started to look around, it was early 2020 i actually went and paid George a visit at Bingara after looking at surrounding areas ( Picton, Thirlmere, Tahmoor, Appin) Ultimately the location by the Hume hwy was something that the other estates couldnt match . 20mins to work and 20mins to play ( beaches @ Wollongong ) i couldnt have asked for more. I actually liked Bingara Gorge so much i paid a deposit on my first visit lolol . After talking to a few builders it was clear that my dreams of having an extra garage for our boys toys was not going to happen on this block as it splayed and the front setback wasnt far enough to allow for such a wide house . I could have been the first to build and push my house back killing off the backyard but our future neighbors would want to kill me if i did so hehe.
After going through all the other blocks available in the Fairways East nothing met the criteria so i looked to the other side of the estate called Greenbridge East as the lots are a lot bigger. Unfortunately this side has been in the making for 5 years as there were many delays due to a rare breed of frog and a plant. So the majority had already been sold and what few were left were the premium golf lots which were $150k+ more then what i was willing to spend. I could have taken the plunge on one of these but the extra money would need to come from somewhere which would mean a smaller or less spec build.
After a few weeks of getting the run around by a real estate agent who was clearly playing games and looking at a few others that were either overpriced or just didnt suit the home i wanted to build we came across another listing. I was very familiar with this lot as i had been close to buying the one directly across from it. The price was right and so was the timing so we signed on the dotted line.
It turns out the original purchaser paid his deposit 5 years ago with the understanding registration would be 6 - 12 months at the latest. Well i guess there comes a point in time where you just cant wait any longer and move on. It was lucky for us but still id hate to be in that situation. The vendor was happy to move it on before registration so i paid the 10% and was on my way
Anyways enough of the chit chat here are some photos