Browse Forums Building A New House Re: Knockdown-Rebuild [Our NBG Buckingham] 23May 12, 2010 10:30 pm Nervous Woohoo, finally got a start on site today... our block has been scraped and hopefully things move faster now! Hey Nervous, big congratulations on finalising it all... demo, permits, etc. It is certainly extremely time consuming, nerve wracking, + not for the faint-hearted. We're also a knockdown-rebuild, so I'm really excited to watch you guys start and see how you go! Nervous Hi all, Can someone help out with the following? We've just received a variation from NBG for items to achieve 5-star compliance. One of the items on it was installation of R2 batts in-between floors. What is the thermal benefit of installing batts in-between floors? I thought mid-floor batts were only good for acoustic absorption, and we are not that fussed with noise transfer from upstairs to downstairs (or vice versa) I suppose mid-floor batts can help to keep all the heat from going upstairs in winter but is this a bona fide method of achieving 5-star? Thought I would pose the question here before ringing and questioning NBG. Anyone out there with a similar experience? Thanks! =) There was a thread on this not very long ago: https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=28918 ... Lots of info there from people who have done their homework! Keep us updated! The more info we can share the better off we all are!! ~ cheers, J _______________________________________________________________ We're a knockdown | rebuild ~ Melb SE burbs Building modified version of the Fairhaven Glenaire Homeone thread: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=28429 _______________________________________________________________ Re: Knockdown-Rebuild [Our NBG Buckingham] 24May 13, 2010 1:28 pm Hi Vanilla tree, Yes, very excited given the things we've gone through... many a time I've thought goodness it can't be that hard! I am simply replacing a house with another house! Where are you guys at with building? Who with? Good experience? Re: Knockdown-Rebuild [Our NBG Buckingham] 25Aug 17, 2010 9:55 am Hi Nervous, How is the build so far? I hope things go smoothly for you. We have signed up with NBG to build Buckingham 360. are now waiting for quote presentation appointment. It is also a knockdown-rebuild. By reading your thread, you paid 5% deposit in Oct. 2009 and build did not start until May 2010 which is about 6 months period. Was the council approval that took most of the wait? We were told by the consultant that we have 3 months to get the site ready after we paid 5% deposit and NBG will tell us when to demolish the house. Similar to your situation, we don't want to demolish too early to lose rental income as we depend on that to pay the mortgage, we don't want to demolish too late either to get penalty due to delay. From your experience, when would be the best time to demolish? Thanks. Re: Knockdown-Rebuild [Our NBG Buckingham] 26Aug 24, 2010 1:20 pm Hi Nervous We are new to all this too, and are almost ready to sign contracts with NBG to also do a knockdown and build a Buckingham 360. We are really nervous about NBG's stipulation that they will not obtain a building permit until after the house is demolished. Other builders get the permits prior to KD and advise not to demo until this is done. Did you have any hassles? We are still living in our house and carrying a mortgage on it, and want to wait as long as possible before moving out. Did NBG give you a timeline that you could follow as to how the building process works? Thanks Re: Knockdown-Rebuild [Our NBG Buckingham] 27Oct 14, 2010 9:08 am Hi, Have not been on this forum for a long time and just checked in. We are now half way between frame and lock up stage. The recent rains delayed everything by about a month. The house so far is looking good, our builder has been good with the communications and usually very quick to answer his phone and also in returning my calls, so no complaints there. We did have some "administrative" issues early on with the NBG head office, but now that we deal with our builder directly, things seem to run more smoothly. I am pretty sure you can get a building permit without knocking the house down so I don't know why NBG seemingly have that requirement. I know we were pretty much left to navigate alot of issues about our knock-dwon rebuild by ourselves because no one at NBG seemed to be able to give good direction as to process. Every situation seems to be different but for us the process went like this; 1) Researched NBG builders on this site and found one which had good comments, no previous complaints against them by forum users or that could be found on VCAT website, and building commission website. 2) Contacted NBG sales rep. (Our guy out in Epping was very good) and got commitment from NBG that we could choose our builder. paid $1K to hold offer 3) Selected home and finalised options, paid $2K stage 2 deposit 4) Site geotech performed, quote estimate presented at NBG HO; 5) signed contract to build; paid 5% deposit 6) organised power pit to be installed (as our "old" neighbourhood had overheads) 7) set a date for moving out orgainse demolition -- get going on this early as I found with the recent BER and so forth I only got 2 quotes out of 12 demolitions coy I approached. 9) organised gas and electricity abolishments ("abolishment" not just a disconnection, be forewarned as you have to give your supplier something like 20 working days notice) 10) Move out! 10a) demolition! Site cleared and ready for builders. 11) second site geotech including footings probe as our garage is quite close to the neghbour's and a probe was required to ensure we don't undermine their foundations presumably. 12) price totally finalised (although I got assurances from NBG that unless site geotech is significantly different there shouldn't be any additional cost to the civil works to that quoted originally. You can request copies of your site geotech reports to compare for yourself. 13) colourworld appointment and building permits (we had council issues, not the builder's fault, which delayed things a bit more) 14) Site start!! The above is it in a small nutshell, let me know if there's anything else you guys might want an opinion on. Re: Knockdown-Rebuild [Our NBG Buckingham] 28Feb 05, 2011 4:01 pm Hi All, I have been reading the posts re. NBG and I too am building the Buckingham36 I have not had as pleasant an experience as some of you. Before proceeding into a contract with NBG I spent a lot of time talking to many of their clients and reading these posts. I am a very fastidious person and pay very close attention to all the fine print and details. Fortutantely me for me I can understand building plans and legal contracts. I must say I have been extremely disappointed. I first started the process with NBG in early 2009. Each change requested to the standard plans took about 2 months and would not be done correctly. I had to constantly check for errors, even after I signed off on changes, in later revisions prior changes would disappear and it was up to me to discover this and request they be done again. It was up to me to ensure that any changes were possible and no advise was provided on how to change the floor plan to meet my needs. Mind you my changes were only minor to the standard design. I have seen many Buckinghams with changes much more dramatic than my own. I demolished my house in Aug 2009 as requested. I arranged this and it was completed in a very short period of time as NBG insisted it be done before quotation stage. They made me rush through my part and all my decisions but they took an extremely long time on their part and with many errors. My block of land looks very flat but my site costs turned out to be about $21k, mostly due to the fact that my house was demolished. The demolished house resulted in a "P" slab, but in this absence would be an "M" slab. My contract was signed Dec 2009 but the final drawings were not completed until April 2010. During this process I received a lot of incorrect information from NBG. The permit was received in Aug 2010. When I met with my builder I went over the points of the plans with him. I pointed out one of the items and he said it was not possible to build it that way even though that is how it was shown on the council approved plans and specifically listed in the contract. I then had to come up with a solution to their error because his suggestions we more than unsatisfactory. I was advised that construction commenced Oct 2010 but my slab still hasn't started. I have made dozens of calls and e-mails to NBG and my builder but keep getting excuses. Needless to say my house was demolished Aug 2009 and now it is Feb 2011 and the slab hasn't even started! I am more than frustrated at my experience. I have written many long letters of complaint to my builder and NBG detailing the issues and they don’t seem to care. I have spent a lot time checking their work and explaining to them things they should be explaining to me. I did in fact speak to a NBG member who admitted to the problems they have with their drafts people and the errors occurring. I would be please to provide further information to anyone who may need it. I have come across many people who are upset with their builder but in fact it is because they have not understood the fine print or information provided. I can confidently say I am not one of those people. The problems I have experienced thus far I feel are due to the lack of expertise, knowledge, communication and care from NBG and my builder. I will keep you updated with my progress (or lack thereof). Re: Knockdown-Rebuild [Our NBG Buckingham] 29Feb 22, 2011 7:35 am Tool, It is frustrating when things don't work out how they should! Although you can never expect a completely smooth ride from building you should at the very least expect the fundamental aspects to work out. I work in the engineering industry and come across commerical and industrial builders very often so I know sometimes how things can turn pear shaped. You are right in that you need to check through all facets of documentation you get from builders. It is not easy but it is worth the time and effort to get it right. Even so we are all human and out of 150 items in a quote document it is not unreasonable to make one or two mistakes or oversights. So don't be too hard on yourself if that's happened. We knocked down our place in November 09 and commenced building in May 10 which I thought was quite long in itself (6 months+). It is now Feb 11 and we are in between fixing and completion. The rains (during base, frame and lock up stage) haven't helped and progress can seem slow sometimes (but when is it never slow when it is your own house!). Overall we are quite happy with things and the quality of the build. We also shuffled a few things around in our house plan and those went through without problems. I had a few issues during construction (I have been keeping quite a close eye during construction) which I communicated with my builder, and he was quite responsive in contacting the tradies involved and getting the issue sorted. In your case, time frames amongst others things have obviously blown out beyond reasonable and I do feel for you! It is also a shame a few bad builders at NBG cast a bad light on the many other excellent and responsive ones who do make every effort to communicate and do right by their clients. I wish you all the best moving forwards! Re: Knockdown-Rebuild [Our NBG Buckingham] 30Mar 10, 2011 10:49 pm Hi Nervous, Thanks for your response. I understand that building is never easy and there are bound to be problems. I am however frusstrated at the lack of expertise and knowledge I encountered from many of the NBG staff. Though my experience, I had to do most of the work and they still got it wrong, and I would have to keep repeating myself and checking their work until they finally did their job right. I don't blame my builder so much, I think NBG have assigned him too much work and he can not cope with the workload. On the positive side my slab has finally gone down! After speaking with consumer affairs and sending letters to my builder for breach of contract, I finally got some action. Let's see how things progress from here. You must be very excited being so close to completion!! I'm sure you can't wait to move in. I would love to see some pics of the finished product. Re: Knockdown-Rebuild [Our NBG Buckingham] 31Dec 30, 2012 10:44 am A question of interest. Do most builders require the owner to organise the knock down? At Clark New Homes, we prefer not to do it but we will if asked. What is the usual? thanks if the original house is in good condition most of what you listed could be added in stages without the need for KDR and costs and disruption of having to live elsewhere… 1 14141 multiple occ properties are always billed by trades at a premium, rarely per sqm for the lot. You either have trades you know whoe will do by sqm or youre going to get… 1 2812 We've had the offer of a short term tenant whilst waiting for CDC/DA home approval and demolition for our knock down rebuild. It would achieve a pretty low rent as it's… 0 14721 |