Browse Forums Building A New House Re: Things you forget 122Oct 16, 2010 9:10 pm Block bought 1st RBC X! 2nd Ventrua,Keeper! Pstart 18/7/11 Ethwks jan 2012 Slab Bricks- finished 7/6 Roof Trusses 15/6-cbond 21/7 viewtopic.php?f=31&t=41185 Re: Things you forget 126Oct 19, 2010 6:58 pm We built 3 years ago. Something we didnt realise is just how flimsy today's internal doors are. They have the soundproofing ability of a sheet of paper! Were we to do it again we'd ask for better internal doors. Any other soundproofing suggestions would be most welcome. Another small suggestion - having a nice flat concrete pad will save you alot of headaches later on. When your pad is laid and has dried, cover it with water and look for high and low points. There are Australian standards which dictate the maximum allowed variance across the surface of your pad. Re: Things you forget 127Oct 19, 2010 7:24 pm We are putting a wall light on the study wall to stop shadowing from the ceiling light . My piano will be in there and it means not having to use a power point for a lamp and perching it on the piano top so the music can be seen. Yeah I know...still trying to convince kids music lessons are a good thing. Re: Things you forget 128Oct 20, 2010 12:21 pm This is my first post to this forum. I have been working in the building industry in Adelaide for over 15 years both with builders and now on my own. In relation to this topic, there are several ways you can avoid the Variation crunch when it comes to selection rooms. The first is to get your own plans before you start visiting builders. It places the copyright in your hands and you can get information like electrical layouts, front facades and the like sorted out before a contract is signed. The second is to actually visit the builders selection room before the contract is signed to find out what is included. If there are extras, get them included to start with. It will also give a better indication of the differences between the builders. Re: Things you forget 129Oct 21, 2010 11:34 pm Some useful things I thankfully remembered that others might forget or miss; - Single GPO in the meter box for reticulation system. - Light at the back of the house (other than the alfresco for coverage of back yard) as our laundry is to the side - Conduit in the main bedroom light switch for a ceiling fan. Jason Building a modified Platinum MKII with Blueprint Homes. House Plan Contracts Signed: 18/10/2010 Prestart 21/10/2010 Sandpad: 14/1/2011 Slabbed: 27/1/2011 Brickwork: 15/2/2011 Roof: 18/3/2011 Re: Things you forget 130Oct 22, 2010 12:05 pm Havent built yet (still finalising our own plans and wont be far off) but another thing I thought of while on the subject of having a man hole in the garage is to have a man hole with a collapsible ladder. Our current man hole is in our back hallway. With our little ladder you still have to lift your own body weight up to get into the space and of course back out again! Re: Things you forget 131Oct 23, 2010 8:26 pm * orientation to sun * eaves * double glazing * skylights (turn off the lights in a display home and see for yourself!) * house size (do you really need all that space? We have 33sq. for 3 people - it feels too big) * curtains & carpet reduce echo in large open plan areas * ensure all windows are the same - awning or sliding - and from the same manufacturer (otherwise you'll have 2 sets of keys) * ask what locks are keyed-alike (we ended up with 6 keys for a new house) * double garages are often too tight for 2 cars. Remember to allow for car doors opening and not hitting the other car or the walls. * how about a window in the garage? Why keep it dark and needing a light? A window in the rear door would also help, and maybe even in the roller door. * consider a workshop on the side of the garage. Would give more room for car door opening, store bicycles, etc. rather than paying for a shed later. * bathroom windows - with some obscure glass it is still easy to see in. Big windows also make bathrooms feel cold. * master bedroom size - does it really need to be big? (We never use the 'retreat') * WIR can never be big enough * where is your electrical meter box? (There is really only plaster board separating it from the inside of your house. Ours is right where I sleep - is that really good for me?) * heating units in the roof can be noisy. Consider location. * waste points in floor of laundry & bathrooms (our first week in our house the washing machine leaked water, glad we had these installed.) Built Metr!con Soho. Re: Things you forget 132Oct 25, 2010 10:16 am [quote="[JADED]"] consider pushing the walls out to the eaves (i.e. so you have no eaves).
Only do this if these walls are on the south side or won't expose windows to the sun. Eaves are (supposed to be) an important part of energy efficient design. Your builder probably won't tell you that by moving that wall you might throw the entire energy performance of the building out. (mind you the pathetic 450mm eaves that come standard probably aren't doing much anyway) Re: Things you forget 133Oct 25, 2010 10:57 am Thanks for a great list everyone. A few extra ideas; If you want extra power points but can't afford more right now. It is easy to put another power point on the other side of a gyprock wall by 'backing off' existing points at a later date. An ADSL central splitter will avoid the need for all those annoying ADSL dongles on each phone point. (You won't need this once you get onto the National Broadband Network so it will be only useful for the next 10 years or so. Unless you live in the country then you'll probably have NBN by next week ) Re: Things you forget 134Oct 25, 2010 2:19 pm I'm still in the process of pre-build, but a few things I've come across: * Driveway Cut. Not all builders 'cut' the driveway into the gutter where it joins the road. This cost me $350.00 to do, but will save repair costs from my car bottoming out each time I pull into my driveway Makes the drive look a little smoother in my opinion too! * Frosted bathroom windows. Not all builders frost bathroom/toilet windows, yet most buyers don't want neighbours peering in. Make sure you check if the windows are frosted if that's what you want. I've seen a few houses built recently with clear glass windows from the shower to the street (!!). * Security screens (or not). Consider wether you need a security screen on your front door. Some of the fancier front doors don't look as good with a big security mesh in front of them. If you're spending the money on a nice pretty door, reconsider if you want to cover it with a security grille or not - you can always add one later. Maybe consider a door chain instead? Likewise with other windows/doors in the house. You can always add security screens later, and you don't want your house looking like a prison Pick and choose where a security screen may be needed, and where a flyscreen would be needed. * Conduit. Conduit is basically just hollow pipe which can be run from the ceiling cavity down the inside of a wall to a point where cabling can be run in future. I installed 13 conduit runs to blank plates in my house so I can run my own Cat6 network later. Electricians can install a blank wall plate (like a power point plate, but completely blank). You can run network cable, speaker cable, HDMI cable - whatever. Cost me $33 per point, and well worth the effort, considering running cable through nogging post-build can be a headache! Perfect for media rooms. Also consider putting power and telephone ports on the top shelf of a broom or linen cupboard - as an internet / modem point for your house. You can have your modem and wifi router tucked away where no-one can see it * Colour Temp. Many builders just supply the cheapest light globes on offer. Generally these end up being 'cool white' or 'daylight' coloured lights. This colour is fine for laundry and garage, but not preferable for most living areas. Ask your builder if they can specify 'Warm White' globes in all fixtures and light points (including external lighting). This generally looks far better and provides a warm, cosy feel rather than a sterile hospital feel to the home Of course you can always replace globes post-handover, but doing this as part of the build just makes life easier. * Power in the ceiling cavity. Installing a power point in the ceiling cavity can be useful. You might have wireless routers mounted up there, or want to have a fluoro light connected if you're storing the Christmas tree away. Or maybe you want to be creative and run Christmas lights on your roof, and feed the power cable underneath a tile - whatever the use, having a power point accessible from your ceiling cavity can make life easier. Alternatively, if you take heed of my linen cupboard internet server idea, you could have a mini-manhole inside the cupboard and run an extension lead up into the roof from there. * Extend your eaves. Eaves help make a home much more efficient, especially in hotter climates. Shading your windows and walls from the elements including sun and rain. Many homes come with 450mm eaves (or less!). Most builders will happily extend to 600mm at no cost. If you like, you can also extend your facade wall out further on each side to create the illusion of having shallow eaves, and creating a bit of a lip behind the facade to hide things like gas tanks, power boxes etc. I hope these tips help! Building at Warner Lakes in sunny Queensland. Building with Bold Properties. Building thread is here! - https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=38957 Blog is here! - http://campoutforland.blogspot.com Re: Things you forget 135Oct 25, 2010 7:47 pm I asked everyone I knew this question and the most unusual one was what is the flooring in your pantry? concrete? Workmates daughter found her new pantry didn't have the kitchen tiles but the cheaper option of carpet! owner/builder not including bathroom fittings, bath, basin and toilet in building contract., therefore $$ later on. 2 downlights under kitchen backwall o/head cupboards to avoid casting shadow when working at the kitchen bench. Row of downlights directly above/infront of lounge TV to be on separate switch to turn off when watching telle. Avoids squiting from glare and double reflection through eyeglasses- keeps grandpa happy. where does the splash back tiling/glass end if it goes along the side/s as well? long vanity shelves changed to draws to make maximum use of space. Signing contract next week so will be considering and confirming many things others have pointed out. WL stage 8 Re: Things you forget 136Oct 25, 2010 9:30 pm Idiot me (us) increased the ceiling height and also the internal door height - but forgot the front door. Looks strange now If you increase internal door height - don't forget to increase the front door too - especially if you have an internal door right near the front one. My house and my rants.... - viewtopic.php?f=31&t=26937 We are in!!!...and still unpacking. Thankfully there are always Tim Tams Re: Things you forget 137Oct 25, 2010 9:39 pm Great that I have found this post guys I sign my contract next wk. I will be checking where our man hole will be, and be getting extra garden taps for sure, thks. But all extras I have asked for so far; - we have a big master bedroom with a retreat (waste of space) so we have put another wir in, a wall behind our back bedroom wall & only cost me 600- money well spent - lots of extra power points, tv points - additional duct for vacuuming - provision for fan for alfresco - much cheaper to do ourselves, father in law used to be a sparky - frosted glass in bathrooms - translucent glass at entrance & in front door - power point in alfresco - lights in staircase - I have a toddler - lots of dual lighting entry to hallway, etc - lots of extra floodlights outside - dbl sensor flood light on garage - doors added to close off rumpus & main living area, - big down lights to alfresco ( less needed) - split heating for downstairs/upstairs (money well spent when the winter bills come in) - extended garage to 2 1/2 - heard about how 2 cars will just fit! - extended alfresco - decent size for entertaining - heat lights to both bathrooms, had these in my old house & loved them, I always found ducted heating was to stuffy! And great for applying makeup! - added niche with full length mirror in ens bathroom - added niches to both showers - made bath bigger - only cost $25- bargain! Lol - ext bathroom mirror over bath, makes bathroom lookmbigger! - added broom cupboard & extra benches in laundry - made fridge space bigger, for dbl fridge - down lights all downstairs - can do upstairs later, lucky that my father in law used to be a sparky and said he can do anything upstairs, but downstAirs is a lot harder without putting holes everywhere! Bugger that absolutely everything to be done downstairs! - flyscreen doors to rumpus sliding & balcony sliding doors. - locks to downstairs windows only! If I had more money I woukd have: - added laundry shoot - quoted 2k, forget! - gotten bigger eaves - quoted 7k - upgraded all bathroom tiles - onlynwent STD & upgraded features to mosaics only cost 1.7k for 2 bathrooms & powder rm - gotten 3 car garage - quoted 6k vs 3k we r paying - gotten 40mm bench tops waterfall - extra 3 k, just went STD 20mm! - 2pac kitchen -went vinyl wrap, much cheaper - upgraded staircase - 3k upgrade! - put pillars & plaster to block off formel lounge, so it can dbl as guestbroom! Hopefully we can do this one day! I think that is absolutely everything! We upgraded little things too like door handles, privacy locks to all toilets, bathrooms. Upgraded carpet underlay, front doors, deadlocks, etc. All those little hidden extra! Lol Mel Re: Things you forget 138Oct 29, 2010 8:55 am Gas point on deck/alfresco to plug the bbq into (no more hassling with bottles) Get plumber to put in provision for later greywater recycling, it is only a few extra dollars of cheap pipe Make sure the builders seal around the window frames and other penetrations properly Want dimmers? Make sure you get (or are supplied) CFL globes that are dimmable Re: Things you forget 139Oct 29, 2010 9:15 am This has been fantastic guys, thanks so much. I havent started building yet, so this thread is really valuable. A couple of other suggestions: Niches in the showers Soft close hinges on drawers and cupboards Powertainment things - these inlcude 6 powerpoints and a tv cable all on the one point - we are putting around 3 of these in. Another thing we are doing because we have quite a lot of storage in the laundry is including a hanging rail to hang the shirts/pants on in the linen cpboard to use both before and after ironing. Hopefully this will help keep us a little tidier. Change doors to internal sliders (hallways, ensuit, WIR's) Def check which way doors open - we have only just got our fisrt working drawing, and gee i am glad i checked the doors - you wonder what some people think when drawing these plans up Check size of windows - our prelim drawings had 900 and 1500 wide windows. I went off and bought all of my blinds 50% off , on the drawings they have decreased in size (this will be changed). Hope i havent doubled up, as i am still making my way through this thread. cheers Re: Things you forget 140Oct 30, 2010 8:57 am higherdestiny * Conduit. Conduit is basically just hollow pipe which can be run from the ceiling cavity down the inside of a wall to a point where cabling can be run in future. I installed 13 conduit runs to blank plates in my house so I can run my own Cat6 network later. Electricians can install a blank wall plate (like a power point plate, but completely blank). You can run network cable, speaker cable, HDMI cable - whatever. Cost me $33 per point, and well worth the effort, considering running cable through nogging post-build can be a headache! Perfect for media rooms. Also consider putting power and telephone ports on the top shelf of a broom or linen cupboard - as an internet / modem point for your house. You can have your modem and wifi router tucked away where no-one can see it Unless you are a Data cabler or you are an Electrician and have your Open or restricted cabling License/ Ticket it is Still Ilegal for you to run your own Network and telephone cabling. Kodiak Data Cabling onFaceBook Consult*, Design and Installation Data, TV, Home Theatre/ AV Cabling, Multi Room Audio, IP CCTV and Door Intercoms Ask for a Quote. *DIY DATA Cabling Is Ilegal Depends what you're current inclusions are, but we're not including wardrobes and will just use second hand ones until we can save later on to get them built. Also have a… 3 12447 No. It's not original. Circa early to mid 90s would be my guess and maybe even as late as early 2000s 1 7236 A question. Im in Queensland and building a new home. We managed to reach practical completion 6 weeks ago but we haven't heard any date for handover yet. Who should we… 0 6277 |