who has built a house before?
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Topic: who has built a house before?
Posted By: Angs1982
Subject: who has built a house before?
Date Posted: 18 April 2011 at 6:35pm
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Hey girls,
8 weeks until my due date and its pretty much bang on time for when our new house will be started!! We have signed a fix price contract with a building company but there still seem to be a LOT of decisions to make. Has anyone built before? Anything you would change/do differently? Any suggestions or comments to make my life easier?? |
Replies:
Posted By: floss
Date Posted: 18 April 2011 at 7:20pm
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We built our house and it was a bloody long process we signed the contract when I was 6 mths preggy with my oldest and finally moved in when I was 6mths preggy with the twins.
I found that I really had to be on the builders backs all the time as they were really slack, as my house is on the same land as my parents this made it a bit eaiser as dad would always go over and check them out. I think that you have to also make sure you really look into what is included in the costs as part of our costs included them painting it but only in one colour so everytime we wanted a feature wall it was going to cost us $500 in the end we painted ourselves. Also check things like when the put the oven in ours was meant to be white but they stuffed up and got stainless steel then said its to late to change, I hassled them so much they did change so don't let them get away with anything! But in the end, I love our house and wouldn't change it so happy to be in it. ------------- My beautiful big girl Sienna 15.04.06 Double the trouble double the fun Noah & Lola 10/11/07 |
Posted By: Angs1982
Date Posted: 18 April 2011 at 7:36pm
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Thanks heaps!!
Scarey how long it took though!! I hope we aren't in for a long wait. |
Posted By: Angs1982
Date Posted: 18 April 2011 at 7:36pm
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Thanks heaps!!
Scarey how long it took though!! I hope we aren't in for a long wait. |
Posted By: MamaMore
Date Posted: 18 April 2011 at 8:33pm
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I'm keen to hear people's experiences too. We're planning to have a company build our house to lock-up stage, then do the rest ourselves.
I'd love to hear from anyone who have physically done the work themselves if there's anyone out there 
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Posted By: mrsturtle
Date Posted: 18 April 2011 at 9:04pm
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We built in 07 began oct and we were in on 1st march 08. the builders did alot of the work then we did the painting, kitchen, carpets etc which tbh we should have just got the builders to do it all and i wasnt even pregnant! it just seemed to take forever and while we saved a wee bit it wasnt really that much in the scheme of things. Also the final consents were a bit more tricky to get thru and i just feel that it would have been easier to leave it all to the builders.
We built of our own plans that hubby desinged so not sure but if you were building one of their spec houses they should be able to do it quicker ?? My biggest thing that i would suggest is get a great relationship with your builder the guys on site makes it soo much easier and i constantly visited the site to see how things were going and i held them to the finish date as we were renting they were well aware that if we couldnt move in then they would have to pay for a motel till we could. all the best it is stressfull and long but so worth it if you get what you want. |
Posted By: TrinaL
Date Posted: 18 April 2011 at 9:18pm
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We built and did a lot ourselves. My father did the design and did the pm of the build using the builder that worked for him. DH broke his femur the month we started building
My thoughts are: You will have to compromise on some things. I wish we didn't get the shower we did. It looks nice, and it is nice to shower in but I hate cleaning it. Think about how things will be for cleaning. I love our big spa bath to bath in but it is to high to lean over and bath a baby in You can never have a too big garage- your DH will agree  Love my full size washing line inside the garage.
You can never have too much storage There may be some things you don't do straight away but think about if you can plan so it is easy to do later. We had the internal vac pipes put in but have only just bought the unit so we can use it. I don't love having the same boring curtains all through the house but as it ended up costing us 1200 for 84m of curtaining and 500 to make them it got the job done and I will replace them as I can. You can get lots of plants for landscaping formm garage sales and friends. Never say no to a free plant- if it doesn't survive the move it doesn't matter. |
Posted By: Angs1982
Date Posted: 19 April 2011 at 7:32am
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That was a quick build Shannon! Our company doesn't have a set build time but hopefully they aren't too slow.
I'm kind of glad to hear you say the savings weren't really worth it for DIY. We are pretty happy to leave everything to them - but in the back of my mind I know we could save a bit. Funny Trina its things like curtains that I'm most looking forward to doing - the finishing touches, but I know that takes $$$$. |
Posted By: GuestGuest
Date Posted: 19 April 2011 at 10:58am
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Good thread, would good to get some more feedback!
We are building later this year and have decided to go with a building company that does the lot rather than go it alone to take the stress out of it. It's so much fun choosing a plan and trying to visualise all of the interior design! At the moment we're arguing over whether or not to have a sink in the scullery
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Posted By: Mum_mum
Date Posted: 19 April 2011 at 1:30pm
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ooooo I think a sink in the scullery would be a good thing Red, especially for doing things like filleting fish (if your DH does that lol) defrosting meat, and just washing yucky things..... ------------- http://lilypie.com">  http://lilypie.com">
 Angel baby - May 2008
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Posted By: LadyBee
Date Posted: 19 April 2011 at 1:30pm
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Some things I would suggest is to choose a builder who is reliable and good at what they do! There are so many cowboys around you need a Licensed Trade Qualified builder perferably Certified or a master Builder aswell. Get recommedations from friends/family or ask around at work and if you can see the work they have done.
Meet with the builder (who is actually going to do the building work) and discuss exactly what you want also once you have decided who you want to build with have a fixed price contract with specs (inclusions/exclusion) and start and completion dates so you are clear on what is going on. Remember there are sometimes unexpected costs so be prepared for this esp if you decide to change something halfway through the build. Best thing is know exactly what you want and stick with it. Unless your dam confident you can DIY but I would leave it up to the builders / subcontractors to do the work. To get a professional finish you need a professional to do it and I know it looks simple it do, I mean its only painting walls, laying tiles etc etc there is actually a lot of work behind it and you dont save much money in the end, The time and stress of it is not worth it. Its best to stick with the fun parts like choosing colours/carpet/lights etc and let the builder do the hard work. 
Yes its good to have a good relationship with the builder, scones and bickkies go a long way
And remember before its all done walk around and check it yourself, dont be afraid to speak up if your not happy with the quality of finish. Nothing worse if your all moved in and have an endless supply of contractors fixing this or that or you have to move back out so they can patch it up or re paint. GL building is exciting if you have a good builder/building company it should be a breeze
------------- TTC for 4 1/2 years IVF #1 - April 2012 short BFP, no frosties IVF #2 - August 2012, BFP!! 3 frosties! http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow"> 
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Posted By: linda
Date Posted: 19 April 2011 at 3:10pm
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We had stage one built before kids and DH did most of that. Then got stage two completed to lock up. The last part of stage two was knocking the wall between the two stages. DH then did the interior but I would have to say it felt like it took forever and rather than having family time it felt like he was always working on the house. Got to the stage where I really resented the house. We are now onto stage three, and are going to see how far we get the builders to go. We pay by the hour and have accounts set up for building related items. For us it worked really well and the same builder who did stage two is doing stage three.
Good luck! ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
Alex 6 and Harry 8 |
Posted By: MamaMore
Date Posted: 19 April 2011 at 4:50pm
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Wow, some of this advice is gold! Thanks ladies. Our plan is that DH will take 6 months off work and basically work full time on the house. I don't mind if it's not totally finished before we move in as we DIY'd the house we're in so I'm not afraid of that, but it'd be great to have the major stuff done.
Looking forward to reading more advice and tips
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Posted By: floss
Date Posted: 19 April 2011 at 8:38pm
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Oh the other thing I would check is the lighting plan, we added heaps more lights to our plan as the house would have hardly any without them and we have quite bit rooms so 1 or 2 lights just wasn't going to cut it.
Along with the lights we now have the problem that we can't reach the light switches for the lights above our bed without nearly falling out of the bed. The guy just stuck the light switches where he thought they should be without checking he must have thought our bed was HUGE! ------------- My beautiful big girl Sienna 15.04.06 Double the trouble double the fun Noah & Lola 10/11/07 |
Posted By: TrinaL
Date Posted: 19 April 2011 at 8:59pm
There are some gorgeous curtains out there but couldn't justify the expense - some of those compromises I mentioned
I figured I could slowly work my way through the house and replace them over time if I wanted to. We did get sun filter blinds which were more imprtant for cutting down the glare and blocking the sun in the heat of summer. |
Angs1982 wrote:Posted By: mrsturtle
Date Posted: 19 April 2011 at 9:47pm
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Fantastic point about the lights floss! our kitchen lights are pretty crap....not over the bench grrr
and also power points! you can never have too many trust me |
Posted By: Lulu
Date Posted: 20 April 2011 at 7:33am
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We have built one house, done a full renovation (almost a demolish/rebuild situation) on another, relocated another house with another full renovation. My personal criteria for any future builds is that it is FULLY finished before I move in - even down to the landscaping. In the past due to budget restraints we have always moved in well before things are finished, and I reckon this just drags it out and the only time you ever get everything fully completed is if you are moving out or selling!
Like the lighting situation, make sure you have enough power points and they are in the right positions, especially in the kitchen. ------------- Lou http://www.babysfirstsite.com"> 
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Posted By: GuestGuest
Date Posted: 20 April 2011 at 10:10am
With you there!! I'm not so worried about lights because we like to use lamps in the living areas. I'm not a big fan of light shining down from the ceiling for some reason. Does anyone have bi-folds? I really like them compared to sliders but they are more expensive. Are they worth it? |
Posted By: mrsturtle
Date Posted: 20 April 2011 at 3:11pm
| not sure about bifolds we have triple stackers but makes the doors pretty heavy to slide compleatly open |
Posted By: Angs1982
Date Posted: 20 April 2011 at 5:52pm
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We are getting bi-folds put in, hopefully they are ok!
Got plans back today... the fun begins. Interesting got info today about all the new carpets - can't believe the guareentees they come with. $$$$ tho.... but maybe worth it with kids? Good point on the lights etc, its hard to know tho when you look at plans! |
Posted By: floss
Date Posted: 20 April 2011 at 7:53pm
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We have bi-folds that go out onto our deck and while I like them, they are more expensive and our ones if someone shuts them from the inside then you can't open it from the outside. In our bedroom we have stacker sliders which are great they pretty much open up one whole wall in our room and were alot cheaper. ------------- My beautiful big girl Sienna 15.04.06 Double the trouble double the fun Noah & Lola 10/11/07 |
Posted By: Kupukupu
Date Posted: 22 April 2011 at 10:49am
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we built last year. One of the most enjoyable and stressful things we have ever done!
My advice- nail your company down for a start and completion date before you sign any contracts- you NEED the completion date and if a company can't supply you with a realistic one then I would avoid them. Our house is 220sqm and took 6 months from slab going down to us moving in & everything is finish to a high standard so that gives you an idea of an average completion time... for more basic or smaller homes it should be quicker and for architectural homes it will be much longer. You also need to know what is included in the cost of the contract and what isn't- some companies use alot of misleading & unrealistic PC sums and then you end up blowing out your budget. Build a good relationship with the builders- scones, sammies, coffee's, piklets, beers... they all go down a treat. plan, plan, plan, plan. Choose everything you possibly can at the start- carpet, colours, vanities, tapwear, baths, showers etc that way you won't have to choose too much stuff at the end when you are well and truly over choosing stuff. Try not to change anything major during the build- any changes should be made at the planning stage. Changes during the build will only cost you extra and delay the build. Research- find out about products, ask people who have just built for their opinions on things, look through show homes to see what you do and don't like. Be prepared to compromise- you cannot have everything you want unless the budget is unlimited. Decide what is important to you and what isn't- eg a tiled shower costs double an acrylic one- is it a MUST have or can you live without it. and most importantly- try to stick to your budget as close as possible. |
Posted By: LouD
Date Posted: 23 April 2011 at 9:04am
| put door handles UP .......it will give you longer with lil ones before they can open all the doors in the house etc |
Posted By: KiwiL
Date Posted: 23 April 2011 at 9:17pm
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Who are you building with?
I have been emailing a friend about our experience building about a year ago (went with GJ Gardner and it was totally stress-free and I would recommend them without hesitation). Anyway, I am happy to forward you some of these emails if you like, just PM me your email address. Agree regarding extra lights and powerpoints, we did both. |
Posted By: IVFGirl1111
Date Posted: 26 April 2011 at 11:33am
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Laurie is the bees knees on building - SO much help! Thank you so much once again x ------------- TTC 6 years IVF it is IVF/ICSI round one 10 eggs, 8 mature, 3 fertilised BFN IVF/ICSI #2 = 22 eggs! 20 mature, 15 fertilised, 1 fresh transfer and 2 frosties BFN 2 Frosties still in freezer thank god |
Posted By: BerryBliss
Date Posted: 26 April 2011 at 2:26pm
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Awesome thread, will have to sit down later and take notes hoping to start building in the next few months so this is all very helpful. Pretty sure i will be going with Versatile (would have loved to go with GJ but as i'm on my own with 4 kids money is tight) Versatile so far has agrred to make the changes i want with the plan, but after this i will need to add a few more things and change a few other things. ------------- http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow">  DD 1999 DS 2003 DS 2006 DD 2009 |
Posted By: Angs1982
Date Posted: 04 May 2011 at 8:27pm
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I saw a versatile flier tonight they have some very nice plans!!
$570 extra to paint the skirtings white..... this whole builing process is starting to become a little crazy. How many powerpoints do you think is a good number for a bedroom? Kiwilaurie did you get my PM? |
Posted By: mrsturtle
Date Posted: 04 May 2011 at 9:36pm
| also if you can put phone jacks and tv ariels into each of the bedrooms this helps heaps with resale this is something we found out the hard way! |
Posted By: Angs1982
Date Posted: 09 May 2011 at 11:01am
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Hey girls,
any advice on flooring????? Our flooring quote came $8K OVER budget!! No idea where to next... |