Lessons Learned - Building a House

[MagareyLegend]

Hey Squawk we are building with Rossdale for the 3rd time. What design are you building? We are building the Waitpinga.

[Squawk]

ML,

we are building with Rossdale for the first time - cant believe you are up to the three-peat!

We are building a similar design to you actually - the Tusmore Loft. We have made some variations to the standard design though - in fact, even some of the Rossdale people said they thought our design was a better version without adding a great deal of extra living space. Where are you building?

Kaiser - our contract is fixed price so if they hit rock, they bear the cost. Welcome to the "race". Pity about the distance between everyone or we could have had a progressive roadshow in about November!

I'm hoping our cutting will be done next week. Then the slab. Then a slab for me, for the 28 day wait!

[Psyber]

We have hit another snag,

Have been told by the builder that they need to leave the slab 5 weeks for it to cure. Will be ringing them tomorrow as not sure how they can build a house in 6 months if they have a 5 week break.

not sure which is harder, chasing after the builder or the baby?

that is standard DTD. You might be annoyed with the delay, but they are doing the right thing by you in the long run.
Some builders put the studwork up before the concrete trucks have cleared the street, cowboys...

Yep the good news, too, is that they are not taking the short cut I warned about earlier in this post - a few discrete holes in the membrane with a crowbar.

[Dutchy]

was talking to a builder on friday night and he said the rain on Friday would be good for a recently laid slab...good knows why but I believe him!

[heater31]

was talking to a builder on friday night and he said the rain on Friday would be good for a recently laid slab...good knows why but I believe him!

It prevents the concrete curing too quickly and a useless fact that some people might not know is that concrete can set underwater..........it just takes a while

[tazz]

Just paid a deposit on a block of land.
Havn't signed a building contract yet so well behind others on this thread.

[dont think do]

Boys more progress.

The septic goes in on Monday (yes we will be country and I love it)
Then on Wed the bricks are being delivered and then the timber on Thursday.
With Easter they should put the frame up the following week.

[Dutchy]

Just paid a deposit on a block of land.
Havn't signed a building contract yet so well behind others on this thread.

WHere you building Tazz?

good news DTD, I reckon we will be similar....game on!!

Also lads if you borrowed for the land purchase did you pay Mortgage Stamp Duty on the amount you borrowed? its charged at .45 cents per $100- borrowed. The government expempts you from this if the house is owner occupied but not vacant land until you have a contract where I believe you can get a refund...looking into it now

[RustyCage]

Im posting this for a friend who is about to start the building process. She wants to ask:

we are looking at Rossdale, G and J Gardner, Stirlng, Weeks Peacock, and Eden. Has anyone had any experiences with these companies? and also, someone who went through Rossdale (I think it was sqwarky) said they had to add 40-50% onto the cost. I thought Rossdale was fixed price?

[The Real Number 3]

I used to work as a Cornicer, and from my experience NEVER build with Devine! Rossdale and G&J Gardenr would be 2 of the better companies taht we have worked for.. they may take a bit of time but their houses all are always a pleasure to work in.. With Devine have a wrap they put around they house before the bricks get laid so that they can finish most of the inside before the outside has even finished... Their walls are never straight and always have bows in the making the cornice "pop" off with a bit of pressure...

My parents recently built a house with Sterling and i must say, it is a job well done.

[tazz]

Just paid a deposit on a block of land.
Havn't signed a building contract yet so well behind others on this thread.

WHere you building Tazz?

At a new land development at Noarlunga Downs.

[heater31]

I used to work as a Cornicer, and from my experience NEVER build with Devine! Rossdale and G&J Gardenr would be 2 of the better companies taht we have worked for.. they may take a bit of time but their houses all are always a pleasure to work in.. With Devine have a wrap they put around they house before the bricks get laid so that they can finish most of the inside before the outside has even finished... Their walls are never straight and always have bows in the making the cornice "pop" off with a bit of pressure...

My parents recently built a house with Sterling and i must say, it is a job well done.

hence why they are as cheap as chips.

[Squawk]

Im posting this for a friend who is about to start the building process. She wants to ask:

we are looking at Rossdale, G and J Gardner, Stirlng, Weeks Peacock, and Eden. Has anyone had any experiences with these companies? and also, someone who went through Rossdale (I think it was sqwarky) said they had to add 40-50% onto the cost. I thought Rossdale was fixed price?

Rossdale is a fixed price contract. The quoted price for each design does not take into account things like earthmoving, soil removal, wind speed ratings above standard, council stipulations like rainwater and stormwater, etc. You also have to pay for extras like paving, airconditioning etc and there are never enough provisions for electrical outlets. By the time you add all these costs on the final price is well above the price "as displayed".

Rossdale has a huge backlog in engineering and wall and roof plans atm - it took 4 months and 3 months for EACH of these respectively for us. The council has been lickety split with their times though. Rossdale told us 12-14 months from signing up to moving in and we are up to 12 months now before earth has been turned - hopefully that will start this week now. The trick seems to be to ring them once a week, every week, and just keep pushing them along. If you wait for them to get back to you, you wait and wait and wait.

[Kaiser Chief]

Good news everyone

Found out that the extra rock digging we found out about, is only going to cost us $430.

STOKED!!

was expecting up to 5000.

our frame is up and finished. bricks to start after Easter

[Dutchy]

Our timber is getting delivered next week for the frame to start....how long was your slab down for Kaiser?

[dont think do]

great news chief, how long did it take to put the frame up?

Our Timbers, roof trusses and bricks are now "on site" hopefull they start next week. Septic went in on monday so at last the builder is sticking to the time table

[Squawk]

Bad news for me. Our start date has been pushed back a month and end date pushed back 2 months. News came in the post on Thursday night. No explanation forthcoming. Wait till Tuesday when I let them have it.

[Dutchy]

Bad news for me. Our start date has been pushed back a month and end date pushed back 2 months. News came in the post on Thursday night. No explanation forthcoming. Wait till Tuesday when I let them have it.

unbelievable!...should at least have the courtesy to call you

[Kaiser Chief]

my slab was down for approximately 1.5-2 weeks before frame started.

Frame was started on the Tuesday, finished on the Monday.
Went down there today, gutters up, windows, roof and bricks should be very soon after the long weekend.

You guys are saying the septic is in?

do i have to organise this?
already done?

[Spot]

Hey Tazz,

I just signed a contract to build end Jan, I think we should have a race.
All I have from the builder is a letter detailing how long it may take and last week I received a letter from an insurance
company covering me if the builder goes under. Nothing more, what a waiting game.

I am hoping for Jan Feb next year, the builder told me Nov Dec.

It will be great to hear what you all go through and if you have any good contractors
share them around. I am a budget and have allowed $20k for extras.
Sounds like it could blow out to more.

What was everyones footings price, I went to 7 builders and there was up to a $5K difference.

Hard to decided who to go with.[/b]