Building St Tropez 27

Thursday, 21 April 2016

Quick April Update

I was away for a bit early this month hence the late update.

Some random stuff:

Boutique agreed to extend our fixed price until January, so let's home my land developer is on time!

Developer sent me updated land engineering plan which is quite different from the original that I sent to Boutique. So now waiting from Boutique to confirm that this is all ok before we proceed with building contract. The contract said that large discrepancies of site cost will cause variation, so I rather have this confirmed and sorted now! Technically the new engineering has less slope and less fill, so I'd be very surprised if the site cost be negatively affected. If anything it should be cheaper.

Apart from that, someone sent me photo of stage 1 progress which is looking pretty good, though their title is going to be late by about a month.

Tuesday, 22 March 2016

OOT - Other house plans and similar house plans I like

We are still waiting news from Boutique -_-

So in the meantime, I'm doing window shopping for other house plans :)

Two storey houses

I grew up in two storey houses. Our block is rear facing North East, so it is actually best for plans with living room and big windows at the back - pretty much most two level houses.

The plans I like are the ones that's not too big - I will never get why each bedroom need an ensuite. I also try to keep main bedroom on the ground floor when possible as we have a small dog.

Emporio ER428 - Mainvue

Base prices - looks like $2K increase every 2-3 months or so

21 Mar 2016 $277,900
5 Mar 2016 $275,900
12 Mar 2015 $263,900

Dimension 18.48m x 11.75m
Floor size 34.86sq / 323.9m2

Fits our land perfectly, allows for bigger backyard and pool :)

I also like the small pillar to the alfresco, i.e. more open plan feeling.

Ground floor

First floor

Airlie 33 Master on Ground - Boutique Homes

Base price:

21 Mar 2016 $284,900

Dimension 19.55m x 11.39m
Floor size 306.96m²/33.04sq

Similar floor plan to Emporio. I like the option to keep master bed on ground floor. Sliding door to alfresco has big pillar - this will be costly to remove.

note: Ground floor ensuite - that toilet need to be moved to the other side.

Ground floor - master on ground option

First floor

Caesar - Henley

Base price:

21 Mar 2016 $229900

Dimension 17.7m x 10.67m
Floor size 29.63sq /275.3sqm

Smallest of the 3 - the most basic in terms of inclusions

One storey houses

Sienna 24 - Arden Homes

Base prices:

Mar 2016 $222,900 - they do have a better inclusions on some aspects

Dimension 24.60m x 11.3m
Floor size 24.2 squares

Thinner and longer than St Tropez 25. I like the idea of sun court on the side. With the width, I can add a pool nicely right next to the sun court. The positioning makes the pool more accessible, and visible from the kitchen :)

Ivory IV432 - Mainvue

Base prices:

23 Mar 2016 $212,900
11 Mar 2015 $199,900

Dimension 24.88 x 12.59
Floor size 28.86sq / 268.1m2

This ivory is a 3 bedroom house - though you can change that Theatre into another bed. Dimension is bigger than St Tropez 25 which means each room is bigger.

Friday, 11 March 2016

OOT - Do you customise your floorplans?

Some out of topic post :)

When I 'shop' for a builder and houseplan, I usually find that the smaller version of the floorplan is more efficient in design when compared to the larger size.

Larger size usually come with more luxuries - bigger room, bigger kitchen, bigger all. But sometimes it also come with larger hallway, some unused nook, walk in laundry (that not everyone need), etc.

Below is some of the changes that I might make if I choose other (smaller) Boutique plans - Oslo 24, Marseille 26 and Barcelona 22.

Note: I try to remove unused hallways and nooks doesn't mean it's a good/ better house plan ;)

Barcelona 22 - Standard come with 3 bed and no alfresco
Changes - I'd like to see the kitchen on the otherside with window splashback. Add e-zone and also add full size alfresco at the back.

Marseille 26

Oslo 24 - rear bedroom version and standard version

Do you customise your floorplans?

Just hanging around and doing this waiting game...

Really prefer not to redo all these :(

We have our colour selection new pricing from our lovely pre-start consultant. From what I can see, the upgrades are at least 25% more expensive than the old price. Plus items that were standard were no longer standard. We need to think hard and make list of the items to compare old and new - hoping to get the full picture next week, when our sales consultant is back. It's just a waiting game now, but some notes:

Caoba and Cedar garage door - now $500 ish (was standard)
ILVE Dishwasher - $1000 (was standard)
Mail box - almost double the price
1020mm wide glass sliding door - increase by 25% despite it's a lower door (2040 height instead of 2340)
Ensuite frame upgrade from Euro Crystaltec Range to Crystaltec range - $360
All full wall tiling to wet area - increase by about 40% in price, plus most Cat 3 tiles are now in Cat 4.
Brick Cat 3 - increase by approx. 20%

Adding all the items back in plus a promo - we will end up with similar pricing, maybe cheaper depends on pricing from the sales agent.

Wednesday, 2 March 2016

Quick Update - Land Delay

So.

The old land developer sold our estate to a bigger developer. Our land is now... at least 6 months late with title around November.

We're in predicament as Boutique will only hold the price until early November.

We can either risk the land going even later and pay $800 for every month it's late, or redo the PwC (We haven't signed building contract) and redo and reprice EVERYTHING. Our sales person is on holiday in Bali, and I'm waiting for latest colour pricing to weight things up.

Will keep you updated on how it goes.

Monday, 22 February 2016

Land... nothing much!

This was the land estate early this month... there was nothing! I hope it gets somewhere real soon

Tuesday, 16 February 2016

The Upgrade Prices

When I’m reading everyone’s build blog, I always try to look for the upgrade prices. It’s useful for budgeting, and also save me some embarrassment of asking and not being able to afford it. I did say “it’s out of our budget” … a lot… :-|

I thought I will give you some indications for the upgrade cost. It will be different for each house plan and I did’t put the exact dollar in, just rounded number. I didn't choose most of the upgrades below. The below is general and old price, way before Boutique includes their base price on the website. Many of the items also need to be requested specifically for your house plan, e.g. double glazing cost really depends on the window size, bathroom/ ensuite tiling will depends on the size of the actual bathroom, etc.

UPGRADES

Ceiling height to 2700mm - $3600

Square set cornices - $1500

Electric

Refer to this post

Upgrade to 3 phase power - $1400

Room

Window to sliding door - $500 each (excluding double glazing)

Double glazing - expect about $500-$700 per window depending on size

Heating/ Cooling

Refrigerated cooling - $13000

Upgrade to 5 star ducted heating from 3 star - $1500

Facade

Modern, Viva and Metro - Standard

Contempo, Luxe and Vogue - $4500

Eden - $13,500

Roof

To metal roof - $1600

Cat 4 roof tiles - $2000

Brick

Cat 2 - $750

Cat 3 - $1100

Cat 5 - $4500

Cat 16 - $31000

Off white mortar - $800

Doors

Cavity sliding in lieu of standard - $300

Add a cavity sliding - $650

Upgrade door to Hume LIN1 - $650

Flooring

Main Flooring Cat 2 - $620

Main Flooring Cat 3 - $1,450

St Tropez 28 Display Floor Tiles - $5500

Laminate flooring cat 1 in lieu of carpet to master bed - $550

Laminate flooring cat 1 in lieu of carpet in hallway - $250

Ensuite Floor and Wall Cat 2 - $200

Ensuite Floor and Wall Cat 3 - $500

Bathroom Floor and Wall Cat 2 - $60

Bathroom Floor and Wall Cat 3 - $400

WC Floor Cat 2 - $20

WC Floor Cat 3 - $55

Laundry Floor and Wall Cat 2 - $80

Laundry Floor and Wall Cat 3 - $170

Caesarstone Benchtops

Cat 1 – Standard inclusions

Cat 2

Kitchen - $250
Bathroom - $30
Ensuite - $60

Cat 3

Kitchen - $700
Bathroom - $80
Ensuite - $180

Cat 4 – I didn’t ask

Shelves

Melamine Matt Shelves - Standard

Kitchen Sheen - $350

Kitchen Gloss - $900

Bathroom Sheen - $60

Bathroom Gloss - $200

Ensuite Sheen - $120

Ensuite Gloss - $500

Tapwares (some of these are not available in showroom – I requested pricing for some specific items)

Caroma Luna W/F Toilet - $790
Stylus Dorado W/F toilet - $500
Stylus Banksia W/F toilet - $250
Caroma Track Inset Basin - $190
Caroma Orbis inset Basin - $15
Caroma Basa 520mm wide inset basins - $255
Dorf Villa Basin Mixer - $120
Dorf Viridian Wall Mixer - $110
Dorf Viridian Basin Mixer - $20
Caroma Quatro Basin Mixer - $80
Caroma Leda Above Counter Basin in lieu of standard - $60
Caroma Cube 320 - $200
Caroma Liano 430 - $550
Caroma Leda Inset Basin in lieu of standard - $100
Cirrus Basin Mixer in lieu of standard - $125
Mystic Rail Shower in lieu of standard - $100
Cardinal Mixer in lieu of standard - $190
Caroma Liano Swivel Bath Outlet in lieu of standard - $95
Sink in Montauk Display home – Caroma Contura Inset Basin $545 http://www.caroma.com.au/bathrooms/basins/contura/contura-530-solid-surface-inset-basin

Ensuite

Tiled niche - $500

Timber Look Tiles (was cat 4 now cat 5, so the upgrade price would be more than the below)

Ensuite Floor Only - $350
Ensuite Wall Only - $420

Ensuite full wall tiling

Cat 1 – $1100
Cat 2 – $1400
Cat 3 - $1650
Cat 4 – $1900
Cat 5 - didn't ask

Bathroom

Shower niche - $300

Full wall tiling

Cat 1 – $1150
Cat 2 – $1400
Cat 3 - $1700
Cat 4 – 1950

Kitchen

Glass splashback - $1000

Mirror splashback – was $1000 (when the Glass splashback was a standard)

RAVINE shelf (Evolution Range) upgrade base and overhead cabinetry - $1,500

THERMOLAMINATED shelf (Evolution Range) upgrade base and overhead cabinetry - $2,200

Bevel Edge Option in lieu of handles - $30 per drawer

Soft close to all doors and drawers - $1300

Monday, 8 February 2016

Colour Selections and Electrical Appointment

Start of the day

We woke up at 4am to catch the early flights. We arrived at 8.15am and I was feeling deflated after I found out Boutique Homes has change their pricing and their new base price (now listed on the website) is approx. +$10K less than our current one. That, and the fact that new customers get another $8,000 worth of bonus - either a luxury kitchen pack or higher ceiling (I WANTED THIS!).

The colour appointment started with lengthy conversation on what have changed in the new plan, and why we are paying a LOT more when we signed up earlier. Some of the changes:

6 star energy rating - only for BEST orientation (old version include ALL orientation). This look like a small details if you have North facing block, but could be an unknown cost if you have the most inefficient house plan. Double glazing is expensive and from memory, they will add approx. $1200 provisions for this in the new plan.
Bushfire provisions - this will increase by approx. $2000 (old plan at $5490) fly screen was no longer a standard inclusion.
Fly screen - no longer standard. You will need to add this yourself - from what I read in forum, will cost about $1000 for standard nylon mesh
Insulation - they downgrade the insulation quality (thought I didn't see the difference in writing). It will affect the 6 star rating assessment
Dishwasher and Microwave no longer included - if I exclude these from the old plan, it's about $900 back. Or if downgrade to Westinghouse, approx. $600 back
Glass splashback no longer standard inclusions, only tiles - if I exclude this from old plan, it's approx. $1000 back.
Tiles are no longer included for main area - not a big issue for those who choose laminate options
Standard laminate flooring - reduced to 3 options (was about 10 choices - the Rustic range and Nordic range)
Standard carpet choices - reduced to about 5 (was about 9 choices)
Standard cat 1 tiles are reduced - most tiles in cat 3 are now in cat 4, cat 4 in cat 5 etc
Garage - The wood colour (Caoba and Cedar) are no longer standard
Bathroom are now framed on pivot doors (they're ugly) - cost about $500 to make it frameless on pivot
ILVE appliances - now the lowest of the ILVE range. It used to be the highest of the range. This is no big deal unless you're a big cook. you can also choose to downgrade to Westinghouse
Internal door - reduced to 2040 (was 2340mm high) - again no big deal

We have decided to stay with our current PwC due to the unknown cost for 6 star energy rating. Still not sure if all of these worth +$10K but I reckon I can shave cost on selection if need be.

Colour Selection

Our current choices - not the best pics as I forgot my camera :-\
Tapwares selection is covered in the previous post :)

The full selection

Pompeii for coloured concrete driveway

Hakea door handles - matt silver for internal, gloss for entrace

Kitchen handles - the largest one (1534223) bathroom is the smaller one (1534217)

External selection
Roof - Gunmetal
Gutter - Basal to match the roof
Downpipe - Off white to hide it
Front door - Off white
Window frame - Silver
Brick - Praline (Cat 3)
Render - Flooded Gum
Garage - Caoba Mediterranian Profile

Laminate flooring - the lighter colour (Rustic Stone) - this is no longer Standard in the new pricing
Can only find the UK website for listing of the Bolero laminates https://www.woodfloorsbrighton.co.uk/product/bolero-rustic-stone/

Kitchen selection
Top cabinet - Grey sheen
Bottom cabinet - Polar white sheen
Benchtop - Alpine Mist

Ensuite tiles - Category 2 Tiles - Full Tile option
Wall tiles - Dolomite Sand 300x600
Floor tiles (this will go up to one wall) - Dolomite Ash 300x600

Bathroom tiles - Category 3 Tile - Full tile options
Grey Matt Porcelain 300 x 600
It's category 4 on new pricing (but still category 3 for my option)

Stylus Banksia Upgrade

Cosmo 900mm double rail (600mm for bathroom as 900mm won't fit)

My carpet selection is the very left one. The grey one on the right no longer standard in new pricing.

Gunmetal roof (middle)

Laminate Floor options - no longer standard in new pricing.

Cat 2 tiles - Dolomite range

Ensuite colour - the very bottom one

Ensuite rail - Matt Silver (middle)

Carrara Bianco for kitchen splashback - matching the marblish benchtop

Ensuite and Bathroom vanity - Polytec Cherry Matt and Caesarstone Frosty Carrina

Example of wood looking tiles - I didn't choose this because it will look weird next to the laminate flooring

Electrical Appointment

The computer system were on maintenance, so we do this manually.

Oranges - light battens - there's probably about 38 of them
Blue - power points - need to count this
Orange TB - 2 Fluorescent lights for garage
Four Flood lights
Yellow - Enforced battens
Opted for surge protector
Two weatherproof power points

Monday, 1 February 2016

Polytec cabinet colour samples

Finally got some samples arrived on the mail :)

Ordered the maximum samples from Polytec, mainly on their lighter range colours - Oak and Walnut.

Ravine Bleached Walnut

Ravine Soft Walnut

Marni Lini Matt

Washed Oak Matt

Not a good pic, but this is the few Matt Range. Very flat texture (i.e. no wood grains feel by touch)

Actually, I quite like Marni Lini Gloss

White Wood Matt

Marni Lini Gloss

Riga Salt Fine Grain - some texture

Ravine Drifted Oak - it has texture

Laminate - Ravine Bleached Walnut and Ravine Soft Walnut

Caesar stone samples from the mail. Can you guess the colour? ;)
Top left - Organic White
Top right - Alpine Mist
Bottom left - White shimmer
Bottom right - sleek concrete

Another Caesarstones samples
Top left - Dreamy Marvil
Top right - Bianco Drift
Bottom left - Frosty Carina
Bottom right - London Grey

Wednesday, 27 January 2016

Visiting Random Display Houses

I'm itching to see new houses, so we went to display house in our area. Definitely not the same as one in VIC (they are all different builders) but enough to give us a bit more ideas on what we likes and what we don't like.

Don't like:

Not a fully tiled ensuite/ bathrooms. They can look unfinished. So back to drawing board and see our budget to fully tile at least the ensuite
Small tiles especially on wet areas. Why do they spend nothing on area that's so much cheaper to upgrade?
Extra glossy wood grain cabinets (scroll to see pic)
Dark/ yellowish benchtop on bathroom and ensuite

Likes:

Large tiles
Large shiny tiles
Large shiny light coloured tiles :p
Pool!
Strategic use of mirrors. If you go to any display homes, look at where they put the mirrors - this is their tips on how to make the place feels bigger ;)
Clean modern kitchen