Temporary fences are up and drainage/plumbing has begun.
Unfortunately the night this was done, it poured and poured so the block is like a swimming pool again, lol! Can't win!!
Friday 25 April 2014
Work has finally begun!
Hurray! I can finally say work has begun on our house!
Temporary fences are up and drainage/plumbing has begun.
Unfortunately the night this was done, it poured and poured so the block is like a swimming pool again, lol! Can't win!!
Temporary fences are up and drainage/plumbing has begun.
Unfortunately the night this was done, it poured and poured so the block is like a swimming pool again, lol! Can't win!!
Sunday 20 April 2014
Choosing a house
What a tough decision it was to choose a floor plan!! We knew we wanted a Mcdonald Jones Home but we liked things in just about every MDJ display home we entered!
I loved the extra large kitchen island benches, open flow of living/dining and the alfresco areas. My husbands must have was a home theatre but wasn't overly fussy about the rest, although he liked the Milano. The wish list also included a spare room to use as a play room, home theatre away from family area and a study.
We initially got a quote for the Beachside Elite, but then when we walked through the display home the family room felt small and hard to furnish because of the openess. I was a little concerned the children's retreat would be messy and open right near the family room.
We also liked the Chesterfield, but that was being discontinued. The Milano was lovely but it wasn't going to suit out block too well. Because the alfresco is at the back, we would not be maximising the larger side yard and we would also need to add a deck and pergola at back. I also wanted a bigger alfresco.
As soon as we saw the Garden Retreat, we really loved the kitchen and family areas and how the alfresco was so huge. I looove the huge walk in pantry and how the kids have their own wing. And the garden room would be really useful.
We decided on the Garden Retreat One with the open bathroom option/larger laundry. We also added a window in the garden room looking out onto alfresco.
I loved the extra large kitchen island benches, open flow of living/dining and the alfresco areas. My husbands must have was a home theatre but wasn't overly fussy about the rest, although he liked the Milano. The wish list also included a spare room to use as a play room, home theatre away from family area and a study.
We initially got a quote for the Beachside Elite, but then when we walked through the display home the family room felt small and hard to furnish because of the openess. I was a little concerned the children's retreat would be messy and open right near the family room.
We also liked the Chesterfield, but that was being discontinued. The Milano was lovely but it wasn't going to suit out block too well. Because the alfresco is at the back, we would not be maximising the larger side yard and we would also need to add a deck and pergola at back. I also wanted a bigger alfresco.
As soon as we saw the Garden Retreat, we really loved the kitchen and family areas and how the alfresco was so huge. I looove the huge walk in pantry and how the kids have their own wing. And the garden room would be really useful.
We decided on the Garden Retreat One with the open bathroom option/larger laundry. We also added a window in the garden room looking out onto alfresco.
Garden Retreat One
After a few weeks of tenders and huge unexpected costs for site costs, soil removal, higher priced slab, need for retaining wall and a smaller backyard/increased setback (due to a sewer manhole in front yard) we soon realised we would not be able to afford a study.
We began looking at other floor plans to see if any other designs might fit the block better or work out a little cheaper so we could still afford a study.
The big question was: get a house you love with a tiny backyard and no study or a smaller house that is nice but not "the dream house" and get a study? Would we be able to afford any upgrades for colours and electricals?
We also looked into other builders, but after looking at MJH none came anywhere close.
It was very stressful and confusing. Mcdonald Jones ended up coming to the party and throwing in a free alfresco worth $10500 as a sweetener to stop us pulling out on the whole build. They also managed to move the house forward a small distance, but not much, due to manhole in front yard.
Yes it was a long and complicated process to choose a floor plan but we can both say we are happy with our choice, even though I still wish we were getting a study.
The block of land
After looking at several blocks of land in the estate, we narrowed
it down to a couple. One had an easement down the left hand side and wasn't too
slopey and the other was bigger but was much slopier and we found it harder to
choose a house that would fit on the block as easily due to the narrow
frontage.
After researching easements as much as we
could, we ended up going with Lot 25.
The easement hasn't caused too much trouble, as the house will be positioned closer to the other side boundary of the block. There is a sewer man hole in the front yard which has caused some headaches. After being told initially that it wouldn't be a problem, we were then told that the house would need to be pushed back further because of it. This meant a bigger front setback and a smaller backyard. We weren't too happy to say the least, but eventually we realised that other than getting a smaller house, there wasn't much other option.
The easement hasn't caused too much trouble, as the house will be positioned closer to the other side boundary of the block. There is a sewer man hole in the front yard which has caused some headaches. After being told initially that it wouldn't be a problem, we were then told that the house would need to be pushed back further because of it. This meant a bigger front setback and a smaller backyard. We weren't too happy to say the least, but eventually we realised that other than getting a smaller house, there wasn't much other option.
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