jbdave's d&c

We're in !!

2010-02-10T11:00:00.001+11:00

We moved in over the weekend, and have settled into the new home.
Kid's bedrooms, our bedroom and kitchen have been unpacked. The rest of the house is still in boxes. You also cannot move in the garage :)

There is still a few things to do such as the battens on the porch, front and courtyard pergola, and porcha and alfresco decking. That, and of course the landscaping and pool will all be done over the next couple months.

THe phone and TV were put on yesterday, and Foxtel is due Saturday. Internet still a little while away :(

This weekend I need to find myself a letterbox !

Driveway in, granite done !

2010-02-02T19:26:00.005+11:00

Unfortunately the kitchen cupboards and drawer fronts aren't due until Friday :(

Front driveway:

Close up of colour:

Kitchen. Granite has been installed, and pantry has been fitted out. The pantry will hold the microwave, kettle and toaster (as well as food). Two glass doors need to be installed to close it off.

Island bench. Cupboard doors need to be fit off underneath the bench also.

Theatre handles:

Ironing cabinet (cupboard door has been removed for installation)

Almost there - not long now !

2010-01-31T20:52:00.011+11:00

Due to move in next week. Still a few things to do outside, but before we move in the driveway will be complete, as will the render and battens to the top of the porch. The front decking and pergola over will probably be done after we move in.

We finally have a front door !

Entry, complete with dusty floors! The cabinets you can see are the pantry cabinets, which are yet to be installed and as such are sitting in the middle of the family room:

Looking out to pool area and alfresco:

Theatre/lounge:

Looking toward front door:

Hallway to kid's areas. One room has a red wall, one a pink and one a lilac:

Powder room:

A/V cupboard. Cupboard door not yet installed.

Kitchen. The butler's pantry is yet to be fit out (it's sitting in the middle of the family room). the cupboard and drawer fronts are due tomorrow. Granite gets installed Tuesday. Glass splashbacks won't be ready by the time we move in :(

Meals area. In front is the alfresco. To the left is the backyard for the kids and to the right will be the pool.

Rumpus room wall (skirting to be painted in feature colour):

Rumpus room, with display cabinet under and built in bar to the right.

Master bedroom entry:

Looking out of the bedroom into the study:

Shower screen has been installed in ensuite:

WIR:

It's all happening today.....fixing problems - moving date confirmed !

2010-01-27T13:21:00.003+11:00

They numbered in their thousands on site today. Carpet layers, cabinetmakers, electricians, shower screen installer, skylight installer, carpenter.

Finally I have a front door ! Unfortunately i forgot to tell the door people to order the door without the sill so yesterday me and the carpenter were on site doing some modifications to the door frame. Cutting the sill off meant having to remove the glass side lite, so I'll have to call in a glazier.

The door was hung and lock installed, so I have a front door for the first time during the build - and I move in 2 weeks ! The moving date has been confirmed on 6th February so it's rush rush until then.

Today we had a few problems with the kitchen, and where services have come out of the wall, but we fixed those. We also had a skylight ready to go in, but it doesn't fit. The trusses are 600mm centres throughout the roof, except for over the bathroom where they meet and are about 470mm apart. A new skylight was ordered and will be installed shortly.

The carpet looks great ! We are really happy with our choices for the timber floor and carpet. I'll post some pictures shortly.

Showers, mirrors and floors..

2010-01-21T19:14:00.001+11:00

Timber flooring started today !!

Poweder room mirror:

Kid's bathroom shower:

Bathrooms...laundry...WIR

2010-01-16T14:47:00.010+11:00

The painter and tiler worked over the Christmas break. The plumber started back last week, and here's where we are up to:

Ensuite (shower screen to be installed)

Gotta get a nice window covering.

Shower recess:

The throne:

Powder room (a few defects to be repaired in here)

The floor tiles in the bathroom and powder room are actually a different looking tile than what the photo shows:

They are a National Tiles "Metallic Rust"

When I can get some more light into the room I'll try and take a photo of the tiles as they look awesome

Kid's bathroom:

Laundry:

Plenty of storage space:

Walk in robe:

Bricks cleaned, cabinets started.

2009-12-11T09:49:00.012+11:00

Front of house, showing nice clean bricks (other than where the render is going to the brickwork around the three windows):

Close up of bricks and garage door:

Alfresco ceiling complete:

Lounge/theatre (with doors open):

Lounge/theatre (with doors closed). I still need to fit a piece of timber across the top track to cover the track:

Window opposite lounge/theatre overlooking pool area:

Family/rumpus (meals to the right):

Kitchen:

Meals area:

Measl area looking back toward front door. The corner window looks out to the pool area:

Rumpus built in cabinet and bar:

Laundry, with full height cupboards to the left, and benchtop over cupboards to the right. In the middle of the cupboards will be a fold out ironing board (it also spins 180 degrees so it wont get in the way if open).

Pull out laundry hamper:

Walk in robe to master bedroom. On the left is a shoe rack. Still waiting for shevles over, and hanging rails:

One of the kid's bedrooms:

The tiler and painter will start next week. The plumber will finish fit off after Christmas, and the timber floors and carpet will be installed also. The lights and power points will go in after Christmas when the painter has finished, as will the air conditioners. The carpenter will come back to finish the skirtings after the timber floor has been installed, and the kitchen will be installed at this time also.

Then we move into the house......and work on the pool and landscaping.

Updated pictures - facade

2009-12-02T13:47:00.008+11:00

Now to clean the bricks, render around the 3 windows and decide what to do over the entry (under the entry roof, above the brickwork). Initially it was to be rendered, but now I am also thinking of timber slats.

Garage doors are in:

Pool area:

Pool area from alfresco:

Plasterboard in - fix commenced

2009-11-25T12:56:00.011+11:00

I've been a little busy so unable to update regularly. In between visiting the new baby in hospital every morning, working during the day, working on the house after hours, and taking care of the kids, it's been a little hectic !

Anyway, the plasterboard has been installed and the carpenter is currently fixing out the house (doors, skirtings, architraves, hardware).

Looking from just inside the front door (plaster yet to be hung on the sliding door walls):

Wide view showing window to pool area. I am still thinking of pulling this window out for one big clear opening (two sheets of glass butt jointed in the middle)

Looking from kitchen into family/meals area (rumpus behind half wall).

Kitchen. I bought the new fridge on the weekend. I have to move it from my current home, but I couldn't resist buying it when a current promotion means I also get a free LCD HD TV. Only a small one, but good enough for the alfresco area or billiard room.

Looking at low all from rumpus room. The void on the left will feature two glass sliding doors and be used as a display case for memorabilia (or maybe even an enclosure for the reptiles - yet to decide). The void on the right will be a built in bar cabinet (basically bar fridge under bench, shelves over, all behind some nice big cupboard doors). Both voids have lights and power points within. This room is also where the billiard table is going.

View into master bedroom. The two doorways are the ensuite and WIR. The design had to have us walking past these rooms in order to fit the master bedroom at the back of the house, so it can have it's own private courtyard. The wide corridor works well however.

Master bedroom:

The kids wing. Kid's bathroom, 2 bedrooms and a play room (which due to the new arrival will end up being 3 bedrooms !)

Laundry. On the left will be a full cupboard with linen, built in ironing board, and a broom cupboard. On the right hand side will be washing machine, dryer, trough, with a bench over the top and cupboards underneath (with a slide out clothes hamper).

Lounge/theatre room. As there isn't a fence up as yet, you can see right into next door's build. Before building we had a conversation with the builder next door. We both felt it would be easier leaving the fence down during construction (as we are both only 1 metre off the boundary for most of the house on this side). The space outside the door is the courtyard that sits between the lounge, study and kid's playroom. Not only does the courtyard "break up" the house, but it's existance also avoids the need of any west facing windows for the study or playroom.

View of courtyard from kid's playroom. Directly opposite is the study. To the right is the lounge/theatre. Now the playroom is being taken up with another child, the kid's will have to contain their mess within their own rooms ! Luckily the bedrooms are bigger than average so it shouldn't be a problem. If it is, then bad luck as they're not taking our study !!

Wow, that baby's come early - now it gets tough !

2009-11-09T11:17:00.002+11:00

My wife gave birth on Friday - 10 weeks early. Wife and daughter are doing fine but it has thrown a spanner in the works. Apart from looking after the other 2 children and organising work, I also have to maintain the existing house that's on the market (thankfully renovations are complete) as well as build the new one. Busy times ahead.

Today was a busy day on site. The roofers are finishing the metal roofing to the garage, and the box gutter and flashings to the bedroom parapet. The plasterers have kicked off, installing battens and getting ready for the plasterboard installation.

The electrician is changing a few things around that I wasn't happy with, and the insulation installers finished their work over the weekend.

I also spent some time yesterday morning installing the alarm system and theatre cables along with a mate of mine. I have some serious favours to repay when this house is finished !

The bricklayer is due back mid week to complete the front portico and columns, as they run out of bricks last week and had to order more.

Hopefully the little one will be home by Christmas and our new home won't be far away from completion.

Current home on the market

2009-10-30T14:24:00.005+11:00

Our current home is now officially on the market. We took some time in "refreshing" the house with a new paint job, cleaning windows, carpets, re-doing the floorboards, re grouting tiles, cleaning up the landscaping, etc, etc. We still have a few things to do, but all in all it's come up nice. It feels like a new home.

Hopefully it brings more than we expect, and we can complete the new home with the pool.

Plasterboard ready to go...

2009-10-30T13:53:00.012+11:00

I've been slack with taking photos, but I thought I had better post some updates as very soon most of it will be covered in.

The brickwork is probably a day or two away from being complete, and rain is forecast for the next week or so ! It's not a major concern as it won't hold me up any longer. I just hope the roofer can still get to site next week to install the garage roof and the box gutter behind the bedroom parapit.

All services have been roughed in. Electrical, plumbing, air conditioning, heating, smart wiring. Over the weekend I'll rough in the alarm system with a friend of mine, and probably rough in the theatre cables.

The double sliding doors to the lounge/theatre were hung and they look great (well as good as they can without any plasterboard installed). The room will be able to function as a closed up, "as close to soundproof as I can get" theatre, or as an open lounge room - depending on what happens when we move in.

The plasterboard is due to start Monday 9th November.

Front of house:

Future pool area:

Alfresco:

Looking down into house. Lounge doors open:

Door closed:

Kitchen:

Family, with Rumpus behind low wall.

Rumpus (looking at low wall). The wall will feature a bar unit built in on the right hand side (full height). On the small side, there will either be two glass sliding panels and a cabinet created for memorabilia, or a couple of reptile cabinets built in.

Looking past the ensuite and WIR into the master bedroom.

Kitchen layout - I think I have finally done it !

2009-10-21T11:50:00.003+11:00

After what seems to be an eternity of headaches and changing designs, I have finally come up with a sketch of something we both like. It's not the world's biggest kitchen and we want a nice "clean look" so it's created a few probelsm.

I've changed a couple of things, and one wall between the study and the kitchen will have to be moved in order for it to work, but I can live with that. I have also deepened the nib walls from 600mm to 750mm to fit the fridge. I could also move that back of the fridge wall back 150mm, but that would create a hassle with the bedroom and study entries.

The final result that I am hoping for is a nice clean wall where the cooktop is (drawers each side of the underbench oven and overhead cupbaords with an undermount rangehood). The overhead cupboards will probably be handle free to keep the clean lines.
THe sinks will be undermount, and the pantry doors glass with an aluminium frame. One door slides into the adjacent bench, but I am thinking of sliding the other one (the left one) behind a fake cupboard (a joinery wall), rather than a plasterboard wall.

The microwave, toaster and kettle will be placed on the prep bench and serviced with an exhaust fan over the bench. THe pre bench also doubles up as a pantry, with shelves over head. I am thinking that two rows of shelves won't be too high, and will provide about 7 metres of shelf. I can also put shelves or cupboards, or food drawers under the prep bench. I've seen a couple of house with the pantry over the prep bench and it seemed to work.

I may also chase out the slab so I can fit a sink into the corner of the prep bench - but I am yet to decide on that.

I have gone with an extra wide island bench in order to create space for placing food, etc when guests come around, as well as reduce the width between the island bench and the cooktop bench. The island bench will have granite waterfall ends and be open on the family room side for seating.

THe kitchen will be finished in 2 pac as I love how it looks.

FInally we have some bricks !

2009-10-07T15:32:00.006+11:00

After a couple of weeks delay with the bricklayer, due to hold ups on other projects and wet weather, we finally have a start.

Wrap on - rough in started !

2009-09-25T16:51:00.003+10:00

I wrapped the house on the weekend ready for the bricklayer (well I didn't finish the high stuff at the front - I'll let the bricklayer do that off his scaffold). Unfortunately the bricklayer has been delayed on other jobs and won't be starting until next week. The plumber however has started his rough in, and the electrician and mechanical contractors will be commencing theirs next week.

I've probably lost the last 2 weeks, but I am still aiming (hoping!) for a Chirstmas holiday completion.

Roof complete - pictures

2009-09-13T17:52:00.007+10:00

Front:

Side:

Pool area (got some cleaning up to do !)

Roof progress pictures

2009-09-11T20:49:00.002+10:00

Getting a roof, progress and the race with the neighbours.

2009-09-09T16:05:00.003+10:00

The roof has started ! Sarking and battens are on, and the front of the house has been tiled.

Next door have poured their slab and I am hoping i can stay a couple of weeks ahead in construction (I want to be first in my street !).

Yesterday I ordered the insulation for the ceilings and walls, and the acoustic insulation to go into the theatre. I have also added further insulation for the bathrooms, so we can minimise the sounds of the bathroom and toilets escaping into the bedrooms.

Bricks are due on site Friday, and the bricklayer is due Monday. I am about to select my front door and laundry door so I can have them on site when the brickie has finished and lock up the house.

I've been a tad slack and have yet to let the mechanical and plasterboard trades. I have my quotations in, and will make a decision by the end of the week.

I am also still yet to finalise the internal joinery. I should have a kitchen & laundry price back tomorrow, based on a sketch I supplied them. Hopefully i am somewhere within range of budget. I am yet to complete the designs on the bathroom and powder room vanities. I am also thinking of fitting out the study and rumpus room joinery during construction (rather than waiting until we move in).

By the end of the weekend I hope to have all the minor details finalised, and all the finishing trades ready to go.

Fascia & gutter and windows pics

2009-09-06T20:49:00.004+10:00

Front:

From the garage (future pool area we hope !):

Courtyard between bedrooms:

Taking shape now...

2009-09-03T15:50:00.002+10:00

Went to the house today and the frame is finished, windows are in and the fascia and gutter is installed. Roofer will start Monday, and brickie the following Monday.

With the windows in, the house is really taking shape. The only concern I have is with the main window that takes up most of the hallway entrance. The drawings had 3 mullions shown and the window manufacturer has made it up with 4 mullions, which means the glass panels are narrower. I may also get a commercial window suite made up so the whole window can be glass, with a butt joint down the middle of the two panes of glass, and no mullions whatsoever. This obviously will be an extra cost, but it may be well worth it for the asthetics.

I'll put some photos up shortly.

I am aiming to get in by Christmas - fingers crossed !

Frame is complete - ready for roof.

2009-08-29T10:07:00.013+10:00

I haven't updated the pictures for a few days, but after 2 days of wind delays the frame is complete and trusses are up.

Here it is from the front, looking kind of half finished (which it will until brickwork in done)

Entry:

Family (wuth rumpus behind)

Looking from alfresco. The open space to the right will be one large window overlooking the future pool from the entry.

From the backyard:

Side view:

Framing - day 1

2009-08-20T09:42:00.003+10:00

I went to site this morning and saw what had been completed on day 1. As I drove to site, it started to rain, and got heavier and heavier. Day 2 of framing may have to be put on hold until the weather clears up. Grrr..

Finally - chippies on site !

2009-08-19T08:39:00.001+10:00

Carpenters have started today, so we are back on track. Unfortunately they are working off a generator as power still isn't on. The power company "defected" the work as the electrical trench wasn't completely backfilled. I went down to site and backfilled the trench within 5 minutes. Not that this mattered as the power company has re-scheduled the works and according to them have another 10 working days to turn power on.

Oh well, at least the frame is going up.

I hate having no control...

2009-08-12T15:48:00.003+10:00

I can talk to subcontractors, I can organise things, but I can't find out when the power will be turned on. They have 10 working days. That's it. There is no "we have booked it in for Monday", or "we expect to have it done by Tuesday". It's just "we have 10 working days so leave us alone until then. If it's not done, then call us back".

Well the 10 days expires tomorrow. Hopefully I have power on by tomorrow as I have timber booked for delivery Friday, and carpenters booked to start the frame - and I don't want to delay everyone again.

Playing the waiting game..

2009-07-29T10:14:00.002+10:00

As I only instsalled the power box when the concrete slab was being poured, I am now waiting on power connection, which can take up to 10 working days. The paperwork has been submitted to the power company, and I am hoping they can do it within 3 working days as I have the carpenter's scheduled for Monday.

The good news is that the timber and trusses are all ready for delivery, and the windows aren't far away. The fascia & gutter and roof tiler has been booked in and bricks have been ordered. Once the carpenters start the frame, the house construction should start flying.

The site is now clean and all excess soil has been removed. I am currently working on the kitchen design, which is driving me nuts as we can't make a decision. I am also still 10k over budget, so hopefully some things will come in cheaper than expected from here on in.

The only real bad news so far is the concretor has placed one of the showers in the wrong spot. Once the frame is up, the concretors will return and fill in the old rebate, as well as create a new one. The rebate is needed as I want a stepless shower base.

I am still on track to be complete by January, ready for the new school year. The wife however is due on the 2nd January. Luckily I have 3 weeks off over Christmas as I'll need it for the new baby and moving house !!

We have a slab !

2009-07-24T11:32:00.006+10:00

After a couple of wet weather delays, the concretors finally got a run on site and poured the slab. It wasn't looking good on the morning of the pour, but the early morning rain dissapeared and held off for the day.

I also got a bobcat and truck in to take away the excess soil.

I still have to get power on, and we are still waiting for the fencer (the developer is yet to re-establish the survey pegs after removing them after my set out for their feature piers). Trusses are ready for delivery and I have ordered the timber for the frame. The carpenters are due Monday 3rd August.

Preparing the slab, with formwork almost complete:

Pump set up on site early in the morning:

During the pour:

Finshed product !
Looking from the front door:

Looking from the backyard (notice the pile of dirt has all but gone)

The "proposed" swimming pool area between the garage and alfresco.

View from the master bedroom:

Colours finalised

2009-07-19T22:16:00.004+10:00

Possibly the least favourite part of the process has now been completed - choosing the external colours. We had an idea on what we wanted, but couldn't quite nut out the brick/roof tiles/powdercoat/colorbond/render colours we wanted. That is until we realised a house we drive past daily had the exact colour scheme we were after. The house is up the road from where we currently live, so today I knocked on their door. Luckily the owner was approachable and spent some time talking to me about the colour scheme. Anyway from the conversation we now have our colours. Here is an indicative sketch that I put together (the door and roller door colour is meant to be cedar - I have used it for the pergola colour also). I only have to match up the render colour and gutter colour which I will do when I look at my samples tomrrow.

Roof Tile: Boral Striata "Charcoal Grey"
Bricks: Austral Homestead range "Tan" (with an off white mortar)
Gutters: Monument
Fascia: Paperbark
Windows: White Birch
Render: TBC (will match the paperbark)
Door/garage: Cedar
Pergola: TBC

This "mock up" seems to look nothing like it does in real life :)

Slab sub base underway.

2009-07-18T19:00:00.003+10:00

Concrete pour not far off now !

This picture was taken early Saturday morning. I was expecting a little more to be done, but a small machine was delivered to site yesterday that couldn't handle the job and they give it in after about 4 hours. Today a bigger machine was on site and ripping through the excavation of the beams.

\

2009-07-17T10:29:00.002+10:00

Finally, the concretor is on site. They were due Monday but had lost a few days due to the past weeks wet weather. They'll be working tomorrow, and hopefully be pouring the slab Tuesday or Wednesday.

There were only a few teething prolbems on site this morning. One were the floor levels, which were quickly rectified. Another was a couple of setout issues. They first set the west side of the house out off the boundary pegs, not the building line pegs. Grrr. Secondly they assumed the east and west sides of the home were the same length and couldn't figure out why they were 90mm out. I can only imagine how much work would have been done before picking up the mistakes if I wasn't there checking everything...

Damn delays, but we do need the rain !

2009-07-15T21:17:00.002+10:00

A couple of weeks ago, the concretor was due Monday, then as of last week was due Wednesday (today). Due to the wet weather during the past week they have lost time on other projects and are now due Friday. I have delayed the inspector and termite contractor twice now - so hopefully they get in Friday. They'll need 5 or 6 days and I have the carpenters booked for Monday week.

The electrician went to site today to run the conduits in for my switchboard. I need to get power on.

I am also trying to confirm external colours and the kitchen design. I enjoyed designing the home, but I don't like this stuff too much !

Cost savings & time programs

2009-07-13T16:40:00.000+10:00

I'm constantly checking my budgets and trying to figure out cost savings without compromsing what we want in the house and the quality of the build.

Just prior to commencement on site I rasied my budget to include things like a cedar garage door in lieu of a colorbond cedar look, and upgraded the appliances and fixtures and fittings. I also managed to downgrade some items as a few subcontractor quotations came in cheaper than I have budgeted for. Yay.

This morning I was working out the blinding concrete quantity I need for around the pool area. I originally allowed about 15m3, but since re-checking only need about 6m3 to cover the angle of repose at the footing. I'm not sure how I stuffed up my original quantities, but it does mean at about $200/m3, I'll be saving $1800. Yay again ! This also means that instead of booking a machine and doing it myself, I can get the concretor to do it. The lesser quantities don't make it worth my while doing it prior to the concretor starting. The concretor is still due Wednesday, providing the weather holds up.

I have been informed that my roof trusses have been delayed. I ordered them a little late so it is my fault...The carpenters are due around Wednesday 29th July to commence the frame. The trusses are due the 30th July. Hopefully they get to site prior to the carpenter's completing the frame. I also hope the windows make it on time !

It's a little difficult at times trying to build a house while working a full time job. I don't mind the 7am visits to site every morning, but it does get hard organising the trades, ensuring the work is completed correctly and to a high standard. Colour selections, quantifying materials and ordering them, selecting fixtures and fittings, etc is all pretty much done out of hours with only a few phone calls made during the day in relation to the house.

I'm about to finish up at work and now I have to take off the framing timber and order it so i can get delivery by early next week.

My program is to complete the house, landscaping, etc by the new school year (early February). It's a long build compared to some of the volume builders (approx 28 weeks in lieu of the 20-22 they quote), but we're doing it part time. We can handle the extra build time as we'll be saving builder's margin, which on a house is quite considerable.

Drainage in !

2009-07-11T13:02:00.000+10:00

Sewer and stormwater drains have been completed. The forecast is for rain all next week, but I hope it holds off so I can get the slab in ! I have a machine coming Tuesday to pour the blinding concrete which will sit under the slab beams to allow the pool to be close to the house. The concretors are due Wednesday to start prepping the slab.

In ground plumbing:

Tapping complete:

Ensuite plumbing in the foreground.
Kitchen and bathroom in the background:

Drainage almost done & odd looking holes.

2009-07-10T09:25:00.000+10:00

I visited site this morning and the drainage & sewer work is almost complete. Tapping has been completed and water is on. They have also excavated for the electrical services so I can now book in my sparky to lay some conduits below slab. Once the slab is poured I can get power to the site.

I also noticed a couple of holes in the front corners of my block. It seems the developer has excavated for footings for bluestone features piers that will be going in along the street at site boundary corners. In doing so, they have also removed the title pegs. Supposedly I was meant to get a letter telling me this was all happening, but I didn't and neither did the neighbour. They say they will re-survey the area and place a pin behind each pier to re-establish the title boundaries. I told them that I was within my rights to remove the said piers, but will see how they turn out before taking any further action. It could look odd with piers along the street, except for in front of me and my neighbour's house ! They were not part of any covenant, nor were they ever mentioned in the original contract of sale.

Project commencement

2009-07-09T09:22:00.000+10:00

Spent a couple of days cutting the site over the slab area. Drainer commenced today and hopefully will be complete by the weekend. Concrete slab due next week.
A friend and I were out on the site over the weekend setting out the pegs. Hopefully not too many get knocked over!

Here is a view to the park across the road. It has a nice flat grass surface down the far end for kicking the footy, and a couple of gazebos in the middle creating a nice place to sit and relax. It was a cold, frosty morning this morning, and it looks like the developer is still doing some cabling. The one way street loops around the park. It will look even better when the trees grow !

Land settled, plans finalised

2009-07-08T13:42:00.000+10:00

We built our home that we are currently in, and myself and the wife felt it was time for a move so we purchased a block of land in the Maples section of Laurimar (land was settled 31st May 2009). We picked out the block as it is placed on a street that is a one way street that loops around a park.

In order to suit the block and get exactly what we want where we want it, I decided to put pencil to paper and design the home myself. After quite a few drafts on paper and via a standard architectural drawing program i picked up, we finalised our design and gave it to a local draftsperson to draw up in cad.

The master bedroom will have it's own courtyard out the back, and the kid's backyard will be outside the rumpus/alfresco area. The windows opposite the lounge room will go from floor to ceiling to allow an uninteruppted view of the pool as you walk into the house.
I am still working out the finer details of the bathroom and kitchen.

We decided to put the kids up the front for two reasons. Firstly, we will be at the opposite end of the house in our own little wing, with our study near the master bedroom. Secondly it allows us to entertain friends and family without waking up the littlies (who are 7, 20 months and soon to be born - which means the proposed play room will be another bedroom)

The rumpus/family wall will be 600mm wide to allow for built in reptile enclosures and a bar on the rumpus room side. It's also not full height so the family room doesn't feel "blocked off".

Works are due to start this week. All design, colour selections and the supervision and management of the building itself will be done by us.

Now to see if the marriage survives another build !

Floor plan:

Front Elevation: