Build Your Own House

Hi All,

Found some really good info off here, and are about to embark on our on adventure.

Would really appreciate your feedback - just need to get around getting these images up for you all.

Planning Permit Check.....

now onto building permit and organising tradeys...

We are looking at Hydronic Heating, Ducted Air Con and Gas log fire place in main living area.

There will be three zones for the ducted Air Conditioning - Upstairs Bedrooms, Downstairs bedrooms and Living Area.

We are looking at using James Hardie Linea Weatherboard for the heritage part of the front of the house

The Upstairs extension will have a Timber Cladding stained in the NZ stain lasting 10 years. Otherwise James Hardie Axon Cladding

Down the sides of the building we are looking at blue brick with a rough surface.

Stainless will be used on the benchtops with integrated sinks, inside to outside at the rear kitchen bench, island waterfall and laundry.

Hardwood Flooring, something similar if not, Blackbutt.


[img]http://i1173.photobucket.com/albums/r584/scott0405/Elevationscropped.jpg[/img



Existing Process will be to demolish the rear of the house and strip back to a frame. Due later in the year

Looks like a cool project. Have you got a floorplan of the original building?

Hi Angel,

Thanks for getting involved. Below is the floorplan of the existing house.

Note the three front bedrooms will be kept , the chimney will be taken out to improve space in the spare bedroom, and the layout to the main ensuite and WIR has actually changed since these...but dont have electronic copies of the new ones yet.

One of the first things we had to do when we took over the property was to clearn many of the overgrown tree's that were going to impact our building.

Below are some of the pictures taken when we first took over. And one from about a year ago of the beautiful Fig Tree we had to remove. We also had a lot of Ivy which we had to pull out which was creeping up a Willow Tree (15m-20m high) taken out care of Melbourne Water.

The house iteself is Circa 1890

Many of the features including ceiling roses and Baltic Floorboards etc are original and the house hasnt really been touched in 30-40yrs.

We will be selling many of these features if possible. Going with a modern theme inside, but will pay respect to the frontage and the front rooms with cornacing etc.





Below is a link showing the interior of the house currently. (0 insulation therefore great in summer, wouldnt like to be the tenants this winter...lol)

http://s1173.photobucket.com/albums/r58 ... 160135.mp4

Hi Newman,

It is great to see another new and different project coming our way. I look forward to seeing it develop.
It appears in the plan that the lower storey is built right up to the boundary. That is interesting and will make your backyard space feel quite a bit more private.

I assume that your hydronic heating is in the form of radiators? I have just started experimenting with my infloor hydronic heating and I am learning things rapidly (I will update this on my thread soon).

All the best,
Bluey.

Hi Bluey,

Thanks for getting involved.

Yeah heating will be in the form of panels. and heated towel rails in the main bathroom and main ensuite.

Would do in floor heating, however we will be on Stumps...which are actually screw piles (3m deep) because we are the low end of the street and actually have a flood overlay on our property (hence keeping the front of the house (didnt want to raise that up another 300mm)

In terms of building to the boundary, we felt that this would make our backyard seem bigger and more private, and given the size of the house we wanted, also allowed us to maximise our space. We have two young girls, and are fairly close to the city in Melbourne, so expect them to stay at home for a while. The design gives them their own space, but also allows us to leave it when we get older, and not have to clean it all the time.

Also means we dont have to trudge up stairs in our old age..haha..

Planning a nice big 10-12 seater dinning table in the dining area.

3m high ceilings. 2700mm x 2000 wide glass sliding doors x4 along the back with the rest of the glass solid panels to give a great open feel.

See how it goes...haha (shitting myself) - owner builders course tomorrow night with my wife (try and hedge some of the bets)

My brother is a aircon specialist and said I couldnt go past hydronic and ducted AC...

An update...

Have done costings for air con and hydronic. 25k a peice, so we are reverting to single system and missing the hydronic, as we want to try and keep our costs down.

it would seem a big luxury to put hydronic heating in, when we have a system that will do both, and essentially have three forms of heating (if you incluse the gas fireplace in the living area)

Righto....things are moving along, plans at Engineering and working down a budget getting costs on everything.

We are putting 2 x 20,000lt Tanket water tanks under deck at the rear.

We will have a bunch of clean fill we will need to dispose of. does anyone know of someone who will collect and remove free of charge in the city? Space to be dug will be approx 7500 x 3750 x 2800

After some more consideration - tanks underground have been ditched to save 20-25k.

Also looking at using roughy bricks and rendering the outside walls as apposed to new bricks, this will also give us the opportunity to use the existing bricks from the chimney which will also offer us a cost saving.

Been a while since I have posted, and although i knew it would be an intense process, golly there are a lot of permits to be had in the city by the council.

Legal Point of discharge permit

Proerty Information Form

Forms 3 and 4 to the neighbour for right of way to build on the boundary

Asset protection permit

Insurances

Many of which i was able to save money on by filling out myself rather than the builder surveyor throwing and extra 300-400 per form.

Also looking at purchasing mobile scaffold for our build to save money.

Had a quote for 12 weeks hire at $12,500k.

Buying two mobile towers at 2k seems much more reasonable....

Had chats with Melbourne water who have an asset down the boundary, and we will kick off in mid November with the demo and some footings....heres to reno!.

Had quotes from builders....Standard margin of 15-25% applied, so managing everything ourself, got a chippy who is charging out at $50 an hour which we are very happy with. Has a great reputation and my old man has worked with him before.

I got two second hand scafold towers 4m high each for $500 the pair and then purchased new casters for them for another $600, it was money very well spent, I am hanging onto mine but you could always sell them when your done and recoup the $$.

Steve

Yeah I have looked at buying some 4m towers second hand, pretty cheap.

Given I am supplying to builders, and with OH and S, they want scaff put up by an external company for their cladding etc.

So I will use the second hand one just for myself for painting etc.

Thanks for the tip though.

6 weeks from demo in case you were looking for something to do...haha

Updated Plans - Funny how they evolve over time. In our case it was a matter of a consultation with an interior designer to make sure that we were achieving the feel we wanted to get with the house and make sure from a deisgn perspective that we were heading in the right direction.

In this case, we decided to square off the study, improve the space in the spare room by removing the fireplace, changing the layout of the master ensuite and increasing the size of the power room upstairs.

As much as I would love to help you with the demo I have another two pavillions to build myself

I like the updates on the plans, looks great.

Had a quote today for ceiling vacuuming as I am aware of toxic crap in the roof spaces of these old houses. apparently chemicals from kerosene fires etc back in the day mean the roof spaces are lethal - one site quoted 20,000 part per million toxic levels. safe levels being 300.

Quote came in at $1200.

Think i will buy my $79 wet and dry from Bunnings

$1200 aint too bad.
Probably for a HEPA vacuum as well, which stops the stuff just getting blown around.
You can get cheaper prices for cash and no EPA certificate, but they can also be dodgy for the same.

Did you think about selling the house complete?
There would be a few interested in that style of house, and cheaper and easier than a demo.
A mate of mine bought a very similar for $3k (what the floor boards were worth) and got it moved.
The moving mobs will buy them as well.

Have you checked out insurance?
I am not covered for floods as my place also has a flood overlay, especially if you are below the flood level.