Build Your Own House

So!....some updated pics....currently three weeks into demolition.... sold most bits and pieces on ebay

Kitchen $240
Hot Water: $250
Hardwood Skirting $200
Pressed Roses $80
Exterior Windows half rotten $75
Internal Doors $20
(all to reduce skip costs)

15 cubic meter skip from Bin Smart in Hastings mixed heavys $920 *3
total of 24 tones! mostly in the larden plaster.

Also sold hardwood out of the rear of the house and the floorboards (baltic pine)

$1750 for the floorboards
$900 hardwood -I had to deliver though....


My Little Helpers!


Nothing like knowing the right people to borrow equipment off!

Our Dunny! - supported by the site shed...lol

Melbourne Waters Drain on our boundary - which they are upgrading in line with us!

Onsite Finds!


Stacking = more fits in! and there was a lot!


With the new part of the house and the old, it will all be on screw piles, therefore i had to create 500mm clearance under the existing bearers, which meant soil transfer - and tree roots!




Re-using bricks meant cleaning, and re-stacking!

Being the 20th of December now, not a great deal of traction trying to get work completed.

Been an interesting week being an owner builder - tradesman think they can bullshit you on why the weather isnt right to poor a footing!

It was supposed to completed now over a week ago, which has held up our subfloor brickwork. Lucky my bricky cousin an I are doing it so it shouldnt delay us at all, as he is happy to help me out over christmas new year.

Turns out the Concreter, even though he knew 3 months in advance about the timeframes and job details, didnt pre-order the steel in time for the cages to be made up!

You can lead a donkey to water, but you cant make it drink!

Great to see your underway and making good progress!

Steve

Thanks all for comments and support...

Update is, screw piles put off, engineer re-visited and added a couple more piles, which then meant, new engineering and re-stamped by Building Surveyor....

Builder telling me he's not sure on whether his quote includes trusses for front of house....which I think is very incorrect....

So...we are waiting on truss company to re-confirm what they have quoted (off what plans)...

All of the above has pissed me off no end, as i have been in constant consultation with the Carpenter and he had plans showing (and we discussed) the front of the house joist and trussing, and now he is telling me he is not sure its included in a price that was confirmed 13th december and signed off.

Adding to which we have setup drop box for documentation (versions) and he received the updated version including truss requirements in the front of the house 1st October.

The joys of owner building....

Yup, had trusses for our roof first delayed by 3 weeks because company could not find original quote and could not be bothered to ring and tell me they needed plans to re estimate until I chased up why I hadn't heard from them.

Now been delayed by another 2 weeks because comapny decided they could delay my delivery to suit some other job, and again had I not chased up why I hadn't heard from them I would have been on the block with 2 paid labourers waiting for a delivery that wasn't coming.

Hoping you have a paper trail that can be followed easily by an arbitrator. Great progress so far by the way.

My build was slow but I had no problems with other trades/suppliers because there were none, being pretty much totaly self reliant has one great benifit, only one person to blame if things go wrong ME.

I really hope things improve for you, it can be a stressful process but remeber to try have fun and enjoy it whenever you can, that can be hard but... you will forget the troublesome bits and the joys of the house you build will prevail and endure

Steve

I'm in the same situation - I'm the builder, project manager, owner, labourer, lackey and financier One thing I've been very careful of is to keep on top of suppliers and deliveries. I always confirm deliveries a couple of days before they're scheduled, if for no other reason that I'm not onsite much of the time and so deliveries have to be carefully coordinated

Like now, for instance.. I'm expecting to pick up a batch of supplies from Bowen's tomorrow morning and I was promised a call this morning to confirm price and availability, which hasn't yet happened.. time to get on the phone and hassle!

_________________
Simon.

The adventures of an owner-builder in the Tallarook Ranges

The funny thing, i look at lots of people in this situation before me and think, nup could never happen to me, as I communicate too well...

Problem is, no matter how much you communicate, some people throw in their own curve balls regardless....

Screw Piles

Timber Tops

Finally - Updates for all of you great people who have followed this event.

We have now been living in the house almost a year. (11 months or so).

Its funny how through all the stress and pain of the process you quickly forget and line yourself up for the next project.



Rear View







Kitchen View (love the metaline splashbacks we have used throughout - laminex product)




Powderrooms



Lounge/Dining



Air Conditioning Control Unit - One of my Favourite Parts of our House



Front Yard Landscaping

Newman,
Thanks for the update. The place looks great. What a transformation! I love the clean lines, open spaces and the combination of the timber with the white. Good to hear that the problems you had are now just memories and that you are starting to think about the next one.
Bluey.