We are in between fixing and completion stage for our Buckingham 36. Building is never smooth, and we never expected it to be smooth. Just do your homework and remember…

Tool, It is frustrating when things don't work out how they should!
Although you can never expect a completely smooth ride from building you should at the very least expect…

Hi,
Have not been on this forum for a long time and just checked in.
We are now half way between frame and lock up stage. The recent rains delayed everything by…

Hi Vanilla tree,
Yes, very excited given the things we've gone through... many a time I've thought goodness it can't be that hard! I am simply replacing a house with another…

Woohoo, finally got a start on site today... our block has been scraped and hopefully things move faster now!

Concept,
Congratulations on your move!! To contrast, we are having our block demolished today! I think realistically, our builders won't start until late January 2010 or early Feb. I do hope…

A.Ryder,
Yeah, to my mind, the thermal shielding between upstairs and downstairs was the only real thermal benefit I could think of, but even then I suppose the heat can simply…

Hi, we had the same issue with our library window. We went as far as to check with our council surveyors and after much umming and ahhing and measuring of…

Thanks for the comments.. I spoke to an energy rating consultant who tells me that whilst uncommon, it can be prescribed to get across the line for 5 star compliance.…

Hi,
We are building a double storey house on a suspended timber floor in Victoria. I've just been told by my builder that to meet 5-star energy compliance in Victoria I…

Hi all,
Can someone help out with the following?
We've just received a variation from NBG for items to achieve 5-star compliance. One of the items on it was installation of R2…

Its been awhile since I updated our progress. We've locked in our demo contractors (Pearcedale Plant Hire) and now are madly packing so we can move out asap!
The main thing…

Hi jspitz,
Thanks for your info.. I've enquired from at least 8+ demo contractors and only got quotes from 2 so far. I've given some contractors over 4 weeks to provide…

Hi Blessed,
It should be the view directly on the left of the one with the front view to the stove, if its anything like ours.
You should see your pantry door…

Hi Blessed,
Just my 2 cents worth about the glass splahback over the stove. I think if you check your plans it should show exactly where and how high the glass…

We've now signed our contracts and handed over the 5%!
So far our builders have been good, and have been in touch with us a couple times since. We were a…

Hello Jess,
Yeah, that area around Chaddy's great (my word chadstone shopping centre has grown over the years!). I live in the North-East of Melbourne, went to school in Mernda, then…

Hi Nikkit,
Yeah, definitely... would be good to have someone building a similar house at a similar time! When you go to your quote estimate make sure you have your 'A'…

Hi Jess,
I wouldn't count on it!! haha... Timings are a bit tight for us. Our builder won't start until the new year if the start date gets too close to…

So we've now got our contracts which we are reading over before signing... I am happy to report the price in the contract was exactly the same as in the…

Pooch, Good luck with your build too!! I hope in the end it all comes out in the wash and we all have great homes we are happy with.

Hi,
We should be getting our contracts back to review in a couple weeks. Will let you guys know if there are variations. We have also been triply assured the sum…

Hi all,
We've paid the step 2 fee and now awaiting contracts!
Question for any knockdown-rebuilders in established areas with over head power lines:
Our council won't let us run power lines across…

Rowena,
You can check your builder's current registration by going onto the RBP website (www.buildingcommission.com.au), you'll need their first and last names.
The RBP board also publishes a…

Hi,
We are now waiting for contracts. We were advised by our sales consultant that after contract is signed, the only way costs increase is by a Builder variation if they…

Hi,
Still awaiting for Golden Age to come and have a look at our house. Although, having had them explain the process to us on the phone, I'm not sure if…

Oops.. just read more closely... you haven't actually demolished yet.... sorry!!

Hi slknv,
Thanks for the heads up on some of the issues you've mentioned. We knew about the fact that we would have to prepare the site, most of the "house…

Our sales rep did a fair job at estimating our site costs.. was advised that it would be 25K on the cheap side up to 35K. (We wanted to build…

So we've finally got a copy of our quote that seems to have all the details correct!
Our sales rep.(Out in Epping -- you know who you are - pat…