My best tips are:
No 1- make sure it fits on the block!!. Our block is 15m wide so anything that won't give you 900 either side is no good!! See I am good with this technical stuff! NOT!! That part though I did understand!
No-2- make sure it fits Mum, Dad and D1, D2 and D3 in it! We opted for a 4 bedda. Because we had such a large block before...and we love lawn and grass so much, a two storey was a no brainer! You get more back yard with a two storey.
We have never lived in a double storey before and endured many an arguement with people over the pro's and con's of single vs double. We heard it all. At the end of the day we are still young so are quite capable of walking up and down stairs still. We liked the idea of escaping to our own space. We also unfortunately for the fashion concious, wear jumpers and ugh boots in winter ( so will cope with heating the house) and will have ceiling fans throughout for cooling plus an air conditioner. We are pretty laid back in the housework department and the daughters are still learning how to keep their rooms tidy ( I warned you about that when I said we wear ugh boots ha ha) so I love that the mess can be UP STAIRS out of site..I will be showing every nook and cranney of the house to everyone who comes over once it is built though!! hehe
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| Display house: This is from the kitchen looking at the rumpus and the dining is just to the right. Our kitchen window opens onto the alfresco and the rumpus doors go straight out to it also.We have another courtyard area near the dining too to catch sun all day thru. |
No 3- Have an idea of what is compulsory!!?? For us it was 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms ( there are four girls in this house) and an alfresco for Dads BBQ. Plus we wanted the kitchen dining and rumpus/living all together. Alfresco had to be at the back of the house. See above photo of kitchen/dining/rumpus.
No 4- Look around. This is the hard part. We went here there and everywhere. Up the coast, down the coast, Oran Park, Stonecutters, Homeworld, Homezone, The Ponds, blah blah blah! We wnet to the same places 3, 4 and 5 times. If we looked at more than 4 houses in one day though they all blurred into one. So you must pace yourself and plan it well. A special tip is don't take your children..actually I will rephrase that..don't take OUR children sorry girls xx
No 5- look around ...sorry said that one. but hey while I am at it. Look around again.
No 6- Get quotes! Don't get just one either!! We ended up getting 5 quotes from five different companies.
No 7-Compare Prices. Compare inclusions, shop around, tell each of the companies what you are being offered from others. Check the inclusions, if you get paint can you choose from more than 5 colours, how many brick choices are included, what facade is standard? Is what is in the display costed into the price, if not how much extra?? Ask lots of questions..The only dumb question is the one not asked!!
No -8- Start a second job to help pay for it all!! Mum is now an Independent Consultant for the Body Shop at Home to help fund the blinds, rugs and furnishings :-0. The price listed for a home does not take into consideration the site costs for your area or any extra inclusions. I use the term extra loosely as most things in a display home are extras.. For goodness sakes having drawers in your bathroom vanity can be an extra. Same with flyscreens on your windows.
No 9- Sign your life away...on your best ever investment!!!
Good Luck! IWe hope that was helpful! Please take the above with a grain of salt!
So we have chosen to build with Alkira Homes and thankfully their display is only up the road at Kellyville Ridge!. The home we have chosen is the "Kennedy".
Alkira offered us value for money, all of the options that we wanted and this was the only house that we walked into and did not want to move a wall or change a room in anyway at all. It was perfect for us and our taste and needs.
Alkira offered us value for money, all of the options that we wanted and this was the only house that we walked into and did not want to move a wall or change a room in anyway at all. It was perfect for us and our taste and needs.
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| Both photos show the brick we have chosen..we love it! |
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This is the display on Fyfe Road. The facade has that beautiful balcony which is nice as there is some nice remnant trees across the road from this house. However, our house will be looking straight across the road at our neighbours beautiful (Hello Tee) house. So there was no need for the balcony. We have chosen the Malbec facade which is included in the base price. |
Interesting stuff and nice choice of house. You reminded me of the days when our kids were little and we took them to so many show homes, they're experts on the building process now. Looking forward to seeing some works start on your block.
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