Our Requirements

We decided to focus on the Project Builders due to the higher cost associated with a custom build. Due to my disability the house needed to be single story only, have no step-down to the garage, and have an en-suite design suitable to accommodate a wheelchair. 

The nature of our block also imposed some constraints. The house needed to be less than 12.5m in width, have the garage on the left hand side (so the head lights from cars approaching from Solsbury Crescent would be an issue) and ideally living areas to the north (on the garage side). Having some space between the house and the boundary on the north side would also be an advantage as we would see more of the winter sun.

Project or Custom ?

There are a large number of builders who were willing and able to build us a house on our land in Keysborough. The problem then, was to narrow down this large field of candidates to a manageable shortlist. The first step in this process was to decide whether to use an off-the-shelf house design or create your own design.

The additional cost of building a custom designed house, all else being equal, is around 30%. This additional impost provided us strong encouragement to focus on the off-the-shelf option first. We also learned early on the project builders seemed quite amenable to adjusting their house designs to meet the clients. Although for some reason removal of the garage step-down proved a problem for some.

Soil Tests another 3-4 Weeks Away

On Monday, I chased up the builders for the results of the soil tests. They told me that the tests had been ordered but they hadn’t yet received the results. On Wednesday, I was forwarded an email from the surveyor which said : “We were on site today but it is still 3-4 weeks from being ready to survey. Drainage works still being done. A lot of spoil to be spread which will change levels significantly. We'll try again mid to late June.”

Whilst this is obviously not the best news, it was good to get an expert’s assessment about the progress of the development.

One day all This will be Ours

As stated in the previous post, I took a drive out to Solsbury Field this afternoon. There were no signs or barriers preventing me from driving down the newly laid part of Red Brush Road. So I drove down this section of road and parked in Solsbury Crescent at the Top of the T intersection opposite Lot 30 and took the following photograph.

The Prediction and the Forecast

On Friday we received a copy of a letter dated 20 May 2015, from the developer’s lawyers advising that “At this stage it is anticipated that a Statement of Compliance will be issued shortly and that the Plan will be lodged for registration around the end of the month”.

I went for a drive to Solsbury Field today to find that the top layer of the road is not laid, and the footpaths and driveway cross overs are still to be poured. The weather forecast for next week predicts rain Wednesday to Friday. I believe the chances of registration around the end of the month appear somewhat slim.

The Bank wants to Cancel the Loan

Got a letter from the bank last week. Apparently we are taking too long to draw down on the funds they agreed to lend us. We had applied for the loan in December and it had been approved in early January. The letter stated that unless we responded within the month with a “funding date” that the loan would be cancelled. Furthermore, if the “funding date” was more than a month away suitable evidence would need to be provided in support of the funding date.

A day or so later I received an email from the mortgage broker who had learned of the bank’s “cancellation letter” and wanted to assist in formulating a response. I guess she could see her commission disappearing off over the horizon. Anyway, she wrote an email to developer’s real estate agent asking for guidance on a settlement date. He responded that he wished he was able to provide a firm date but with the weather and not knowing the exact time frame for registration and titles it was hard to say. He thought that it should be settled or settling by the end of June. So I responded to the bank nominating June 30 as the “funding date” with a copy of the agent’s response as “evidence”. Worse case we will have to apply for the loan again.

What is missing from the Inclusions ?

Only a few builders include the base cost of their houses on their websites. Perhaps they do not want to include this key piece of information to discourage you from making a comparison simply on price. Indeed performing a comparison using base price only would indeed be misleading. At the very least you would need to consult the list of inclusions which tells you what you will actually get for you base price. 

Of course this varies from builder to builder. When analysing a list if inclusions it important to understand what has been left out. This is not as simple as it first appears. A classic example is the brickwork above windows and doors. The cheaper alternative to this brickwork is to use fibre-cement sheeting above the windows and doors. However, often the builders who include this brickwork in their base price don’t state this in their list of inclusions – forcing you to ask the question of them.

The Enemy

I think the weather is the enemy. From my relatively uninformed perspective progress on the Solsbury Field development over the past few week has been quite slow. The top coat of the road has not been laid, the footpaths and driveway cross-overs have yet to be started and there still piles of dirt across the development. The picture below was taken on Monday May 11.

I believe this is most likely due to the bad weather we have had here in Melbourne in recent times.  

A Transformation

On my ANZAC day posting, I had a little dig at the Greater Dandenong council and the state of the nature strips in the settled part of Red Brush Road. I dropped over to Red Brush Road yesterday and Lo and Behold : The weeds had been cleared, grass had been sown and trees planted. Now I’d like to believe this blog had galvanised the council into action but I must concede it was probably just coincidence.

The Elusive Inclusions List

To keep our visits to display homes to a minimum I undertook a good deal of research on the various builder’s websites first. I’d have to say that the standard of the average builder’s website is very good IMHO. There was one exception however. After looking at the plan of a particular house on this site I went in search of the list of standard inclusions. I found a graphic which stated “Click Here To View Inclusions Book”. I did so and was presented with the following Pop-Up inviting me to enter my details. Reluctantly, I did so, expecting to be either sent a list of inclusions by email or forwarded to a page which either presented me with the list of inclusions. Neither of these happened. However, the following day I received a telephone call from a hapless salesman who it turned out, was unable to provide me with a copy of the inclusions list I originally sought.

What is one to conclude from this ? Either the site wasn’t working properly and I should have received a copy of the inclusions or they deliberately set out to mislead in order to obtain my details. If found that I was not particularly inclined to proceed any further with this particular builder.

Negotiating a Display Home

It would seem that Australia’s home builders believe that home building is the preserve of young fit people. The way they present their display homes certainly reinforces this notion. The average display home is effectively an obstacle course for the disabled. First they increase the amount of walking involved by requiring their prospective customers to enter and leave through the sales office.

Often there is a step into the sales office on either side. Then they locate wooden platforms on the path between the office and the display house. These platforms appear to have no practical purpose other than ensure that only able-bodied individuals gain access. It’s particularly bad luck if you wish to view a display home which is not directly located beside the sales office. Not only do you have to walk further but you very probably have to negotiate more than one of these redundant wooden platforms both on the way in and on the way out.

Green Light for Soil Tests

We have been given the green light by the developer to have soil tests performed on our block. The primary purpose of this is to determine the reactivity of the soil – the extent to which it will expand when wet. The degree of soil reactivity in turn determines what type of slab is required for our house. Porter Davis who are building a number of dwellings at Solsbury Field advised us that they assumed an H Class slab when pricing their house and land packages.

Once the soil tests are performed and we know the type of foundations required we will be able to get a fixed price contract from the builder.

Understanding the Market

I think when buying any high cost item it’s important to compare prices to make sure you are getting a good deal. Given the large sums of money involved in building a house it really is essential to get a good understanding of the market. Of course, it’s not just about price, you need to look at the suitability of the house design, the quality of the build, the build time, and the overall experience for you as a customer.

Given this mindset, it was inevitable that we wouldn’t have settled for the PD Livingston 20 without looking at the houses of other builders. However PD’s intransigence over the garage stepdown certainly motivated us to do this sooner rather than later.

How To Pour a Slab

Was searching on the web this morning for the reasons for why some builders incorporate a step down to the garage. One of the things I found was a publication from the Steel Reinforcement Institute of Australia. Entitled “Ten Steps to Building a Reinforced Concrete Slab-On-Ground”. It is an excellent summary of the activities required to create a concrete slab. It can be found at : SRIA

The Garage Stepdown

A friend of mine, who also has mobility issues, built a house a house about seven years ago. One of the issues he encountered when talking to prospective builders was ensuring the house was wheelchair friendly. Most project home designs include an integrated garage. Some builders plans also incorporate a stepdown from the house to the garage. As far as I can tell the reason for the stepdown is to prevent flooding via the garage into the house. If you have a driveway which slopes down from the garage to the road the risk of flooding is somewhat reduced. However I have also seen an explanation that suggests that a stepdown assists in the containment of petrol vapour.

The use of garage stepdowns is far from universal even for project builders. For example, Henley, a reasonably large project builder, charges extra if you want a stepdown. Unfortunately. Porter Davis designs do include a stepdown. They told me that they were not prepared to vary this and suggested a ramp as an alternative. But why put up with a ramp when you know it is possible to eliminate it ?

The Alfresco

Many display houses we saw featured an Alfresco. The Livingston 20 was no exception. Indeed Porter Davis has successfully sued a number of its competitors for copying their “Alfresco Quadrant”. The design comprises a kitchen, dining area, rumpus room and family room around an outdoor courtyard under a single roof line.

The Alfresco is a great idea and we were keen to select a house design to accommodate one. PD do not show the Alfresco in the online plans. The cost is therefore on top of the basic house cost. For the Livingston 20 there are 2 Alfresco options : the Standard (an extra $3,500) and Grand Alfresco (an extra $7,000). The picture above features the Grand Alfresco.