Come on a journey of inspiration & adventure while renovate & restore a beautiful Victorian home 'St Elmo' in the picturesque Hunter Valley, Australia & laugh at a few of our family adventures along the way.




Wednesday, September 29, 2010

A dream house Update


Those that read my blog regularly would know that recently we suffered a devastating blow from our builder, where after months of telling us he could build to our budget, he came back to us with a quote
 ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS OVER BUDGET!!

After much thought & discussion we have decided to do some research & planning toward becoming owner builders. The only part of building this house my dream guy can't do is the slab,brick work & plumbing. He is very clever like that. 
Austin Patterson Disston Architects traditional living room

The savings we could make would mean we wouldn't need to sacrifice those beautiful timber floors that I covet. My dream guy has laid timber floors before using the hidden nail method, Perfect!!!!
In order to do this we  will be spending the next 12months working towards ridding ourselves of any debt, we will also use this time to plan & research & we are allowing a 12 month time period to build.
Well, that is the plan at this point, things could change, but there is nothing to lose by looking into these things & taking time to save a little more.
Our neighbor is a draftsmen who went owner builder on his home, except he acted as more of a project manager. He didn't do any hands on labour & says he still saved money. His house took 9mths to build. My dream guy helped him out with a lot of things on the house site so he is more than happy to sit down with us & walk us through  the process, as well as draw up our plans. This is great!

Any advice or website recommendations on this matter would be greatly appreciated.

Sorry I haven't been around much this past week, my family & myself have been taken over by a monster virus & we are all very unwell, not much fun for the kids as it is school holidays here in OZ.

Have a lovely week everyone!

CHEERS
Trish xxx

All images via houzz

12 comments:

brismod said...

That is such a huge step. You guys are very brave but it will be well worth it in the end. I'm glad you got rid of that other builder too. xx

Amanda said...

Can't believe your builder misquoting you like that!! I thin what you are doing sounds really sensible, using the year to save up and to thoroughly do all your research. Will look forward to you sharing your ideas and plans. And I'm so glad you won't have to sacrifice your timber floors - they're one of my favourite things in our home :)

Kerri - Driftwood Interiors said...

So sorry to hear you're not well - it was probably the shock from that quote! Maybe he's done you a favour, and you might save yourself a fortune as owner builders. Good luck with it all. k xx

MrsKT said...

Nice to hear things are looking a little more positive now with the building Trish. Sorry to hear you have an unwell household, hope everyone is on the mend soon. Katena x

lisa mae said...

wow i think that's such a great idea, my dad did the same thing on two different houses and a great way to make some money.....you have a great eye so i think what you guys do will look amazing and you can have everything you want....hope you are your family get better real quick {dvd couch days} hehehe kisses lisa

Anonymous said...

So it wasn't a mistake then? It must be so stressful for you! Just when you think you are making progress you find yourself going backwards. I am a firm believer that things happen for a reason (although not always apparent at the time). Perhaps owner builder is the way to go! Good luck!
x Briohny.

Unknown said...

Hey Trish,
I think this sounds like a great idea. YOur dream guy sounds so capable and if it means getting your much wished for items. I think go ahead.
Most people I know that take this option do an owner builder course...they should be easy enough to find on the web for youe local area.
You should be able to save around 30% doing it this way.
Good luck it is a wild ride.

Kerry said...

Sorry to hear you're not feeling too flash Trish. I take my hat of to you and the man for just getting on with it despite the setbacks. And how good is it to be chronicling it all on the blog, so when you move in you'll have so many memories stored :) Hope the conversations with your neighbour help to clarify things a bit more.

Georgy said...

I have had a couple of friends go the builder owner option and found they saved a bit. The main problem was around coordinating tradies and then timeline blow outs which can add to the budget. I think they still came in under what a builder would have cost though. Sounds like you are doing the right thing with planning and research. Maybe look at general websites like Archichannel and Master Builders. Also hope you and your family are better soon. G

Anonymous said...

Don't hesitate, owner build. I have done it all by myself successfully and recently my new husband and myself have finished our new home, mostly built by him, he doesn't do plumbing/electrics or slabs but almost everything else. I am so proud of what we have accomplished and how much money we have saved, all the while getting quality workmanship and fixtures and fittings.

I don't mean to be anonymous, just don't have an account set up yet!

Millie said...

A big step Trish, but you can do it! However, during the building process, make sure to give yourself a couple of free weekends away from the site. It will give your relationship a boost & allow you to clear your head & replenish your building mojo.
Millie ^_^

Noosa Beach House said...

I only just saw this post and I really feel for you. Far out at the $100k over budget, I can imagine how you felt when that arrived. I do belive though that things happen for a reason (no comfort I know) but I think this set back means you will get a better house in the end - sending you very best of luck!!

AddThis Smart Layers