8 hours for colour selection! not if you're ignorant

I don't really want to go into detail here but I've been though colour selection(1.5 hrs, piss easy when you're colour blind). I went for earthy neutral colours and trusted that the gay guy at colour selection followed the stereotype. He put together the exterior and interior colour boards I liked so I have confidence in him.
This is the external colour board I used
The garage door had to be sectional panel lift(covenant). It and the front door is Jasper(couldn't find a sample, its a red/brown colour). No render. The contrast brick is Brown Terrain from this sample
As for the internals. The main colour board was this one
However the floor tile seemed a bit too dark so I went for Marble Ivory(no sample, sorry). Also I hate the fake wood grain so I changed the kitchen and vanity cabinets to formica bark velour finish from this board


There was alot of to and fro as I thought of things I would need and pushed Burbank to make the changes I wanted. You really do have to push and keep your eye on the details. Don't trust them to apply common sense because they're really busy right now and going by the review it was never their strong point. I have reached contract signing now. Just a few questions which may cause some changes and then I can put the finance side of things behind me.

Rudd, Brumby, Thank you.

I looked for reputation before cost. I figured I would pay the extra and get a small home rather than get caught up in trouble with the builder. I found a great website for ranking Victorian builders

http://www.productreview.com.au/category.php?cat_id=1941&section=ITEMS&next=11

Burbank ranked highly and most importantly the flaws people mentioned about Burbank were consistent and didn't appear to be malicious on the builders behalf. They were problems I could overcome by being watchful. In my dealings with them so far I have found this served me well.
In particular the sales agent has been terrific. He has looked out for my best interests and been direct and honest with me on all occasions, not what I was expecting.

My ideal house was the Generation 2200 but I considered the Victory if I couldn't find the money. Then the Victorian first home grants got a boost, more so for regional areas(like Bacchus Marsh) and the federal grant was extended. I went for the best house I could get for my money, the Generation. I've looked at so many different builders and found that at best they could match the house size with a five star alternative for the same price. There are cheaper homes of course but they come with inadequate heating(reverse cycle for a 3 bdrm home), or some other shortcut. The future series include double glazed awning windows and a water tank plumbed to the toilets, how could anyone go past them.

Anyway, this is my house plan

The living areas face north. Once I figure out how to work it I'll put in a google sketchup version of the house and garden showing how the areas will be used. That thing at the back is the water tank.

Strike one...strike two...

A friend of mine put me onto a small estate on the crest of a small hill in Bacchus Marsh. I looked into it before it was even advertised. I already had a builder in mind but not a specific house. I had never looked for a block of land before. I didn't have the knowledge I needed, or infact any knowledge. I chose a block based entirely on it's dimensions and took the agents word that the slope was 'nothing too great'. The builder's sales agent(who I won't name but deserves recognition) asked for the engineers plans and immediately contacted me by home and mobile phone and by email. Turns out the slope was over three metres. I backed out during the cooling off period thanks to the very helpful sales guy at Burbank homes.

I tried again at a new estate in Bacchus Marsh, or just outside of it. I made another mistake, it was separated from Bacchus Marsh by a small industrial park. A second industrial park was perhaps going to be built the other side making it an isolated residential community with no facilities. The other mistake I made was the settlement date, well outside when the grants were supposed to finish not counting any inevitable delays. This last thing saved me, it meant I couldn't provide proof of finance which was a provision of the sale. I backed out again.

I figure I had pissed off enough real estate people by now. The next land purchase would be where I would build. Strangely enough it was the original estate I had backed out of. I chose a better block this time. 1.5m site fall which is excellent for Bacchus Marsh(all hills). I also had a deal with the developer that they would make the site cut and soil removal. I made the deal. After a small delay in the settlement everything went through and I was a land owner by the end of August 2009. People warned me the developer could back out of the site cut but to their credit they were prompt and they look to have done it right. I'll see what Burbank says in the next few days. The block is 16m*34.5m = 555sqm and faces west

This is the block before the site cut

This is the block afterThe crossover(driveway) is in the wrong place, along the northern edge of the block so my driveway will have to curve out to allow space between the fence on the north and the living areas on that side of the house. The block faces west so the north side is the bottom of the next image.

The block on my north side is a little lower than mine so unless it's a two storey(unlikely considering the estate) it won't block the winter sun entering the open plan living area on the north side of the house.

Pseudo Eco

Some people have big plans for their home. I didn't even consider owning a home until the grants came along. I had a good long look at something eco. I dabbled with the idea of a home that would covers its own costs with efficiency and solar generation. I soon realised it was outside my budget(sub $300k). However, I learnt I could go part way with good orientation and house design, that wouldn't cost me anything but time and patience. I could go a little further with the right builder and house. I'll talk more about the house in a future post.

I went for affordable. I looked for the cheapest metropolitan place to live in Melbourne(ie. Werribee and Melton). I liked Werribee much better than Melton but it wasn't my ideal site. I wanted to get away from the traffic. I also wanted a town I would only have to leave for work. And bingo, just beyond Melton along a major freeway making a direct line for my workplace in Laverton, Bacchus Marsh. I'll talk more about the specific block of land in my next post.

For those who haven't been there Bacchus Marsh is beautiful and relaxed. Just big enough to have everything you'll ever need. Protected wilderness all around, views of mountains and forests, market gardens. It reminded me of my hometown before people put up fences in their front yards. I feel that once you start shutting out the world the concept of community goes out the window.