Welcome to the Desert!

Welcome to our back yard! Beautiful isn't it! :) haha!!! Our desert! It's so big and so ... nothing! We have been tossing up what to do in such a massive yard and after a lot of planning, thinking, drawing, consulting and prayer... We've come up with a plan! It all starts in 3 weeks when our pool goes in!!!! Yay!!! I'm super excited! Let's hope council approves it ASAP so it can go in even earlier!!! 

Anyone else a planner and a drawer??

We have never had a pool before so it's a 'new' design idea that we really know nothing about! I knew what I didn't want so we have worked backwards in trying to work out what we actually do want... In shape, colour, size and then all the surrounding landscaping and fencing. 

We got a few quotes... Budgets suck!!! And then got requoted... and then reality set in with what we could afford! 

Oh to have a massive concrete pool, with a beached area for the boys, making it whatever shape, size and colour with barely any restriction.... Umm... Nope! Budget didn't allow that... So we have gone with a big 9mx4m fiberglass pool called 'the weekender'. It's lovely and has a large side seat that runs one side of the pool which our kids will love. 

Other parts of our yard will include a veggie garden, orchid, chicken coop, kids play area and eventually our outdoor screen to be able to watch outdoor movies in the summer. Can u imagine the summer parties!!!!! Yeah!!! I can't wait to start this back yard journey... It will take a while... Probably more than 12 months... But I will keep u updated on the journey!

Today I started this HUGE small change by planting 4 fruit trees!!! :) 

A lemon, pear, apple and olive!

                                

The start of many!!! It was hard work!!! But a great work out :) 

My next workout will be stacking this pile of wood (all ready for our open fire this winter) along the back fence to make way for the veggie garden and chicken coop! Do I have any volunteers? :) haha!!

As much hard work as it is... it's so rewarding watching the change happen around your house and the growth in your trees and plants.

                                

...has anyone else out there started from scratch like this?...had a desert thats grown into an oasis!? 

5 House Regrets

Every house you build, buy, renovate or rent you find something you will want to change - "I wont do that next time" or "next house has to have..." And as beautiful as our new home is, I already have 5 house regrets... 5 things I won't do next time... 5 faults of this house... 5 changes I would make...

1. Study nook in the living/kitchen area.
This is a 'in thing' at the moment. An 'e' nook. A place your kids can do homework and you can see what they are up to, there is greater accountably with whats on the computer - I see the benefits. We hadn't had one before so I thought "lets try it"... I already want to rip the sticking thing out!!! WHY?
Because its a DUMPING GROUND!... Everyone dumps everything in the nook because EVERYTHING can be justified to live in the study nook... ahhhh... It constantly looks messy, no matter how often I clean and organise it, its a space that attracts mess. The great thing about a study room is you can shut the door on it.... but a nook... its open for everyone to see how 'junky' it looks! As for homework and computers - We have 2 Laptops - so I would rather the kids sit at the kitchen bench and do homework there.

2. My dryer space in the Laundry - Its the first thing you see as you look down the hallway if the laundry door is open. I should have moved it over to the right so if you looked down the hallway and the door of the laundry is open you would see my lovely white cupboards - not my dryer and clothes that need to be folded! BLAH! I will, one day in the future, see if I can get a cabinet maker to fix that for me :)

...keeping it real...

3. Mixers. I hate them! I didn't want them! I asked NOT to have them! I wanted hot and cold taps... but even though I ASKED for hot and cold taps - It was forgotten to be put on the contact... and because I never picked it up on the contract... I got mixers :( I was absolutely disappointed to see them when they were first put on during building - I wanted to cry because I have such an eye for detail and had picked out beautiful tapware... and then got these CRAP looking mixers. Even after approaching my builders about this, they refused to help... I have found some mixers that will fit into out house style...however at over $300 a pop... thats something I will have to wait a little while for...

...now...

...coming soon...

4. Lights - We thought we would take the opportunity to put in all LED down lights... great choice... however the lights bulbs that came with our lights were TERRIBLE! They were dark and narrow... and LED bulbs are meant to last 50000 hours (approximately 2 years) but because they were not projecting enough light we approached the manufactures but they would not help with this situation so now it will cost us between $30-50 per light to change, which is a whole lot money!.... So yes if your building get LED lights but just check what kind of bulb your getting with it as it may cost you a whole lot of extra $$$ just to get a decent light coverage!

5. Hob-less, glass-less shower in our boys bathroom. WHAT WAS I THINKING? I was thinking, it would be great to have NO glass to clean... I was thinking it would make our bathroom look bigger without a hob... I wasn't thinking - I have two boys who love having showers and playing with water! No matter how great the drainage area or a hob-less glass-less shower is... boys will still get water EVERYWHERE!... So I have already solved this problem by getting a semi frameless shower screen door installed!

I hope you can learn a thing or two from my mistakes...do you have any house regrets?

Our Kitchen and Living Area

I thought I would share with you some photos of our home.

Things change and its nice to see the changes over the years with how we decorate and use our kitchen and living.

Here is our Kitchen now...

I love symmetry. I love that my oven is in the centre and I have worked out from that point so there is symmetry to the centre and middle of the room. I love my draws but I'm still so glad I have cupboards because somethings you just can't fit in a draw!

I love my lights. They really are a feature of this room...and of this house. 

I LOVE my round sinks...I've never had them before and it was a risk putting them in as I was going to  either love it or hate it... and no stainless steel drainage area... its awesome! But we use our dishwasher A LOT! Some we put all dirty dishes straight into the dishwasher. 

This art piece is one that is going into the entry when I finally pull it all together... and I love it. I love where its come from... I love who it came from so it hold great sentimental value.... No everyones cup of tea... but it is mine :) Love and miss you Chelse! xx

My entry into the scullery.

My pantry and small appliance areas are in the scullery.

Looking out from my kitchen, you look over my dining table...

...and then across to our family living area.

I cant wait to light the fire once winter has arrived and use this area to its full capacity...

One of my goals this year is to add more colour into our home.

What do you think?

What would you like to see next?

Jess xx

Finding a Builder

Finding a Builder.

It's something people settle on too quickly... as we did when we first built.

My advice to you if you are building...

1. SHOP AROUND! Call all the builders you are interested in...book an appointment. Look on their website for plans that you may like, costs and INCLUSIONS!!!

2. When you sit down with that first builder, they will want you to sign some piece of paper at the end of your appointment ...DONT!
They will tell you it wont lock you in or that that the deal is on the table for only 24 hours... tell them...thats ok, we will leave it then...and walk away... trust me the deal is always on the table...they want their sale commission.

3. They will make it all sound so perfect and lovely... JUST WAIT!! Don't be afraid to be upfront and honest... tell them you have appointments to see other builders. Don't listen to all the negative things they will say about the other builders!! Ive heard some rippers!! "Don't build with them; Your house will fall down"..."have heard some bad things about them" ...or "dodgy dodgy dodgy"
To be really honest, if I heard any negative talk from one builder about another builder...I crossed the builder making the accusations off the list. Just my opinion. But its not integral. Integrity is something I'm always wanting to see in my sales rep, owner/manager of the building company and also the site supervisor.

4. Inclusions - Look into them!!! Some prices may be too cheap to believe...thats because it is... whats missing?? Flooring? Air con? Painting? Tiling to your wet areas? skirting boards? What you think you may have included in your price may not be what you get... Don't just assume - ASK!

5. Specifics. I knew what I wanted!...and were the builders going to give me the specifics that I wanted even if they were NOT on their cookie cutter plans??? ...Most of them said 'NO' which was good because it narrowed it down quickly. We decided to go with a custom builder as I had a file of specifics and wanted to work with a rough plan I had drawn. I didn't want a cookie cutter plan. I wanted an original, designed by me. With my flair and my flavour. We found our builder.
Just an example about specifics... I wanted to delete my laminated vanities and put in old fashioned wood vanities that would add a heritage flavour to our bathrooms...

6. Read read read your contract... then read it again! This is something I'm still learning!! If there is something you don't understand or questions you have, write them down and take them in for your final signing. I had two pages of (about 50 points) I wanted to go through before signing. as each one was answered, I wrote the builders answers underneath my question on the same piece of paper... it filled up very quickly. I then added that piece of paper to our contract, and both the builder and I signed the bottom so we both knew the points I had made, and his answers to my questions. It may just save you some arguments and money later when mistakes get made during construction. Remember that every builder has a variation fee they charge every change you make to your contact after signing off.

Here is my top 10 list of BASIC inclusions I would want straight up without question.
1. Tiled wet areas.
2. Double power points through out the house (some builders will only put in a single)
3. Extra Power points in the kitchen, study and TV room to fit all the appliances, phones, computers, ipads, dvd players, xboxes, wii and others... we are an electronic society, we cannot have enough power points.
3. No small gap between the shower screen and the laminate vanity (its too hard to clean) change it to a half solid wall and shower screen from the hight of the bench up to the ceiling.
4. All lights to be recessed (if its just a bayonet light)... or change to down lights if you can afford it.
5. Paving to driveway (make sure your crossover is included - ASK)
6. Pave a walk way from the driveway to the front door and any alfresco or patio area you have. It will reduce the amount of sand you will walk through your new house!
7. Are your floors and window treatments included? If not, make sure you get an allowance in your loan to be able to put floors and window treatments in the week you get handover.
8. Painting. Sooooo many of my friends have said "we will paint ourselves".... DONT DO IT!
To paint for the first time in a new house, it needs to be sealed, undercoated and 2 coats of paint! Thats 4 coats throughout!!! For the sake of your marriage, invest in a professional painter! My friends who have painted their own homes have done a great job...however its never done as well as a professional and those last touch ups seem to take years to get done. Its easier to call the painter and get them to fix any mistakes that they have made.
Just to give you and idea on how long it takes to paint a house. Our new home took between 3-6 painters 10 days full time to paint just the interior of our house.
9. Measure out your rooms in the house your living in now. You can perceive that your plan is huge with heaps of room...until you measure it out with the house you're in now....it could be heaps smaller!! Be careful!! Look at measurements!
10. Speak to people who have built before!! Ask them what they would have done differently. What they like and don't like about their house plan and why. You can't get enough wisdom. Don't be arrogant and think you know it all... Ive built 4 houses and Im still asking questions!

Next... Our House Plan...

The Block

If you don't know me but have followed me during my blogging time a few years ago, I will need to get you up to date on a few things...

1. We moved...again! We are now living in the beautiful Southwest. Have been here for 14 months and have loved every moment.

2. We have built ANOTHER house! Not our dream home but defiantly a step in the right direction :)

3. Its the first time we have bought, built and lived on a semi-rural block - 2020sqm
    Our block is in a little estate, that is surrounded by little farms. It's the smallest of about a dozen             blocks, that range from 2000sm - 4 acres.

4. We are all still happy, healthy and loving life.

We bought our block back in January 2013 after much searching and pondering we decided on this one... what tipped us over the line with this block was the street name; it was the name of the football club Boyd supported as a child and the block number was my favourite  :) 

Obviously a lot more thought went into it, for example...

1. Budget - not so much the price of the block but the fact that building was a tad more expensive because it costs a bit more to connect all the utilities, a longer driveway and then the landscaping is a whole lot more $$ as the block is soooo much bigger than a town block.

2. Where we will raise our kids - If you have kids its defiantly a huge pull....do you live close to their school? close to a park? close to the beach? close to relatives or friends? will the backyard be big enough for them? Will we be able to build a house which will suit our family on that block? Will they have their own rooms or share? Will the area we buy be safe for my kids? ... Huge questions that we all ask ourselves before buying. If you know MY boys, you know they are very active. They. Don't. Stop. So a semi rural block answered a lot of our questions. It gives them room to run and play. The road is so quiet that they can ride their bikes and scooters up and down the road without fear of traffic. It's big enough to play a game of cricket and to kick the football. We are not in walking distance to the beach (however only a 7min car drive) but we have enough room to eventually sink a pool. We are 10minutes from school which is reasonable for me; we are NOT close enough to ride our bikes to school, however that wasn't my highest priority (but for some this will determine their choice). Our area does have a bus run that could be considered in the future....This block was right for us. It suits our kids. It's appropriate for our family

3. A place others can call home - This wouldn't even be considered in others choices to buy a block... but for us it always has. We have a heart to help people in hard situations and from the day we got married we have enjoyed being able to give friends a room to sleep in, food in their tummy's and to be apart of our family. Our dream would be to eventually have a separate dwelling on our property for others to stay in. That is possible on this block.

4. Overwhelming Peace - We prayed for a peace. We looked at buying established houses, other blocks in beautiful estates, renting for another period...but when we stepped onto this block we both got a overwhelming peace. Others call it a 'gut feeling' - Go with your gut!

Now to find a builder....

House Plans

House Plan.

Its such a big decision…and can sometimes be overwhelming.

If you don’t have a sense of design or cannot visualise a plan, it can be a very daunting choice.

We are very lucky these days that we can visit display homes. To be able to walk through a house and see it as a reality. But there are some things you need to be cautious of…

1-     Your house will not look the same as a display home. Display homes are designed and furnished by professional interior designers… so unless your budgeting to buy all new furniture…your furniture may not look or fit as perfectly as the furniture in a display home.... Unless you design your home around your furniture which is a great idea if you have a few signature pieces or family heirlooms. 

2-     Display houses have no expense spared. They have the highest specs. The highest quality tiles in the wet areas, the most expensive flooring, extra lighting to make it look bigger and better.  Where you see 4 LED down lights, your inclusions may only include 1 bayonet light… so making these changes can creep into the tens of thousands if not over $100,000+ very quickly.

3-     Display homes are professionally landscaped. You will receive you house on a big dirt patch. No grass, no trees, no landscaping!

4-     Colours. Display homes have colour consultants that tie everything together… your brick choice or render colour, to window frame colours, roof selections, to wall paint, to flooring, to tiling, to window treatments, to laminate colours, to your tap selections, handle selections, door handles, gutter and fancier colours… if this is something you are not good at… then it’s a fantastic investment. This house is a big investment. You want to enjoy your home and for it to look lovely; if it’s an investment, a colour consultant will help you sell the property for a higher price because they know how to make it look great cosmetically. 

Question you will need to ask yourself when you find a plan you like....

Will it fulfil what my family needs now?

Will it fulfil my family’s needs in 10 years time? (if your planning to stay long term)

Will it fit my family now?

Will it fit my family in 10 years time?

Does it fit onto my block?

If you're building on a corner block, is your plan designed for a corner?

Do I want rear access onto my block?

Are there any street drains, electrical nodes, streetlights on my block that I need to miss when choosing where to situate the house on the block?

Does this style of house suit my area and suburb?

What is the orientation of the house on the block? Will your house stay warm in the winter and cool in the summer?

Will my outdoor areas be protected from the weather?

Is our money going into areas of our house that we will be using the most? 

If your interested in a custom plan you need to look through lots of different plans and designs and circle parts that you like - discard the rest. Once you have LOTS of ideas sit down cut out rooms and start placing them to work out a flow you may like. Draw, shade, scribble, glue....and speak to a professional. Ask for their ideas, tips. Tell them your vision, get them on board with your style. You will start to see it come together on paper.

This plan is one step prior to our final plan... I will show you our final plan soon...Its so similar but we were still making changes. Fireplace to go in, moved the scullery around, added double showers, deleted the recessed verandahs, added a HUGE back verandah, adjusted sizing of rooms, placements of doors and windows, ceiling heights.
Both plans are so similar but yet so different. You need to look beyond the lines on the page. Look and measurements and placements. Visualise it as if you're walking through the house.

Please NOTE this plan is COPYRIGHT (C) 

Front Elevations is another important aspect of your build.

How will your house look from the street.

This is one thing I feel I have had to learn and improve on each house I have built.

Its not been something I have held high on my budget list... however learning that if you do it correctly you will sell you house more quickly and with a greater value. Its your first impression.  

Your friends and family's first impression and your upcoming buyers first impression. 

Make sure the front of your house says something about you. Look into detail... little inexpensive changes can make a huge difference.

Still so much work to do... this is just the beginning! 

Our bitumen driveway is down - now to do a brick soldiers edge to our driveway.

We have planted some trees and plants... now need to mulch!

Reticulation - check

Grass - check

Now to build our shed, sink a pool, build our chook pen, start our veggie patch.

All coming soon!