Building Contract

Strangely enough, Fowler Homes never pushed me to sign the building contract. I was the one who asked for it because it was needed for the construction loan application.

Got a copy of the building contract on the 29th of April by post. Requested for a soft copy and emailed it to my solicitor for review. Didn't hear anything back until the 27th of May. Talk about turn-around times.

Signed and posted my copy on the 31st of May. Fowler Homes signed on the 3rd of June.

Variations

Apart from changing the hinged doors to quick slide for the bedroom wardrobes ($550), I also had the following variations done:

For the kitchen bench, instead of having the cooktop and the sink across each other, I had the sink moved to the side of the window. Even though there is dishwasher provided, I forsee a lot of manual dishwashing to be done. Having a window view while doing these chores is best. The sink and the associated plumbing underneath means that the microwave slot and the potholders will have to go. To access the "dead space" between the sink and the dishwater, we've decided to install a push-open cupboard door on the other side of the bench. A bit unconventional, but functional.

I remember asking about bathroom niches during the colour selection, and my cosultant said it's not included in my package. It's a good thing I checked the fine print because they are.  So back they go. Tiled niches 300mm high x 600mm wide in the bathroom and ensuite.

Same thing goes for locksets for the internal doors. I noticed from the item number/model that they are passage leversets. I double-checked the inclusions list, and it says "internal door locks". The consultant wrote back saying I can nominate 5 doors, whose leversets will be fitted with privacy adaptors fitted. Mind you, these are not actually security/privacy leversets - just normal passage leversets to be fitted with an add-on privary adaptor.

Lastly, a 600mm wide x 600mm deep manhole positioned to garage. There was no mention of this anywhere in the plans or specs, although I'm sure this is a requirement.

Construction Loan

Decided to get the construction loan from loans.com.au. Just because. Heard that the land is about to be registered, so don't really have time to conduct extensive comparisons. Did a quick online check though. None of the Big Four beats loan.com.au's 4.99% variable rate p.a. (4.73% comparison rate p.a.). I have another loan with them, so it's probably for the better. Great timing, too because they only soft-launched this product a few weeks ago.

Airconditioning Appointment

Drove 45 minutes to Minchunbury for the airconditioning appointment with UltraAir. The consultant came in, popped open his laptop, and checked out my details. He says, "The airconditioning unit that came with your package is the ActronAir SRG131E and SRA133C. It's 13kW, which is just right for your house. We'll put in diffusers in the bedrooms, family room, dining room, and kitchen. One zone for the bedrooms.One zone for the rest. Any questions?"

I didn't have any questions, so he asked me to sign the form on the laptop screen. My signature was pretty bad because of the crappy screen sensitivity, but he didn't seem to mind. Another 45 minutes to get back home. Would've been easier and faster if he just emailed me the form, and I email back the signed copy.

Electrical and Lighting Appointment

The electrical and lighting appointment is at the Clipsal Powerhouse at Macquarie Park. Basically, this is when you decide where the power outlets and the lights (and light switches) go. You'll also need to decide what type and how many you want to install.

Prior to the meeting, Clipsal posted me a list of the standard inclusions provided by my builder, a list of upgrade options and their prices, the 92-page Essential Checklist magazine showcasing their product range, and an empty floor plan for me to fill in. I have no idea how many powerpoints I need in a room, batten holders or downlights, how many lights in the kitchen, where to install the phone/data/TV points, etc. Spent a few days reading up on the forums to see what others are doing.

Anyway, these are my standard inclusions:

• 15 batten holders
• 15 light switches
• 2 light circuits
• 2 power circuits
• 7 single-socket power points
• 14 two-socket power points
• 1 outdoor single-socket power point
• 5 TV points
• 1 pay TV point
• 5 phone sockets
• 3 data sockets
• 2 heat/fan/light lamps
• 2 smoke detectors
• 1 Hills alarm system
• 1 meter box
• power points for the cooktop, rangehood, dishwasher, microwave oven, fridge, alarm system, garage door, hot water unit, washing machine, and NBN hub

On top of these, I added the following variations:

• 2 batten holders
• 4 11w LED downlights for the living room
• 5 15w LED downlights for the kitchen
• 9 two-socket power points

For an additional $1,521.


Based on Clipsal's recommendation and from what I've read from the forums, I've added extra power points on every room. The more the merrier. External light points for the patio and alfresco area, batten holders (under eaves) outside the garage and the living room - to be converted into floodlights. Batten holders along the length of the hallway with a special note to the builder that these are for future downlights. As such, the builder should not fix them to the timber trusses. Three-way switches so the hallway lights can be controlled via the front door, the garage door, or the kitchen area. For the main bedroom and kitchen area, TV point and power point located 1.6m above the ground for wall-mounted TVs. The only downside if that if you don't install the TVs immediately, those TV/power points become an eyesore. My brother's suggestion is to hang some paintings over them. Power point and phone point in kitchen and living areas for cordless phones. Power point, data, and TV point for the Internet-enabled TV in the living room. Bench-height power point on the kitchen island bench. Good thing I didn't go for waterfall edge, or this won't work. I originally wanted a 15A power point in the garage, but Clipsal is charging me $300+ for it. No thanks.

Colour and Kitchen Selection

The appointment for colour and kitchen selection is at the Fowler Colour Studio in Wetherill Park. My brother already had his at Clarendon last week. Took him the whole day to go through all of the selection. (Lunch provided.) He was saying that there were so many options and upgrades. For every item, they have to go through the pros and cons and the costs.

In my case, we finished everything in half a day - bricks, roofing, gutter, fascia, downpipe, windows, garage, water tank, driveway, doors, door handles, carpet, kitchen layout, kitchen appliances, bath/shower/toilet/laundry selections, etc. The reason we finished relatively quick is because I have already decided on most of the colours prior to the appointment, based on my brother's suggestion. Also, Fowler doesn't offer as many options and upgrades as Clarendon. I mean, they do, but for some reason they don't proactively offer them to their customers. If you don't ask for it, you don't get it. You simply get the standard inclusions.

Personally, I don't care about the fancy bricks, the premium roof tiles, or the designer bath and vanity. I'm more interested in having a cold water point for the fridge, external gas point to the alfresco area, option for skylights and whirly birds, and converting the wardrobe hinged doors to sliding. These turned out to be more expensive than I expected, so the only option I selected is the sliding wardrobe doors for an extra $550.

For reference, here are my selections:

Austral Bricks - Everyday Life Range - Engage
Off-white mortar
Flush mortar joints

Bristile Concrete Roof Tile - Designer Range - Magnum

Colorbond Gutters - Contemporary Range - Monument

Colorbond Fascia and Downpipes and Garage Door - Contemporary Range - Surfmist

Trend Window Frames - Standard Colour Range - Anodic Off White

Cladding/Pergola/Timber Post - Taubmans Manhattan

Moroka Finish - Taubmans Coffee Cake

Driveway - DT Bluestone with Flagstone stencil

Front Door - Corinthian Urban Primed PURB 2

Wardrobe and Internal Doors - Corinthian Flush Door

Front Doorset - Gainsbourough Tri-Lock Entry Set

Internal Doorset - Liana 105LIASC

Garage Door - Gliderol Panel Glide - Tuscan Glide with centre lift T-handle lock

Crisp White ceilings and cornice and White Pearl for everything else (internal walls, door frames, balusters and handrails, skirting and architrave).

 

As for the kitchen selection, the layout and the choice of appliances and sink/basin type is pretty much standard:

• Venini GEH9011 stainless steel 900mm wall canopy range hood
• Venini VO95S stainless steel 900mm multi-function fan-forced oven - 5 functions
• Venini VGH90 stainless steel 900mm gas cooktop with wok, enamel trivets
• Venini VDW60S stainless steel 600mm electronic dishwasher - 7 programs, 12 place settings
• Venini GEM252TK stainless stell 25 litre microwave with grill and trim kit
• Everhard Wattle semi-recessed basin for the bathroom
• Everhard Desert Rose above counter basin for the ensuite

For the kitchen and bathroom benchtops, it's Caesarstone Ice Snow, while the cupboard doors are Formica Cinnamon Ash.

Landscape Plan

Landscape design is done by EcoDesign. They emailed me three templates, and I'm supposed to choose which one I like best. EcoDesign will then adapt the design to fit my particular lot. Having no idea what those trees and shrubs are, their characteristics, and how many are required, I simply chose one that matches my lot the most, and told the landscape architect to reduce the tree/shrub count to the bare minimum. Low maintenance works best for me.