mattwnz:

 

The problem I have heard of with things with solar tubes and the older HW roof panels, is corrosion. So over time they can get surface corrosion that reduces their effectiveness considerably. They also have to be put on the right angle to be most effective, so you end up seeing a lot of really ugly installs on peoples roofs. 

 

I'll definitely keep that in mind... And yes, now you mention it I have seen lots of solar tubes raised above the angle of the roof... (My roof is 25 degrees)

Cheers - N

Talkiet:

 

[changed this bit] In my experience, gas hot water doesn't provide enough temp rise to run a shower at full pressure. And that's my bottom line..

 

 

 

You guys must have absolute sh|te water pressure!

Our constant gas hot water is the same pressure as our cold. 

Neil, have you considered a heat pump how water cylinder with built in coils for a boiler/solar system?

it will reduce your electricity bill by about 2/3 for water heating and will allow you to connect to a solar hot water array down the line.

at the end of the day people will choose and do what best suits their situation. others can only offer suggestions for things that may not have been thought of, but you cant tell them they are wrong for not going in that direction.

Talkiet:

 

driller2000:

 

I realise you didn't come here for build advice per se :)

 

But by the sounds of it you still have a few items and therefore PS (Provisional Sums) to lock down.

 

I would lock these down ASAP if I was you as they can quickly get away for you, as most build companies std PS's are low - so you may end up having to compromise on stuff you didn't want to if you don't price and prioritise now.

 

It will also give you more certainty about your build cost now rather than getting a suprise later.

 

Build companies prefer vaugeness as it means they have you by the short and curlies come variation time.

 

I locked down every single item/PS before we signed (as I should being a Civil Eng / PM) - pissed the builders off a bit as it slowed the process down - but it meant I came in EXACTLY on budget.

 

 

 

And...all the best with the build :) - it is great to be able to create the home YOU want rather than live in someone else's creation :)

 

 

Chuckle - read the blog I just posted. I am painfully aware of PS and PC sums...

 

I don't have anything that's still a PC sum with the building company... The Kitchen benchtop is just me looking at upgrade options on the current fixed price, and the paths and driveway are out of the builders scope - it's up to me.

 

So far I have been bitten only to the tune of a few hundred dollars when the foundation needed to be 350mm vs the assumed 300mm...

 

Cheers - N

 

 

 

Ahh...all good then  :)

That looks *awesome*. I loved this quote from your blog: "build a new garage with a small house attached".

I really like our current place, but it is a 60s house with the next best thing to no built in storage. So my generous 2.5 car garage is currently filled with boxes of crud for lack of anywhere else to put it. I really like your design using all the clever corners for built in cupboards and wardrobes. Loft storage in the garage sounds awesome too.

andrewNZ: It's probably way too late, but if I ever build, I'll be putting floor drains in the bathroom, laundry, under the hot water cylinder, and perhaps the kitchen. I've seen and heard of far too many floods that would have been prevented by these.

andrewNZ: It's probably way too late, but if I ever build, I'll be putting floor drains in the bathroom, laundry, under the hot water cylinder, and perhaps the kitchen. I've seen and heard of far too many floods that would have been prevented by these.

Our house has a generous crawlspace so I've had floor drains retrofitted in all these places.

driller2000:

I realise you didn't come here for build advice per se :)

But by the sounds of it you still have a few items and therefore PS (Provisional Sums) to lock down.

I would lock these down ASAP if I was you as they can quickly get away for you, as most build companies std PS's are low - so you may end up having to compromise on stuff you didn't want to if you don't price and prioritise now.

It will also give you more certainty about your build cost now rather than getting a suprise later.

Build companies prefer vaugeness as it means they have you by the short and curlies come variation time.

I locked down every single item/PS before we signed (as I should being a Civil Eng / PM) - pissed the builders off a bit as it slowed the process down - but it meant I came in EXACTLY on budget.

 

And...all the best with the build :) - it is great to be able to create the home YOU want rather than live in someone else's creation :)

 

 

mattwnz:One way around this is to make sure the PS are based on high spec stuf, and that they quote those figures. When my brother built he had quite a lot of PS prices, ands the builder did it on the cheapest crappiest components, so they always knew that they would need to spend more. So good advice to spec absolutely everything that the builder is buying. The alternative is just to buy in the components yourself and you can usually get far better deals than the builder can get, as they aren't going to shop around for most stuff.

I have been buying stuff for a while... Oven, dishwasher, sink, induction cooktop, network cabinet and a few other smaller things that I was able to source cheaper or more precisely than the builders can...

Cheers - N

Nice progress. Mine has just been plastered and will be ready for painting this week. 

I am hoping to move in mid-late June. 

Its 100% brick & roof tile. 238 Sqm 2 storey.

I will put some pics up shortly. 

andrewNZ: It's probably way too late, but if I ever build, I'll be putting floor drains in the bathroom, laundry, under the hot water cylinder, and perhaps the kitchen. I've seen and heard of far too many floods that would have been prevented by these.

We have one in the laundry... I wish it was in the bathroom though.

We had a flexi hose to the vanity mixer burst. 4-5 hours of constant hot water flooded the house. New flooring throughout arriving soon.