Simplifying life for future dreams

contemporary bedroom design by 4.bp.blogspot.com

Well life has certainly been a little crazy & emotional here on the dream house front. If you missed the progress update a while back you can read the whole story HERE

Vt Interiors

We got a quote from a second builder for our dream house & it was actually more expensive than our quote from the first builder, with lesser quality fixtures & fittings.

WOW!

Doesn't the truth hurt or in our case disappoint :o(

Water leaf Interiors

We have had further discussions with builder No.1 & there are ways we can bring our price down a bit.

He also apologised for the actions of the kitchen & tile guys who both thought we would up our budget dramatically, so recommended more than was affordable for us.

These are some of the things we can change.

contemporary bathroom design by San Francisco interior designer Amoroso Design

In order to build our house to our liking we have opted to wait a bit & work towards ridding ourselves of  all debt.

We have several investment properties in The Blue Mountains we can sell, which will leave us owning our land, vehicles & be debt free, ready to build with a slightly bigger budget, not to mention ridding us of the stresses you sometimes face as a landlord.

I know it has taken me a while to update you all on this house building story, but we have really had to do a lot of thinking, planning & research before we could make any decisions.

This included going back on the project home search.

 As it turns out we just really love the home we designed & felt we would be better to make some sacrifices in other areas to achieve our goal. So, farewell investments & hope our dream home turns out to be a great retirement plan instead!

Wish me speedy house sales!!

CHEERS

Trish xxx

Progress...What the!!!

I thought I was a little overdue for an update on the progress of the dream house

OR

should I say lack of progress

We selected a builder whose work was of good quality & he was easy to deal with.

 After showing him our plans & inspiration images he assured us he had the time to build our house & it wouldn't be a problem to build to our budget...

4 months later we still have NO working plans from the architect, just a concept. Last week when we thought we would be receiving an exact costing to take to the bank, we got nothing more than an estimate cost.

This estimate also happened to be exactly 

100 THOUSAND DOLLARS OVER BUDGET!!!

&

The builder has gone on holidays for 2 weeks. No one in his nice, busy little office, is able to answer any of our questions, they are only saying "We will make an apt for you when he returns"

WE DON"T WANT AN APPOINTMENT

We just want to know

IS THIS A SIMPLE TYPO???

OR

has this guy just waisted a huge chunk of our life ?

He sent us to make selections of materials, fixtures & fittings. We have designed the kitchen & bathrooms, all within the budget he allocated, so HOW can it possibly blow out by so much?

So for fear of this dragging out FOREVER we are now off to visit other builders, to get an idea as to whether or not the budget we have for this dream house is possible...

If not we will start looking at project homes to suit our sloping block

Time is ticking...

We thought our plans would be at least progressing through the building approvals department at our local council by now, instead we are still at square one!!!

AAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!!!

The frustration!

Any way, there is no future in the past, so we will keep working on moving forward & see what results come from other builders & what answers we get from the current builder when he returns to HIS HOME after a mind clearing holiday!!!

CHEERS

Trish xxx

 

Outdoor Style

I am looking for the perfect images of pergolas & outdoor living areas to show to my builder, architect &  my dream guy, to ensure they have the same image of the end result of this dream house. My dream guy has given me complete creative freedom on pretty much every aspect of this house design, but I know he would have a picture in his mind of how it is going to look & I am guessing it is a little different to my vision.

contemporary patio design by san francisco interior designer Michael Merrill Design Studio, Inc

I really love this style of pergola, especially the shape of the upright posts.

mediterranean exterior design by los angeles landscape architect AMS Landscape Design Studios, Inc.

I love the style & colour of the pavers in this image. The fireplace & lighting create a beautiful yet cosy ambiance.

We hope to eventually have an outdoor fireplace but it wont be a part of the immediate plan...

contemporary patio design by san francisco interior designer Inside Out- Interior & Exterior Design

I love the fireplace with all the stack stone features & once again those gorgeous posts.

traditional patio design by san francisco landscape architect Pedersen Associates

The pavers, the posts, the white trims, I really do love this look.

traditional patio design by portland landscape architect Samuel H. Williamson Associates

 I will show these to my dream guy so he knows just how to finish our pergola.

patio design by san francisco interior designer Kathleen Burke Design

A wisteria vine growing over the pergola always tends to create an air of  romance, this is something I would love if the climate here allows.

traditional patio design by awarchitect.com

This image is very similar to the colour scheme of my dream house. The beams of this pergola are the same colour as my roof & the main colours of the house & white windows are also the choices I have made. I would prefer my pergola to be white as well, this home appears to have a terracotta tile roof which is really lovely.

patio design by other metros kitchen and bath Pam from diy Design Fanatic

We haven't decided wether or not to render the downstairs area of our house or keep it brick for a bit more interest & contrast.Our builder has recomended staying brick on the bottom as it stands up to the wear & tear of living more so than render. The top story will be built from a thick compressed foam material & then rendered as this has better thermal properties & is a cost effective building method. If it was to be brick I think I would like something similiar to this, what do you think ?

traditional patio design by san francisco architect Doma Architects, Inc.

What fabulous ceilings & hand rails.

contemporary patio design by other metros architect Birdseye Design

Love the paving.

Please feel free to offer any advice or suggestions on my choice of finishes, especially in regard to the choice of brick or render on the lower story. We are looking for a low maintenance home, which is why we have chosen pavers & tiles over timber decking. My dream guy works a lot & I would like his time at home to be about relaxation & family, rather than constant home maintenance!

CHEERS

Trish xxx

All images from here

A concept Plan for the Dream House - Part1

 After drawing up my own very amateur plans for our dream house it was time to take it to the architect. We have chosen the builder we would like to use & he will liaise with the architect to ensure our house is designed exactly how we want it.

This is the first draft & there are many changes to be made but I thought I would share this process right from the beginning, perhaps you may have some great suggestions....

This is the view from the front. My dream guy really wanted a portico for our guests  to park under...I didn't !We agreed that if something was to be cut from the budget this would be it, BUT, as luck would have it , now he has seen this drawing, he no longer likes the portico, so its going...this makes me happy!!!

I can't wait to see what the next draft looks like without the portico...

This is the back of the dream house, our block slopes away at the back so we are able to utilize this space by putting our garages, gym, kids area & storage all downstairs.

This end is not exactly how I had envisioned it but we will get some changes made here as well, this small side window on the bottom level should actually be a door, there should be a side window upstairs.That is the kitchen area upstairs & from that corner, you get the best view, so it would be a shame to just look at a kitchen wall & the pergola should be on the downstairs level.

I love the look of sketched versions.

Front view

Back view

I'm loving the upstairs alfresco area, it opens up from the kitchen & the view from there will be amazing!!

This is the view from ground level, the floor level for the alfresco is 3m higher than here.

Let me know what you think, any suggestions or ideas are greatly appreciated.

Cheers

Trish xx