Comments on: It’s paint time!

By: Ben

Ben — Mon, 18 Jul 2016 20:31:28 +0000

Yeah we thought they were very reasonable, especially given the difficulty they had in one spot and extra time they had to spend on site.
Thank you, we’re stoked with how it has turned out.
Feel free to keep in touch with updates on your build – hope it’s an easy process from here on out!

By: Michelle

Michelle — Mon, 18 Jul 2016 05:06:22 +0000

I will – $20k for that is an awesome price.

Just spent an hour going through your posts – your home is simply stunning

By: Ben

Ben — Mon, 18 Jul 2016 04:54:06 +0000

They varied depending on the area of the section, some were up to about 7/8m deep, others only 2-3m. Amazing the variance. If you haven’t already, contact the guys at Ground and Pound. They were great. http://www.groundandpound.co.nz/

By: Michelle

Michelle — Mon, 18 Jul 2016 04:46:49 +0000

How deep were the piles Ben?

Just curious as I’m waiting for the tenders to come back and we have about 30 piles. Our section doesn’t look as problematic as yours does – stream, etc but still on a slope!

By: Ben

Ben — Thu, 17 Sep 2015 20:21:16 +0000

Cheers Krista, thanks for taking the time to comment. Yes, we are very proud, and happy to be living in the house now. It’s magic!
To be honest, the foundations weren’t that crazy – around $20k for all the poles and thumping them into place (about 60 odd from memory) for the lot. And since we are on poles, there was really minimal earthworks. Most excavation as you note is in the parking area under the house, which is retained by the block work, and that also acts as a foundation to the house above. All up, I’d say foundations, earthworks and block work would have been about 10% of the build cost. That excludes the sub floor on the poles – we opted to use a lot of steel to create cantilevered sections, which was more expensive than the foundations themselves.
Hope that helps!

By: Krista

Krista — Thu, 17 Sep 2015 09:54:31 +0000

Hey guys!

The house looks fab I am jaw-dropping jelly! Gorgeous seriously you should be so proud I just wanted to ask not specifically how much you spent but what percentages of the budget were spent on certain areas? Just from looking through the photos the foundations, poles and block work look like they took up a large portion also from looking at the photos was the block work used to encase the parking area?

Krista

By: Ben

Ben — Mon, 11 May 2015 00:32:55 +0000

Thanks Robyn! No we’re not, in our master bedroom we have built a full height wall from American Oak, so that is the feature, then in the living area, 80% of the walls are either glass or kitchen, so those act as the focal points in there.
Hope the reno is going well!

By: Robyn Brown

Robyn Brown — Sun, 10 May 2015 23:34:24 +0000

Hi Ben and Kylie

Really enjoying your progress! I love the colour palette you have chosen and am using similar colours in my reno in Rothesay Bay.

Are you using any feature colours with your Little Manly half in the Main bedroom and also Kitchen/Living area.

Thanks so much

Robyn

By: Paint on! | Ben and Kylie's Dream Home

Paint on! | Ben and Kylie's Dream Home — Fri, 10 Apr 2015 00:31:26 +0000

[…] the Dulux paints we’re using too. Little Manly Half has lifted the rooms beautifully, and the Sugarloaf Island Half looks brilliant […]

By: Ben

Ben — Sun, 29 Mar 2015 19:50:38 +0000

Hi Karan
That’s a hard one, our builders are doing the majority of the PM, but even with the aspects I’ve been doing, it is so time intensive – luckily I’m flexible with my time as run my own business. However you’d need to weigh up savings against lost time working etc. And all the stress involved! In saying that, I love being involved and wouldn’t want to do it any other way. Best bet would be to get itemised quotes from builders and see what they are charging for PM. It’s a crucial role though, so you’d want to be confident you can manage it, otherwise the build will inevitably go severely over time and budget.
Good luck!