Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Sold our Wisdom Impression

We sold our beautiful Wisdom home a couple of weeks ago and this Saturday we bought a new 565sq sloping block in the same area, different suburb. Split Level house designs here we come.

I'm going to start a new blog but first I thought I'd post some exit feedback !

1. Loved Wisdom's customer service after lock up. Before we sold we had to get a couple of things checked out and they came out asap and fixed a parapet issue on the garage and also followed up on some missing sewer plans for us.

2. We should have thought more about our landscaping. We didn't really ever finish it to the standard of those gorgeous Show Homes and it ultimately let the house down. This was partly budget related and party to do with how we had sited the house. On the same note we should have realised a side garden is not useful when you have young kids.

3. Our modified plan worked really well for us. The only slight regret was that the downstairs loo in the Impression (we had) opens into the living area and you could hear everything. I always told guests it was the kids loo and they should go upstairs!

4. Never regretted the 2k spend on the laundry fitout. Mummy mates loved it and it was a strong selling point. Should have fitted an extractor though and also have measured our washing machine and let the carpenter know. The work-surface was too low to fit our machine under.
Next time I am not having a glass door to the outside though , it gives you the creeps.

5. We didn't add any more cross beams to the frame for pictures, mirror and curtain frame fixtures. The plasterboard won't hold weight and overtime we ended up filling and sanding holes when bag hooks fell down or just doing without.

6. Loved our understairs cupboard.. It held the hoover, pram, and 100pairs of shoes, and a load of other crap. most used cupboard in the house.

7. Wished we'd upgraded our flyscreens. We took out flyscreens on all windows apart from the sliding doors. I thought they looked ugly and I wouldn't be able to clean them. Bad mistake, hello Huntsman. The flyscreen on the patio doors is just that flimsy fabric which comes out of its rubber holdings and gets ripped easily.

8. Tiles. Our floor tiles (std range) chipped in 3 or 4 places. I don't remember any of the events that caused the chips so next time I'm going to check the quality of the tiles with a few of my own tests!

9. Colours - Wish we'd taken a painted piece of A3 card with Moonglow to the tile place. May have stopped me selecting floor tiles with a pinkish tinge.

10. More tiles - Never regretted full height tiling in bathrooms, and the nib wall between the shower and bath.

11. Elephants upstairs.. even small feet sound like elephants so sound proofing between walls and floors is a good option.

12. Fittings and appliances.. all rocking 2.5 years on. A few bits of general wear but no tear and everything still looks as new apart from an overly helpful friend who took a pan scrubber to our stovetop :-(((. Wish I'd upgraded the sink to something bigger or not stainless.

13. Cracks.. never had cracks between skirting and walls and coving and walls or on the walls themselves. I've seen and heard about this in other builds and I think its testament to the quality of the workmanship.

14 Electrical.. Should have organised driveway lighting and electricity at/for a gate during construction. Was too laid back.. and we never did.

15 We spent 6k on bricking the second storey at the back instead of having the painted blueboard look...and to do this needed an RJ(?) Beam. Probs didn't need this given that we sold.. but that board look is not a good one.

16 Custom Alfresco.. it was too small at 4m wide. Should have measured a table barbecues and casual seating !

17 Tiling Sealing - why oh why didn't I fully seal every bit of grout. I did the bathrooms and kitchen and then promised I'd get back to the 200 other bits of grout. This never happened and it showed!

18 Paint - paint that is sprayed on comes off if you stick ANYTHING to it. Kids stick things and we stick stuff for the kids. Dreading move out day as we have bald patches... Tester pots required!

19 Things we modified or upgraded that made a difference to the sale price and look
  • Facade
  • 5th bedroom created from rumpus
  • extended living area in line with kitchen
  • oversize bedroom created from moving wardrobe to over stairs
  • Doors and door furniture
  • Laundry
  • Kettle toaster sliding cupboard
  • Poly kitchen
  • Oversize bathrooms, full height tiling to wet areas with bath in ensuite
  • Nib walls in bathrooms separating shower and bath - integrated toilet with nib wall between
  • silver balcony rails

Rant complete, time for bed and time to dream about project home No.2








6 comments:

danma said...

Sold!!!! Oh my goodness, I would love to build again, it was so much fun, don't think the husband feels the same way though.....
Can't wait to see the new blog 7 come along for the ride with you.
Good luck with it all..

Jo + Phil said...

Same as Danma! I would love to build again, there are so many things I would do differently too. . . You could always make the laundry glass door with opaque glass I suppose?

Good look with number 2. Don't forget all those things you thought about the first time though . . . I've started a list of mine!

The Builders SW said...

Well done for completing the project and selling the home. You must have had some very professional local estate agents

The Builders SW said...

Great roofing work and interior and exterior decorating

Unknown said...

Nice post! Thanks for sharing! By the way, http://designtiles.com.au/ offers a wide range of tile products, from indoor to outdoor tiles and many more. Visit our website now for more information!

elson cade said...

Prefabricated timber wall frames offer many benefits including:
• A reduction in costs
• Improved energy efficnency
• Precision engineered to Austrlian standards using Engineering software
• More sustainable / environmentally friendly
Prefabricated timber roof trusses have been part of Australian building practices for over 30 years. Builders who regularly use roof trusses claim the following benefits:
• Cost effective
• Piece of mind for building authorities and certifying engineers
• Design flexibility
• Ease of installation
Here are other services Sydney Frame and Truss 2. Frame and Truss 3. Frames and Trusses 4. Truss and Frames 5. Trusses and Frames 6. prefabricated frames and flooring.