Porter Davis Price Increase

As our sales consultant warned us, Porter Davis had a massive price increase across its house ranges over the weekend. Forsyth 35 was increased by $6,000, from $240,900 to $246,900. The new price comes with a new set of promotion which is also more expensive but provides for better upgrade.

• Indoor Collection: $6,999
• Outdoor Collection: $4,999
• Flooring: $9,999
• Full Render Finish: $4,999

I did a little math and I think that the new package will cost us almost the same as the old package but has a tempting option to fully render the house for $4,999.

We have the option to avail of the new price and promotions or stick with our quote. I am waiting for my sales consultant to confirm the price of some upgrade items before we decide. These are the pros and cons if we switch:  

PROS

• The new promotion package will cover the following upgrades for us on top of the original promotional inclusions:
• 2590mm high ceilings
• One colour render feature to portico, pier and front projection
• 720mm high overhead cabinets
• shadowline to kitchen cabinets
• Technobili veggie sprayer
• 20mm stone to ensuite and bathroom
• Tiled shower bases to ensuite and bathroom
• Double vanity to ensuite
• 67mm architraves

• We can fully render our house for just $4,999. This means that we don't need to include the render to front facade ($3,203) and the brick work over garage door ($1,166) in our developer's requirements. This also means that we don't need to worry about upgrading the bricks and mortar to a higher category.

CONS

• Our house base price would increase by $8,000 from $238,900 to $246,900. We would lose the discount that we negotiated.
• We might lose the Colourbond roof upgrade that was an available option when we signed up.

We need to confirm with our sales consultant if:

• the cost of feature render in Outdoor Collection will be deducted if we avail of Full Render promo
• the cost of double vanity will be deducted if we are allowed to get the Grand Ensuite upgrade which already provides for double vanity.
• we can negotiate to keep the Colourbond roof promotion.
•  we are really not required anymore to do the brickwork over garage door if we will do full render.

Once we get the confirmation and costing from our sales consultant, it will be easier to decide. We are also meeting with our broker tomorrow to file our loan application and finally know our maximum loanable amount. 

Woodlea October 2016 Construction Update

Woodlea released its October 2016 Construction Update and our expected date of titling has not moved, it is still on March 2017. The update included a short video and we are able to have our first glimpse of the wetlands which is adjacent to our lot. We are overwhelmed to finally see what's going to be our view!

We also attended the VIP Purchaser Night Market in Woodlea last 7 October. We had great fun with the food truck, free coffee and display homes visit. Met some friends and neighbors too!

Structural Variations I

We had a meeting with our sales consultant yesterday to finalise all the structural variations for Forsyth 35 that we will include in our plan. I thought it was as simple as telling him what we want but turns out that he needs to put all the changes in the drawing plan already and we really need to be sure about the changes as it might incur cost if we do any more variations in future.

Good thing we were very organised and know already what we want before the meeting having done several visits to all the Forsyth display houses, scrutinised the plan closely and taken pictures of all the things that we want.

These are the things that we have finalised so far:

For facade, we will use Ludstone Facade. 

Cost $10,900

Ceiling Height : 2740mm in lieu of 2440mm high ceilings to ground floor

Cost: $7,436

For stairs, we will get Feng Shui Traditional Stairs Option 2 which looks like this. 

Cost $ 6,252

Extended kitchen and galley
Cost $2,900

Window Variations

Picture window splashback in the kitchen in lieu of tiles (1400mm X 2750mm)

Cost: $2,198 (includes Technika Bellissimo 900mm wide Island Canopy Rangehood in lieu of standard rangehood)

Sliding window in galley in lieu of wall 

Cost: $488 (to be confirmed)

Picture window in the dining area in lieu of sliding window

Cost: $1468

Additional 2 small awning windows in the living room in lieu of wall
Cost: $435

Awning window in family room in lieu of sliding window

Cost: $545 

and

Additional Awning window in family room in lieu of wall

Cost : $760 

Provision for future fireplace

Cost: $2,400

 

Deep plaster void to living/dining area

Cost: $148

Laundry

Alternate laundry option which removes the cavity door between the galley and laundry and relocates the laundry door in the hallway/alcove wall.

Cost: $53

Alfresco

Provision of 3930mm deep X 2980mm wide alfresco

Cost: $4,500

Provision of 2400mm X 2600mm wide Aluminium Boutique square set sliding door to dining rear external wall in lieu of standard sliding door

Cost: $1,740

Provision of 2400mm X 3600mm wide Aluminium Boutique square set sliding door to alfresco in lieu of standard

Cost: $2,779

 

Internal door access to garage
Cost: Included in Finishing Style promotion

First Floor

Extend master bedroom walk in robe to be same as Tarneit display
Cost: to be confirmed

When we finished all the ground floor variations, the plan was all in red which marks the areas where we requested for variations. It was a long meeting and a lot of variations and as our sales consultant said, this is going to be a beautiful house. We didn't finish the first floor because we are waiting for confirmation if we can copy the Tarneit display of Forsyth 38 and do the Grand Ensuite variation.

The Grand Ensuite
Cost: 3,800 (to be confirmed)

The Grand Ensuite variation basically covers the following changes that we want for our master bedroom ensuite:

• Extended shower option ($1,600)
• Extended vanity bench ($806)
• Enclosed WC ($400)

On top of these, the following are also incuded:

• the vanity bench which is visible from the doorway of the master bedroom in the standard plan will be relocated to be inside the ensuite, and
• an additional free standing bath, which is what I've been wanting to add ever since, will be included (Just to  change an inset bath to a free standing bath already cost $1,200 , so this would cost so much more).

This is how the Grand Ensuite looks:

 

With this, the only thing that we will need to add in the structural variation in the shower room is the shower niche.

Shower Niche

Cost: $213

I will update this page once we receive any confirmation about the Grand Ensuite. We hope to receive positive update from our sales consultant this time as we really love this option. 

Change of Facade: Sinclair to Ludstone

Our sales consultant advised us this morning that Sinclair facade was disapproved by Woodlea's Design Review Panel, they deemed that the moulding and the metal work don't meet the modern contemporary design that Woodlea wants to maintain .

We heard the news while we were on our way to Craigieburn to drive by and view the Belmont facade from an ex display house. Belmont facade was OK, but we were not very impressed. It's too plain and simple.

After the trip to Craigieburn, we went to Cranbourne East and then to Tarneit to have one final look at our choices before our meeting with our sales consultant to finalise our structural changes.

When we saw the Ludstone facade in Tarneit, we didn't feel too bad anymore for the disapproval of Sinclair. My husband and I agreed that Ludstone facade in Tarneit (not in other display homes) is a very good second choice for us.
   

It looks very modern, contemporary, funky and different from the usual facade that we see a lot in display homes. It doesn't provide for a balcony, but it has plenty of windows in the first floor which is good for everyone to enjoy the view. With the balcony gone, we will have more space in the bedroom. It is also $3,000 cheaper than the Sinclair facade.

To get the actual facade look in the photo, we need to add more budget to the tiles and stone accents and for full render look, but this can be done as project improvements in future . 

Forsyth 35: Our BIGGER and BETTER Dream!

Just when we thought that we found the One, we found a bigger and better One! The moment we stepped in at Forsyth, we decided to build our Dream House and not just any house! These are the reasons why it changed our heart and mind:

The Floor-Plan

• It has an open plan lay-out.
• It is light filled, spacious and lay-out flows well.
• It has a lounge/theatre room at the front of the house.
• It offers a lot of storage space especially in the laundry and kitchen.
• We love the walk in robe behind the bed in the master bedroom
• We love the dining area with its huge picture window.
• We love the kitchen lay-out.
• I think we love everything about the house!

THE GROUND FLOOR 

       

 THE FIRST FLOOR

The Sinclair Facade

This facade will cost us a bit, but we just adore its timeless, elegant look. We are not officially sure yet if this facade will be approved by Woodlea as they want modern, contemporary design. They might consider this design too classical and not the contemporary design that they want, but we are keeping our fingers-crossed.

The View

One advantage of having a double storey house is that it will allow us to enjoy the nice view of the wetlands and reserved area adjacent to our lot. Forsyth will give us a good view from the ground floor lounge and from the first floor game room, master bedroom and balcony. 

The Builder: Porter Davis

Porter Davis is one of the biggest and oldest builders in Australia. They are not at the top of customer review rating, but they are not doing badly either. Their current rating is 4.1 out of 5 stars. I also consulted with a major independent building inspector and he highly recommended Porter Davis, I was even advised not to believe the customer service rating as they can be manipulated according to him.  

Initially, we chose to deal with Mernda team as we liked talking with their consultant more. She was so good to us that she able to work out a credit/discount for the deposit that we already paid Carlisle Homes. On the day we first met her, there was a price increase and the base price of Forsyth 35 increased from $238,900 to $240,900, but she nicely gave us the original base price, saving us $2,000. 

Unfortunately, she got sick and we transferred to PD Woodlea Team who reassured us that we will still get the $1,000 credit, $2,000 discount and the colourbond roof that was on promotion when we started the quote.

I think that's a great customer service and I couldn't ask for more!

The Promotions

Forsyth is among the Advantage range which starts with a low base price, but comes with a lot of flexibility when it comes to upgrades. To make the upgrades more affordable, Porter Davis has a Designer Inclusion promotion that covers a lot of things:

• Floor Style ($9,999) for tiles, timber look and carpet flooring
• Finishing Style ($7,499) for stone benchtops, dishwasher, 900mm upright cooker, posh mixer taps, hand held shower rails, 3 coat paint system, sectional garage door, remote control garage door, fly screen and keyed locks to all openable windows, internal access to garage door
• Free roofing upgrade to Colourbond

We would have loved to be able to get their fully rendered house for about $6,000 , but they don't cover Advantage range with this promotion.

Luxury Options

The beauty of building with Porter Davis is, unlike other builders, they allow you to upgrade your house as much as you like as long as the floor-plan can accommodate it.  

Forsyth will allow us to have these luxury options:

• It has a powder room at the ground floor which we can dress up.
• We can design a kitchen galley or butler's pantry.
• We can have a free standing bath instead of the standard inset bath. I'm not sure yet if our budget will allow for this, but this free standing bath definitely adds a lot of beauty and luxury feel in the bathroom.
• We can add a provision for fireplace. 

The Flexibility of the Design

Porter Davis also allows for a lot more structural flexibility and options compared to other builders. We are taking advantage of this by:

• adding a lot of windows and picture windows to make the house feel brighter and lighter
• adding an alfresco with designer sliding doors
• adding an internal access door to the garage
• extending the kitchen and galley
• moving the laundry door away from the kitchen galley 
• modifying the stair case to make it feng shui friendly
• extending our ensuite shower and the vanity bench
• enclosing our ensuite WC

We would have loved to be able to add at least 2 meters extension to our garage, but unfortunately our setback guideline won't allow it. 

We are definitely loving our switch from building Carlisle Homes' Amberley 27 to Porter Davis' Forsyth 35. It will cost us a lot more, but we are definitely going to build our dream house this time. No compromises!

Signed up with Porter Davis

We finally signed up and paid our deposit to Porter Davis to build Forsyth 35 last Saturday, 15 October, after a long wait. It took more than two months to finalise our quote because our original sales consultant from Mernda got very sick. We've been trying to wait for her to get well and be available as she's been so good to work out discounts for us and she's so easy to talk with.

We would have been happy to wait for her availability but while we were doing our one of many display homes visits, we were warned that there's another looming price increase and that we should sign up already to avoid the hike.

We met a very friendly and approachable sales consultant in Woodlea and we asked him if he can take over our account. He advised us to talk to their customer service to make this official as a consultant can't just take another consultant's customer. So, I did this and I even talked to their manager and sent him an email. Finally, we have a new sales consultant!

After the switch, everything was quick and easy. Our new sales consultant is always available, responds to messages straightaway, gets things done quickly and his office is just a short drive away so we can meet him anytime.

Our Siting Plan

Our Quote

Our Welcome Pack

And we're ready to build the Forsyth! Cheers to us!

Change of Heart, Change of Mind

I stopped my Project Haven update for sometime because we had a BIG change of heart.

It all began when I got an email sometime in July from our Carlisle Homes sales consultant that there was a mistake in the quote. He said that Amberley 25 should be in our contract as it is the one that actually fits. This got me really worried as we thought that Amberley 27 is the biggest single storey house design that fits our lot given the talk that we had with several builders. We were really wanting to build a bigger house than 27 squares but because of out lot's shape, we can't. If he was saying that only Amberley 25 fits then this means that we will be forced to build a smaller house which is not good at all.

I emailed him back saying that we never considered building Amberley 25 and that he assured us before we bought the land that Amberley 27 fits. I spent most of that night looking at Carlisle's house design catalogue trying to see if there are other house ranges and designs that might fit. My husband thought that Matisse 29,Maison 29 and Winslow 29 might, with some modifications. They are all from Carlisle Homes' Affinity Collection which are considered luxury range. They include a lounge, powder room, spa in ensuite and butler's pantry. We did not consider them before because we thought they were too expensive.

The next morning, our sales consultant confirmed that we can really build Amberley 27 and there was just a confusion in their team. We told him about my sleepless night and the stress he caused me and that I found other house designs that we would love to build considering their design and their extra features and that even if we are building their lower house range, our planned upgrades are similar to the luxury range already. He did some siting plan for us and said that he thinks the Matisse 29 and Winslow 29 are workable  but he will need to confirm with his office because the fit was too tight.

My husband and I went to Geelong straight away after the meeting to view Matisse 29, which we didn't like so much. Then, we visited Winslow 29 which I liked, but he didn't. He thinks that for the higher price that we will pay to gain an extra 2 squares for a lounge, spa, butler's pantry and powder room is not worth it because we will lose the spaciousness of the Amberley 27 and the study nook that the kids need. We had a cold war about this for several days!

I stopped all my house design planning activities which he knows has been my obsession and preoccupation since we bought the land. I also started looking at other builders again like Mainvue, but they told me that any of their Amalfi version won't fit our land. Carlisle also updated me that the only way they can fit Winslow 29 to our lot was by cutting its width a little. This was when I've given up on any thought that we can build anything bigger than 27 square single storey house.

And then, I came across Porter Davis and its Advantage range and saw Forsyth, a 35 square house double storey house. We are not really keen on building a double storey house but I like its floor plan and the $238, 900 starting price for double storey house. When our cold war ended, I immediately convinced my husband to come and visit the display house in Mernda and also to have another look at Carlisle's Broadway 27.

The moment we stepped inside Forsyth, we knew that we need to pursue the dream we left behind in our home country and build the house that we have always wanted, our dream home. And so, our pursuit of Forsyth began!