Opinions sought: Top value maximisers for new build

[imd6662]

Hi there

What experience/opinions to people have about the top ideas for maximising value/best selling points when doing a new build on a limited size site (in Chch, -- let's take stable ground as a given!)

[whitt]

Here is a few quick ones:
Off street parking, garaging with internal access. ensuite, dishwasher, not beside motorway or not under pylons. building to look nice and modern ( not some dodgy construction which looks like shortcuts were taken)

[drelly]

- Maintain some sort of practical outdoor living - preferably with flow to the interior.
- Kitchen window not facing a fence or the neighbours toilet window.
- Extra storage spaces tucked in where ever possible.
- A bath - amazing how many places don't have them now and it rules out a lot of family buyers.
- Pay attention to landscaping. Many people have limited vision and a bare section can seem daunting.
- An emergency earthquake escape shuttle.

[Viking]

If a concrete floor specify 125mpa concrete. Won't break in half like all those with 75mpa have. Ban the use of plastic cones to support the mesh in the concrete and don't allow a concrete cutter anywhere near the floor.

[whitt]

Ban the use of plastic cones to support the mesh in the concrete and don't allow a concrete cutter anywhere near the floor.

Why not plastic cones and cutters?

[rueben]

If a concrete floor specify 125mpa concrete. Won't break in half like all those with 75mpa have. Ban the use of plastic cones to support the mesh in the concrete and don't allow a concrete cutter anywhere near the floor.

How are you going to get it through council if you don't show where the cuts are going to be?

[Viking]

What happens when you perforate a piece of paper. It tears. So a row of cones destroys the contiguous nature of the concrete.
Cuts reduce the strength and have never been necessary. Thousands of acres of concrete around without them.

Just look at the New concrete floors that haven't withstood the earthquake in CHCH.

Oh and the concrete should be 20mpa minimum. Most commercial is 35 and up to 50.

[rueben]

I'm not a builder or an engineer, but surely the concrete slabs that are now broken in christchurch is because the earth has moved underneath them. Liquifaction or whatever. Surely the strength of the concrete would not really matter if one end of the slab is higher than the other? At 18 or 20mpa its still going to crack?

To answer your questio imd66662, I would put as many bedrooms as you can without compromising the size of the living areas, great outdoor flow and back to basics, making sure the sun is maximised.

Spend a little extra on Stack Sliders or a Bi-fold, rather than ranchslider.

I would make sure there was a "study nook" behind cupboard doors (so you can use the bedrooms, for bedrooms, not somewhere to put the computer).

[Aston]

Cuts reduce the strength and have never been necessary. Thousands of acres of concrete around without them.

Concrete will crack regardless of the cuts being placed in them. Without the cuts the concrete will/may crack through the centre of a tiled area for example, cracking the tiles with it.

The purpose of the cuts is to control where the cracking will occur.

[DaveW]

You got to have a master bedroom with an ensuite and then a main bathroom with a toilet, and then a third toilet with just a small hand basin.

Don't use monolithic cladding of any shape or form. Stick to traditional style weatherboard or brick. Roof doesn't matter so long as its not flat.

Nuetral colours and decor.

Remember the women buy a house based on the presentation and functionality of the kitchen and bathrooms.

[Meehole]

From a females perspective it is important to have the kitchen and dining/living area nor/east facing to maximise any morning sun and heat. Especially important if you are up early getting children ready for school.
Indoor/outdoor flow for entertaining and plenty of usable storage space in the kitchen and throughout the house.
Unless you run a business from home forget about an office or study, most houses have wireless internet and kids use laptops and ipods and iphones so no biggy. Go for at least 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. I haven't put a bath in a house for years, it is cheaper for a household to all shower and besides most showers just gather dust and hairs. It has NEVER reflected in resale value. Better to install a decent sized vanity that can hold all the toiletries, some I have seen recently would make most women cry.
Although mostly a mans domain, the garage should be a big double with internal access. It that is not possible then detached with a covered roof to the house.
As for building materials, pile foundations, traditional weatherboard and contemporary design. The old villas in most cities have stood the test of time, and although maintaining the exterior can be a drag you have to give him outdoors something to do when he's not fishing or surfing!!

[DaveW]

The dream house! just what everyone wants. If you've got this house I would recommend Auctioning in just about any market. Anyone dis-agree?

[Wayne]

What happens when you perforate a piece of paper. It tears. So a row of cones destroys the contiguous nature of the concrete.
Cuts reduce the strength and have never been necessary. Thousands of acres of concrete around without them.

Just look at the New concrete floors that haven't withstood the earthquake in CHCH.

Oh and the concrete should be 20mpa minimum. Most commercial is 35 and up to 50.

concrete is strong on compression but not on tension which is where the reinforcing steel come in. The 665 mesh in a floor does not provide enough steel for tension - it is there to reduce cracking. So if the ground moves under the house (earthquake) then the floor will most likely break. Bridges and the like have HEAPs of steel for the tension and are generally pre-stresses so that the load placed compressive strength with the steel in the lower 3rd of the mass for the tension strength.

Commercial has higher MPA not to stop it breaking in an earthquake but for the increased loads

[imd6662]

Thanks for the great ideas so far -- keep 'em coming.

The more technical stuff about concrete is intriguing, given recent events. One spec company I spoke was proud of the fact that their homes had mesh all through the floor and not jsut where reqquired by building code. However none mention the technical specs of their slabs -- but maybe this are of disclosure will change now, and maybe the standard offered or required?

Of course if you;re building to sell how much would you spend on a bomb-proof floor?

[Wayne]

Thanks for the great ideas so far -- keep 'em coming.

The more technical stuff about concrete is intriguing, given recent events. One spec company I spoke was proud of the fact that their homes had mesh all through the floor and not jsut where reqquired by building code. However none mention the technical specs of their slabs -- but maybe this are of disclosure will change now, and maybe the standard offered or required?

Of course if you;re building to sell how much would you spend on a bomb-proof floor?

now I thought mesh was required throughout the whole floor. Concrete cuts are a code requirement also - generally planned to come under walls. Our own house slab is large enough (measured in a running length rather than sq m) it has to have a complete break at one point (mesh none-contigious) not just a cut.