After the disappointment that was Tender, We decided to take the long drive back to Melbourne the following day to reselect all of our house colours using category 1 only. By doing this we managed to cut about $6,000 off our build cost and once again get back down to budget.
First stop was national tiles. We walked straight past the beautiful 300 x 600 porcelain tiles this time, and straight to the back wall of sad and lonely category 1 tiles. Luckily we found a combination of basic floor tiles and 300×100 glossy wall tiles (to be laid in a subway pattern). The are nowhere near as lovely, but will still look nice, without the price tag. The subway tiles will also be used as the kitchen splashback. In and out in 30 minutes – and $3000+ saved.
Next stop, Hopetoun and the dreaded Brick debarcle. We cant afford the upgrade to category 2 anymore, So the choices are Red, Orange or Beige Bricks. DH selected the orange bricks, Homestead Buff, toned down with a Jasper roof and trim, and light render. $800+ saved.
Onto flooring. Luckily we can keep our existing floor selections, as we cannot have a category 1 carpet with inside animals, and the bolero is part of a promotion. But we checked our Tile against the carpet and are really happy with the colour consistency.
Kitchen cabinetry is to remain the same. While it is a little bit unnecessary to spend the $1600 on upgrading our Cabinets to Silk Finish, We both think its important. We are having a white kitchen, So the difference in appearance between matte and silk is HUGE. Plus for cleaning purposes, the silky finish should be easier to maintain. So we continued onto Essa Stone. Porter Davis think its appropriate to base the category of Essa Stone on the colour. So in order to stick to budget, that leaves us 4 colours to choose from. Grey, Soft White, Dark Mocha, Or White with large flecks. We went with the Crystal chalk, which is white with a very fine grain. An all white kitchen wasnt something we planned on, but the Mocha splashback and dark timber floors should bring it all together without being too stark. $1000 Saved.
Plumbing…. Heres the good news… Porter Davis are now using Reece instead of Tradelink, so the standard sinks, baths, taps etc are all 100x better and more modern than our last trip to Hopetoun. We no longer NEED to upgrade every plumbing fixture in the house.. Apart from the bathtub…. I want the biggest bath available (within reason). $1000 Saved.
We Left hopetoun once again feeling really positive about our build. Its not everything we want, but we would rather have The Dunes with Cat 1 inclusions then any other floorplan out there.
Building in Ballarat 