Hi guys,
My apologies to those following my development for not posting again sooner but there hasn't been too much to update you on until recently. Before I post an update I thought I better give a very quick update for those new to this development.
Here's a link to a discussion on my initial site purchase back in September 2006.
And here's a link to the initial feasibility and design concepts.
Since then I have had enormous support from many Somersoft members and thought I better 'out' a few of them:
JoannaK for helping me extensively with the initial feasibility.
MIZBUF for offering the name of an excellent architect in my area.
Jacque for also offering the name of an excellent architect, and the one I ended up selecting for my job.
Peter 14.7 for helping me with initial design concepts and for ongoing design assistance.
Jindaroo for her initial design sketch which proved the core of my brief with the selected architect.
and so many others for their assistance and support that I've no doubt neglected to mention...
OK, time for an update then:
Architect Engaged and Initial Design Concept Finalised
I interviewed several architects and finally seleced GartnerTrovato for this job for the following reasons:
1. They have extensive experience with MUH designs in Pittwater.
2. They have extensive experience working for and with Pittwater Council and know the entire development control team at council personally.
3. They have won extensive awards for their designs and all of the work of theirs that I saw was excellent.
4. They were cost comparable with the other architects but to my mind were of a higher standard and their experience doing this sort of work would be critical in guiding me through the process as my first MUH development.
So far those assumptions have proven accurate and the Sean Gartner (principal) has been excellent in personally managing my job.
The design brief was for a very high quality finish and for three dwellings on the site. Due to setback limitations as well as the requirement from council that two of the three be "accessible design" for the elderly, we settled on a single two storey townhouse and two single storey large units serviced by a lift. The necessity of two carspaces each and single street access off Darley St meant that a basement was also necessary. So the following design concept is where we are at today.
Ground Floor: Link to gallery
First Floor: Link to gallery
Basement: Link to gallery
These are cut-down photos as my flat bed scanner can only take an A4 sheet and each of these is on A3. So you can't see the full landscaping design for the ground floor unit and townhouse but can see enough to get the idea I think.
There are a couple of compromises, like the use of a turntable in the basement to allow for easy access and egress from the double garages. But each property does get a 6x6m DLUG with a large additional storage area. We have also ensured that the ground level is all on one level and that the overall design is pretty much on a sqaured grid system with one straight shared wall with the townhouse. All of these things save cost as the building process is much simplified. There's no complex concrete lays, and no 45 degree walls or split levels. Its basically a single excavation and flat concrete lay then a reinforced basement roof and a single "very big" building that is comprised of three separate dwellings.
My personal preference is for the ground level unit as its 145m2 internal space and large external landscaped areas. The internal space is very well laid out and the kitchen through dining and outside is all one nicely tied together area. The townhouse I think is the weakest internal floor layout currently. A downstairs bedroom and only one bathroom detract from it, as does the fact that it gets very little direct sunlight to the downstairs living area due to its orientation. (the North arrow points from bottom left to top right along Pittwater Rd). I've asked them to try and rework that design and try and incorporate a walk-in robe to the master bedroom and a separate ensuite if possible. Nonetheless, it still has an excellent outdoor area and private entry to Pittwater Rd directly (not shown, cropped off bottom left). The upstairs unit lacks outside living areas so has incorporated a large deck in the design. There is even the slight potential of views to Mona Vale beach from that deck but the elevation at Baranjoey Rd means this is unlikely. It is still a very livable area with some nice design concepts employed.
When we move to more detailed designs I'll be able to better describe the use of different materials and the clever roof line and landscaping. But it is a very high spec finish in a very good location close to a lot of amenities in Mona Vale.
Properties just two buildings further back along Pittwater Rd have been selling recently for $850K for two storey townhouses. I've checked with several agencies and they have confirmed a real lack of "accessible" single level living properties and pent up demand for these of a high standard. Some single level units like the two I am proposing have been selling for a similar price in Golf Avenue. So, in checking with agencies around potential gross realisation they believe $800K for each of the three is about right. The addition of a basement has added to my cost equation and my revised feasibility numbers now look like this:
Cost:
$700K site
$1M build
$30K professional fees
$70K development loan interest (capitalised)
$1.8M TOTAL
Gross Realisation:
3x$800K units
$2.4M TOTAL
Leaving a margin of $500K if I allow an additional $100K contingency. That's still above my 20% acceptable buffer and I'll get a better feel for the actual costs when I start engaging builders for quotes.
So at this stage she's still all systems go! The $1M build cost is still within our means due to our existing equity and the fact that I've got a cash buffer that can service the full loan interest over the build timeframe. I'm going to book interviews with some preliminary contacts I've already made at a few different lending institutions. Now that I've got concept diagrams and a more accurate cost I'm ready to talk turkey. I also firmed up those costs by contacting and meeting a few different quantity surveyors to be sure of what my build cost would be per m2 in this area and to my high level spec of finish. They agreed that $2K/m2 built is about right.
If there's one key piece of learning I'd like to share at this early stage it is that you can't do too much research when designing a development. I've met scores of people from quantity surveyors to REAs to architects to potential buyers (at similar open houses) and I've learnt so much about what it is that I need to do to get it right. To use an old army adage "time in recon is never wasted."
I'd welcome any and all feedback and will do my best to answer any questions people have at this stage. Of course, I'll keep posting as it progresses further. My next milestone is a meeting with council's senior planner, and at a cost of only $835 the architect says its money exceptionally well spent in getting his initial feedback on the concept and in smoothing the way for the actual DA approval process.
Wish me luck.
Cheers,
Michael.
My apologies to those following my development for not posting again sooner but there hasn't been too much to update you on until recently. Before I post an update I thought I better give a very quick update for those new to this development.
Here's a link to a discussion on my initial site purchase back in September 2006.
And here's a link to the initial feasibility and design concepts.
Since then I have had enormous support from many Somersoft members and thought I better 'out' a few of them:
JoannaK for helping me extensively with the initial feasibility.
MIZBUF for offering the name of an excellent architect in my area.
Jacque for also offering the name of an excellent architect, and the one I ended up selecting for my job.
Peter 14.7 for helping me with initial design concepts and for ongoing design assistance.
Jindaroo for her initial design sketch which proved the core of my brief with the selected architect.
and so many others for their assistance and support that I've no doubt neglected to mention...
OK, time for an update then:
Architect Engaged and Initial Design Concept Finalised
I interviewed several architects and finally seleced GartnerTrovato for this job for the following reasons:
1. They have extensive experience with MUH designs in Pittwater.
2. They have extensive experience working for and with Pittwater Council and know the entire development control team at council personally.
3. They have won extensive awards for their designs and all of the work of theirs that I saw was excellent.
4. They were cost comparable with the other architects but to my mind were of a higher standard and their experience doing this sort of work would be critical in guiding me through the process as my first MUH development.
So far those assumptions have proven accurate and the Sean Gartner (principal) has been excellent in personally managing my job.
The design brief was for a very high quality finish and for three dwellings on the site. Due to setback limitations as well as the requirement from council that two of the three be "accessible design" for the elderly, we settled on a single two storey townhouse and two single storey large units serviced by a lift. The necessity of two carspaces each and single street access off Darley St meant that a basement was also necessary. So the following design concept is where we are at today.
Ground Floor: Link to gallery
First Floor: Link to gallery
Basement: Link to gallery
These are cut-down photos as my flat bed scanner can only take an A4 sheet and each of these is on A3. So you can't see the full landscaping design for the ground floor unit and townhouse but can see enough to get the idea I think.
There are a couple of compromises, like the use of a turntable in the basement to allow for easy access and egress from the double garages. But each property does get a 6x6m DLUG with a large additional storage area. We have also ensured that the ground level is all on one level and that the overall design is pretty much on a sqaured grid system with one straight shared wall with the townhouse. All of these things save cost as the building process is much simplified. There's no complex concrete lays, and no 45 degree walls or split levels. Its basically a single excavation and flat concrete lay then a reinforced basement roof and a single "very big" building that is comprised of three separate dwellings.
My personal preference is for the ground level unit as its 145m2 internal space and large external landscaped areas. The internal space is very well laid out and the kitchen through dining and outside is all one nicely tied together area. The townhouse I think is the weakest internal floor layout currently. A downstairs bedroom and only one bathroom detract from it, as does the fact that it gets very little direct sunlight to the downstairs living area due to its orientation. (the North arrow points from bottom left to top right along Pittwater Rd). I've asked them to try and rework that design and try and incorporate a walk-in robe to the master bedroom and a separate ensuite if possible. Nonetheless, it still has an excellent outdoor area and private entry to Pittwater Rd directly (not shown, cropped off bottom left). The upstairs unit lacks outside living areas so has incorporated a large deck in the design. There is even the slight potential of views to Mona Vale beach from that deck but the elevation at Baranjoey Rd means this is unlikely. It is still a very livable area with some nice design concepts employed.
When we move to more detailed designs I'll be able to better describe the use of different materials and the clever roof line and landscaping. But it is a very high spec finish in a very good location close to a lot of amenities in Mona Vale.
Properties just two buildings further back along Pittwater Rd have been selling recently for $850K for two storey townhouses. I've checked with several agencies and they have confirmed a real lack of "accessible" single level living properties and pent up demand for these of a high standard. Some single level units like the two I am proposing have been selling for a similar price in Golf Avenue. So, in checking with agencies around potential gross realisation they believe $800K for each of the three is about right. The addition of a basement has added to my cost equation and my revised feasibility numbers now look like this:
Cost:
$700K site
$1M build
$30K professional fees
$70K development loan interest (capitalised)
$1.8M TOTAL
Gross Realisation:
3x$800K units
$2.4M TOTAL
Leaving a margin of $500K if I allow an additional $100K contingency. That's still above my 20% acceptable buffer and I'll get a better feel for the actual costs when I start engaging builders for quotes.
So at this stage she's still all systems go! The $1M build cost is still within our means due to our existing equity and the fact that I've got a cash buffer that can service the full loan interest over the build timeframe. I'm going to book interviews with some preliminary contacts I've already made at a few different lending institutions. Now that I've got concept diagrams and a more accurate cost I'm ready to talk turkey. I also firmed up those costs by contacting and meeting a few different quantity surveyors to be sure of what my build cost would be per m2 in this area and to my high level spec of finish. They agreed that $2K/m2 built is about right.
If there's one key piece of learning I'd like to share at this early stage it is that you can't do too much research when designing a development. I've met scores of people from quantity surveyors to REAs to architects to potential buyers (at similar open houses) and I've learnt so much about what it is that I need to do to get it right. To use an old army adage "time in recon is never wasted."
I'd welcome any and all feedback and will do my best to answer any questions people have at this stage. Of course, I'll keep posting as it progresses further. My next milestone is a meeting with council's senior planner, and at a cost of only $835 the architect says its money exceptionally well spent in getting his initial feedback on the concept and in smoothing the way for the actual DA approval process.
Wish me luck.
Cheers,
Michael.
). Who told you the ongoings costs are negligible? I wonder if it would be possible to find a complex that has ones that were installed 5 or 10 years ago and find out what condition they are in. It's probably only a minor point in the scheme of things though.
