14 months ago we sold our house and bought a bare section with the intention of building a new home. For the last 13 months we've been living in the mother-in-laws "sleep out" and also doing the odd house-sitting job while all of our belongings are in storage. Our daughter has flown the nest and gone to the UK for the year. It's been a difficult, change filled year.
The design process for the house was supposed to take a mere 3 months, and we were easy clients who knew what we wanted and were easily satisfied, so why it took 8 months to design we just do not know and have never had a satisfactory answer. We have watched other plots of land that we looked at buying being built on and people move in while ours sat bare. Our architect repeatedly said things like "I'll be submitting plans to council next week"...and it took until November for that to actually happen. We had all the surveys done and even got council consent and then the builders tendered...and the best one was $150,000 over budget before the house even got off paper.
12 months.
We put our section on the market this week and decided to walk away from building. We've put an offer on a nice house that can be made in to something we love with ease.
12 months and by the end of it we were so detached from the design and concept that it didn't even hurt to walk away, so it's was obviously the right thing to do.
We should be back in to a house of our own in 6 weeks.
I am a confirmed and certifiable nutbar with a penchant for skulls, bones, blood, guts, fire and anything slightly peculiar and mostly bizarre. I also...
Oh that sounds like its been a real mission for you! Buying a house will be a breeze after that experience. Good luck with the house offer. Great image to go with how you must have been feeling - fragile!
Well this sounds a familiar story! My son & DIL have done pretty much the same twice but in their case they eventually moved in to new house after months living in nearby rental & each time realised they don’t like the new one.....too quiet & have to get the car out everytime! Latest one is now on the market after a year! I think they are realising it’s location location nearer friends & community! Hope you love your new place & the end of all that stress! I expect MIL is hanging out the flags as I write, only joking!
Oh that sounds crazy ... It always seems to be the Councils that get the blame .. but not in this case... I no wonder some of your photos are a bit dark.. Good luck with the House buy ..
What a year and a bit for you! And how very depressing it must have been at times. 6 weeks for a new home will be a breeze -all best wishes and hoping you get smooth sailing from here on. Your rather muscular looking avatar seems to be in a good frame of mind!
wow! What a year! Definitely seems the right thing to do - can't believe it was taking so long - I blink and a block of vacant land has high rise on it :(
What a shame that you had such a bad experience. David's a builder so I know there's a lot of hurdles to jump to build a house but 12 months is ridiculous! Glad to hear you've found a better alternative.
Oh, dear that sounds like a bit of a nightmare. We had a bit of a timing issue with our extension. What should have been done in 8 months took 18. And meant our house open to all the winter elements which we had tried so hard to avoid. We never really understood why either, other than the obtention of steel was blamed for a lot of it. Very frustrating. I'm sure you've done the right thing though. This is a great, positive image, which definitely shows your onwards and upwards motivation at the moment!
Maybe you should of walked into the place in your gas mask et al. Obviously they weren't really interested in your project and also should have been able to give you an accurate estimate of building cost. I worked in a lumber yard in accounting for over 29 years so I have heard the horror stories but now that the good guys don't do what you experienced. Wishing your designers KARMA.
So sorry about your ordeal... that sounds beyond anything! I’d have been completely squirrelly in your place... glad you’ve found a new solution and are only 6 weeks away to moving in!
If it didn't hurt to walk away then it definitely was the right thing to do. Hopefully your move goes a lot smoother for you and you can get settled into a new life soon enough. As for old Deadpool here - nicely done mate :)
Sorry to hear about all the stressful months but glad that you have made the decision to move on. Life is too short to get hung up on any one issue. Enjoy your new house and the regained privacy and stability of being in a place of your own.
I'm sorry your building experience wasn't satisfying! Good thjngs come to those who wait! Glad you decided to switch up directions. May your next 6 weeks run smoothly, and your new home be an exciting new beginning!
What an awful year you and your wife have had! It must be a weight off your minds that you have made this decision and that it feels right! Wishing you all the best on your house purchase - happiness ahead!
Sounds like you've done the right thing.
I can't even begin to imagine what it's been like. We had a relatively straightforward move and it still made me never want to move again.
Wife taught AutoCad at a local community college under the tutelage of an architect, so when it came time to design and build our house, we had a leg up (we had also found a house that we both loved). So push here, shove there, trim this, rotate that, we moved in within 12 months of starting the process, it helped that we had a dry spring (one day of rain) in our area that usually gets 20 inches in the first three months of the year.
I've never built a house, but I never intend to because stories like yours just seem to be the norm, not the exception. I hope you get a lot of enjoyment from the new home and what you do to make it your own.
Whew. What a journey. That must have felt so unsettled, not knowing where your feet were going to land all that time. A lot of life changes in a short time. I hope your new home brings you joy and lots of good memories.
@Dawn Thanks very much - we're quietly thankful as well ;) @pistache It better, or murder will be done. Murder most foul. @epcello Unsettling is probably the most polite word for the overall experience ;) @koalagardens We'll never go down that particular road again.... @yaorenliu It's easier to walk away, head held high :) @kali66 I reckon so :) @byrdlip Nice...I'm just looking forward to getting in to our own place again @humphreyhippo This time we're moving and then staying put. We're done. @newbank It better be... @pamknowler It is a rather large relief...a collective sigh was breathed @adi314 It was more of a run than a walk, but yes... @adiramn It better be exciting - I'm not paying all that money to sit around yawning ;) @gardencat ah yes, I remember privacy... @helenhall It's been appalling rather than terrible, but it's nearly over now... @30pics4jackiesdiamond A happy pic? Me? How bizarre ;) @paul10 I do like a bit of Deadpool ;) @cutekitty I'm sure it will...it better... @northy I was squirrely and fast heading towards Grizzly Beary... @joansmor A touch of karma would go a long way I think... @jamibann Blimey, that sounds just as traumatic for you! @bella_ss Thanks very much...maybe we should have hired him ;) @shannejw Once we're in the new place it'll be like home in no time @annied That's it exactly - all these other houses were popping up everywhere while we waited and waited...and we were easy clients in terms of what we wanted as well....weird @robz It was certainly a trial but now...it's just time to move on :) @julzmaioro Thanks, it's been "fun"... @happypat It was just time to call a stop to it really - can't wait now, I'll be getting twitchy... @kiwinanna It should be fairly straight forward now :) @dide Staying in Taranaki, nowhere else to go ;)
Fav. I love the image but so sorry to hear about all the frustrations. I hope the next 6 weeks fly by for you. Maybe if you had shown the architect, builder and designer your alter ego they would have made your project a swift priority! Haha! I am sure you had dreams (nightmares for them) of how to take care of their sorry $##@#! :)
Bloody hell, you've been through the mill haven't you?? Sounds like you've made the right decision to move to Plan B asap. What a pack of incompetents to mess up like that. Love the photo, of course.
@golftragic Thank you kindly - it did seem to be the logical step to take... @gamelee Thanks very much - onwards and upwards! @jack4john I took astep back so that my run up was longer ;) @gardenfolk That's the thing - the architect is known to us and knew exactly what we wanted...so WHY?? ;)
sorry for your difficulties with the architect. send him a copy of your jan. 21st post, that should straighten him out. on the other hand, probably not. hope it's smooth sailing from hereon.
Wow, what an experience. Ever hear the adage, "experience is what you get when you didnt get the thing you wanted?" Sounds like you will be happy in the end, though, so congrats on finding a worthy alternative.
@kjarn So not worth it - peace of mind and happiness is far more important! @blueberry1222 That is an excellent adage - happiness is far more important @haskar Thanks very much :) @summerfield It'll definitely be easier for our hero now ;)
So sorry about your ordeal... that sounds beyond anything! I’d have been completely squirrelly in your place... glad you’ve found a new solution and are only 6 weeks away to moving in!
I can't even begin to imagine what it's been like. We had a relatively straightforward move and it still made me never want to move again.
Wife taught AutoCad at a local community college under the tutelage of an architect, so when it came time to design and build our house, we had a leg up (we had also found a house that we both loved). So push here, shove there, trim this, rotate that, we moved in within 12 months of starting the process, it helped that we had a dry spring (one day of rain) in our area that usually gets 20 inches in the first three months of the year.
@pistache It better, or murder will be done. Murder most foul.
@epcello Unsettling is probably the most polite word for the overall experience ;)
@koalagardens We'll never go down that particular road again....
@yaorenliu It's easier to walk away, head held high :)
@kali66 I reckon so :)
@byrdlip Nice...I'm just looking forward to getting in to our own place again
@humphreyhippo This time we're moving and then staying put. We're done.
@newbank It better be...
@pamknowler It is a rather large relief...a collective sigh was breathed
@adi314 It was more of a run than a walk, but yes...
@adiramn It better be exciting - I'm not paying all that money to sit around yawning ;)
@gardencat ah yes, I remember privacy...
@helenhall It's been appalling rather than terrible, but it's nearly over now...
@30pics4jackiesdiamond A happy pic? Me? How bizarre ;)
@paul10 I do like a bit of Deadpool ;)
@cutekitty I'm sure it will...it better...
@northy I was squirrely and fast heading towards Grizzly Beary...
@joansmor A touch of karma would go a long way I think...
@jamibann Blimey, that sounds just as traumatic for you!
@bella_ss Thanks very much...maybe we should have hired him ;)
@shannejw Once we're in the new place it'll be like home in no time
@annied That's it exactly - all these other houses were popping up everywhere while we waited and waited...and we were easy clients in terms of what we wanted as well....weird
@robz It was certainly a trial but now...it's just time to move on :)
@julzmaioro Thanks, it's been "fun"...
@happypat It was just time to call a stop to it really - can't wait now, I'll be getting twitchy...
@kiwinanna It should be fairly straight forward now :)
@dide Staying in Taranaki, nowhere else to go ;)
@jgpittenger There's always a reason ;)
@gamelee Thanks very much - onwards and upwards!
@jack4john I took astep back so that my run up was longer ;)
@gardenfolk That's the thing - the architect is known to us and knew exactly what we wanted...so WHY?? ;)
@blueberry1222 That is an excellent adage - happiness is far more important
@haskar Thanks very much :)
@summerfield It'll definitely be easier for our hero now ;)