Sunday, August 1, 2010

Checking alternatives

This weekend I've been looking at house options from Henley to compare layouts and value for money.

Two house plans appealed to us, the Voyager Q1 and Lexington 993 Q2. Both of these plans have the potential to combine the 3 kid bedrooms into 2 larger rooms with WIRs between them.

The Voyage we really liked because of the three separate living areas; parents, kids and common. It would fit on our block, just, in terms of width, but when we added eaves it was too wide. It also lacks any storage outside of the kitchen, just a tiny linen cupboard in the Laundry, and the island bench is not wide enough for people to sit out without blocking the main passage.

The Lexington is a more traditional design and lacks the zones, but overcomes most of the other limitations.

So we now have a Burbank Barrington and a Henley Lexington quote to compare. Burbank just came out with a new set of "included options", which suits us better and should save us about $5000. Henley are about to come out with their new offer this week, so we put initial (refundable) deposits down on both so that we could choose.

Looking at the quotes Henley appears to include more, in fact we seem to be about $20K ahead with Henley. The dilemma about higher ceilings with Burbank is not an issue with Henley, higher ceilings are the default. We have included all the flooring, a fireplace, the solar power option and its still cheaper than Burbank.

So if only Henley could provide the kids bedrooms/bathrooms like the Barrington...

Next step is to go and visit the Lexington again and walk through with the agent and discuss all the options. We might also go visit their selections centre since its just down the road in Mount Waverley and they have tours. We heard the Burbank equivalent was too busy for tours before your appointment.

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