The South Side

Most Victorians would have heard of Werribee, probably thanks to several tourist attractions such as the Werribee Park Open Range Zoo. This suburb is where we have chosen to build our next home.

So why do we decide on this area? Approximately 35km to the southwest of Melbourne CBD, Werribee is not exactly 'prime' real estate in terms of distance to the city. It is however an established and mature town on the outer edge of the Metropolitan. You don't have to travel very far to see farmlands and countryside.

Three months ago when we first began our house search, we never thought that we would end up in Werribee. We were looking around our current area and Point Cook. Then the search expanded to Hoppers Crossing and Truganina when we found Point Cook overpriced. Once we viewed a house in Werribee that was only about 10km from KK's school. It did not advertise its selling price and we were appalled when we heard that the seller was asking for $680K-$700K. It's a beautiful house but it's in Werribee! Well, it's the "South Side", replied the agent. But that's STILL in Werribee, we argued.

And so that was our first introduction to the "south side" of Werribee. We have never heard of "the south side of Werribee". The agent tried to explain that this area of Werribee is more exclusive and in demand because of its convenient access to freeway, shops and good schools. We didn't really buy it then but soon we found that there is a significant difference to the home prices there and the rest of Werribee.

Advertisement for properties on the "south side" will always highlight its 'highly demanded' location as a major plus point. We noticed that many of the Werribee real estate agents we dealt with all lived on the south side. (Even the Sales guy from Simonds who sold us the House & Land package has bought the lot next to ours.) A few of the 'south side' houses we inspected, the owners were just moving to another property also within the south side. We gathered if the real estate agents, the people who know the local area well are all living in that area and the people who lived there don't move out but move within the area, then there must be something good going on there. Another tell-tale sign is the amount of sub-division that is going on there. Many developers are buying up blocks of land there and sub-dividing them to build two or more units on each block.

There is no separate postal code to the "south side". Basically, you have to trawl through all the Werribee listings on the real estate website and look out for words such as "south side location". It is often mentioned in the headlines as it is a major selling point. From what I understand, the "south side" is the area south of the Werribee town center, separated by Princes Highway. Duncans Road runs through it and it is flanked by Princes Freeway (M1) on the other side. In the area is also a reputable secondary state college, Werribee Secondary College. The school is 'zoned', which means that it only takes in students staying within its immediate vicinity.

Even though Werribee is further away from the city, factors such as the convenient access to freeways, town center and a good school gradually changed our mind about the 'south side'. Many of the properties on the 'south side' have been around for a long time but the neighbourhood northeast of Duncans Road is rather newly developed. There are still isolated plots of vacant land and many of the houses there are newer, beautifully built, big houses. Most of the houses are owner-occupied, which is better than those areas where there are a lot of investment properties. (It is generally believed that tenants don't take care of the properties as well and so can affect the value of the neighbourhood.)

We got an exclusive tour of the area that our future house will be last Sat. It turned out that the block we are buying belonged to the mother-in-law of the developer. She is also currently staying at the 'south side'. The developer walked us around the muddy site and pointed out our lot. It feels great to imagine our house sitting there some time in the future. It is a small development and all the lots have been sold sometime in March this year. We are lucky that his MIL now wants to sell it and another earlier buyer backed out.

Some shots of the site of our future home, simply land at the moment.

Width of our lot (I think).

A laneway marked by the pegs

The road leading up. (That's me and the developer at the corner)

Choosing My Home

Choosing the location was but only the first step to getting the right home. What followed after paying the 'holding deposit' for the land was deciding what type of house to build on the land. While Simonds (the building company) had plenty of floorplans, in the end, we realised that there wasn't that many choices suitable for us.

From the start, we wanted to have a 4-bedroom and single-storey house. Double storeys are great too but that will leave us with a very big backyard. Unless we build a swimming pool, I don't know how else to use the land and I don't fancy Hubby will be mowing 200msq of grass every two weeks. In other words, I don't think we're capable to take care of a huge garden. A single-storey house that takes up about 70% of the space is ideal and cheaper to build too.

As our lot was a corner block flanked by a small lane to the right, it is not possible for the driveway and garage to be anywhere else but the left. And to take maximum advantage of the northern facing, we wanted the living/dining areas to be on the right side which is north facing. Half the designs were striked out after factoring in these two criterias.

Initially we considered houses that were narrower and long in design. This will give us more space between the fences and the windows, allowing more sunlight into the house. There were about 3 or 4 house designs suitable but I realised that NONE of them had a study area. And I really thought that a study area, for computer, books and homework, is neccesary. I became rather dismayed that out of Simonds' 32 single-storey designs, I could not find a single floorplan that suited all my requirements.

Actually Simonds is able to put a study area into the floorplan of some designs. Of course, just pay more $$$. But it also occured to me suddenly 'hey, why limit the house to narrow designs just to stay away from the fence? Why not just choose fences that allow light through and yet provide security/privacy?

With that breakthrough, we found a house design called "Marriott" that meets all our requirements above. It's around 31.62 squares (293.79sqm), has 4 bedrooms plus a study and includes a huge alfresco included under the roofline. The width is 14.66m, which makes the fence less than 2 metres from the windows. Hopefully, we'll be able to find some suitable fences in the future. We liked the open plan layout, spacious kitchen and I got a walk-in pantry!!

Unlike buying an established house, where most of the decision-making headaches should end at this stage of finding the right house, our building journey has just started. Last night, we had an appointment (the 3rd) with the sales consultant to finalise the house design and the upgrades/changes we want. They had a Big Brand "Pay $10,000 for $30,000 upgrades" promotion and one of the homework we had to do was to work out what upgrades to take. We selected about $26k worth of items initially. And we were faced with whether to select more just to make it $30k or to reduce the upgrades to $22K, in which case we only had to pay $5k. We found that we couldn't reduce much without cutting a major item (such as high ceilings). In the end, we went the extravagant way and took good-to-have items such as a 25 degree roof, better cooker, better canopy rangehood and even a Dorf Krysten veggie spray mixer tap for the kitchen.

We also paid extra (outside of the promotion) for things such as tiled shower bases, a stone kitchen benchtop, extending the overhang and a waterfall panel feature. We were seriously considering changing the aluminium sliding alfresco door to a timber bi-fold one but has decided that instead of paying $4,500 for asthestics, we should perhaps save the money for something more practical like solar panels or a water tank flushing system instead.

The quotation we signed was only an estimate of the cost of the house. There will be other sessions for colour selection and appointments with the electrician. I am quite sure there will be more things, such as extra powerpoints, that will increase our cost. And we haven't added in the cost of fencing and landscaping yet. If you ask me, there is often less value to building your house versus buying an established one. There is actually an established house currently for sale just a few streets from where we bought. The land size is slightly bigger and the house looks pretty good from the pictures. Curtains, lightings and landscaping are all nicely done. And it's only asking for $445k - $465k. I believe my final cost of land + building cannot be lower than that amount. Honestly, I wavered for a moment. But Hubby is not tempted. He's advocated building our home from the beginning as that's the way to get exactly what we want. And after so many months of searching and not finding, I must agree he is right. It might cost more in the end, but it's 100% your creation. This time round, I trust my other half is the better half.

With all the upgrades, I can imagine our house is gonna be a good one. Especially the kitchen, it's a homemaker's dream kitchen, with a giant pantry, lots of countertop space and some of the most sleek, modern and useful appliances. I noticed that Hubby has been espcially generous when it comes to the kitchen upgrades. I know that's his way of indulging me....for sure there's no more excuse now not to cook better! And I can't wait to move in already!

The Holy Sheep and Cow

The good thing is, kids learn fast and they quickly pick up new words from what they hear around them. The bad thing is, even though we don't speak them at home, they will still get to learn some bad words from friends, TV and whoever. Fortunately for XX, his innocence has saved him getting corrupted too early.

From I don't know where, the expression "Holy S**t!" was heard up by XX. His older brother had used a similar "holy cow!" expression before, so straightaway, my 3.5 yr old son made an association and started saying "holy sheep!"

There you go. Suddenly the cow and sheep attained sainthood in my household but I'm happy to let them be for now.

Tesselaar Tulip Festival

About 2 Sundays ago, we went to the Tesselaar Tulip Festival at Dandenong. Spring was here and it was a great sunny day to go see the flowers in all their blooming glory. The kids went in free but adults have to pay $18 each.






Inside, you would be forgiven to think that you are in Amsterdam. Dutch ladies and men, in their wooden clogs and traditional costume, welcome you and provide directions. Immediately beyond the gates, stalls selling crafts, flower seedlings and food, beckon you to approach. But what really grabbed our attention was the vast field of colours on our right. Rows and rows of colourful tulips swaying in the breeze and looking refreshingly cool under the hot glare of the afternoon sun. I was wearing a hot pink colour t-shirt that day, but that paled in comparison to the natural bright hues of the tulips.






While the flowers were beautiful to look at, it didn't take very long before the kids got bored. I was a little disappointed that there wasn't much else to do and beginning to think that the entry fees are not too worth it. After posing with all the different colour tulips, there wasn't much left to see at the tulip patch. The weather was also extremely hot and the children began to get irritated. We ventured to the stalls, searching for shade and explored the other side of the festival grounds. There were more tulips and also a performing band playing the blues. We relaxed and enjoyed the music for a while while the kids cooled off with an ice-cream.

KK holding his "sweet prize"

Later, KK found out about a little contest and busied himself by searching for the names of the 7 gnomes hidden amongst the flowers. The prize? A handful of candies. And with the help of Papa, he really found them all.

I think the organisers should incorporate more activities for children during the festival. Like have a playground or some craft activities. While I had a pleasant time, I don't think I'll go back again next year. Well maybe, if they lower their entry fees to less than $10...:-)

The Search Ends

After almost 3 months, I think I can finally breathe a sigh of relief. We've found it - our next home.







Actually to be more accurate, we've found the land and we're gonna be building a new home on it! No, it's not this one above. But hopefully something similar.



Despite what I've previously said in my previous post about building, it turned out that this might be a better option for us. Although buying an established house often has more value, finding one that meets all our criteria turned out not as easy as I thought. Ok, I admit, we're not easy to please as we've got lots of requirements.



After living in 2 rented properties and so many viewings of houses, we gradually formed a clearer picture of where and what we wanted our home to be. We have been dilligently looking at every house on the market for the last couple of months and still hasn't successfully found anything yet.



We were quite close 3 times but each attempt failed. I believed that was God's intervention, telling us it wasn't the right one. The first one failed as someone else made a better offer. On hindsight, I'm glad we didn't get it as we later felt the suburb is overpriced from too many investors. The 2nd offer was kind of impulsive. We liked the suburb and the interior of the house a lot and we made the offer after 1 viewing on the same night. But after cooling off, we pulled out after we felt that the offer we made was really stretching our budget. Naturally, the agent wasn't too happy. But again, I'm glad we didn't go through. As for the 3rd offer, that house is actually pretty bare and there are several improvements and repairs that has to be done before we can live in it. However, that house has potential to be nice, we liked the location and the north-facing of the living area is fantastic. The only problem is agreeing on the price. The vendor felt the price was too low but we refused to up our price. If the vendor cannot find a better offer, he might lower his expectation with time. However in the meantime, we found this piece of land, in a location that we really liked, for a reasonable price on the market.



I went down to see the agent on Tuesday, without much expectations, as I initially thought the land orientation was wrong. However I realised I had looked at the wrong plot of land on Google map and in fact, it had a Southeast facing, which means if we choose the correct floorplan, the living and backyard area will be facing North/Northwest. This is a good orientation for maximum daylight exposure and offers maximum potential for energy efficiency. I strongly believe that sustainable and energy efficient homes is the way to go for the future. Also, this land is a highly sought after area of the suburb, with potential for capital gains, it is near a good secondary school and has easy freeway access. The land size of 610msq is also big enough to build a house that has lots of room for the boys. It is a regular shape and has a 16.5m width, which means it can fit majority of the house designs. Most importantly, the price is reasonable. I knew immediately that such a plot of land does not come by too often.





Building your own home is a long process and the house probably won't be ready until middle of next year. During the process, we will have to make lots of decisions starting from the floor plan to the colour of the carpets and tiles. There will be plenty of interactions with the builders/subcontractors on site to make sure that everything is in order. But the good think about starting from scratch, you have a blank canvas and you are free to choose a house design that fits your needs. This probably is the best way for us as many of the older houses we've inspected do not meet our requirements for a modern energy efficient home.



The only catch is, I have no choice when it comes to the builder. This plot of land is for sale under a "House & Land" package. Which means I buy the house together and am tied to the builder that sells it. This practice where land developers 'reserve' and give builders the exclusive rights to sell blocks of land for them is pretty common in Melbourne and if you ask me, it's BAD for the consumers! Consumers should be free to choose the builder they want. Instead, these big guys, through their connections and whatever means, are hoarding up land and forcing you to build with them. Smaller builders are disadvantaged and consumers rights are compromised. It's ANTI-COMPETITION and it's not fair but the situation is as such.





I don't like it but there is no choice if I really like the land. We can only comfort ourseleves that this is a reputable builder and so far, we have not heard anyone we know who had a bad experience with them. We also managed to find a floor plan we like and were quite happy with what we saw when we visited their display house. Click here to go to the builder's website.



Wish us luck and I'll keep posting about the developments as it goes along!

I Can Ski!

Wee! I can ski! And it's not Wii!

More than 15 years ago, on the slopes of the Swiss Alps, I was a student backpacker visiting Europe and the snowy alps for the first time and watching interestingly as colourful skiiers, carrying their skis, clomp their heavy boots into ski lifts. Back then I made a mental note that skiing is one of those things that I should try in my lifetime.

I had a short skiing lesson of 1 hr in Canada about 4 years ago. But it was just an impromptu activity and I wasn't dressed correctly. The jeans I wore and which I mistakenly tucked into my boot left me with blister scars on my ankles that took a year to disappear.

Our 3rd year living in Australia, we decided that with the ski slopes right at our doorstep, the time is right to check out the sport again. We had wanted to go early in the season, probably with my sister when she came visiting, but as our timings don't match, we cancelled the trip. Then late into the season, Hubby found some really good off-peak rates at Mt. Hotam and suddenly we're going again!

And finally, this time, I got to be dressed properly! We managed to get our ski attire for very reasonable prices at Aldi. Being beginners, we don't want to spend too much on gears but a proper set of water-proof jacket, pants and gloves is essential and I must say they served us well, keeping out wind and ice. We got KK a pair of goggles as well. Otherwise, sunglasses will do. Our skis and boots were rented and the kids had to wear helmets too. To prevent blisters, it is better if the socks can be worn high. There should be nothing in the boots except your feet and the socks.

The boys were very thrilled with their "Iron Man" boots but putting them on is torturous. After you struggle through the buckles, you will weigh at least 5 kilos heavier and you walk like a droid in Star Wars. Then try tugging a pair of skis and poles and walking up slope at the same time. Walking with the skis on is no better either if you're climbing upslope. During the first lesson, we practised on gentle slopes and we had to walk up the slope each time after we ski down. God, I perspired! The slope is only a few metres up but that took up 90% of my time and energy. When we finally graduated to use the Platter lifts, I was so happy. It felt so good to be towed up slope. From then on, skiing became a breeze.

At Level 2, we were brought higher up the mountain on the chairlifts. Actually the day before, I'd already gotten some coaching on how to get on and off the chairlift from KK. Surprisingly, KK was a very good teacher. His instructions were very clear and he spoke in a no-nonsense manner, very much unlike his usual clown persona. Despite the awsome view, I don't really enjoy the chairlift rides very much. The wind is so cold and it's blowing directly at you! In between clutching my poles and making sure it doesn't fall off my hands into the white wilderness below, I'm also catching hold of my ear muffs/hat and trying to mop up the rain/snow/ice that was landing on my sunglasses. I had wanted to take some video or photos when I'm riding up on the chairlift but I figured taking out my gloves and holding my camera, trying to aim and focus would be risking it. My other fear is always when I'm getting off, I"m not skiing away fast enough and will get hit by the moving chairlift. Luckily it didn't happen but KK ever got a slight knock on his helmet by the chair and I've seen many people tumble when their skis got tangled.

There are many types of skiiers and I think I belong to the "grandmas" group. Well, maybe even some grandmas are faster than me. I'm not used to the speed at all and I tend to slow down when I feel I'm gonna lose control going too fast. KK on the other hand, is a speed monster. He rushes down the slope, straight. After lessons, I managed to go up and ski down together with him and I found that he can control his skis very well. A few times, I fell down and he managed to stop and climb back up to wait for me. When he falls down, he gets up very quickly. But when I fall, it's another struggle to stand up. Often I find I have to disconnect the skis in order for me to stand up again. Kids are far more agile and flexible than adults in this sport. They learn so much faster and really put us to shame.

On this trip, all of us, including Hubby, managed to go for some lessons and got some basic instructions on skiing. The first 3 days were especially tiring but there was also the sense of satisfaction of acquiring a new skill. Hubby and I took turns going up the slopes to practise and babysitting XX as he's not good enough to ski down yet. Though we signed him up for lessons as well, XX didn't do as well. This is likely due to his reluctance to leave us and probably he's more timid as well. But at least he got his first exposure to skiing.

The other good thing about this trip was the opportunity for the family to be doing things together. Really closer. Usually at home, even though we are physically together under the same roof, each of us are busy doing different things. Like the kids will be playing their games, the adults are surfing the internet or busy with chores etc. But during this trip, we didn't have our computer, Wii or movies with us. All of us watched the same TV programs at night and talked about our skiing experiences during meal times. We all had the same bedtimes, woke up at the same time and have breakfast together, something we don't usually do during normal days.

Unlike 15 years ago, where all I could do was stand around, do some snow play and envy the skiiers, this time round, we were out on the slopes enjoying the snow to the fullest. It was a great experience and more so because it wasn't just the kids who had fun but the adults as well.

(More Pictures in Facebook!)