New house build quality???
 

We'v just been looking at new houses and wondering what quality is like? We are heading to Queensland and are looking at most of the newbuilds but the one thing that i really dont like are plasterboard stud walls. I take it most of the new builds are done like this as far as the internal walls go. Does anyone have any ideas how much more youre looking at to have all walls built in block or is this just not done over there. There is nothing worse that hearing noise from the other end of the house especially if you have a cinema room put in or do they use soundproofing in these rooms???

Stu

Re: New house build quality???
 

i am tagging on the end of this one as well, if that's okay stu?

Re: New house build quality???
 

No problem, think we'll have to wait until they all wake up over there! I take it you're not a fan of plasterboard walls either!

Stu

Just realised you are over there, ur up early!

Re: New house build quality???
 

no, it's 8.30am!!! not too early, running around like a headless chicken trying to get the kids ready for school, shouldn't be on here really!

i would just prefer to get as much knowledge as possible on this house build lark.

Re: New house build quality???
 

youngy in cairns had a post about this..
hes a builder.:thumbup:

Re: New house build quality???
 

What you mean you don't want to hear your nearest and dearest cough / fart / breathe from other rooms?! In that case I wouldn't be going near a new build 'Aussie style'. Actually having watched a good friend go through a total fiasco with one of these this year that would be bottom of my list of reasons not to!

Re: New house build quality???
 

I live in a new build - it's 12 months old... I'd use the term 'quality' very loosely.. I think the external walls aren't much more than stud walls!! Where we live, there are loads of new houses going up.. all timber frames (tindersticks) and tissue paper ... nasty! Someone told us it's cheaper to have a brick house built than it is for a tinderstick one, but i don't know how true that it! I personally wouldn't buy one.... maybe speak to a few builders when you get here about the options...

Sonic

Re: New house build quality???
 

Depends what state you live in. Here in WA the majority of new house builds are double brick with brick and plaster internal walls so noise isnt such an issue. :thumbup:

Re: New house build quality???
 

The gyprock [plasterboard] used here has fairly good soundproofing qualities as standard, normal voice levels are reduced to just a muffled sound.
If you require more noise reduction you could enquire about having your bedroom walls hung with "Barrierboard" instead of the normal gyprock. If you wanted even more soundproofing i.e you wanted to drastically cut down the noise of teenage rock music blasting from bedrooms you could opt for "Gyprock Soundchek".
Your home cinema could be lined with "Boral SoundSTOP" it comes in 2 thicknesses 10mm & 13mm. If you use the above products in combination with "sound bats" within the actual cavity the noise reduction is better than brick or block walling, though it could work out more expensive depending upon which system you opt for.
You don't have to opt for the timber framed brick veneer style that has become popular here recently, some builders already build homes with brick internal walls. The interior walls I've seen in these style of homes aren't usually rendered & skimmed but left bare brick either struck or bucket jointed to minimise dust accumulation. They all look like prison cells to me:ohmy: that's only my opinion though.
Do a Google search on the above products for their actual acoustic qualities as they all have differing levels of sound proofing.

Re: New house build quality???
 

hey stu,
i would agree with what cresta says but if you want internal block walls you can have them. they normally use 100mm for internals and then core fill them then sheet over the top or render the wall. the houses up here are bullet proof i reckon. a raft slab with rio from the slab up thru the walls and tied to the roof for the cyclone rating. the walls are core filled with concrete around the doors and windows then every 4th core and all the way around the top two courses. there going nowhere. quality, well that always depends on who does the work. i know both good and bad tradesman. one thing that struck me over here is the amount of different trades there are. i know blokes and all they do is fix a roof and someone else lays the sheets. another bloke just does downpipes, another guttering. also with new builds now they are using metal frames for the walls.they are shit. they move all over the place until the wall is sheeted but its quick which means money saved for the builder. at the end of the day money is what it all boils down to these days.one piece of advice when your building is remember you dont know best. we see it everyday where people want lights randomly placed or specify power points in stupid places or heights. was on one job where the women wanted powerpoints at a height so her kid could not touch them. surely kids grow but she was adamant. it just looked stupid. on another job the dude was obsessed with 2 way switching. wanted every light in the house on a 2 way. doing a job today on a two storey where we are wiring the upstairs and 2 lights only downstairs because the owners mate is going to do it later on the cheap.false economy, get what you want when its getting built dont wait until later as it will cost twice as much.i know its your house and you can have what ever you want but get good tradies, tell them what you want and let them get on with it

Re: New house build quality???
 

We have a double brick new build here in W.A. We've found, because we have cathedral ceilings, the sounds echo's throughout the house. The windows are crap quality and double glazing costs a fortune. Even though we built what is considered to be a quiet expensive lowset house from one of the better builders, it's still pretty shoddy.

Re: New house build quality???
 

That's one reason we went with the "normal" ceiling height, plus a bugger to keep warm in winter cos all the warm air goes up.

Our windows arent brilliant i'll admit, but like I said to my OH when he was having a moan about certain things - you get what you pay for, our house cost just over £70K to build which is cheap as chips, certainly from the area of the UK we came from you could barely buy a beach hut for that!

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Yeah but, cathedral ceilings look nice!!!;) But you're right, a complete pain in the arse to heat.

Re: New house build quality???
 

Aye, that they do :thumbup:

Saw a beautiful Plunkett showhome in Eaton a few months ago, my dream house I think, and it had this lovely really high ceiling in the main living area. Let itself down though with the spiders making their homes among the corners and the light fittings! Plus you'd need a 10' ladder to change a light bulb!!! :lol:

Re: New house build quality???
 

I'd agree about the double brick and plaster walls in WA but echoey rooms as there is nothing in our house to absorb the sound.