It’s hard to believe that October is already here. For the Lambies, it’s been full steam ahead in their pursuit of bringing their dream home to life. It’s clear that the team at KR Projects and their chosen providers are on track and ready to end 2023 on a high. We sat down with Pat and Kate to find out where they’re at. Here’s what they shared with us.
“At the end of July, we reached a pretty big milestone. The first floor slab’s concrete was poured… 68.5 cubes of concrete to be exact. This level now serves as the ceiling to our kitchen/dining/lounge below, and the floor to our bedrooms. This was the perfect platform to take our bricks up to roof height. Red, blue and white pipes were laid for gas, plumbing and electrical, which now sit inside that concrete slab, all held together by just over 5 tons of steel reinforcing.”
“After chatting to our team, we decided that an aluminium roof sheet would better protect against corrosion in an environment like ours that’s close to the sea. The colour we chose was as per our renders… a light grey. We also decided that some of the bedroom ceilings would have exposed trusses. Kate likes a clean white look and Karl (builder) and Greg (supplier from Seacon roofing) are in support!”
“We met with Greg and Marius from C&C Plumbing Solutions to finalize the positions of our tap mixers, shower roses, toilets and basins. Once the roof goes on, C&C will install all the in-wall fixtures for our sanware i.e.. the cistern’s, pipes & mixers that are concealed within the brickwork.”
“It was time for some details so we met with the team at Hannah + Holl, who have been amazing in helping us piece together our interior design elements. Measurements down to the last centimetre of our kitchen, scullery and bar area have all been taken. This detail was then plugged into the 3D computer model Jess has built for House Lambie, allowing us to understand the feel of our internal spaces. Head to Instagram for a look at the video.”
“Our target date for the roof being on House Lambie was October. Knowing how the building process can go, we’re delighted to say we met our goal! A roof on our home makes everything seem so much closer and we look forward to adding even more details to our home now that we’ve got a roof over our heads…”
“We are officially under way with our swimming pool. It has been dug out, will be built up with concrete, and then finished with marbelite. Water will only go in once the grass is laid in the new year but it’s been amazing to see the outdoor portion of House Lambie coming to life as well. We know we’ll be spending loads of time in our pool with the boys.”
Watch this space for more progress on House Lambie and don’t forget to head over to Pat’s Instagram for more behind the scenes looks at building a home at Seaton.
We can’t believe that March is here! So far, the year has been good to us and we’ve reached a few exciting milestones on our journey towards completing House Lambie. In case you missed it, here are the boxes we’ve been able to tick so far…
We received Plan Approval
Plan number 23/01/012 for House Lambie was officially approved and we were able to collect stamped plans at the beginning of March. With those in hand, we knew we would be able to start construction. Although our plans didn’t come through as quickly as we would have liked, in the grander scheme of things, we were only delayed by a few weeks.
We appointed our builders!
After much deliberation and a tender process, we decided to appoint Karl and Rob from KR Projects as the builders for House Lambie. They use a ‘cost plus management fee model’ which was attractive to us, and no matter how many people we asked, we could not find a bad review of them or their work. We were also most impressed with the homes they have already built on the North Coast, which we were shown to us on a recce. Both live 5 minutes from Seaton and only take on a handful of new builds each year, so we feel in safe hands for an honest and experienced build process.
Investec gave us the green light for funding
Investec has given us the bond that we require in order to build our home at Seaton. The total lending facility matches the total cost that KR Projects and our QS have estimated. Cash flow is key, so structuring our lending to only pay interest on the money used will help us. The trick for us now is registering the bond as quickly as possible and in time to start making payments. Looks like we might have to float the first few payments by using some savings before the bond is in place as a new bond can take 6-8 weeks to register.
We broke ground on 7 March!
Last week on 7 March, we completed our site handover. Green shade cloth went up and it was officially go time for House Lambie. Earthworks started this week and the diggers, graders, rollers and excavators came out in full force. As the first home at Seaton to break ground this was both a proud and special moment for us. Next up… piling!
Watch this space for more updates and as always, make sure you’re following along on Instagram: @patlambie_
5 months have passed since Pat and Kate had their first meeting with Lisa Rorich Architects and now, it’s finally plan submission time. With all the detail around their dream home at Seaton packaged together and handed over to the KwaDukuza Municipality, now all that’s left to do is wait for their approval.
How long will this take? Building plan approval can take anything from 8-16 weeks, depending on the number of applications in circulation at the given time. Delays are expected when applying for any relaxations to building lines, floor area ratios, coverage, building heights and the like, or when some elements of the submission pack are lacking in the required detail. With no relaxations included in House Lambie’s plans, Pat and Kate believe that all the details are present.
As the Lambies wait patiently for approval, there’s a fair amount to take into consideration at this time of the year… There are 5 weeks before the Christmas shutdown, and 4 weeks in the new year before the planned construction start date of 01 February, which equals 10 weeks in total. It may be tight but we’re holding thumbs for team Lambie.
Watch this space for updates along the way!
Sharing their vision of their home at Seaton, the property journey with the Lambies takes shape as they start fleshing out the details. We take a look at why this family chose the KZN North Coast, and what first steps they had to take in order to get the ball rolling.
A family destination
“The North Coast has always been a special place for us. The pleasures of it is something that cannot really be described. Instead, it’s better to see, explore and experience everything that it has to offer… The best of land, sea, and family living is right here on the KZN North Coast. Our hearts are full when thinking of the memories already made with our boys here, and even more full when thinking of the ones still coming. The Lambies are blessed to call the North Coast home,” explains Pat Lambie.
As a Collins Residential project, Seaton has been a development that Pat Lambie has been part of for a few years now. And so they secured stand 900 for their family, as it boasts a
green belt behind it and enjoys an almost-180-degree sea view! What more could you ask for when building your ideal family home along the coast?
What goes into building a home?
The Lambies are in the thick of finding their feet as they start building. Excited for what lies ahead, the first few steps needed to take place to start the process.
Before the Lambie family could go ahead and break ground, they have to lock in a few decisions and get a few things in order before onsite action started.
This included:
· Choosing a stand – They settled on stand number 900, and she’s a beauty!
· Signing an offer to purchase.
· Getting their Geo Survey done
· Getting to grips with the Seaton Design Guide for their phase.
· Appointing an architect – full intro coming soon!
“To anyone building a home from scratch, a decent timeline is the yard stick that will help you manage your processes and your expectations. I know ours will help us make decisions and meet deadlines. (Fingers crossed),” shares Pat Lambie.
Not every factor is within their control and sometimes the Lambie family will just have to go with it but their timeline and the starting actions they have taken so far, will lay the foundation and will serve as a “roadmap” for their journey.
In case you missed it, the Lambies have taken on an exciting new adventure… they’re building a house at Seaton! Of course, we already know they’ve chosen well, but what we’ve really wanted to know is how Pat and Kate will blend their own wants and goals into the home that they’ll be creating from scratch. We sat down with the two to chat about sea views, a blank canvas and how they plan to design something special.
Q: How would you describe your vision for the house?
Pat: “I would say, indoor/outdoor living with a large garden linking to the greenbelt and swimming pool, a pitched roof, and a home that’s cosy and comfortable.”
Kate: “I see a house that is inviting and charming from the moment you walk in! I imagine a bright and open, warm and inviting space that’s extremely homely. A space where children and dogs can run wild and free (like they currently do at our house now). I agree with Pat that indoor/outdoor living is the lifestyle we are after and we aim to make the most of the sea views and surrounding vegetation to achieve that.”
Q: Tell us, what’s the most important, non-negotiable part of a home for you?
Pat: “The kitchen needs to be the heart of the home. It’s what brings people together and the centre of family meals and quality time.”
Kate: “An open-plan living area where the kitchen, lounge and dining room are integrated. It’s where we’ll spend a lot of our time so this needs to be well designed. We also love being outdoors so I’d be very happy with a spacious garden and pool area.”
Q: Now for the fun part… What do you think you guys are going to disagree on?
Pat: (Looks over at Kate and smiles) “It’s going to be hard to get Kate to make decisions and stick to them.”
Kate: “Probably the size of the garage and the amount of cupboard space needed in the house!”
Q: Why should people follow the journey?
Pat: “We are going to keep things real and try to share every element of the process. It’s something that not a lot of people get to see so sharing our experience, learnings and knowledge as we go might just help someone along the way. We also have a great crew behind this campaign to keep the posts consistent and interesting.”
Kate: “People should follow along because they’ll get to see a North Coast family navigate the adventure that comes with building a home. It’s a chance for people to get to know us a little better and see how we operate as a team. They’ll also get to know some of the wonderful local talents we’re commissioning to build our home.”
Project Seaton starts now!
Follow Seaton on our socials and Pat on Instagram @patlambie_ for updates and be sure to watch this space for more interesting and entertaining Project Seaton snippets. On behalf of Pat and Kate and all at Seaton, we thank you for coming along for the ride and we can’t wait to show you more.
