Winslow 33

 As mentioned in previous posts, the house we had decided on was the Winslow 33, From Carlisle Homes. We found it to be a home that suited as well and like any Carlisle home, came with many inclusions and nicely designed kitchens, bathrooms and a floor plan that made sense. One thing we found with many builders, was that we were left wondering why certain rooms/items had placed in such weird places/found that the design did not flow as you would want to be able to easily navigate a house.

The house is from the Affinity range - meaning the larger house sizes & most inclusions. (Carlisle has three tiers of houses - Essentials, T Range and Affinity). As I mention throughout the blog we were after quality, service and doing as much right the first time round.

The top highlights we found with the Winslow/Carlisle:

• Long list of inclusions
• Changes to suite us minimal
• Spacious areas
• Able to explore additions/changes freely
• Nicely designed kitchens & bathrooms
• Excellent range of colours, tiles, Caesarstone , laminate, etc!
• Knowledgeable and professional sales, consultant and customer service staff.
• Plenty of cabinetry included
• Display homes upgraded to a medium level - not extreme like others.
• Inclusion/extras clearly explained and costed if needed.

Floor plan - Winslow 33 (2013)

We have planned a number of changes to the house - mainly focused on structural changes / changes that would be very costly post hand over. While it is our ideal house, there is always room for improvement, customising it a bit to make it your home and to hopefully do it right the fist time!

The main changes we decided to make were:

• Convert the lounge into a theater - closing it off with two double doors. Being conscience and considerate of neighbors, we are also getting double glazing on the room (Unfortunately double glazing the whole house is stretching the budget). 
• We are also looking into sound insulation as Carlisle has stated it is fairly cheap (Unspecified at the time of writing) and possibly extending the length of the room for a longer viewing distance. (Costs being sourced) for the theater room. (A little bit of expense, but a small luxury to enjoy with the pain of a mortgage!)
• Close the rumpus off with double doors - it will be used as a hobby room / large room should family need to visit, in addition to the rooms

Though these might seem contrary to open floor plans, we decided it would be good to be able to shut off the areas should the need arise - for noise, privacy or heating/cooling. Having double doors also allows it to be fairly open the majority of the time.