At home with Artstitches & Co.

Test

2011-09-25T21:57:00.001+10:00

A better use for a kitchen bench...

2010-02-14T10:41:00.004+11:00

This weekend I discovered that our kitchen bench makes a great cutting bench for my sewing and art work!!

Last weekend the same bench was turned into a felting worktable...

Being an island bench means I can work from all sides and it's the perfect height for cutting. The tile surrounds mean that clean up of threads, interfacing and even soapy felting mess, is easy!

Of course I do enjoy cooking at my kitchen bench as well like the Mexican spread of Fajita's, Nachos, guacomole and salad of last night, or the Italian cooking class that I gave my family as a Christmas gift...

...anyway that you look at it, this kitchen is destined for great things!!

It glows...

2010-02-08T11:37:00.002+11:00

This is our house yesterday as the sun was setting... I really love how the bricks light up in the late afternoon sun!!

I wasn't too excited about the limited range of bricks that we had to choose from (limited in that we had decided not to upgrade on bricks). All of the bricks that I really liked were from category 5 and 6 and I didn't dare ask what it would cost to upgrade... In the end it came down to two choices, both were reddish, and we made an 'on-the-spot' decision to go with the Red-Gum (from Austral). I liked the choice well enough, but didn't expect them to look as good as they do.

I can't wait for the garden to grow a bit more to hide the great big windows though... (I have been wondering if getting them tinted might make them look better.)

Patio Improvements and more...

2010-02-07T09:39:00.005+11:00

Yesterday I decided to dress up the patio with some hanging pots...

We'd been out to watch a dog show and dropped into a big garden shop on the way home. Inspired by the gorgeous flowers that were out I decided that some hanging pots on our patio fence would dress up the area nicely. However I wasn't inspired by that shops high prices and instead went to Bunnings when we got home.

I came back (after more than an hour and a half of picking up a plant, putting it in my trolley, walking around with it, putting it back, picking something else up... It takes quite some time to shop in this fashion) and set to work to create this...

Can't remember what these are but I think they are a type of petunia (much smaller flower though...)

Fuscias...

Red petunias... (not my first choice but I wanted colour without cost...)

This morning I potted a few more plants (there are still about 10 plants left that need to be planted either in pots or the ground very soon) into ceramic and terracotta pots that have been taking up space in the garage. They need some pot feet to raise them off the concrete and maybe a few rocks in the top (like the one to the front which has been in that pot for a while - and is finally growing back after getting covered in concrete dust from the neighbours brickies) but I think that this little corner looks great!

While I was shopping and working on the patio yesterday, Bryan was creating this out the front...

It's the narrow strip to the left (north) of our driveway - the rest is the neighbours land. He's been trying to get this bit done before the landscapers for the neighbours block came in to do the front. It really finishes off the front and works in really well.

Now I'm going to have a late breakfast on my lovely patio... :)

Landscaping progress...

2010-02-01T15:44:00.003+11:00

I haven't updated for quite some time and so we have some significant progress to show...

Our front yard now has it's rock mulch installed
Our side path is completed
the narrow garden on the north fence beside the patio is finished
the vegie garden is done;
we've solved a drainage problem along the back fence; and
we now have a clothesline.

So enough words and onto the pictures...

The front yard has gone from this...

To this...

The narrow side...

The patio area...

The vegie garden (bricked by my Dad and I)...

And the back fence...

There's still a long way to go... and eventually I want to be able to remove the 'dog-keep-out' fences from around the vegie garden and the back fence strip but it's so good to see some progress!!! And I must admit that getting out there watering in the mornings inspires me to do more.

Progress...

2009-12-14T13:07:00.003+11:00

Dodgy pics from my phone but pics none-the-less...

Work has started!....

2009-12-14T08:34:00.003+11:00

The pergola is being installed as I type! The parts were delivered just after 7 this morning and the guys arrived shortly after and have started work shifting the bits inside and digging holes for the posts and the plumbing.

I must find my camera so that I can show pics of the progress...

Good people...

2009-12-03T14:10:00.003+11:00

You hear so many people talking about society today and how it's such a bad place to be... Today, within the space of an hour I had two expereinces that confirmed that there are 'good people' around.

The first were the guys who turned up to fix our windows which we reported on our 3-month maintenance report. We had one broken lock, one sticky lock and a loose window that we wanted fixed. When they arrived they told me what it was that their job-sheet showed and then asked me to check every window and let them know if there were any other problems at all because they wanted to make sure that everything was working properly - which I was impressed with to start with (most people come to do a job and that's it). Then as one of the guys was fixing the lock he mentioned something about changing it to a side lock instead of the centre lock and I asked if that was easy to do - side locks/catches would be much easier with the roman blinds than the centre locks (don't need to open the blind to open the window) - I asked if he could change the bedroom lock over and they ended up changing every lock in the house to the side opening ones!! They were great guys - really friendly - and even cleaned up after themselves... but the best thing... one of them commented on my roman blinds and how good they looked (he used to make them commercially so that made me feel pretty good!!)

Within half an hour of the window guys leaving, I had another knock at the door... it was the maintenance guy who had been watering the gardens at the displays up at the top of the estate. He said he had some water left in the tank and wanted to know if he could water our garden - ABSOLUTELY!!!!!!!!!! We got more than half of it watered before he ran out. Apparently he'd asked someone else and they'd said 'no' because they thought his water was contaminated - it might be dirty and not drinking quality but it's more than good enough for my very thirsty plants!

So you see - there are some good people around!

In other news in our estate... work has started on stage 2 (and maybe 3 as well) and we now have houses on both sides of us and yesterday there appeared a port-a-loo on the block across the road. We met the neighbour from across the road (behind the block with the loo) last week and they moved in over the weekend. Our little block is starting to feel a bit like a neighbourhood. We haven't met everybody, but there are now quite a few houses with people living in them.

Not long now....

2009-11-26T10:35:00.002+11:00

I had a phone call yesterday telling me that the pergola is due to arrive from Adelaide on Wednesday of next week!! They're going to get back to me with the actual construction dates but it looks like it will be done in the next 2 weeks!

I Love it!!

2009-11-13T11:36:00.007+11:00

The concretors arrived at 5.30 this morning as promised and have been working hard all morning making our patio look GREAT!!! I reckon it's worth the wait and I've already forgotten the hassles (as Uncle Don suggested - Thanks Don!). And even better is that it's all done in time for by the time Dad arrives next week.

Some pics...

First truck arrived just before 6.00am and the barrows were lined up in the garage at the ready (I didn't get a photo...)

Spraying back...

Finished product - still wet. I don't know what the mix is called - it's just #5 from Werribee Mini-Mix...

Back step at the laundry door...

...and look what has appeared over our fence...

Yesterday it was just walls, today the roof trusses have been put up and the roof tiles have just been delivered. The same has happened on the next block over as well (both the same builder).

Concrete update...

2009-11-12T12:17:00.002+11:00

I woke this morning to a text message from the concretor! It simply read "will b there 2morro at 5.30am"

I am rapt!!

...and he's just called again to confirm what type of aggregrate so sounds like it's definitely on for tomorrow.

My alarm is set (not going to be caught out again like the first time they came), the garage is clear - just need to move the car out, and the yard is cleared in readiness.

No concrete today...

2009-11-09T13:26:00.003+11:00

...and probably no concrete this week!!!!!!!!!!!

I HATE being told by tradies "we'll be there on xxx" and then they don't turn up.

I was told over a week ago, that we'd get boxed on Friday and poured on Monday. I've just called this afternoon to find out what's happening only to be told (as though I was stupid!) that "it's too hot to pour now!".... Well I figured that!!!!!!!!! but what was wrong with this morning!!!!!!

So now I'm told "maybe Friday" with a "we'll call a few days before" - which I've been told before and haven't received a call yet! I highly doubt that they will be here Friday and I'm on the verge of telling them to shove their concrete, to take their boxing and I'll get someone else to do the job. As it is I've told them that I'm not impressed hanging around for 9 weeks waiting when we were told 3-4 weeks - to which I get told "but we've had rain" but only about a week of rain all up - not 4 WEEKS RAIN!!!!!

**FRUSTRATED!!!!!!!**

The front yard is planted!!

2009-11-09T10:04:00.007+11:00

We planted the last of the plants in the front yard and have finished moving rocks (at last!!).

The before and after shot...

It's so great to have most of the plants that we have in the ground now. There are only couple left over which we will transplant into larger pots before their home in the backyard is found - means that we did a pretty good job planning how many plants we needed.

It's hard to photograph at the moment, as there's not a lot of contrast, but when the gravel is put in it should come up really nice.

We've also planted with growth in mind - we have been mindful of how high and how wide each plant gets and positioned accordingly. There is only one plant that I'm not sure of (as in not sure how high/wide) as it's one we've had in a decorative pot for 2-3 years - but we've put it in a place that it can be removed if it does get too big without affecting the rest of the garden too much.

We now have the paving (stepping stone style) and a couple more plants to put in along the south side fence (to the right) and maybe a couple of extra rivercascades along the two front windows.

This is where the paving will go...

We may get to these next weekend but there's no promises....

Next priority will be the back section outside the lounge-room window... This gap in the concrete under the piles of bricks and pavers

Boxed!

2009-11-09T09:45:00.003+11:00

The concretors came on Friday and boxed up the areas for concreting. They're due to come back today to pour it and so we've been up early clearning out the garage so that they can get through - maybe we might be able to get two cars in soon....

Back step - from the laundry...

Looking from the rear of the garage...

From inside the garage down along the north side fence...

From the back fence...

A garden... (or part of one at least)

2009-11-02T10:13:00.005+11:00

After a full on weekend of digging and shifiting rocks we now the proud owners of our very own rock garden....

It started out looking like this...

...and has become this...

It still needs pebble mulch but that will need to wait until the rest of the area is complete.

As you can see from the pictures, this is only a small part of our (very small) front yard and there is still quite a bit to go. However we did also get the rest of the yard prepped and ready to go as well. It's been weeded and de-grassed, cleared of builders rubble (lots of plaster, conrete, mortar, and brocken bricks), dug and shaped. So when our energy returns we'll dig more holes, shift more rocks and plant the remaining plants and hopefully have a finished front yard in the very near future.

As for the pergola, we have some progress there too... the concrete area is to be boxed on Friday this week and should be poured on the following Monday.

But the BEST NEWS... the council have now issued our building permit for the pergola!!!!

(it would be nice if we could get the car into the garage too... MUCH more sorting to do in there first though....)

Progress!!

2009-10-29T15:53:00.003+11:00

Our plumbing problem is now FIXED and we didn't have to do it ourselves!!

After countless calls to the SS he finally gave us the number of the plumber - I think because he was genuinely surprised that they hadn't called us after 3 days and decided that he'd rather I pestered them instead of him. Several more calls to the plumber (well his secretary) eventually resulted in a plumber turning up at 6.45am as promised (very punctual) where he fixed the broken pipe and also added a T intersection (and a riser for ease of access - pipe sticking out of the ground that shows the location) for the plumbing of the pergola/verandah at no extra cost. He was done and gone in less than 20 minutes!

And we also seem to be getting somewhere with the building permit for the pergola (I know - technically a verandah). The guy from the council has just called to ask a few questions regarding out permit (we had to resubmit) and gave me the impression that every was OK so fingers crossed we get the official go ahead soon.

As for the concrete... we are still waiting on that... I think that they were waiting to hear that we'd sorted the plumbing out - which they've now been advised of - and so now we're expecting them to come around and box it up ready for the pour. We've been told this will happen "sometime soon" but I don't know how to convert this from 'tradie-speak' into 'layperson-speak' and so am expecting it could be anything between now and the middle of next week.

In the meantime we have a long weekend coming up - in 'artstitches-speak' this means that Bryan has an RDO and so we actually get 2 days off together in a row - and so we're planning to get that front yard moving along. The plants are crying out to get into the ground SOON!

And just so I don't have another post devoid of pictures... this gives you an idea of the pergola we are getting put on. It won't look exactly like this - ours will have the pitched section to the right and the flat section to the left and will have a mixture of tinted sky-lights and solid panels in the roof.

Waiting...

2009-10-26T12:24:00.002+11:00

We are waiting on the builder to sent over a plumber to look at the broken pipes. We're hoping that it's non-compliant and therefore the builders responsibility to fix, if not... then we will do it ourselves (it certainly isn't 4" below the existing ground level and not 4" from the top of where the concrete will be). We have made things easier for them by digging out all around the pipe so fingers crossed they'll do it.

By doing this however, we are back in the hands of the SS and this means waiting... I spent much of Friday calling the SS to find out - each time he resonded with "haven't they called you yet?..." so I'm not sure if it's because he hasn't arranged it or if he's getting stuffed around by the plumber (and the other tradies who are also supposed to be turning up).

In the meantime we did some more digging to get the termguard pipes underground so that the concrete won't be poured directly on top.

The front yard is still a work in progress... The right side (as you look at it) is almost ready for the rocks to put in place and so we're planning to get working on it this weekend... Might have to look at getting some dirt delivered.

We might even have concrete by the end of the week and I could get enough dirt (sorry... soil) to do the garden outside of the lounge room as well. ...oh but that would mean moving the bricks and pavers again.... it's like a puzzle.

Ooops!!!...

2009-10-22T17:46:00.004+11:00

This was not part of the plan....

This morning, bright and early as promised, our concreting team arrived
Eeeek! we were still in bed as I hadn't set the alarm and had just yelled at the dog to shut up when I realised that there seemed to be quite a few voices coming from out the front (in addition to the usual yelling of the brickies in an unknown language) and realised that perhaps the dog was actually trying to tell me something *embarrased*

Armed with trucks, digger, tools and gravel they set to work.

At one stage we popped our heads out the door to discover that the downpipe near the kitchen didn't go straight down and the digger had broken the pipe... "no problem... we'll fix it" we were told and we went back inside to our breakfast as one of the guys set about measuring, cutting and gluing poly-pipe.

All fixed (note the number of bends...)

We then had a thought that the plans showed that the stormwater from the garage links diagnally across to this one, under the area where they were to dig next and so we dug up the plans to show them so we could avoid further damage... "no problem... it'll be deeper than we're digging" and so we went back to our breakfast a second time.

Then there was a tap at the door and we were beckoned outside to 'have a look' and were shown this.... "This is a problem... I can't fix this..." we were told...

Apparently our builder doesn't put pipes in a logical place, nor did they bother to bury the pipes below ground level (have I mentioned that I will NOT EVER EVER recommend them to anyone - not even my worst enemy!!). And so with breakfast officially off, a barrage of phone calls commenced...

...to the plumbing commission to determine whether this pipe should have been lower (hard to say - it should be 4" below ground level but what is ground level?... there are so many different levels you could call ground level...)

...to our SS to see what he had to say - not much it seems but apparently he's sending a plumber over to have a look

...to a couple of plumbers to see what this could cost us - I really am in the wrong business... $85 just to come out, $22.50 per 15minutes and that's the same cost whether it's a quote or actually doing the work *ARGHHHH*

After all of this and whilst watching one of the workers fixing the first 'oops' we decided "no problem... WE will fix it!" and so guess what we will be doing this weekend... (I should be out there digging now!)

Anyway.... the road-base has been layed and so now we can get a feel for the finished area - I think it looks big and will be a great size! and it'll look even better when the verandah/roof is put up.

Looking from the rear of the garage...

Here's hoping that we CAN fix this and that things go smoother when they come back to do the concrete.... *fingers crossed!*

2 Months!!

2009-10-13T12:09:00.004+11:00

Today marks 2 months since we took possession of our house... 2 months already!!... which means we've been here for just over 7 weeks.

Today is also the first day that the postie has been able to easily deliver our mail in our newly installed mail box. I put the post in over a week ago but only just got around to putting the box into it yesterday - our postie has been very good and used rubber-bands to secure our mail to the post on the days that we forgot to but the letterbox out (we were bringing it in because of the strong winds we've been getting). So finally our letterbox has it's permanent home...

This morning we had Jim's Antennas come and give us a qoute for the aerial installation. He tested the reception, showed us the options, gave us a price and then we gave the nod to go ahead and he installed it straight away. We now have perfect reception on both digital and analogue TV's.

I really am surprised at just how long we've lasted without it. Two weeks ago I did give in a bit and bought a cheap aerial ($9 rabbit ears) and so we have had some telly, but for the most part we've been listening to the radio and watching DVDs.

And finally work has started on the block next door (to our left)... It's a bit disappointing to see that they are building righ on our north-side fence and will probably block some of our much-loved light and views of the planes coimng in to land(we don't get the noise but we get a great view of the planes coming straight at our kitchen/dining room window and then they turn towards Melbourne). Ahh-well.... had to happen sometime...

Seven weeks....

2009-10-08T19:01:00.004+11:00

That's the estimated time before our verandah will be done!

The concreting should be started soon... I rang the guy this week and apparently if it weren't for the rain we had last week, would were in line for the diggers to come this Saturday. Unfortunately that won't be happening now and we're waiting on a call back to tell us just the new date...

We have finally made a decision on the verandah though which is good news! We were getting a friend to do it, however the costs were escalating and the council was asking for and engineers certificate of compliance which would have pushed the costs even higher and so Bryan had the very difficult conversation with our friend to tell him that we were going elsewhere (he took it better than expected so all is still good).

We'd got a couple of quotes from another company who we came across recently and their prices looked good and their product is what we were looking for and so they came by today and measured up. They're going to take over the council permit application and all going well, we'll be started in 7 weeks....

....wish it were sooner....

...guess it just gives us time to save some more!....

In the mean time this little angel (looks like butter wouldn't melt in her mouth)....

has bit-by-bit been destroying our laundry (we put her in there on the one day a week when we are both at work and when it is wet outside). She has eaten the architrave around the door, put scratches through the plaster mostly near the doors but no wall is untouched, eaten the plastic cover off the light switch and chewed the plastic bit that the rubber door stop sits on.... The only thing that she hasn't done is go to the toilet in there, even when we left her there while we were at work yesterday...

She also decided to take off last night when we were out walking her after we finally got home at 10pm. To cut a long story short, she smelled rabbit and was off, with her lead (one of those plastic reel-in types) crashing on the ground behind her. After about 20 minutes of panic and yelling excitedly like idiots (wanted her to come back - not run off again) she and I were re-united in the middle of a paddock in the dark. I have now discovered that Weimaraners are impossible to see in the dark (only found her by the crashing of the lead) and have vowed to buy a reflective collar and engraved tag as soon as we can....

Bring on the concrete yard and undercover area - she'll never have to leave the yard again!!:)

A work in progress...

2009-10-06T12:00:00.003+11:00

I finished another of the blinds last week so now the two front windows (main bedroom and office) have 'proper' window coverings. It was great to be able to sleep in on the weekend as the blinds block out all light except for the two slivers on the sides between the blind and the frame. We (meaning I!) still have a long way to go but seeing a couple done is definitely spurring me on.

The front landscaping is slow going... we have now moved the pile of roadbase (leftover from the sideway) to the back and started turning over the soil and have started marking it out. The pile of rocks is growing and hopefully we'll be able to start positioning them soon.

And the letterbox nearly has it's forever home!! I have installed a post (that's almost deeper in ground that above - too lazy to cut it but in the end I had to!) and now need to get some screws to secure it.

Check out our water feature!....

2009-09-22T20:41:00.004+10:00

We went to bed listening to the sound of rain on the roof last night. I love that sound but couldn't help thinking - I hope that all that water's going where it should and there's no leaks...

Now I was expecting to see mud in the morning but I didn't expect this...

It seems Mother Nature had decided to give us a hand with the landscaping overnight and in her infinite wisdom seems to think that a water feature... or perhaps a moat... is called for..

Apparently she forgot that DOG + CLAY + WATER = D-I-S-A-S-T-E-R !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So this morning we had to figure out how we would keep Tyler (our dog) contained and safe (and mud-free) while we were both at work for the day...

We ended up having to put her into the laundry and set about removing the 'temporary' forest, and dog-proofing it, including putting the child lock on the laundry cabinet (which I'd discovered taped to the inside of the cabinet door a couple of weekends ago)... but were faced with another problem... we suddenly realised that the stupid lever door handles that we had to have (they would have charged us extra for normal ones) would be very easy for Tyler to open - even though the door does open inwards, I'm sure that she would find a way... So eventually I came up with this...

We might have to look into a lock of sorts...

Neighbours....

2009-09-22T08:00:00.001+10:00

You spend so long choosing the colour of your bricks and matching the roof colour... you plan the landscaping and carefully select the plants... but one thing that you have absolutely NO CONTROL OVER is who decides to live in your street...

One of our new neighbours (well they live what will eventually be 5 doors up the street - there's only 1 dorr currently, the others haven't been built yet) apparently really REALLY REALLY likes to listen to music in his car. So much so that I know he's coming home well before he's even hit the estate!

Here's a mud map...

I can hear this guy coming as soon as he turns off the main road!! You get this reverberatting buzz that gets louder and louder until he finally drives past...

Where I grew up there was (is??) such a person who used to drive the streets with windows wound down and music (can you call it that? (ooh that makes me feel old!)) or actually more like DOOF-DOOF blaring from the car warning of his presence within a 2 block radius.

When I first heard him I immediately thought of home... Now I just want to scream "Thanks for sharing but I'M NOT INTERESTED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" I guess I should be thankfull that he turns it off as soon as he gets home and doesn't choose to sit there with the music/doof-doof blaring :)

From this....

2009-09-21T14:15:00.004+10:00

...to this....

The pile of rocks on the left is growing... - we've been 'collecting' these from the development down the road. They have an ever-growing pile of rubbish and rubble and so we've been helping them shift it Still need more

It doesn't look like much but it meant moving all of those bricks (320 of them if you're interested) out to the back, along with the leftover roof tiles and 30 granite (or basalt - depending on where you grew up) tiles. The tiles are BIG at 80cm x 40cm and 3cm thick - not light I can promise you!

Of course with no brick pile, I now had no stand for the letterbox and so am making do with this for the time being...

I also got halfway through staining the bookshelf before I had to pack up because it was threatening to rain - after spending the morning filling all the gaps with wood filler and then sanding it all back. I don't have any photos - they will have to wait until it's finished (soon I hope!)

So my(our) ever-growing to-do-list includes:
* finish the bl**dy blinds - you'll all be glad when they're done
* finish the bookcase - finish the staining and then varnish
* dig out the front yard so that we can get some good soil in and start planting
* continue to collect rocks for the front landscaping
(that's enough for now )

I'm really hoping to be able to get some planting done next weekend - they've been in pots for long enough! And besides I'm tired of moving them all around - the dog has decided to 'taste' the trunks and leaves of some of the larger (more expensive) plants. Here's one batch... holed up in the laundry out of harms way

Photos at last!!!

2009-09-15T13:23:00.003+10:00

I have finally finished and installed 1 of the roman blinds!!! (only 5 more to go )

It needs to be even-ed up a bit and it needs to 'settle' but I'm pretty pleased with how it's turned out. Next one is the bedroom so that we can revel in the joys of opening and closing in that room too. I'm already thinking that I want to add a sheer blind, particularly in the bedroom - otherwise it will always be down...

And here are some more random pics of our house (none of the inside - it's waaaay too messy )

Temporary letter box - will have to come up with something more permanent soon...

The narrow side of the house - road base ready for pavers (pavers are in the garage ready to go!! )

The area behind the hot water system will be concreted and we will eventually install a clothesline against the wall there.

another section ready for pavers (front yard outside main bedroom)

Our fancy house number - again something more permanent is called for soon!!

Our new fence...

Backyard complete with temporary back step (outside laundry door) and temporary dog kennel (there's a 'temporary' trend here...)

And lastly a cute photo of Tyler... just 'cause....

A productive weekend...

2009-09-07T12:04:00.005+10:00

This weekend was Bryan's RDO weekend (meaning that he gets Sunday off) and so we were both set for some landscaping...

Our goal: to make a start on the narrow side of the house.

The plan: to use pavers, evenly spaced in a 'stepping stone' fashion to go from the front of the house around to the side and down the length of the narrow side to the hot water system (after that point there will be a concreted pad for the fold-down clothes line and the back will be turf). The pavers will be surrounded by small pebbles (we're thinking white pebbles with a grey-ish paver) which will also extend through the front area as a mulch.

Below is a rough sketch of our plan...

Some things have changed a little - the native garden at the rear of the garage probably won't have pavers as suggested there and we are looking at concreting the area at the rear of the garage right through to the verandah (now a verandah, not just a patio). The lawn area at the back will probably be more regular (and not wavy like my drawing...)

After much more "planning" than either of us expected (we had to completely re-think some parts) we mamaged to get quite a bit done and have levelled off the area and spread and compacted about 1.5 cubic metres of crushed rock. We've also added concreted powder to help make it solid.

The strip (from the hot water system around to the front door) is now ready for the pavers when we decide on the pavers... We will leave the pebbles until after the conreting and front yard are done so that we can do it all at once.

We also started moving the great pile of bricks that has been occupying our front yard. Not sure what we will use these for yet, but there's plenty there (almost a whole pallet!).

And I finally managed to hang the roman blind in the office. It's still not quite finished and needs the battens (horizontal rods) and the cording, but I needed to see that it fit before doing those, and the best way to do that was to install the mounting board and hang it up. Thankfully it fits!!!!!!!! and so now I can take it down and finish if off.

(I really wish I knew where the camera was so that I could show what we did!)

Oh... and I also managed to unpack the bathroom and laundry. The bathroom was quite a job getting our stuff that used to fill a cabinet with two cupboards and 4 drawers into a cabinet with a single door and 2 shelves (one of which is taken up mostly by plumbing). Needless to say I did a fairly ruthless culling!

What plant is that?...

2009-09-07T10:25:00.003+10:00

Netadelle asked what the green blob plant was... I think that she was referring to the one in the middle of this picture? It is Scleranthus biflorus - I can'f find a common name but apparently it's an Australian native (bonus! I didn't know that when I bought it). We're going to make a bit of a rock garden out the front with mostly conifers as well as this plant and some mini cogs (Acacia Cognata). Fingers crossed it looks as good as it does in my head... LOL! :)

2 weeks on and...

2009-09-04T11:27:00.002+10:00

...there are still boxes everywhere, except now things are starting to spill out from the boxes as we go searching for an elusive item that "i'm sure is in that box in the kitchen... or maybe it's the one in the office...".

With the fence issue now resolved - complete with the "chicken-wire-dog-proofing-solution" we now have time to turn our attention towards other things...

...but there's so much to do... where do we start...

We are both keen to get the landscaping happening and to get some of those lovely plants that we've collected into the ground, but I also want (NEED) to get things organised inside.

I really do need to find the camera soon - it's not lost, more likely burried ;)

A Gate...

2009-08-31T16:46:00.002+10:00

We handed over the keys for our rental this morning and I am soooo glad!! I have to go back tomorrow morning because between my cleaner and I we missed a couple of windows and the drawers in the ensuite but no big deal - just pick the keys up, fix up the problems and that's it!

The Real Estate lady did say that the place looked really good just that we missed those couple of things (phew!... because we were a bit worried about a few marks on the carpet following Tyler's recent adventures with my make-up while we were out).

After that last trip, we can now get on with 'settling in' here....

The gate was put on this afternoon and so we now have a complete 'yard'. I just need to complete the dog-proofing and we're right to let Tyler out!!!!! What she doesn't realise is that once she's out, she'll be staying out because she won't be coming inside with muddy feet - and that's unavoidable without any grass :)

2009-08-31T16:44:00.004+10:00

Our fencing guy worked most of Saturday on his own and got everything done except the capping to the right side and the gate. So he's coming back sometime today to finish it off.

We spent most of Saturday and some of Sunday working on dog-proofing the fence with chicken wire... I should get the rest done tonight when I finish work. It' will be muddy out there again as it's starting to rain as I type - it doesn't take much.... a light sprinkle and the clay starts sticking to your shoes and suddenly you're 6 inches taller.

I bought myself a pair of gumboots yesterday so that should make things easier - I was wearing my sneakers which are now caked with mud. In fact I then had to wear OHs shoes when I went out to the shops as I had nothing else but dress shoes or sandals... (his shoes are several sizes too big but are OK if you tie the laces tightly )

I'm soooo glad we had a driveway and path to the front door right from the start - it would have been a real nightmare otherwise!!! At least we have one place were we can take the dog in and out for the regular "wee-walks" without us all getting filthy We have a new routine - get to the door, dog sits, human goes in and takes shoes off, dog goes in and sits on it's bed or nearby towel (to clean feet) and then is allowed into house We are now wishing that we had put a tiled strip down the lounge in the part that is a hallway as we had originally planned (and removed to save $$)...

As for the blinds... I was desperate NOT to have sheets and had the 2 blinds for the front rooms made before we moved in, but I didn't get to do the battens (wooden bits on the inside) or the mounting bits and so they're still sitting folded on the floor Hopefully I'll get those two done at least in the next couple of days.

The other thing that I need to get sorted ASAP is our letter box... It's sitting on the entry floor waiting for a mount-post.... Our mail redirect starts this week so will need to make that a priority

Oh and I managed to get the cord for the blinds at Spotlight in Geelong so after the dog-proofing is completed I'll be focussing on curtains - at least for the office and bedroom (I hate having sheets in the window )

Fencing ourselves in...

2009-08-28T16:42:00.000+10:00

Our fencees are now almost complete... The guy is coming back tomorrow morning to finish the palings spanning about half of one side and to hang the gate. Then we'll need to get onto some 'landscaping' to create a run for the dog down the blind side of the fence, including measures to ensure that the she can't escape (ie something to prevent her digging under the fence) over the rest of the weekend. Looks like a trip to the local garden centre is on the cards for us

Moved in...

2009-08-27T16:41:00.001+10:00

It's been 2 weeks today since we picked up the keys... Our first week was a waste of time with one of us having to be at the house every day waiting on various tradesman to turn up and do their 'fix'. It started out with 'we'll have everything done by Monday' which then turned into Tuesday, and then Thursday and finally 'the tilers will be done Friday, you'll have to wait till monday for the caulkers..."

So after a week from hell we moved in over the weekend and have had a difficult week moving the dregs from the other house, cleaning it and getting it ready to hand back the keys as well as trying to get our fence up.

We have a dog and so we've been trying to get the fences organised as close as possible to the date we moved in. First we were waiting on the quotes to be redone, and then we were waiting on the neighbour to agree and pay the deposit. Finally we had a date set for Tuesday this week. That quickly got foiled due to Melbourne's horrific weather on both Monday and Tuesday. Finally the fencers arrived on Wednesday only to find that the neighbours block was being prepped for a slab and the concretors told them to leave it and come back Friday - which they accepted without even contacting us!! After making several calls to the fencing guys we managed to get them to come out today and make a start but not before our dog got out and ran through the neighbours slab mid pour... (wouldn't have happened if they hadn't delayed our fencing....)

At last we have fence posts up and a promise (I'm still skeptical) that it will be finished by Saturday...

We did manage to get 1 car into the garage on the second night but that's the "good" car that 'couldn't possibly stay out overnight' (OH's car - can you tell?..) and so what was organised chaos, quickly turned into complete chaos - 'organised' has left the building!

Now I'd better get back to my unpacking....

Not happy Jan...

2009-08-16T16:37:00.000+10:00

Hopefully by Monday afternoon the last of the 'fixes' will be done and we'll be able to start moving in. OH spent the whole day at the house on Friday waiting for various tradespeople to show up. Mostly they looked at what was needed and then told him when they'd be back to do the work so it was a wasted day for him.

By 2.30 the best that could be offered was for the plasterer to come on Tuesday and the painters some time after that. I was not impressed with this, given how adamantly the SS "promised" that everything would be done by the end of Thursday that we decided a phone call to the area manager was necessary. He of course didn't take my call and so after having an argument with the CSO, leaving numerous messages and having the receptionist and another manager physically checking where the area manager was I contacted head office and asked to speak with someone. Of course being a Friday afternoon getting a hold of anyone proved extremely difficult and eventually the receptionist - who was extremely helpful and understanding (a rareity in this company) - asked me to leave it with her and she would see that somebody called me before the end of the day.

Within 20 minutes the area manager did call me and in his 'nice-as-pie-butter-woudln't-melt-in-his-mouth-tyring-to-be-everso-helpful-to-the-customer' voice, asked "what the problem was". So I very calmly that explained that I had two issues - communication and follow-up and that these are the same issues that I'd raised with him approximately 3 months ago. I explained that whilst I understand that things don't always go according to plan, I didn't understand why we hadn't recuited a call on Thursday afternoon explaining the situation and that we still didn't get a call on Friday morning. I asked why it took us to call for any action to be taken. I explained that I felt like there had been no checks done by the SS on Thursday afternoon to check firstly that the required jobs had been done, and secondly that the quality is up to scratch. I also explained that it felt to me that if we hadn't called about these things that they'd have been left as they were. I told him that I didn't agree with the CSO's explanation that as a volume builder these situations are to be expected and that there were other worse off than us and that I didn't believe that this attitude was good enough and that with better though supervision of jobs (as the SS should do) and communication with us as the customer that these sitations could have been avoided.

He didn't have any answers but he listened and did agree that this was managed poorly (probably just so that I would quit calling and abusing his staff) which is more than I can say for the CSO who tried to give excuses(all lies), and told me that as a volume builder issues such as this are be expected (the second time I've heard this excuse throughout our build) and that there were other people who were worse off than us and also hung up on me twice. He promised to make some calls and to call me back in a few minutes. Within a few minutes OH had a call from the SS to say that the plasterer would be in on Saturday and they were still trying to get in touch with painter. The area manager didn't call me back but asked the CSO to call on his behalf...

So the plasterer came on Saturday and did his stuff. The caulking guy also came and did his bit (he did refuse to do the laundry tub which we are grateful for - the tub is dodgy and won't click down into the cabinet as it should and so the SS wedged some plastic scraps under the tiles and expeced the caulking guy to caulk over it - so hopefully that secures our arguement that it's stuffed and needs to be fixed properly). The painter has called and will be in on Monday morning (and probably most of the day judging by the number of bit os blue taping marking the faults). The electrician also needs to come back but we don't have a time yet.

It's not over yet, but we are making some progress. Once the painter has been we should be right to move our stuff in. When they (the builder) have done everything that they think is necessary, we will be contacting the building commission and asking for an inspector to come out and look at the things which we are concerned about. We will also be writing a detailed letter to the general manager, and CC'd to every person in the company that we have had any dealings with, telling of our appalling experience. We may not get anywhere but we feel that we can at least try to get it on record (both within the company and consumer affairs/building commission) about the discusting way that customers are treated and the pathetic standards that they have.

One step forward... two steps back...

2009-08-14T09:45:00.005+10:00

I'm really excited about the fact that we can now enter OUR house whenever we want, without making appointments and without the tradesmen. It was kind of exciting last night when we dropped by after work and instead of prowling around the outside, up to our necks in mud, trying to peer through windows into a dark house, we could walk up to the front door and ENTER!! It will be even more exciting when we can go there and don't have to go 'home' afterwards.

We were really hoping to see that everything was finished as promised, but alas it wasn't(and we shouldn't be suprised by now). The painful part is there really doesn't seem to be any pride in the finish - in particular the painting and so Bryan is pursuing it this morning with the Area Manager and the SS. No doubt we'll get the same story... "today! It'll be done today!" (even though yesterday was their deadline, and before that is was Monday and before that it was Monday week ago...).

I really feel that the whole construction process has been a case of one step forward, two steps back. Yesterday's settlement was just another example... we walked away feeling optimistic again only to be dissapointed when they didn't deliver

BUT I'm going to let Bryan deal with that and I'll get on with getting excited about the fact that WE NOW OWN A HOUSE (well the bank does - but we get to look after it for them!).

I've also been working my way through that list over there --> the "To do before moving list" and have added another "To do/buy when we can..." which is growing rapidly...

The appliances were installed yesterday and so our kitchen looks complete and we have hot water as well. Now we just need a dishwasher to fill the ugly gap under the sink (better add that to the list).

The blinds for the front two windows are now done, I just need to put the battens in but I'll check that they fit the windows first before i do that. I took them over last night and held them against the window and it looks like they might be a bit long, but I won't know until I can hang them properly. It's not a big deal if I need to adjust the length, I'm just really hoping that the widths are OK (which looks good on the one that we did hold up so fingers crossed).

Oh and the phone is getting connected as I type!

We have a house!... We have a house!...

2009-08-13T14:16:00.002+10:00

We have a house!... We have a house!... We have a house!... We have a house!... We have a house!... We have a house!... We have a house!... We have a house!... We have a house!... We have a house!... We have a house!... We have a house!... We have a house!... We have a house!... We have a house!... We have a house!... We have a house!...

(I'm just a little bit excited... can you tell?...)

This morning we paid the final invoice and took possession of the keys!!!!!

It wasn't without hiccups... our 10 minute settlement appointment became 2 hours... but it's done now.

We almost cancelled the settlement appointment this morning when we had our meeting with the SS at the house early this morning because there was still a lot to be done (and painting of all things!), and this was after the SS had spent nearly an hour at the house before we got there cleaning (we got there at 7.30am). After some heated words from me that included loosing my temper and being on the verge of tears, he somehow (I have no idea how) assured us that it would be done!?...

So in we went to our settlement appointment and OH explained the situation and asked if we could speak with a manager that would verify what the SS had told us and again was it possible to get something in writing... This started a flurry of phone calls from settlements back to our SS, CSO and the area CS Manager and the promise that everything would be done by 5pm along with a signed letter confirming this. (apparently they rang our CSO who told them they'd have the letter by the end of the day - she was promptly told by the settlements dept that this wasn't good enough and that it would be done immediately LOL!)

Soooo.... we signed the paperwork, collected our keys and accepted their 'gift' (salt and pepper grinders, a bottle opener and a coffee plunger with 2 cups - is there a theme here... we reckon you deserve a drink and a strong coffe to have survived this experience!!) and went on our way.

Unfortunately for us (and luckily for them!) we won't have a chance to get back to the house before 5 this afternoon anyway, but I hope it's done properly this time as I've promised a barrage of calls and an angry sit-in at the office if there's a problem. I've also reminded the SS that avoiding us will be difficult as we now live next door to one of his newest jobs...

Tomorrow the moving starts - best pack some things first though!!

Valuation done!!! Cheque received!!!

2009-08-11T17:18:00.003+10:00

I rang the bank yesterday to check if the valuation was done.... NO!

And then I rang the bank again (I promise I only called twice and the second time was 5.30pm and I really didn't expect to get through...) and was pleased to hear that the valuation had come back!!

Of course, my hopes were then dashed when the guy told me the cheque would take "a couple of days" - why??? especially when the last person I spoke with said it would be available the next day... Anyway, after explaining that settlement was booked for Thursday morning before the bank opened, and that if possible I would really like to be able to collect the cheque on Wednesday, he did something on the computer and then said "OK it will be ready".

So today I dropped into the bank to see what the process was for collecting the check - ie would they call us, what paperwork was needed etc - and ended up walking out with the cheque!!

Bring on Thursday!!!!!!!!!!!!
(Inspection of the house at 7.30am and then settlement in the city at 9.30am)

Getting there...

2009-08-11T16:26:00.003+10:00

We attended the final inspection yesterday and there's only one word for it....

DISSAPOINTING!!!

Of the 8 pages worth of items (some 94 items) requiring fixing, we spotted only 2 that had been done and even those were half-a$$ed fixes. They included changing the door handle on the pantry door to the correct one (but leaving the holes from the previous ones only half-filled) and a filling strip behind the bathroom door but they forgot the one next to the window in the same bathroom....

I won't go on about it... suffice to say that when the settlements officer called the SS and put back the appliance installation forward to Thursday (instead of Monday because the bank wouldn't have had the cheque available that early), the SS figured he had more time and didn't bother checking whether everything had been done... We were then coerced into signing the completion report - the one that says we're happy with the place and that all identified items had been fixed satisfactorily - with barely any items fixed.

We did have a minor win though... We asked what the verdict was for the scratched window that he was to follow up on and were told that he (the SS) had checked with his supervisor who'd told him to "make a decision on it". Quite obviously he didn't think that it should be replaced but after a brief discussion where I pleaded our case with something along the lines of... "surely you could give us this, given that we've let a few other things slide such as the power points in the lounge that aren't as per the contract and the raised tiles in the bathroom that he'd agreed is higher than standard..." He then went outside, made a call, put some tape on the door to mark the scratch and informed us that it might take a week for it to be installed. - YAY!!!

We have now booked another inspection (lets call it a final FINAL inspection) with the SS prior to our settlement appointment - at our request - and have made it clear that unless everything on the report with the exception of the replacement window and the appliance installation, that we would be cancelling our settelement appointment and will not be paying until ALL items are finished (reasonable enough considering that these items should all have been finished by Monday (yesterday)).

Anyway... enough of that... here's some photos of the inside at last.

Looking from the lounge through to the living area at the back of the house (the entry, main bedroom and study are behind me)

Main bedroom - looking from the WIR

Looking from Main bedroom into the ensuite (WIR on the left)

WIR

The study

Opposite wall of the entry

Lounge - the kitchen is on the other side of the wall on the right

Looking from the kitchen doorway back towards the front door

The open plan kitchen, meals and living

Living/meals again

Pantry

Kitchen - looking out towards the garage

Kitchen again

Bathroom

Shower

I am also please to say that I now LIKE the kitchen. Since the painting has been finished and much of the dust and rubbish removed, the kitchen looks much better than it did earlier. The colours blend a lot better and the tiles don't look too dark anymore.

And I really do love the feature tiles in the bathrooms - may not love the ensuite one once I have to clean it but I do at the moment :)

Oh and one more thing... in these photos the carpets look exactly the colour that Bryan and I both wanted, however in real life they do have a greenish tinge but it's grown on me (but not so with B).

Final inspection...

2009-08-10T08:00:00.002+10:00

We have our final inspection of the house today... Hopefully everything has been finished (although the SS has already warned us that it may not be complete this morning but will be by the end of the day).

Later today I will give the bank a call and see if the valuation has been done yet. Fingers crossed that it has because that would make picking the cheque up much easier.

The blinds are progressing... Slowly... I have finished the sewing of the front two (main bedroom and office) bit I want to check that they fit the window properly before I put the battens (rowel rods) in. I did also have the lounge blind almost finished too until I measured it and discovered that it was too narrow because I'd stuffed up my measurements so I've unpicked it all and will start again tonight.

And at last I've started packing. Not much but it's a start. I really do hate packing!!!!!!!!

In the hands of the banks once again...

2009-08-04T11:28:00.004+10:00

Yesterday I sent off the final invoice and occupancy permit to the bank for processing and now we wait....

The bank will do their valuation and then order the cheque and then we can book an appointment with the builers settlements officer. Hopefully this will all happen by Monday but I suspect we might be looking at later than that.

I remember right back at the start of all this when we were waiting on the loan approval from the bank and how frustrating the waiting was... It seems that this is the way of building - always waiting for the next step, for the next update, for the bank to tell you... for the tiler to finish... for the bricks to arrive... for the fencer to quote....

You really don't have any control over the process when building and so you really just need to be prepared for the ride - much like a roller coaster... you go up... you go down... you slow as you go around a corner... and finally, slowly, you reach the end and you can get out. You'll have had some fun, you'll have been scared and freaked out, it might even have made you sick but you survived and no doubt you'll find yourself trying out another one, maybe not immediately but it's certainly a possibility. Perhaps this is just they way life is - you take the bad with the good....

In the meantime it's back to preparing for the big move... I started and list and it's growing everytime I think about it:

Get insurance for the house and our contents (Mum will be very pleased to hear that!) - currently researching...
Arrange for fences to go up (with a dog we need to have these up before we can move in - not to mention for security) - will pay the deposit today and hopefully the neighbours have signed off on it too;
Transfer the gas and electricity into our names - DONE;
Organise the phone and internet connections (I need these so that my work is not interrupted) - will research pricing first...
Cull and Pack... even though its just over 12 months since we moved last I'm certain that there's more to throw out - haven't even started!;
Finalise the building permit for the verandah - the application is in, just waiting on a response (the sooner we can get the verandah done, the sooner we can get the concreting done - dog plus mud will not make for a pretty picture!);
Get the blinds done (at least for the front two rooms so that we can have a bit of privacy - our bedroom is at the front and the ensuite has a great view through the front window) - I have the bedroom one almost done, I just need to glue the rods in place. The others are all cut and at various stages.
....

Hmm... I might need to start a list over there --> in the side bar...

One more week and it will be OURS!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-08-03T12:01:00.001+10:00

We had our PCI this morning and I have to say that it went better than I had hoped ::cheerleader::

The idiot construction manager didn't turn up and the SS was very professional. He explained the process, gave us the paperwork and then we went through the house. I'm not sure what brought the turn-around but I am very pleased that it happened. As we walked in he even asked if we wanted to keep the leftover bricks (more than half a pallet) - almost as though they were a peace offering (he knew that we wanted the leftover bricks and that we weren't happy at the started that the excess bricks were thrown out). We also let him know from the start that we weren't unhappy with the house, but there were some things that we could see would need fixing, but we weren't going to nit-picky - we just want a well presented, well built house.

We spent 2 hours going through the place, inside and out and have 8 pages (93 items) of things that need to be fixed.
* Most of the items are paint repairs and touch ups - every window and door architrave and most of the skirtings and cornices require touch ups.
* He has agreed to clean up the grouting (the risidual that was left on the tiles) although at first he tried to tell us that we'd just need to give it a good clean - then he realised that there was actually quite a bit.
* The marks on the carpet in one of the minor bedrooms will be cleaned
* There are a few scratches and bumps/knocks in the plaster
* The tiles in the laundry above the tub will be repaired - mostly because the laundry tub/cabinet is faulty and the tub isn't actually clicked down into the framework and each time you move it, the tiles move (previously we'd been told these wouln't be fixed)
* The pitting in the brickwork will be repaired (the bigger holes at least). Again he started out by telling us that small pitting is acceptable and was recording each hole until he realised that there were lots.
* The bricks will be spot cleaned to remove paint and chunks of mortar, but there are bits that won't be cleaned... so be it...
* The small garage door will be touched up and repaired around the frame where there are holes in the plaster that have been painted over (almost like they'd been covered with paper and then painted)
* The skirtings in the garage will be neatened up
* The mortar droppings in the garage will also be tidied up - OH took the route that he intends on painting the floor and that all the bumps would look unsightly.
* The hole in the fascia of the garage (the bit above the main front door) will be repaired - not sure how but using their guidelines of standing 1.5 meters away it was visible and so will be fixed.

There was only one item that he didn't put down but has agreed to check and that is a scratch in the sliding door to the kitchen - my reading of the guidelines says that it should be fixed so we'll have to wait and see what he decides on that.

We briefly discussed the raised tiles but they were not recorded - we didn't even ask for it to be as it's a battle we will fight another way (and maybe we could live with them after all).

All in all it was a very positive meeting and one of the better (if not the best) meetings we've ever had with our SS (I know, I can't beleive it either).

So we're booked for a final inspection and handover next Monday. The appliances have also been ordered for that day too. I'm now VERY EXCITED and my head is reeling with all that I have to do now (book the settlement, organise the payment from the bank, insurance, phone, utilities.... OMG!!!)

Garage doors at last....

2009-07-31T10:14:00.002+10:00

Finally, on a lighter note, the garage doors have both been installed.

I dropped in last night just as the light was dissapearing to take a photo of the front and was curious about whether the back door had been installed. It was raining (and the clay is a nightmare when it's wet) and so I pushed up the front garage door and was surprised to find that the rear door had also been installed.

So here it is....

We're not wrapped in the white (actually it's paperbark) front door and the bit above the garage and are thinking that we might change it after handover. We actually wanted a dark front door but they wouldn't allow it because it's west facing and could possibly warp. I'm thinking a mid grey, bordered by the paperbark above the garage door might make it blend a bit better and perhaps some mid grey detail on the front door as well.

And here's the mass of powerpoints in the lounge. The top line (the quad and an aerial) is what we requested - and at that height. The bottom row is what they put in initially (although one was an aerial point and for some reason has been changed to a double powerpoint), and when we commented that it wasn't right, they just added the ones that should have been there rather than taking them away. I'm thinking that we might as well leave them there rather than muck about with patching and painting...

2009-07-30T15:51:00.001+10:00

I am now dreading the PCI appointment on Monday, but anticipating an end very soon.

We had Kevin booked to do a re-inspection yesterday (Wednesday) and had informed our SS who had agreed to the appointment albeit reluctantly because "Wednesday is our office day" as we hear so often. However 8am yesterday morning OHs phone rings and it's the SS telling us that Kevin can't do an inspection as no-body is available to open up for him. He put up a slight arguement and the SS suggested that Kevin could do an external inspection but that he couldn't go inside. I was NOT impressed and so I got on the phone and all hell brooke loose....

I couldn't understand how the SS had agreed a day earlier and now it was a problem and so I argued. Eventually I heard the SS say to somebody beside him "see I told you this would happen". So I asked to speak with that person which I eventually managed to do after a lot of persistence. Turns out the other person was the construction manager and to call him rude is putting it lightly.

To cut a long story short, the construction manager implied that we were delaying the progress of our house and that quote "this can't go on any longer". We were also told that if Kevin attended our house yesterday we would be in breach of our contract and that if we wanted him to do another inspection that this would constitute our PCI and that we would be waiving our rights to attend a PCI.

I don't see how it is that we could be blamed for delaying the house when all we have asked is for 2 inspections to be done and then an additional one because items from the first report weren't fixed. The last inspection was done on the 1/7/09 and the house has sat there idle for the most part of the past month. For the month prior to that the house also had very little activity - none of that is our fault.

In the end I had to back down and cancelled Kevin's inspection. I was furious at the way that they spoke to me and how in they were telling me that they are doing more than is required to get our house ready but couldn't actually give me any details. They kept pointing out that they don't actually have to respond to anything on Kevin's report but they did and we are supposed to be gratefull...

OH is also furious and would like to fight it and according to the information that we've received from Kevin, they would cop significant fines for what they are trying to do (getting Kevin to sign off on the PCI for starters) but I've had enough. If we go into battle the only win is the fines that they receive - we continue to pay interest on our loan as well as rent and get nothing for the effort that it takes. Yes there is the satisfaction but that's only worth it if the impact of our action has an effect on them as a business. It's likely that the fines would be nothing to them and so I can't be bothered.

I am however dreading the PCI on Monday as the construction manager has informed me that he will be there and I am sure that they will argue against anything that we point out. The reason that they are so desparate to get us into the house is that they have exceeded their project time (not the contract) by almost double and it's costing them money (not money that they have to pay us, but in terms of their business and the costs of staff and not being able to start a new job). This really isn't fair as we are not responsible for their delays, we have not asked for anything unreasonable and we have let them go at their own pace. They know that I'm at my wits end and that I will sign-off on many things without much more argument, but we will be getting Kevin in to inspect the house after handover and we will pursue it with the building commission if the structural issues remain.

Anyway - sorry this is so long, I just needed to get it off my chest.

Oh and I got home from work yesterday afternoon to find the Certificate of Occupancy in the mail Apparently the house was inspected on the 30/6/09 and yet we were still being told at that time that it wasn't finished. And I thought that you needed a hot water service to get a COO but obviously I was wrong on that too.

And one more thing - one of our garage doors has finally been installed (the front one).

We have a PCI date...

2009-07-27T11:14:00.002+10:00

Ok, so I am a little bit calmer about the house at the moment, not because anything has happened, but simply because what benefit does it serve...

I read a magnet in a shop recently that fits this situation (and me) to a tee:

"For every minute you are angry you loose 60 seconds of happiness"
Ralph Emerson

All of this being angry is not doing either of us any good and so I've decided I'm not going to let it get to me anymore (at least I'l try!!)

What's frustrating with our build is that we are well off the contract period and as such there isn't much that we can do or complain about. I guess I just didn't expect to have paid the majority of the bills so early and to then be waiting so long. I really do feel for those whose build goes well over the contract time.

Actually I really wouldn't mind if it went to full contract if they would just keep us informed with what's happening and stop lying to us - that is what is really getting to me... the lies and the lack of information about what for us is the biggest amount of money we've ever spent.

On a brighter note, we now have a PCI date - next Monday. It seems a bit hollow however as we know there are things that haven't been done. Having said that, at least it gives us a chance to get everything that we arent' happy with in writing, and they've told us that everything should be fixed within 7 days of the PCI (I don't believe it but it's a start).

I really do need to give credit where credit is due though. As much as our SS is an idiot, he at least answers our calls or calls back almost immediately if he misses a call. Whilst everyone else is ignoring our calls, he is at least still talking to us and for that I am thankful!

Fingers crossed that most things are finished before our PCI on Monday.

In the dark...

2009-07-24T13:54:00.002+10:00

I'm feeling so "in the dark" about our house... I have no idea what is happening or when we might be able to move in!

When I ring the SS he babbles on and says not much and the CSO is ignoring my calls. I tested her this morning... I've tried calling all week and my calls have gone unanaswered. I called this morning and it rang through to message bank, I rang back but blocked the number and it was answered in two rings. Her information on our house?... I'll call you when we are ready to present it to you....

And to top it off the "nice as pie, if you have any problems just call me, area manager won't return our calls either" I JUST WANT MY HOUSE FINISHED!!!!!!!!!!!

They are fixing some of the things from the inspection report and others they believe are "satisfactory"! They have ripped up the window sills and we are still waiting on the brickie to return and finish the job.

The garage doors seem to have gone AWOL and SS has no idea what's happening with them or when they will arrive, let alone get installed.

And yet we received a letter yesterday from the settlements officer explaining the handover process. WE HAVEN'T EVEN GOT A PCI APPOINTMENT YET!!!!!!!!

And the worst part?... they have had 95% of the money since April and we're paying interest on that and rent and we have no idea when they are going to pull their finger out and finish the bloody thing!

I'd start packing but this could go on for weeks yet!

2009-07-21T13:47:00.003+10:00

I had a question from Fi about the progress of our house and I realised that I hadn't updated the blog for quite some time...

In answer to your question Fi, Things are progressing slowly and hopefully we are only a week or two of PCI and then handover shortly after. Building with Simonds hasn't been as easy as we'd be lead to believe but in saying that I think that there are people who have experienced the same with all of the big volume builders.

Our issue is probably more with the incompetence of the staff working on our project and not necessarily with the company as a whole (although there are a few odd policies that we question the validity of).

Overall our house is looking good on the inside and the layout is just what we wanted, however there are several key brickwork issues that need to be corrected that should have been fixed a long time ago. When these last issues are fixed we'll be ready for our PCI and to be honest I can't wait for this all to be over. Please feel free to email me directly if you want to know more about our experiences. The Homeone forum is also another invaluable resource for people building.

An Update...

2009-07-21T13:40:00.000+10:00

I have been neglecting this blog lately because I'm "over" this whole building caper, but I reckon it's time for an update.

We had Kevin do an inspection for us back on July 1 (an effort in itself as CSO wanted to dictate when we would do it and refused to work within the appointment that I had made as per advice from the area manager - a battle which I did eventually win but not after several very heated phone calls)and we were horrified with the results!! Most of the brickwork issues that he identified in the pre-plaster inspection still hadn't been fixed despite being told by both the SS and CSO that all of the issues from the first report had been fixed.

Needless to say the SS and I had "words" about this and what he had to say simply floored me! I couldn't understand WHY we had told such lies... his response... the brickies told me they'd fixed all of the problems Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought the role of Site Supervisor is to coordinate the job and oversee it - which would mean checking on the quality of work. I asked him about this and he repeated that the brickies had told him they'd fixed the problems... What the???

He's now assured me that all the issues have been fixed. This time I've asked if he's actually checked the work and this time he says that he has. Do I beleive him - not on your life!! What really angers me is that he argued against this inspection just as he did the first. He stood there in our house and told us that we were wasting our money because the first inspection raised all of the structural issues and an inspection at this stage wouldn't bring up anything else that we couldn't pick up ourselves.

I'm now waiting on a call from him this afternoon with more information about where we're up to. He had promised that all of the work would 'hopefully' be finished by Friday last week, but apparently they ran out of bricks and he still has no idea what's happened with our garage door either

When we spoke on Friday he was talking about a PCI possibly Thursday this week... I have NO hopes for this as I want Kevin back in to re-inspect BEFORE we do our PCI and the closest appointment I can get is Wednesday next week. I KNOW that is not going to go down so well as Wednesday is 'office day'....

Anyway, fingers crossed for a PCI next week sometime.

A driveway and more!!!!!!!!!!

2009-06-26T20:55:00.002+10:00

We had a meeting at our house with our builders area manager to discuss our concerns and I'm feeling positive about our house again!

OH made some phone calls yesterday in an effort to find somebody who would listen to our concerns about the house... and he came up trumps when he was directed to the area manager (I think that's his title). He listened to what Bryan had to say about our house and our experiences and actually suggested that we bring in Kevin to inspect the place. How different is that considering our SS really doesn't want us to bring our own inspector in (and it so happens that Kevin is our chosen inspector too).

We met with him today at the house it was like a breath of fresh air for me. He was pleasant and easy to talk to and listened to all of our concerns and explained things where necessary and let us know that all of what we'd pointed out were reasonable concerns that needed to be fixed.

It also helped that we arrived to see that the driveway had been done and there were two different groups of tradesman working - a very pleaseant surprise I'm feeling again that our house may be finished in the near future. We will be calling Kevin on Monday to rebook our inpsection allowing them about a week to finish the list of jobs so far (it will take that long to get an appointment from what I was told by Kevins office this week when I stupidly let my appointment go because SS wouldn't call me back to confirm a time). Following that we will present Kevin's report to the SS and CSO and will book our PCI after that.

So after a bit of a photo drought, I finally have some pictures of our house with our new driveway and path...

2009-06-23T17:50:00.000+10:00

The initial inspection went.... hmmmm.... it went well I think. I'm still not exactly sure weather it was a PCI or not but we definitately used it as an opportunity to point out the many (many!) faults.

The house had been cleaned with the floors washed and the carpets steam cleaned as requested (they were still damp when we went through). Our meeting started with the SS taking it very casually as though we were just going to walk through and say "this is great". After pointing out a few things, he decided he might need a notebook and proceeded to note our concerns. He agreed with most of what we pointed out and noted everything that needed fixing which I was very pleased with.

At the time we went through there were still a few things unfinished - the garage doors and driveway (still!) and the laundry tub and a few power points as well.

So what did we pick up on? Here are just a few things...

...the grouting of all the tiling, except the main living area floor, is appalling and even the SS called it "unacceptable". There is grout all over the tiles and the grout lines in many places are higher than the tiles on either side. I can't beleive that anyone could leave a job in this state and think that it was finished!

...The tiles are uneven in the ensuite. There is a visible difference between the top of the feature tile and the top of the rows on either side (and it's the first thing that you see when you walk into the ensuite)

...There is also a visible difference in the feature tile on the bath as well - the feature is at least half a centimetre deeper than the surrounding tiles (they are not at all flush as you pass your hand over them)

...The garage is a shocking job - above the main opening the inside section is a mess where there are cracked plaster sheets where the plasterer has forced the sheet down over a peice of timber that should have been trimmed first (it would have fit then!) and all of the nails holding it in place have popped already. Hard to explain but suffice to say its the result of laziness! There is also several other sections where the edges haven't been finished or sealed and the access door is as rough as it can get.

...The lounge room window has a gap that you can fit your hand into (on the outside) between the frame and the bricks - you can even see the timber frame of the house through it

...The exhaust fans/heat lights that we upgraded to in both bathrooms have been left off and instead have only a single batten light fitting.

...There's a power point missing in the hall and the ones in the lounge still haven't been corrected (and they are at the wrong height)

...The external lights that should be sensor lights are missing their sensors

...The plaster in one room needs the lower sheets from 3 walls to be replaced as they have ripples in them (someone had already marked "damaged" on these walls and then dropped the black pen they were using on the carpet leaving a black mark!! The SS tried to rub it off but I told him I wasn't happy with that! as I said "rubbing it in isn't getting the mark out!!!" )

...There are other things that OH has picked up and we still need to get our inspector to take a look. Again the SS questioned us about "why" we felt it was necessary, claiming that he was just trying to "save us money". My reply was simple... "we want to know that the house is structurally sound... he picked up things in the first inspection and we need to know that those have been corrected and that no other mistakes have been made since". SS tried to tell us that we'd already had him check the structure and that those things have been fixed so there's no need. We won't be swayed however and are booking the inspector anyway!!

SS has asked for a week to fix up the stuff that we've pointed out before we bring in our inspector. Then there will no doubt be more to fix (which they should do in 2 weeks unless it's something major). The SS is also taking a week off next weeks So I expect that we are still at least 3 weeks off handover (more likely more!).

No problem though - we're booking the fencer to start next week regardless. The verandah will be started soon and I'm also in the process of lining up the concreter. We may have all of this done before we move in at this rate!!

Initial inspection tomorrow!!

2009-06-18T12:34:00.002+10:00

I rang our SS this morning to let him know that we'd need access to the house on Friday for the verandah/pergola measure and quote and he suggested that we could do our initial inspection at the same time! I don't know if this is a different name for PCI or just an inspection prior to the PCI, but I really don't care - it means we are getting there. I have however told him that we won't be signing off on anything until we've had our independent inspector give us a report on the place first.

I'm not sure if this means that the garage doors and driveway have been done yet - we'll see tomorrow. At least it means that we'll have a chance to find out about some of the issues that we've identified so far.

Lonely...

2009-06-18T11:37:00.003+10:00

I drove past our house yesterday on my way to work and it looked lonely... all of the other houses in the estate had a flurry or workmen busily working to finish their respective houses and ours was sitting silent, waiting on garage doors and a driveway. "Please finish me" it was crying out!

No PCI today...

2009-06-15T11:57:00.003+10:00

Today is the 15th and no the PCI will not be happening. After chasing for 2 weeks I finally got an answer from our CSO on Friday that the PCI on the 15th will need to be put back. We are now waiting on a call from the SS to let us know when the new PCI date will be. Apparently the driveway has been held up due to the weather and the garage doors have been ordered but won't be here until (hopefully) later this week.

We dropped by on Sunday afternoon and peered through the windows to find that the painting has finally been finished!! The doors and door handles on all the rooms and robes have now been installed and the tiling in the kitchen has been finished - can't say about the bathrooms because of the obscure glass that we opted for. As far as we could see there is still some electrical fit-off work to be done, the laundry tubs still needs to be installed, the down-pipes painted, and of course the garage doors and driveways.

As we walked around there were few things that didn't seem quite right but I need to check the contract to make sure - power points that are doubles instead of quads, external lights without sensors etc...

It's all looking good though (despite the fact that we've both decided that we don't like the paint colour that we've chosen) and should be ready soon. So we've started booking appointments for quotes on fencing, verandah and concreting. I've also tentatively booked the independent inspector in anticipation of a PCI in the next 2-3 weeks.

The end is near!!!!!!!

2009-06-02T15:18:00.005+10:00

We received a letter today telling us that our PCI (practical completion inspection) is booked for 15th June 2009!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Our CSO will confirm this with us tomorrow but it's nice to know we're not far off. After the PCI they have about 2 weeks to fix any problems which means we should have our keys by the end of the month or the first week in July. Of course this is all dependant upon the SS and relevant tradies getting the job done and on the bank getting the evaluation and processing the payment so anything is possible!

Maybe NOW it's time to start packing....

Weekend report!!

2009-06-01T18:12:00.002+10:00

I've spoken with our SS today and he told me that:

The tiling should have been finished on the weekend
The painter should have finished on the weekend
The carpet was due to be laid today

He's not certain that any of it has been done yet but I've got an appointment to meet him on-site on Thursday so I will find out then. Still no word on when we're looking at handover (our SS is a man of few words), but given that the carpet is going in today and they keep telling us that carpets will be last, we can't be far off.

Our weekend was also a productive one - we only hope that they were as productive over at the house.

We managed to achieve a couple of things...

1. We purchased fabric for the remaining curtains. We've chosen a reddish fabric that is the same type as the green one that we have for the kitchen/living room. It's called Tobasco and is an dusty-orangey-red (not as bright as it looks in the photos - although that's the colour I would have preferred). This will also be made into Roman blinds.... soon I hope! I still have to remember the tape-measure for Thursday's meeting so that I can measure up and get started!

2. I did some reading on how to make the Roman blinds and now have a fair idea of how they're made/assessbled and am not at all scared by them anymore. My only real concerns are a) that I have enough fabric and b) that I get the rod pockets straight so that they don't look "home made".

3. We decided on a landscaping plan - and we both agree on it! This is pretty exciting as all along it seems that we've had different ideas/thoughts about what would work and what we prefer. Somehow we've managed to incorporate both of our 'wants' in a way that works both for the house and for us!! I can't wait to see it come together now! 3

We've decided on Conifers in the front yard with a couple of hardier maples for the autumn colour (and to meet the developers guidelines). We're going to put pencil pines out the back around the fence-line and we'll have a native garden outside the loungeroom window. There will also be a paved patio with a pergola. Now we just need to work out what this is all going to cost and which bits we can do ourselves and which bits we'll contract out...

4. We started buying plants... I've been reluctant to buy any plants until we knew what it was that we were going to do - I didn't want to end up with plants that didn't work with our final plan. Not that we're going to buy too many more before we move or get the keys but...

I took a drive up to the Dandenongs to visit the conifer gardens and seeing that I'd made the trip, decided to buy a few. I was a bit reluctant about conifers until I visited this nursery - it is amazing. If you think that conifers are just pencil pines and book leaf pines, take a look at this place and you'll discover that there's so much more to it!!!

Whilst up there I also found a nursery that had a heap of specials on the natives that I love and so had to buy a few of them too. Now we just need to hope that we're not too far off on hand-over.

We also found the maple that we want at a nursery in Geelong and will get that when we have the house - we'll need to hire a ute or truck for that one and so we only want to move it once!

Here's our collection of plants so far - there are also a few that we bought a while back along with a couple that we've rescued from the bargain sections...

A hive of activity!

2009-05-25T11:22:00.003+10:00

When I visited the house this morning it was a hive of activity.

The tilers were there doing the bathroom tiles and finishing the kitchen wall tiles. The floor tiles in the ensuite, bathroom, laundry, entry, kitchen, dining and living room are all complete (minus the grout).

The painter was back - doesn't look like he was there at all last week.

and...

The heating guys were installing our central heating.

There's still quite a bit to go...

Finish tiling
Finish painting
Finish heating installation
Brick clean
downpipes
shower screens and mirrors
plumbing fit-off
electrical fit-off
robe doors and shelving
door knobs
garage door
carpets
driveway
ceiling insulation
house clean and site clean

I didn't get to meet with the SS when I was there this morning (mix up with appointment times) so I have no idea what the latest prediction for completion is. Given all that is left to do I tend to think that we are still at least 4 weeks from completion - I happy to be proven wrong on this though.

So now for the bit that you've been waiting for - pictures!!

Entry tiles - they're filthy from all the muddy workboots traipsing in...

Living room

Close up of the ensuite feature tile

Inside kitchen cupboards - just 'cause!

Kitchen floor

Kitchen tiling - we're not sure what's happening here... there's a section to the left of the window that's not done but we've checked the plans and it's certainly supposed to be done. I didn't really notice until I was looking through the photos so didn't ask the tilers about it (doh!)

Bathroom shower feature

Ensuite

Tiles are progressing!!

2009-05-21T17:41:00.003+10:00

I managed to get a sneak peak at the tiling yesterday!! I stopped by on my way to work and was taking a photo through the fence when one of the tilers spotted me and asked if it was my house. When I told him it was he told me to go in and have a look. I didn't hesitate and went in and grabbed a few snapshots. They've started on the kitchen/living area but not the bathrooms.

Tiling didn't start today....

2009-05-18T23:26:00.002+10:00

Tiling didn't star today... I don't know why... I just know that when I peered through the windows this evening, that the boxes of tiles were just as we'd seen them on friday - sitting there unopened on the dining room floor.

Maybe they'll start tomorrow?...

Painting continues...

2009-05-17T11:25:00.004+10:00

We visited the house again on Friday for our latest update. There's not a lot to show since last time...

The painting has started and I'm pleased to report that I am happy with the colour. It is a bit on the 'cream' side (we really didn't want cream) but it's still a good colour and not too dark like I was concerned about. We've gone with a colour called 'Kid Skin' from Taubmans. I can't find a picture and it's really hard to describe. The ceilings and cornices are white and the skirtings, architraves and window frames are all Kid Skin.

I'm a bit concerned that the skirtings aren't the same colour as the walls (they are a gloss and the walls are a different type of paint) but the SS assures me that it's right because that's what's on his bit of paper... does anyone else find that strange? Just because the paper says the right colour doesn't mean that it's the right colour in the tin or even that it was mixed correctly? Anyway, we'll let them continue and see how it looks when the painting's done - perhaps it's just different because the walls have only had one coat.

Lounge room - with our laundry tub...

Wardrobe doors

The tiling is due to start on Monday so my next update (Monday week) should have something new to show.

Tiles sitting in the dining room ready to be layed (the feature tiles are in the pantry out of sight)

Given that the end is in sight, we went curtain shopping on Saturday. I had only intended to go looking and to show Bryan some of the ideas I'd had... We ended up buying curtains and/or fabric for all but 3 windows - a very impressive job.

We found some ready mades in the bargain bin to suit the 3 minor bedrooms. They'll need a slight alteration but I think that they'll look great. They're all the same pattern but in different colours. And such a great price - $130 for curtains for 3 rooms!!!!!

For the family room, dining room and kitchen (open plan room) we've bought fabric and I'm going to make roman blinds from it. No I've never made roman blinds before but how hard can it be?... I have a pattern!... I'm kidding, I haven't made them but I'm pretty confident in my abilities and think that they'll look fabulous too! This was also a great price - Spotlight have a deal at the moment where if you purchase all of a roll of fabric you get 30% off the price. We did that on two rolls (of the same fabric) and so save over $100!! We were planning on using this same fabric for the lounge, study and main bedroom but there wasn't enough which is OK by me because I'm still undecided about those rooms.

Fabric waiting to be transformed...

I'm still surprised that we were able to make a decision so quickly!

Painting commenced.

2009-05-08T07:35:00.003+10:00

The painter started work on Wednesday. I could tell because when I stopped by on Wednesday evening after work the windows were all covered with plastic. The garage ceiling appeared to have been painted (kinda looked like it had been sprayed), and the front door had been started as well. I also spied a Technika box in the rubbish cage so the stovetop or rangehood might have been installed to - yes I check out the rubbish as a means of finding out what is happening on the inside.

I have another walkthru booked with the SS for next Friday so no more pictures till then. Hopefully by Friday the tiling will have started so I'll really get to see some progress. Our CSO says that the shower screens will go in after the tiling is done. Not sure when the carpets or driveway will be done but I'm guessing they'll both be right at the end. I might need to get started on some sorting and culling this weekend in readiness for moving... again... Looks like another garage sale will be on the cards too!!

Photos from the inside!!!!

2009-05-01T12:03:00.003+10:00

Finally I have had a chance to walk in the house!

The plaster is mostly finished - just a few cornices and architraves to finish off in the ensuite and kitchen.
The kitchen cabinets and benchtops have been installed - the sink still needs to go in (and appliances too but that's not until after handover)
The bathroom vanities are done and the bath and shower bases have been installed.

SS tells me that the painter is booked to start on Wednesday next week and the tiler should start about a week after that. All going well he says that the house should be finished in about 5 weeks from now!! (That would be great if it happens but I'm not holding my breath just in case something doesn't go right).

Anyway, as pormised... some internal photos...

The kitchen...

Bathroom...

Built in robe...

Laundry...

Garage...

Solar panel for hot water...

Tiles...

2009-05-01T11:33:00.007+10:00

I've just realised that I didn't put up the photos of our tile selections so here goes....

We've chosen two different floor tiles - we'll use one for the living, dining, kitchen and entry... and the other is for the bathroom, laundry and ensuite. We originally wanted one tile throughout but couldn't find one that would go with the laminates and benchtops of both the bathrooms and kitchen. Hopefully it works like we have planned (you should only see one tile at a time).

This is the selection for living, dining, kitchen and entry...

The white glass squares are a feature tile for the kitchen and will be a line along the wall of the kitchen. The mushroom one beside it is the wall tile. The grout in the walls will be white to blend with the white glass tiles. The floor tile will have an off-white grout.

The laundry...

We've used the same mushroom wall tile (only needed for the small area behind the sink) and the same floor tile as the bathrooms.

The main bathroom...

The feature tile will run down the wall of the shower and down the side of the bath (I think..)

The ensuite...

The colours are the same as the main bathroom but with this feature tile instead - I really love this tile!!

When I spoke with the SS this morning he expects the tiler to start about a week from Wednesday (after the painter is finished).

Fixing stage complete?...

2009-04-30T08:40:00.002+10:00

I received an email last night telling me that the fixing stage is now complete! I haven't seen the inside of the house since the bricking started so I'm going to book an appointment with the SS to do a walkthrough ASAP.

If fixing is complete that means that construction is finished and the following should be done:

the plaster, cornices and architraves have been installed (I did drop by last night but all I could see was the plaster and cornices in the garage and office - the car's headlights wouldn't show me anything else.);
bathroom vanities;
kitchen cabinets and benches
doors hung.

All of this in only 2 months! I need to go in and take photos!!! I'm off to make that phone call now......

Plastering has started!!!

2009-04-19T09:00:00.002+10:00

We had our tile selection appointment on Friday. I did take photos of our selection but I haven't downloaded them yet. We're both happy with what we chose and we came in under budget so that's a win on both accounts! I'd try to explain but I don't think I'd do it justice so you will have to wait for the photos.... Hopefully later today.

And when we stopped by on Friday the plasterers were busy putting up the plaster.

Our house number...

2009-04-16T13:45:00.002+10:00

I've just found out that our house number is 35...

Not very exciting for most, but up until now I've known our address as lot# and had no idea of the number. Actually that's not totally true, I did look it up on the lands website and that's the number I got, but I wasn't too sure as they had the street name as something completely different.

Last night on the way home from work I had a bit of a prowl around with my torch (because the end of daylight savings means no light by the time I get there). I discovered:

insulation bats have been installed into the walls;
electrical rough-in has been done;
some plumbing work has been done;
the plasterboard has arrived!

Not much to tell...

2009-04-14T11:39:00.004+10:00

I haven't been out to the house for almost a week and whilst I'm itching to see what's happening, I'm not sure that there's much to see. Now that all the work that's happening is on the inside, we can't see what's going on until our next site meeting with the SS.

We had an independent inspection done last Wednesday and it seems money well spent and I haven't even seen the report. The SS really tried to talk us out of getting it done which only made us more determined.

Bryan had a meeting onsite with the SS last Thursday and said that the electrician was there doing some electrical work - the rough in. The bath had been installed and the shower bases were going in. Apparently the plasterer is due to start on Thursday...

Oh and Bryan mentioned that site had been cleaned on Thursday - the piles of rubble had been removed and rubbish cage had been emptied. Unfortunately all the left over bricks that we were hoping to keep were also removed - much to our discust!

I'll post again when I have more to update.

Locked up...

2009-04-08T21:50:00.003+10:00

Apparently...

It seems that "lock up" refers to the fact that the house now has all doors and windows installed with the potential to lock up. Apparently it doesn't actually mean you need to lock them... (is that a tad cynical?...)

I got a text message today telling me that our house is now at lock up stage. When I dropped in tonight on mey way home from work I did discover that the temporary front door is on but the temp fencing was wide open with several panels laying on the neighbours block and the laundry door open. I'd have taken pictures but now that daylight savings is over, it's too dark by the time I get there to take photo's. It won't matter now as the outside won't really change much and we're not allowed on-site without the SS.

Oh and we have another broken window!! The front bedroom window has two gaping holes - about brick size - one in each panel. I really do hope that this is not indicative of what we have to look forward to when we're living there?...

We expect the next invoice to arrive any day now. Yay!!!!!!!!

Roof and bricks almost done!

2009-04-05T14:20:00.002+10:00

The brickies were hard at work when we went to check on the house on Saturday afternoon. Apparently they would have finished on Friday but the rain foiled their plans. When we rocked up they only had the section above the main bedroom window (left front window) and the doorstep and window sills to go. They would have finished shortly after we left.

The roof tiles are mostly finished with only the ridge sections (capping?) to go and then a few tiles where the safety barrier is sitting.

Here are the last of the bricks going on.

We spied something else that was new.. the bath has been delivered

Buzzing with activity...

2009-04-03T08:15:00.002+11:00

We dropped by our house yesterday and it was a hive of activity!!

The roof tiles (which were delivered on Wednesday) were going on and the brickies were powering along with less that 2 half walls to go.

Our SS says that he's booked the plaster for the end of next week so we should be at lock up about a week after Easter.

Main bedroom at the front of the house

The nifty escalator thingamy that they use to get the tiles up onto the roof...

Roof tiles have arrived...

2009-04-02T10:18:00.002+11:00

On my visit yesterday evening I discovered that the roof tiles have been delivered and the roof safety barrier (I hope you can work out what I mean) has been installed!

The brickies have finished the garage and the left side of the house (looking from the front). They've done the bottom section of the right hand side of the house and the back, and they've started on the upper section of the back of the house. They've also made a start on the front and are up to the right side of the front porch. We're getting there!

We have a meeting with the site supervisor and building CSO this afternoon so that we can meet them. This meeting usually happens before construction starts, but as our house was started very quickly after settlement we are doing it now instead.

OK so what you really want is photos, so here they are (taken on my phone at 7pm so the light was not kind to me)...

Back wall (oops - a bit blurry)

Looking in through the laundry door

Looking down the righ hand wall from the back yard

This section (living room, kitchen, lounge and garage wall) is complete

This is the front of the house so far

And lastly... our tiles

According to our spies...

2009-03-31T13:05:00.003+11:00

According to our spies (well alright, the spy is Bryan dropping into the site at 9.30pm last night on his way home from work) that the bricking is progressing...

He tells me that the rear wall of the garage is done and that the left wall (looking from the street) and back wall are done halfway up (up to the height where scaffolding is required) and the part of the right wall is also at this point.

And our tile selection appointment has been booked. They originally wanted to book us in for May (MAY! :o ) but thanks to some swift-talking from Bryan, he's managed to book it for the Friday before we go away (to get married!). He's promised them that we'll be quick and that we'll have our selections sorted before we get there... well it's not really a lie... we have been in and made some selections but it all comes down to the price. We're going to go in an look again before the appointment to make sure we still like what we chose last year.

This is what we had in mind...

Pictures from the weekend...

2009-03-30T13:48:00.002+11:00

Here are the photos from our visit to the house on Saturday...

The fascias and gutters...

They've finished the side wall of the garage...

...and they've started on the back garage wall and the walls outside the lounge and kitchen...

Here I am giving Tyler (our Weimaraner) a walk through... "over there is the kitchen - you'll have to stay out of there..."

One of Bryan's 'arty' photos... looking through the front door and up through the roof trusses...

...and then there's this...

There are two 50 cent pieces that have been put into the brickwork of the garage wall (in the mortar). I'm not sure what this is about... If you could shed some light on this I'd really appreciate it!

Gutters, fascias and fridges....

2009-03-29T00:14:00.002+11:00

Our gutters and fascias were put on today (yes Saturday!!). The colour looks good against our bricks too (lucky! it's a bit late to change if we didn't like it...).

The bricking is also continuing but there's still a long way to go yet... We might have to reduce our visits back down to once a week - that way we'll be impressed with the progress. This week we've managed to go almost everyday and it seems not much has been done (which is wrong because there has been progress - just not as fast as the slab and frame...)

We did get some pictures today but they're on my phone and I can't download them on this PC. Hopefully I'll remember to put them up on Monday.

Tomorrow (oops, it's past midnight, so I mean today) I'm heading into Melbourne to a warehouse sale looking for a fridge. That's if I can find a good bargain, that we can afford and it's fits into the fridge alcove in the new house. We didn't really think about this being a problem when we OK'd the plans - should be fine though. Failing that we're off to the second-hand fridge place in Geelong... it's time to replace the 2 fridges we have as together they are putting our electricity bills through the roof (one fridge is too cold and freezes everything (not good for beer in glass bottles let me tell you) and the other isn't sealing (neither fridge nor freezer) and the fridge man says that new seals just won't cut it...) so we think it's time...

Brickie has started!

2009-03-25T20:28:00.001+11:00

I nearly didn't stop by the block last night (only a passing thought that I dismissed just as quickly!) because I really didn't expect to see any progress. Why?... it rained on and off for the morning and I felt sure that would have put a stop to the work.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that some work had been done however. Not a lot, but just enought to get a feel for how our bricks will look, and I am very happy so far.

I still can't help but feel a bit disappointed that I didn't get to see more progress, but I'm sure when Bryan gets home from work this afternoon he'll have photos showing that lots of work has been done today... I hope...

The fascias and gutters have now been delivered, and I also found this...

Bryan asked if I'd checked to see what had been thrown at it, but I had to admit that I didn't even think to check. It does look like someone's thrown a rock (or perhaps a brick - there are plenty!) at it.

Bricks and wrapping...

2009-03-24T23:16:00.008+11:00

All wrapped in white...

Windows in place (bedroom on left - main bathroom on the right with th obscure glass)

Looking from the rear yard (window on left is a bedroom, door in the middle is the laundry door and to the right is the living room)

Looking in through the front door

The garage

Looking across the front of the house

Looking into the living area of the house - across the side yard

Our Red Gum bricks

Minor Update...

2009-03-24T16:22:00.008+11:00

Bryan stopped by the build-site on his way to work and has called in with the following report (see how hungry I am for details!!)

The windows have been put in - and yes our front windows are correct (now... the SS tells me that the company that pre-fabs the timber framing did stuff up the window measurements but these sections were redone and all is fixed);
We've been wrapped - I'm waiting for the photos to see what colour we are now;
The bricks have arrived - Bryan was a bit concerned that they weren't the right colour but we have rung the SS and both he and the supplier have confirmed that they are right - we'll have to wait and see how it pans out when the brickie starts tomorrow.

Bryan has taken photos but we'll have to wait until tonight for those. In the meantime, here are our external colours. I don't have an image of how they'll all look together apart from what's in my head and so far I haven't worked out how to download that - the USB cable just isn't doing it...

This is our facade (flipped so that the garage is on the left)

Our bricks - Red Gum by Austral with natural (grey) rolled mortar joints. Not our favourite, but this is about the only one we liked from the standard range and I really couldn't see the point in paying extra $$ for bricks!! (plenty of other things we'd rather spend our money on...)

Roof tiles - Barramundi in the Tudor Style from Monier (CSR Roofing)

Garage door - sectional lift with remote - in this style but in a dark charcoal colour - called monument (below)Colorbond Monument will be used for garage doors, gutters and fascias)

Window Frames - black
(it's just black - you don't need a picture of that surely!! :) )

Front door - Paperbark

Nothing to report, just waiting for my next visit/update...

2009-03-24T12:27:00.004+11:00

I'm itching to see what progress has been made on our house since Friday. The SS said last week that the bricklayer was due to start this week so I'm hoping to see some brickwork when I get to drop in tomorrow afternoon on the way home from work.

I'm not sure if it's a good or bad thing living 30mins away from our building site... If we were closer I'd be able to drop in more often and see the progress, but then I'd probably get even more obsessed with the build and be there everyday!! As it is I get to go there once a week on my way home from Melbourne and maybe again on the weekend (usually if dog training is on, I can get Bryan to do the training and I can duck our for a sticky beak...). That really is enough - for a person with patience (which is not me in case you haven't guessed).

Pictures tomorrow I hope!!!

A skeleton of a house.

2009-03-21T14:06:00.003+11:00

20th March 2009

The roof trusses are on...

The crows approve...

Looking out of the kitchen window...

I'm not sure what this pipe is but it's sticking up from the floor of one of the bedrooms - I think I remember it having electrical wires - there's another one on the other side of the same room.

More frame and roof trusses

2009-03-19T23:42:00.000+11:00

19th March 2009.
The Roof trusses are going up (they're sitting up there on top ready to be installed) and the windows have been delivered...

Looking from across the street

Looking through the garage to the study and then the main bedroom on the other side.

The living room and backyard - complete with windows.

The front door - or where it will go at least.

Looking into the main bedroom. We're not sure what's happening with these windows. The shape here is not what's on our plans - nor those of the site supervisor. He's checking up on this and will let us know what happened tomorrow.

The back yard - not big but big enough. The side yard is about the same width but longer.

The bedroom side of the house.

We've been framed!!

2009-03-19T23:38:00.000+11:00

18th March 2009
We have a frame...
(pictures taken on my phone in diminishing light)

A slab!!!

2009-03-19T23:21:00.000+11:00

14th March 2009
I don't know when it happened - I was hoping for pics of the slab in progress, but sometime between Wednesday and Saturday the slab was poured and the formwork removed.

I was talking with Mum about how a slab can seem small until it has wall on it - ours looked big! At least it looked big to me as it seemed to take up so much of our block!

Our front porch...

That little block is where the hot water system will sit...

Idon't know what this little divit is but I took a photo anyway...

Next came the portaloo and meter box

2009-03-19T23:10:00.000+11:00

11th March 2009
On my next visit just a couple of days later, we had a portaloo and a meter box. The box looked a bit lonely standing there all by itself - no wall to cling to...

Temporary fencing, pink posts and poly pipe...

2009-03-19T23:00:00.000+11:00

4th March 2009
I dropped into our block on the way home from work and was suprised to find that a start had been made (we later received a letter saying that work started on the 27th of Feb). The site had been scraped and marked out and pipes for sewerage and electricity had been installed.

Here's our temporary fencing, pink posts and poly pipe...

Waiting...

2009-03-19T22:37:00.000+11:00

December, January and February saw us waiting... waiting... waiting... waiting for our land to be titled so that we could start building.

When we first looked at our block we were told that it was titled - ready to build. When it came to signing the land contract, just one week later we were told that the developer was holding off on titling the land until the new year (that was in October) to avoid paying extra rates and taxes, and that the land would be titled in early January.

In December I got excited because we got a SOLD sign on our block (that's our car in our driveway and our block to the right)

In January we were told that our land would be title on 4th February. That didn't happen and we waited again.

In January I got excited because a tap and water meter appeared on our block

Finally on 20th Feb our land was titled!!!

Our Customer Service Officer at Simonds was as excited as we were, she had us down for a February start - Feb 16th actually - and was keen to get us started.

And start they did.... on 27th of Feb.

Preparations...

2009-03-19T21:59:00.000+11:00

Things seemed to move along quite quickly once the decision was made.

Our land contracts were signed, a loan for the land was applied for and approved, a conveyancor was appoint and the deposit paid... and then we waited...

In the meantime we had our colour and electrical appointments where we were extremely conservative. The word of the day was "standard".... "which bricks would you like?" - show us the standard options "what about the front door - upgrade or standard?" - standard ...and benchtops, paint, laminex, door handles and the list goes on - STANDARD!!!

We did upgrade a few things - privacy locks on the bathroom and toilet doors (you're surprised that they're an extra too? so was I), obsure glass on the bathroom windows, a longer handle on the pantry door - to match the other kitchen cupboard handles and I don't remember what else.

The elecrical selection was a little different. We added a few things and then they gave us the price and we were surprised that we were under budget and so went back and added more. Mostly it was just extra power points, double switches on lights, outdoor lighting, heating/exhaust units for the bathrooms, and exhaust fan for the laundry - we're dryer users and so this is a necessity, all pretty boring stuff here.

Next was the signing of the house contracts, the application for the construction loan, approval of the construction loan and then we continued to wait....

Beginnings...

2009-03-19T21:19:00.000+11:00

Late last year we made the decision to become home owners - this is the story of our journey.

In October we got serious about it - spurred on my the Australian Governments generosity with their boost to the First Home Owners Grant - and started looking at house designs and blocks.

We've looked before but each time got carried away by the beauty of all of those big 'dream' homes with foyers, galleries, powder rooms, and other stuff that we really didn't need. This time we took a different approach and looked at what our priorities were in a house (what we needed and what we think would be a good investment/rental) and what land was available in a price we could afford and that would fit the house we wanted.

It's a bit of a chicken and egg situation - land first or house first?.....

Our priorities were....

3 bedrooms
2 separate living spaces; and
preferably a study or 4th bedroom.

Soon enough we found a combination that worked. Right house... right block... right price.... and so we put down holding deposits on both the land and the house and started the ball rolling.

Our land is in the Wyndella Estate - a small estate in Truganina (near Hoppers Crossing) east of Melbourne.

Our builder is Simonds and our plan is the Hillcrest. We've kept everything as it is in the plans except we switched the sliding door from the family room to the meals area (made more sense to us that way) and added a roller door to the rear of the garage. Oh and our house is flipped so that the garage is on the left.