Our Illoura 33 Traditional.

Backyard almost done...

2010-11-24T21:09:00.002+11:00

Since the last post we have finished installing the reed on the fence, which stops at the shed and we have planted out the gardens. We went to Diacos Nursery and bought hedging type plants that grow to approx 4m in height by 2m spread. We got 3 different types and 4 of each so they are mixed along the back fenceline as we had 12m to cover. Eventually this will make a nice hedge screening to block out the neighbours. We didn't want to go too high as our backyard faces north and we need the sunshine in the winter.

In the corner we have a palm garden with golden canes, a bangalow palm and ponytail palm. These are surrounded by more cordylines.
In the other corner near the shed we have another bangalow palm and a stone feature filled with succulents. I bought this because there is a drain underneath which is quite ugly, so the stone ornament is sitting on that! It can quite easily be taken apart and removed if the drain needs to be accessed.

We have bought some timber sleepers to do the garden edging but due to time constraints, that will have to wait until Christmas when G will have a few days off. He has installed a watering system onto our recycled water which is fully functional and the sleepers will eventually hide that, so we are almost done.

Here are a few pics of the progress so far;

Brush Fence

2010-11-03T11:50:00.000+11:00

We have started fitting the brush (reed) fencing, we have gone with natural colour this time. And because we have a capped top fence we won't put anything along the top, it looks quite good as it is running along the top in a nice neat line. Luckily, the 1.8m high pieces fitted perfectly :)
Yesterday, we finished all the way around to the shed. This weekend is supposed to be fine weather so we will complete the planting, which will just leave the timber garden egding left to be done after that. Once the backyard is done we will top dress the buffalo grass with topsoil as it is very uneven. We did fertilise it a few weeks ago and after all the recent rain, it is greening up nicely.

Operation backyard begins!!

2010-10-27T17:18:00.004+11:00

It's been a long time between drinks! we didn't do much around the house over winter, mostly because all that is left to do is the backyard. We have finally started on that over the last few few weeks as spring is now here in Melbourne and I will take some progress photos shortly.

At the end of autumn we had installed the shed and laid the turf and that's how it sat over winter. G has now put in the water system (which is connected to the recycle water) and we have started putting in some plants - a lilli pilli hedge along the side boundary which is under-planted with cordylines, and in the corner some golden cane palms and a bangalow palm in the very corner. Again there are some cordylines in different colours around this. Orginally, we were having a deck in the corner but unfortunately the budget won't stretch to that now.

We have bought some brush/reed fencing from Bunnings which will go all the way around the backyard to the shed (covering the rails on the fence) and along the brick panter but we will need to make up some screens above the planter to make it more secure. It will also go slightly higher than the fence above the planter (about 50cm) giving us more privacy. Not sure what we will put in the planter yet, but that will be the last thing that we do. If you haven't already guessed, we are going with a tropical theme out the back :)

Investment block

2010-06-20T19:28:00.009+10:00

We put a deposit on a block of land today, as an investment through our business.
As they say in real estate the best time to buy is yesterday and the next best time is today :)

Anyway, this one came back on the market recently because the buyer couldn't get finance so we pretty much snapped it up. It's a big 1493m block in an estate out in a country area of Melbourne, which is about 45 mins from where we live now. It's also where some friends of ours are currently owner building. If it wasn't so far out, I would love to live there as it's a really nice town.

Here's some pics of our block and the estate, the roads are still to be finished in our stage.

Our Block in Stage 5.

Master Plan.

The Estate.

Display cabinet

2010-06-18T18:20:00.000+10:00

I have been on the look out for a while now for a display cabinet to go in the dining area. We currently have a bookcase in there, but unfortunately I have been unable to keep any books in it for sometime due to the kids pulling them all out!

I finally found a great cabinet last weekend in a furniture shop in Dandenong, which was available in the chocolate colour that matches our other furniture. I ordered one and it got delivered today and I'm I really pleased with how well it matches in with everything else.

I have taken a couple of pics but at the moment it is bare inside as I need to go through some boxes to unpack my ornaments and frames. This is a job that I will do on a day when the kids are not here!!

More goodies!!

2010-06-17T15:10:00.002+10:00

We have replaced the fridge/freezer in the garage as the one that we had was quite old and we think costing us a fair bit to run. G uses it for all his work drinks, which he buys in bulk so we purchased a new one through his business. The old one is now on ebay :)

I have also bought 2 beautiful matching crystal-like lamps for the family room, which arrived today. I bought them from http://www.ozlighting.com.au which is the same website where the pendant light in my last post came from. Both times their service and products have been excellent.

New pendant light.

2010-06-07T21:44:00.001+10:00

My latest purchase is a new DIY cane pendant light for the dining area. The cable was too long but luckily I have a little bit of know-how when it comes to re-wiring electrical cabling so I was able to shorten it. I'm very happy with how it looks as it finishes off the room nicely and was heaps cheaper than buying a pendant and having to get a sparky to install it.

I'm now on the lookout for a bookcase/cabinet with glass doors to go underneath the air conditioner. You will see in the photo below an empty bookcase in this spot. That will move into our home office (after we get a new cabinet) and then I will be able to put my books and nic naks out again without the kids pulling them all out every day!

Garage shelving

2010-05-21T13:40:00.004+10:00

Finally got some shelving units for the garage. G needed storage space for his work stock and we also needed somewhere for all our personal stuff. Found this warehouse type shelving online through kmate.com.au they also have an ebay store. They delivered it within 2 days and we put it together in an evening, it was quite straight forward. The shelves are heavy duty and can take 200kg each which is a lot more than anything you can buy from Bunnings.

I've also taken some updated frontal shots of the house, now that the side gates are installed. It's pretty much finished out there now. I like the fact that it's very low maintenance, we have also recently put stones around the tree on the naturestrip to make it easiet to mow and also to make backing out of the garage easier. We now park both of our cars in the garage quite easily :)

Garage shelving

Frontal shot

Barstools - I love them!

2010-05-13T11:29:00.002+10:00

We bought 4 new barstools (from my best friend eBay) and they arrived yesterday (that was nice and quick!) in 2 big boxes, but thankfully they went together quite easily. I really love them, they look great and I'm glad I chose the beige (cream) colour as it matches the kitchen really well. The rest of the furniture in the family area is quite dark so I thought the lighter colour would be better.

Here's the pics;

Side gates and fences.

2010-05-08T13:00:00.001+10:00

Well, we finally have our side gates and fences, we have been waiting since Christmas! There was a big stuff up with them and to cut a long story short they turned up to do the job and had the wrong materials! The salesperson had quoted for colourbond and we wanted metal slats. They are not cheap either so we made them fix the problem. The salesperson (so it seems) turned out to be quite dodgy and left the company in a hurry... no forwarding address... you get the picture. So the manager agreed to do the back gate in colourbond and the front two in the metal slats at his cost price, as we had been under quoted. It cost us a little bit more money but we were happy with the outcome.

So finally, last week they were fitted and we are very, very happy with them. Definitely worth the wait in the end.

The company that we used is http://www.lockfastfences.com.au/

Front left side has a gate.

Front right side is a fixed panel.

Rear right side is a colourbond gate.

This means that the right side (the dead side) is now blocked off and we are going to make it into a cat run for our furry family member Billy :) But by having the gate down the back, we can still get through from the laundry with washing or to access the shed or outside taps.

Started the backyard

2010-03-31T16:00:00.003+11:00

After recently finishing the front yard, we have now started on the back because we wanted to get the turf down before winter hits. We ended up using a buffalo breed of turf called Sapphire and we needed 85m. One of our neighbours used it out the front of his place and we liked it very much. But despite measuring the area accurately, we still had a little bit left over so that went on the nature strip.

G has also put up the garden shed, it's a 3m x 3m Absco one. It wasn't the easiest thing to put together but it does the job. We went for the woodland grey colour and eventually it will just blend into the corner when everything else is done.

I love my Hills Hoist!! the backyard gets northerly sun so it made sense to have a big rotary hoist out there. It can be folded down and removed when not in use. I am not a fan of the wall mounted hoists and they are never big enough so this one is great, it dries a load of washing in just over an hour :)

We won't do any more to the backyard now until next spring (sept/oct time). Still to be done is;
Sleepers as edging and plants running all along the fence line.
A raised vegie planter next to the shed.
Paint the fence.
Bamboo screen fence along the length of the brick planter and fill with tropical plants and lights.

We have also ordered the side fences and gates which will be colourbond slats. They aren't cheap, but will require no maintenance and should look nice. A lot of our neighbours have merbau slats so we wanted to be different :)

Here's the pics so far;

Turf, shed and hills hoist.

Looking the other way.

The shed :)

We have finished the front yard WOO HOO!

2010-02-08T11:17:00.001+11:00

Well, after another weekend of blood, sweat and tears (not quite, but you know what I mean) I am happy to report that we have finished the front yard!! Just a few little things to do out there but the bulk of it is done. Today I can hardly get out of the chair, as it feels like my back is broken... but it's very rewarding and we are really pleased with how it all turned out.
We have also had the spa moved out to the sunroom so I can finally park my car in the garage!!

So, without further a do, here are the long awaited pics;

Artificial turf, concrete garden egding, shrubs, stones and 2 brick planters.

Footpath and stone letterbox.

Shrubs, stones and rocks.

Wine barrel pot.

Our spa in the sunroom.

New lounge suite arrives!

2010-01-20T13:36:00.002+11:00

It came yesterday at 7pm! better late than never hey lol. Very happy with it although one of the recliners is broken and the seat has a scratch in the leather, so I will ring the store today. Shouldn't be a problem though.

I'm going to pay a visit to Spotlight soon to get some more bits and pieces for the family room, although I can't go too mad due to the kids and their inquisitive little fingers!

More photos of the Sunroom.

2010-01-01T13:43:00.003+11:00

A Happy New Year to all our blog followers :)

We had a great night on NYE and hosted our first official BBQ in the newly completed Sunroom (well, almost completed as we still need to move the spa out there from the garage).
I took a few more photos of the area, now that we have most of our stuff out there. It suddenly doesn't look so big anymore!

Outdoor table setting.

Alfresco seating area (with the LCD TV mounted on the wall).

Alfresco seating.

Kids play area.

BBQ area.

The view from the Family Room, looking through the bi-fold doors.

Alfresco furniture.

2009-12-24T18:36:00.001+11:00

It arrived today, just in time for Christmas :)

And here is hubby's pride and joy :)

Pot Plants!

2009-12-23T12:34:00.003+11:00

Real or Fake?????

We have an Outdoor Room!

2009-12-22T22:18:00.001+11:00

The concrete went to plan and although it was overcast on saturday, it didn't rain thankfully. It dried a bit patchy so the concreter used a tinted sealer which hides any imperfections. The end result is fantastic, we are very, very happy :)

Today the blinds were fitted and although not cheap, they are worth every cent! We have previously had (in other houses) the cheap Bunnings blinds and they just don't compare. The ones that we got are called Zip Track and they run up a track and into a concealed box at the top. We have a beige tint on the west facing side, clears on the north side and a solid blind at the far end to hide the "utility area" which will house the bins, trailer etc. But we can also lift this one up fully if we need access from the rear roller door.

The alfresco furniture is being delivered tomorrow too.

The outdoor room.

The boys enjoying the empty space.

Awaiting a patio...

2009-12-18T15:32:00.000+11:00

Well, we are very close now... so close I can almost smell it lol.
Concrete that is, which is booked for 10am tomorrow morning. It would have been done earlier this week but weather conditions haven't been favourable.
It's all boarded up out there and the drains are in, please keep your fingers crossed for us that everything goes to plan.

Just a few "before photos";

Finally making some progress outside...

2009-12-05T21:20:00.004+11:00

No photos in this post, just a bit of an update :)

We are finally getting somewhere outside. The brickie has finished and we are very happy with his work, although he wasn't cheap so thankfully he was worth what we paid. He has done 2 brick planters in the front yard (which will have trees and shrubs in them), and the long planter in the alfresco.

Today we had the concrete edging done out the front, the style is like large pavers in dark grey and we are very happy with that also. Next we need to backfill the garden beds with good soil and fertiliser and plant them out, then stones on top. We haven't fully decided what plants to put out there, but G likes conifers so we will have a few of those I expect.

Tomorrow we have one of our nephews coming over to help with things like digging and moving bricks. We have used all the bricks that we need, so what is left are chipped and broken ones (to go to the tip) and about 500 good ones that will be sold on eBay.
I am also going to install our stone letterbox tomorrow, which has been sitting in the garage for a couple of months!

I'll post some photos of the progress when we get a bit more done, so watch this space ;-)

A perfect storm...

2009-11-26T20:05:00.002+11:00

This afternoon saw some pretty violent storms pass through Melbourne. Really sorry to those who suffered damage or flooding. Luckily, we just caught the tail end of it plus I had a bit of warning. The brickie had been here earlier working on the back planter so when I saw the big black clouds roll in, I grabbed a tarp so I could cover his work. Just as well because it absolutely bucketed down for about half an hour! No hail or strong winds though (thank god for that). As the storm came through, I managed to get a few good pics before the rain came...

Storm clouds rolling in.

Lightning as seen from my backyard, facing north.

The brickie is making good progress and the planter should be finished in the next few days. Here is a pic that I took on tuesday of the job so far.

We have also had another skylight fitted in the kitchen which is AWESOME and has added so much more light in there. After the roof went up outside, I had to keep putting the lights on over the kitchen bench, especially in the mornings.

Patio roof is finished!

2009-11-19T20:23:00.003+11:00

The roof is finished we are very, very happy with it :)
The brickies have started the foundations for the brick planter and it should be completed early next week. Then the concreter can come to do the base and after that the blinds will go up.

Now for some pics...

Finished roof.

Underneath.

From the other side.

Footings dug, ready for the planter to start.

Progress...

2009-11-16T22:31:00.000+11:00

The guys are about halfway through building the patio roof, the frame is up and the posts have been concreted in. Tomorrow the roofing sheets start.
We have organised for a brickie to build the planter which will start once the roof is finished and then the area can be concreted. We are also getting a quote for the zip track blinds this week, as they will take a few weeks to make them. Still looking at completion before christmas, in time for DS1's 1st birthday party.

Some photos of the progress so far;

Patio roof and furniture.

2009-11-13T23:36:00.001+11:00

The patio roof has started this week, it will take about 5 days to be built and I'll put up some photos when it is finished.
But for now here is a pic of the plan and a 3D image, and a photo of the new alfresco setting that we have bought for out there. I can't wait until it is all finished and functional!

Roof plan.

3D image.

Outdoor Alfresco setting.

Various updates.

2009-11-09T15:49:00.010+11:00

Firstly, the new air conditioning is coping very well in the recent heatwave in Melbourne. I'm sooooo glad that we had them installed when we did! Today it is mid 30's and inside is a lovely 23'c.

We have had the plumbing done for the new roof. Well, actually most of it is done. But I had to ring the builder as there are more crushed stormwater pipes that originally suspected. They are coming tomorrow (with an excavator) to dig them up and replace them.

The patio roof is scheduled for thursday at this stage. I also need to contact a few brickies to get quotes for some planter boxes to be built near the alfresco and 2 out in the front yard.

I had a digger here last weekend to level the front yard and spread out some soil. We have also seeded the nature strip with Munns Golf Course Green seed. I hate kikuyu and couch, so hopefully this one is ok. If it grows and looks ok, then we will seed out the back later and save ourselves the cost of turf.

Today I finished off the Lounge, just need the pendant lights up in there and a blockout roller blind for the window. I'm thinking about a mauve/purple one to match the colours in the wall canvas.

Photos of The Lounge:

We have almost finished the inside now. Here's what's left to be done;

1) Paint dark blue feature wall in our eldest's bedroom and put the space/rocket stickers on it.
2) Finish putting up light fittings.
3) Put up towel rails, toilet roll holders etc.
4) Get all the junk out of the guest room and set-up the bed (buy new linen too).
5) Sort out the laundry cupboards.

Lots of progress!

2009-10-28T18:55:00.005+11:00

This is going to be a big post as I have quite a bit to update...

We finally have a side fence YAY! we signed up in July so it has taken 3 months to get it but they have done a good job, thankfully.
We have also had about a quarter of the floorboards in our bedroom replaced. This is because the builder's tradies had damaged them so they have been replaced at the builder's expense. Two guys were here for a couple of hours and they did a great job so I am happy with it now.

The concreter came last week to do the stormwater and drains for our patio area but found that the pipes around the house are only approx 100mm deep so he can't tap into them because there would be no fall. He said we would need to have a trench dug along the boundary and lay new stormwater pipes into that for the pario roof. It will have to be done by a plumber so that we get a compliance certificate.

A plumber came out last weekend (thanks Erin and Aaron!!) and he discovered that the pipes are in fact 600m deep but a bit further round. He is coming back next monday to put in the stormwater and also replace a crushed pipe that was damaged by the builder. I have told the SS about it and I am going to try and get PD to re-imburse us for the cost of repairing it. I have also arranged for a small digger to come on monday to dig the trenches and also level off our front yard and spread out some dirt.

At the weekend the electrician installed our 2 air conditioners, ceiling fans and some downlights in the kitchen.

And the bobcat has been to level off the patio area and spread out the crushed rock. Now it's ready for the roof to go up, which should be in 2-3 weeks YAY!!

And now for the pics...

New side fence.

Air conditioner in the family room (we also have a smaller one near the boys bedrooms).

Ceiling fan with light in the family room.

Ceiling fan with light in master bedroom.

Ceiling fan in the Alfresco (I really love this one!!)

Downlights in the kitchen over the island bench.

Crushed rock ready to be levelled off.

And afterwards, now ready for the roof :-)

A very productive weekend!

2009-10-11T20:45:00.010+11:00

Well, it's been quite a productive weekend!! we had 3 cubic metres of soil delivered yesterday and have spread it out on part of the front, down the sideway and on the nature strip. We also had an invisiguard screen door fitted on the front door (it has a triple lock) and the roller shutters are now fitted on the bedroom windows. YAY!! Hopefully our kids will start sleeping for longer now in the mornings.
I could hardly move last night, every bone in my body ached after all the shovelling and raking lol but it's so worth it and I can't wait to start putting some plants in. Now for the pics...

Invisiguard screen door.

Roller shutters on the back of the house.

Roller shutters on the kids bedroom windows.

Dirt spread on the nature strip, where the old crossover used to be. Now waiting for grass seed.

Dirt spread out the front between the driveway and path. Plants will go in here.

Crossover

2009-10-08T20:30:00.003+11:00

Today we finally got our crossover so we should be able to park on the driveway soon YAY!

The council also said that we also had to replace a section of the footpath as there was a crack in it (most likely caused by the builders ). So I decided to make our mark in it :-)

I like to have a hallway that has a bit of "punch" as it's the first part of the house that's seen. So I'm happy with how it looks now with the bulkhead ceiling, pebbles on the floor, large mirror and the hall table and canvas etc.

Here is a finished pic of the hallway...

And we have put up our "ebay bargain" mirror :-)

More progress...

2009-10-07T17:18:00.003+11:00

We're back from having a week's holiday in Noosa. It was lovely and warm up there so it was nice to get away from the dreary Melbourne weather for a while. Trouble is, I came down with a horrible virus mid week, so I spent most of my time in the unit by myself watching movies on Foxtel!!

We got home to find that indeed the painters had been here last monday (we had arranged for our SS to have a key to let them in). They have sanded many doors and repainted them and also a few walls in the house. The facade is also finished now too and I love it (photos to come soon). The builder arranged for a cleaner to come on thursday and they have cleaned it up pretty good but there is still a lot of dust around. It will have to wait until I am feeling better though. The painters also managed to get more paint on the floors. I should be able to remove it from the tiles but now I have 4 rooms of carpet with paint spots on them. I am leaving it until the 3 months maintenance (end of november) and they can decide whether to get the paint off or replace the carpet.

The concreter had also been last week and sealed the driveway and removed our old crossover so we are just waiting for the new crossover to be poured. This means that we haven't been able to use the new driveway yet. The crossover was inspected and approved today (by the council) but there is a crack in the footpath which has to be repaired at our expense (not happy Jan).

Roller shutters are scheduled to be fitted this sunday, was meant to be today but the installer thought it would be too wet. In hindsight, it would have been ok but nevermind.

Today a glazier from Stegbar came and replaced all the glass in our bi-fold doors. It took him a couple of hours as he took a lot of care so that the beading wouldn't get damaged, as he knew it was all re-stained last week.
They look awesome now that they are stained properly and the glass is perfect and unscratched, so I am very happy. He also left off the little strips of stickers from the centre of the glass but gave me some incase I want to add them later. It looks so much better without the strips and I don't think it will be a problem having the kids walk into the glass due to all the wooden framing, but we'll see how it goes. It took me an hour to clean the glass afterwards and I doubt that they will ever be this clean again in the future lol.

A few photos...

New glass.

One of the new canvases in the hallway, adds a spash of colour.

Plantation Shutters.

2009-09-24T16:48:00.005+10:00

Today we got the plantation shutters installed and I'm very happy with them. We have one in each of the voids on both sides of the lounge room door (I am not opening the door yet as it's still full of boxes lol) and one in the large void in the family room.

Lounge.

Family room.

We have a driveway and path YAY!!

2009-09-23T19:03:00.004+10:00

The guy came today to fit the roller shutters but bailed early due to it being so wet and boggy. So I'm not sure yet when they will be back to try again, bummer!

However, today has been very exciting because WE FINALLY HAVE A DRIVEWAY AND PATH!!
It still needs to be acid washed and sealed, but already it looks fantastic.
Excuse the quality of the first few pics as I took them through the window.

First barrow loads.

Spreading it out.

Path smoothed out.

Path hosed off.

Driveway, we made it wide enough to park 2 cars.

View from the portico.

Nice and neat around the pillar, no splashes!

Great smooth edging too.

Driveway is boxed up :-)

2009-09-15T20:31:00.004+10:00

The plummer came back today so we now have our fridge hooked up to the cold water point YAY!
He also fixed a faulty basin plug and a leak under the sink.

The Construction Manager rings me at the end of every day to make sure that tradies have been out to rectify things and to check that I am happy. Great service PD :-)

The concreter also came back to finish boxing the driveway and path. We are having a dark exposed agg mix and it's going to be great, the front of the driveway is 6m wide so that we can park 2 cars side by side. It's made a huge difference already just having the ground levelled and the crushed rock means less mud in the house.

Here's some photos of everything boxed up. Concrete will be poured on Weds 23rd (weather permitting).

Lots of activity!

2009-09-14T22:14:00.005+10:00

Today has been busy at the house. The PD Construction Mgr came out for a visit and has made note of some issues that need attention (such as the painting). The SS came and fitted the weather strip on the front door and the caulking guy came to silicone a missing section in the floor tiles and the bottom of the wall niches in the showers.

Tomorrow the plummer is coming to do a few jobs, such as finally fitting the fridge tap and fixing a broken pop-up plug in the main bathroom. On wednesday the painter is coming and the SS is going to meet him first to go over what needs to be done. I have requested that the hallway be re-painted and there are lots of doors that need to be sanded back and repainted.

The concreter and bobcat came today aswell and have started preparing the front for the driveway and a footpath to the front door. The bobcat tried to level the dirt out the back but it is still too wet to do a lot with it. So the patio roof will have to wait a bit longer. The concreter is also coming back tomorrow to box up the driveway and path.

Here's a few pics...

Skylight in the bathroom.

Crushed rock for the driveway (note the grey on the top of the gables too).

Crushed rock for the footpath.

This is our crossover which the bobcat couldn't remove due to the concrete being approx 300mm deep! So bigger machinery is coming tomorrow. The crossover will be re-laid at a new location as we flipped the house.

Finally, some photos at last :-)

2009-09-13T21:05:00.005+10:00

And here they are, enjoy...

Painted garage floor (took me ages but worth it!)

Kitchen.

Island bench.

Butlers pantry.

Meals/dining room.

Family area.

TV area.

Looking towards the kitchen from Family room.

Alfresco.

Kids playroom.

Master bedroom.

Walk-in robe.

Skylight and some painting.

2009-09-12T18:20:00.003+10:00

Today I had a skylight fitted in the bathroom, it is 50cm round and has made a huge difference, as there is no window in the bathroom and you just can't beat natural light.

The guy who did the skylight also does a few odd jobs including painting, so he painted the top of the gables for me. They were done in paperbark but I wanted just the top bit done in Woodland Grey to match the gutters. Our gutters and fascia are woodland grey and paperbark, but the builder wouldn't do the top of the gable in grey because "it's not in the contract". Anyway, it only cost me $20 today to be painted and it looks heaps better. Now the builder's painter can come next week to paint the gable inserts in the correct colour and add the 2 vents, which will also be done in Woodland Grey. Once the facade is finished I will finally take some photos!!

I will also take some inside photos very soon (yes, I know I am long over-due with those lol). We are having a visit from the MIL tomorrow who will see the house for the first time, so we will make sure it is all clean and tidy. Also a great opportunity to take some photos :-)

We're getting there...

2009-09-11T16:30:00.009+10:00

PD have been true to their word and today quite a few things got fixed. The solar hot water is now re-connected and we will keep an eye on it to make sure there are no more leaks.

The SS turned up after lunch and he has fixed the trilock on the front door that wouldn't engage, replaced the entrance set on the garage internal door as the key wouldn't work and he has adjusted a few internal doors that wouldn't stay closed. I also showed him a few other things that require attention such as scratches on our timber floor and on the glass in the bi-fold doors (which will most likely be replaced). There is a plug that won't work in the main bathroom (it is one of those push up and down types). Lots of crap painting on walls and doors and some paint on the carpet. Apparently, another painter is going to come out early next week to finish the gables and hopfully re-paint a few walls and doors inside. The plumber will also come back to fit the tap for the fridge and do a few other jobs.

The list is definitely getting shorter :-)

The concreter also called today to say that his bobcat guy will be here on monday to start prepping for the driveway, path and new crossover YAY! He will also spread out the dirt around the back so it can dry out and be ready for concreting in about a month's time.

I can't wait to have a driveway!

The fencers were meant to turn up this week to do the posts and bottom rail for the fence, but no sign of them yet.

Finally, here is a photo of my 2 year old son enjoying his new play room ;-)

Finally some contact!

2009-09-09T18:40:00.002+10:00

I emailed our CSC last night and she has forwarded our issues to the construction manager who rang me today. He wants to get all the issues rectified as soon as possible and he will come through the house to inspect it aswell. Unfortunately he can't do this for a couple of weeks but he is going to get the solar HW reconnected asap and will see if he can get a painter out in the next week to finish the facade. I told him that I don't want the same painter back ever again and I also explained how all the internal doors should be removed, properly sanded and re-painted. I also want the front hallway re-painted as it looks terrible.
I feel a lot happier now and I hope that he is true to his word and will get these things sorted asap.

Funnily enough, I had organised for someone to paint the gables this weekend. The guy is fitting a skylight in the bathroom for us but he is a jack of all trades so he said he could do the painting aswell. I was going to buy the paint tomorrow from Bunnings, but now I'll hold off and trust that PD will do it as per the contract.

Items still to be finished or fixed.

2009-09-03T14:46:00.005+10:00

There are a few things that still need to be finished or fixed around the house. I have emailed our CSO about this so hopefully they won't take too long to sort things out.
Here is our list, and a few non urgent things for the 3 month maintenance list.

1) Trilock is not working properly on front door, needs adjustment.
2) New entry set is to be fitted to the garage door as original key won't work.
3) A few internal doors won't close properly and need adjustment.
4) Part of the door set (striker plate?) is missing from the pantry door.
5) Painter - is still to paint the gable and portico and add the feature vents. Also needs to sand back and repair some marks on the bi-fold doors.
6) The solar panels need to be re-connected, as they were disconnected due to leaking in the roof.
7) Tap to the fridge water point still isn't fitted.
8) Straighten up the basin in the powder room, as it is wonky.
9) Weather strip to front door is missing.
10) Awaiting pedestal for powder room basin.

3 MONTHS MAINTENANCE:

1) Paint on the carpets in various spots.
2) Small chip in the ensuite vanity top.
3) Caulking is missing (in the floor tiles) in the entry to the pantry.
4) Scratch on glass bi-fold (door 1).
5) Plaster uneven and paint touch-ups required in powder room.

The main thing that is annoying me is the fact that the facade isn't finished due to the painter needing to come back. We were charged extra for the external paint which is meant to be used in the gable/portico. At the moment it is white and looks quite plain. It is meant to be the same colour as the lighter render, with a round vent painted in woodland grey.
Another thing that is annoying us is the tap to the fridge space. The provision is there but no tap so we can't use the filtered water from our fridge. We paid extra in our contract for this so it should have been provided already.

I just hope that PD are not going to give us the brush off now that we have had handover. If nothing has been done by the end of next week, I will write a letter to PD management outlining the outstanding issues.

I had someone out this morning to adjust the heating as it was blowing too hot at the back of the house and the front was cold. So he has adjusted the air flow and turned some of the vents around which has fixed the problem. The only reason this got done was because I rang the company directly as they had left a brochure.

I also had a guy here to quote for a skylight for the main bathroom. We have one of those without a window and it gets quite dark. Unfortunately he can't fit one due to the roof profile. This company uses a solid shaft so our other option would be to have one with a flexible shaft so it can go on the side of the roof. Otherwise we may just get some downlights fitted over the vanity instead.

We're in and loving it !!

2009-09-02T22:22:00.004+10:00

We are in the new house now and loving it!!

Things didn't go very smoothly though. Firstly, the bank stuffed us around with the handover cheque. They kept saying they didn't have the certificate of occupancy, despite the fact that it had been faxed to them 3 times. To cut a long story short, we ended up waiting for 2 hours at the branch with 2 tired feral kids and in the end had to come home as it was after 5pm and the builder was no longer available to do the handover. So we ended up getting the cheque and the keys on the friday, 1 day later.
Next was the crappy service from the removalists. I thought we were getting professionals after talking in length to the customer service staff when making the booking. Instead we got 3 x 20 something kids who had no idea how to move furniture carefully or load a truck. Thankfully we had asked 2 of our nephews to come over and help. A lot of stuff got damaged though and the poor baby had his beautiful custom made bookcase smashed to pieces. Our pool table got scratched aswell and has to be repaired and also our leather lounge suite got damaged. We are claiming for repairs through their insurance and if they don't play ball then I will take legal action through the small claims court. I will also contact the office of fair trading and bag them all over the internet... so they had better do the right thing!! Gawd, I am so angry about it all.

Yesterday I rang them and let loose, I told them exactly what I thought of their crappy service !

Moving on... we are very happy with the new house and the boys have settled in really well. Both of them are sleeping through the night and they love their new playroom. We had a few teething problems such as a leak in the roof from the solar panels and a few things need to be finished still. But the builder has been very good about it all and things are getting done.

Handover went smoothly on our old house last friday. I had a cleaner in for 4 hours after we moved out and she did a great job, she even cleaned the oven! The new buyers came for a final inspection and they were very happy.

We had the blinds fitted today and they are great, I am so very happy with them. We have mostly gone for white eco blinds which looks like a timber venetian. However the slats are smooth, have no holes and can be easily removed for cleaning. We are also getting white plantation shutters fitted inside the voids, but they are not ready yet so the installer will come back to fit those later.

Photos... I will take some piccies of the house soon, just need to do a bit more unpacking and get the place straight first :-)

Some pre-handover pics!

2009-08-14T20:48:00.003+10:00

I drove past the house this arvo and there were a lot of tradies there so I didn't stop, but I went back later and found the whole house open!! So I managed to take a few pics inside and then I locked the door on my way out and pulled down the roller door. Once again, it's a good job I called by and it's no wonder that so much stuff gets knocked off from new homes.

The kitchen is all nice and clean now and complete with sink and vegie sprayer. Just waiting for the oven and dishwasher to be fitted, which will come on handover day. I am very happy with my kitchen :-)

Ensuite vanity is clean and complete with mirror and taps;

The ensuite shower now has the handheld shower fitted and screen. It is now clean and all the grout and sealing has been done;

Our WIR is fitted out with shelves. For once I think I will finally fit all my clothes into 1 robe lol.

The basin is fitted in the powder room. There will be a pedestal fitted to hide the pipes but it was broken in the box so they are awaiting a replacement. Note that the tap matches our ensuite taps, this was a pleasant surprise.

There has also been some more painting done on the outside, but I am waiting for it to be finished before I take any photos. I'm really happy with how all the patch ups inside have been fixed. I looked for a couple tonight and they have been patched so well that I couldn't even see where the original problem was!

Getting very excited now!!

Downpipe is moved YAY!

2009-08-11T22:29:00.003+10:00

Finally, after several months and a lot of whinging, the downpipe on the facade got moved today :-)

Here is the before photo (it's on the RHS);

And the after photo, the guttering above the portico is also done and it all just needs painting now.

You can also see more clearly the discolouration of the mortar between the portico and first window. This is getting re-cleaned soon so I hope it comes up as good as the mortar at the top.

There is also a nice big pile of soil sitting in the backyard ready to be spread out.
Couldn't see much inside as we are locked out again and it was too muddy to walk around and look through windows. However, from looking through the front windows, it does appear that the painter may have been back as a lot of the red dots are gone.

As more and more of the little issues get sorted, I am getting more excited and itching to get in now!!

PCI... woot woot!!

2009-08-10T22:12:00.005+10:00

PCI went well today despite a shaky start, we were there for 3 hours!

The supervisor rang around 8am this morning to say that everything had been pushed back a week and PCI was for next monday. We were like WTF???? no one told us! I told him that it wasn't convenient as G had taken the morning off work, my son was booked to go to childcare and I had a building inspector coming. So he agreed to have the appt today, despite a few things not being finished.

Turns out that it is not too far from completion anyway. The cleaner was there when we arrived and the kitchen has come up a treat. The building inspector didn't say a lot and we found more things than he did but maybe that's because there isn't too much wrong. Just minor things like paint touch ups and the basin and sink waiting to be installed etc. Showers screens went in this morning and they look really good, and the shelving is installed in the robes and cupboards.

The supervisor has agreed to have a light fitting moved across in the family room as it's for a fan and the sparky had put it too close to another light fitting. He said if the ceiling needed to be repainted then it would be done too. The rest of the guttering and moving of a downpipe is being done tomorrow and all the caulking will be done around the house tomorrow aswell. The brickies will come back to do some re-pointing and then the bricks will be cleaned again. I am not happy with some mortar discolouration on the front but we'll see how it turns out after they have worked on it.

They are also going to bring in a couple of truck loads of soil to fill around the house and level the ground off. It is currently very uneven and muddy, not helped by the water wasted from the tap and it is still underwater in spots. We were going to have this done after handover at our expense and then let the ground settle for about 6 weeks before having the slab poured for the patio. So this is a bonus as it will save us the expense and trouble.

We have arranged to have the gas appliances (oven, HWS etc) to be installed on handover day. Handover is now changed to Thurs 20th August, which is only 3 days later than originally planned. This doesn't mess up our plans too much as we weren't planning to move until 25th August anyway.

So all in all, we are very happy with how it all went :-)

No photos today as I didn't really have chance as I had bubs with me who was getting cranky at the end and there isn't a lot of difference since I took the last lot. So I'll take heaps more on handover day when it's all nice and clean or when the facade is finished :-)

I still have to book a removal truck and it looks like we will be up for $500 which isn't too bad. We have a van and trailer so we will move as much as we can and just use the truck for all the large heavy stuff. I suppose I should start packing up the house too! I also have to ring ANZ to advise of the new handover date as I don't want the cheque issued early or we will be charged more interest.

Only 10 days until we get the keys!!

Revised cat enclosure

2009-08-06T22:35:00.003+10:00

Following on from my last post, today we have purchased a timber cat enclosure for our remaining cat, Bill. We will put it inside our patio enclosure at the new house then we can open the door and let him have the run of the enclosure. The cat enclosure will be his sleeping and feeding area. It has a sleeping section up the top and the box on the back will be at ground level and will house his litter tray and it has a separate lid which will make cleaning the tray nice and easy.

The cost? only $250... what a bargain! (thanks again eBay).

We stopped at the house tonight and they have spread some dirt out the front and emptied the rubbish cage. The shelving has started in the cupboards and robes so they will most likely finish that tomorrow. There is still quite a lot to do and we have no kitchen sink, showers or pedestal basin yet. I doubt that the cleaners will be through before PCI either and the amount of mud in the house is quite upsetting, especially on the newly laid carpet.

RIP Ben, our beautiful pussy cat.

2009-08-05T21:40:00.005+10:00

Today has been a very sad day as we had to have one of our beloved cats (Ben) put down. Last night he was very disorientated and walking into walls, he had gone almost blind. He spent the night at the Animal Hospital and they think he had a stroke or a brain tumour. Today he kept loosing consciousness so we made the very difficult decision to put him out of his misery. He was only 10 years old and a gorgeous cat with a lovely nature and he will be sorely missed by all of us.

RIP Ben xx

Here are Bill and Ben, they did everything together.

We have given some thought to where Bill will live at the new house as we had arranged for a cat run for them both inside and outside of the garage. But now that Bill will be alone, we are thinking about giving him the run of the patio enclosure, with a separate cat enclosure as his main sleeping area and somewhere he can escape the kids. We didn't have them inside the house much due to allergies and the fact that they were scared of the kids. I think Bill will want to interact with us all more now and I don't want him out in a run all by himself.

Almost finished now!

2009-08-04T20:56:00.004+10:00

It's great to see them pressing on with everything to get the house ready in time.

We now have door and cupboard handles;

Handles are in satin chrome;

The bathroom tiles are now grouted (bath just needs some silicone around it);

Vanity mirrors are installed;

Showers are ready for the screens, which have been delivered;

Laundry wall tiles are grouted;

Our beautiful timber floor is laid in our bedroom and WIR;

Another view of the floor;

Carpet is laid in the rest of the living areas and bedrooms. It's a bit darker than I was expecting but matches well with the tiles. It is a very practical colour for 2 young boys :-)

More carpet (this is the kids games room);

There isn't too much else left to do now... just waiting for the shower screens and shower roses which I think will be installed tomorrow. The robes and cupboards are still awaiting the shelving. The Kitchen sink is missing along with the flick mixer. Also waiting for the vanity pedestal basin as the original one was cracked. The brickies need to come back and replace a few bricks and mortar and the painter needs to finish out the front. We are so close now... woo hoo!!

Render, Splashback and Grout!!

2009-08-01T21:33:00.011+10:00

The render is finished on the front, we have 2 shades which are paperbark (on the outside) and hog bristle around the large window. The gable and portico will be painted in a colour to match the hog bristle and there will be a round vent in woodland grey, which matches the gutter.
I am very happy with how it all looks and the render is a nice contrast against the red bricks.
I am not very happy with the downpipe that is currently next to the rendered projection and I have asked the builder to move it onto the side of the projection, which is how it is as per the plans. Still waiting to hear back on that one.

Close-up of the finished render. Just a slightly colour difference which is noticeable but still quite subtle.

Our glass splashback which is dulux "snuggle pie". I was worried about it being a bit green as we didn't upgrade to starfire glass. But I couldn't be happier as it matches our tiles perfectly and it's a lovely coffee colour. After handover, I am going to paint inside the kitchen recess and bulkhead with the oriental white colour (same as our woodwork) so it highlights the top cupboards more. I really like the almond laminate colour but I think that it currently blends into the wall colour too much.

Another view of the splashback, this photo is more accurate of the colour.

Our tiles have been grouted with a light beige grout and they look fantastic. We had a lovely friendly tiler who took a lot of pride in his work and it shows. Definitely our best tradie so far. He is going to come back and lay some outdoor tiles for us as a cashie, when we are ready.

Close-up of the tiles.

The pebble feature in the entry is now grouted and finished. G chose the pebbles (I wanted mosaics) and he did well, even the tiler said how much he liked it. I think it gives the place that "display house" feel lol. I can't wait to hang our new canvases on these walls to add a splash of colour. I have always liked an entry that has a "wow factor".

Close-up of the pebbles.

Today we stopped at the house briefly and the mirrors are in above the vanities. They go right to the ceiling which looks good. I didn't get any photos as they are quite dirty so I will wait until the cleaners have been through.

We noticed that in the rumpus room we are meant to have a powertainment point on the wall and they have given us a standard double power point so we will make sure that gets changed over!

The fly screens are also on all the windows but they haven't included the one for the laundry door which we paid extra for. I am hoping it has been over looked and if it still isn't fitted by PCI I will ask them not to bother and give us a credit back for the charge. I really want a security door there instead, so this could work out in our favour and I will keep mum about it for now lol.

Only 8 more sleeps until PCI!!

Render and some dates!

2009-07-29T23:11:00.003+10:00

The final coat of render is being done. We are having 2 colours and so far only the darker one is done, it's called paperbark and matches our windows and garage door.

Close-up of the render;

Front door is nice and shiny :-)

I found this in the garage, some light reading perhaps??? lol

Floor tiles in the ensuite, they are slightly smaller than the main floor tiles;

Shower base;

Now for the exciting news... we have dates for PCI and handover!!
PCI will be on 10th August and handover is 17th August. We won't be moving in until 25th Aug though as we have a few things to do around the place first. I am going to paint the garage floor, portico base and feature walls in the kids bedrooms.

So exciting!!

Drove past the house tonight and saw that the final render colour is done (but too dark to take any pics). The floor tiles have been swept and cleaned reading for grouting. I'll go back tomorrow for more pics, hopefully the glass splashback and wardrobe fitouts will be in soon.

Swimming pool, anyone???

2009-07-27T21:11:00.006+10:00

I drove past the house late this arvo, hoping to see the render finished. What I didn't expect to see was a swimming pool in the backyard! I found one of the outside taps turned on and flat out spraying water all over the ground. It seems that the plummer has been today to fit some taps, including the outside ones. Now I'm not going to point the finger at anyone, but it's highly likely that he unintentionally left it on :(
I am very angry about this because Melbourne is in drought and we are the type of people who have buckets in the shower in summer so we can use the excess water on our yard. Our water usage is normally only $15 per quarter (the rest is service fees). To see this amount of water wasted on the ground was heartbreaking and disgraceful. Not only that, but I refuse to pay for the water charges for this carelessness. I took some photos and I will contact the builder tomorrow about this, but first I will ring S.E Water because I want to know who will receive the bill. If it's us, then I will expect the builder to re-imburse us.

The photos speak for themselves ...

Even the backyard is flooded!

On a more positive note, we also have some inside taps. The Ensuite;

The Bathroom, but I don't really like this tap. It is the standard one and we will most likely get it replaced after handover.

Taps in the laundry for the sink and washing machine.

Toilet in the powder room, it's nice and slimline.

We also have chinaman hats and the power is on!

More pics!

2009-07-25T20:49:00.004+10:00

We went to the house today and ended up spending 4 hours down there!! First we cleared the boundary for the side fence, G used the whippy snipper and I went along with the rake to level it as best I could.
Then we went to subway for lunch, came back and met a guy who did a measure and quote for the patio roof. After that we had a chat to the new neighbour about the fence and they are happy to proceed, he even seemed glad that I have already got a quote lol. I told him there wasn't much point in shopping around for heaps of quotes as this mob also did the fence on the other side, their price is competitive and they do good work... so he agreed!!
We were just about to leave when the neighbour on the other side came out so we chatted to him for about an hour. For a moment, I felt like we were already living there and it really pi$$ed me off when I had to come back to our other house :(

Anway, time for photos...

The pebble feature in our front entry and I love it!

Longer view of the pebbles;

Front door is painted in woodland grey and paperbark;

Bi-folds are stained, very happy with the colour :)

Ooops... this will need fixing.

Alfresco ceiling is painted white and I would still like to have this area rendered after handover;

This is the sideway where the patio roof will go. And the gutters/fascia has been painted too;

Updated tile pics and more...

2009-07-23T22:08:00.006+10:00

I went to the house today and it looks like the render has all the base coat so maybe they will do the colour tomorrow. I really like how the facade looks now and it will look even better when the paint is finished too.

Tiles are now laid in the family room (still to be grouted).

Family room.

Kitchen.

Meals.

Laundry.

Block has been cleared.

Me and G are going to the block this weekend to cut the grass on the side bounday and level the dirt, in preparation for the fence. We also have an appt with another pergola company who want to meet us on site.
The order for the blinds has also gone in now as they re-measured a few windows yesterday. The price came in just under $5000 in the end woo hoo!!
I'm so busy at the moment organising everything, and then I'll have to start packing, eeek!

Wall art.

2009-07-22T16:59:00.008+10:00

I have been busy buying some artwork for the new house.
Below are the kids hand and feet impressions which was done by http://www.twinkletoes.com.au/
I had my 2 year old's done when he was 18 weeks old and they were set in a timber frame. But when I recently had my baby's done I asked them to change the frame to match our new color scheme. The frames are now a chocolate colour and one is done in bronze, the other silver. I'm really pleased with how they look and they will take pride of place in the family room.

I have also bought 6 bright fun canvases for the kids play room. They are each 30cm x 40cm so they will look good on the back wall.

These 3 canvases are for my oldest son's room as he has a space theme. His is the only room painted white as I will do a dark blue feature wall in there with space stickers.

And finally, a nice canvas set of 3 frangipanis, one of my favourite flowers. I am thinking these will go in the rear hallway.

Render has started!

2009-07-21T20:52:00.004+10:00

I am very happy to see the render has finally started. This is only the undercoat and I can't wait to see the final colour.

This is called a "powertainment". Ideal for the HT room and all the electrical gadgets that go with it. We have 4 of them throughout the house, G is rapt :)

The rangehood has also been fitted. We opted for a slideout one as I prefer the look of continuous cupboards along the wall. Plus the glass ones are a bugger to clean lol.

Garage door and tiling pics.

2009-07-17T17:00:00.003+10:00

There has been a bit more action at the house this week, so here are the photos...

Panel lift garage door, colour is paperbark.

Floor tiles have started;

Family/meals area;

Meals area;

Hallway;

Family room and bi-fold doors;

Ensuite shower;

Cat enclosures

2009-07-13T12:57:00.003+10:00

Time to start thinking about ordering the cat enclosures. We have 2 cats who are indoor cats and they have always had an outdoor cat run. In the current house they have the run of the sideway which has a pergola roof and we closed the area between the fence and the pergola roof with chicken wire.
At the new house they will have 2 cat enclosures, one inside and one outside. Access will be through a personal door in the garage, which will have a cat flap fitted. We are going to purchase the enclosures from Betta Pet Systems, here is their website;
http://www.bettapetsystems.com.au

Outdoor enclosure, which has a covered sleeping area;

Inside enclosure, which will be located inside the garage;

More photos

2009-07-10T19:17:00.006+10:00

Went back to the house tonight and found some of the spashbacks done, they just need grouting. Also the heating vents and controller have been installed.

Ensuite - I am very, very happy with the tile border. This was a last minute decision and we only bought them last weekend... so glad that we did as I love it!!

Close-up of the border.

Main bathroom which also has the border.

Laundry, no border here just 2 rows of tiles. Nice and simple.

Powder room which will have a pedestal basin.

Heating controls.

Return air vent.

Light batons and heating vent in Family Room.

Electricals, tiling and more...

2009-07-10T14:54:00.003+10:00

Today has been quite exciting!! I met with the tiler first thing this morning and we went over everything, I also gave him the border tiles for the splashbacks which he is happy to fit. He seems to be the sort of person who pays particular attention to detail and he was very friendly and approachable. I can't wait to go back next week when most of it has been done, he reckons 2 weeks all up. I also asked him if he would be interested in doing some outside tiling for us later on and he said he would, so if he does a good job I will get him back again.

When I went in the house today I saw that the electrician had been in and we have all our inside light switches, powerpoints and batons. There is only 1 thing that I'm not happy with and that is the placement of the fan/light in the family room. Just as I was leaving the sparky turned up so I discussed it with him. He said he would ring the SS and get permission to move it over by 500mm. So hopefully they have been allowed to do that.

We also have had the portico and gable infill finished so that is all ready for painting now. The painter has to come back because some of the external work wasn't completed in time.

And now for the best news...

Drum roll please...

The quote for all our timber venetians, roller blinds AND plantation shutters has come in $2800 under budget. The whole lot is less than $5500!! This is through Home Outlet and we have used them before. The product and service is fantastic and I highly recommend them.

So to wrap things up, here's a few photos from today...

Powerpoints etc;

Fluros in the garage;

Portico;

Roof gable infill;

View of the front, awaiting render and paint;

Photofest!!

2009-07-05T19:15:00.006+10:00

Here are some more interior photos of the painting...

Our eldest son's room is the only room painted in Oriental White. This is because his room has a space theme and will have a dark blue feature wall (with outer space stickers). The beige walls wouldn't have looked right.

This is the kids games room. We had the window lowered as there will be an air conditioning unit fitted above it.

The loungeroom/sitting room.

The double doors on the lounge and voids either side, which will have white plantation shutters.

Looking down the hallway from the front door, towards the family room.

The beautiful bulkhead ceiling in the entry.

Back rumpus room which will be the kids playroom.

The laundry, which has linen and broom cupboards on the right.

The master bedroom.

Master bedroom - looking towards the ensuite and WIR. We added a linen cupboard between the two.

Looking from the rumpus room towards the kitchen.

Looking from the kitchen towards the meals/dining area. Our main air conditioner will go between the 2 small windows.

Kitchen looking towards the walk-in pantry, which will have more shelving.

The edge of the alfresco has been damaged with a chunk taken out of it! Not happy Jan...

Sunroom.

2009-07-04T20:17:00.003+10:00

Today we went to National Tiles and bought some feature border tiles for our splashbacks in the ensuite and bathroom. We are having plain cream tiles and I thought that it would look quite boring, so the feature border will jazz it up a bit. I need to speak to the tiler about this next week as we will have to do it as a "cashie". Hopefully he will be agreeable!!

We have also discussed the outdoor entertaining area and we have decided to have an enclosed sunroom attached to the alfresco. It will have windows along the fence side and double opening doors at each end. It will house our outdoor spa (which will be separately fenced), the outdoor timber table (which seats 10 people) and a BBQ/kitchen area. We will be able to use it all year round and can open the bi-fold doors to the house which will make one great big open entertaining area :). We are already having a ceiling fan out there and we have a portable air conditioning unit that would come in handy.
It's going to be our biggest expense but we plan to live in this house for a long time, so we'd like to do it all the way we want it. I am going to ring a few companies who specialise in sunrooms and start getting quotes as we will need plans drawn up and council permits etc. We'd like to get it built asap after we move in.

We have also taken the measurements of our windows and will start shopping around for blinds this week too, as they can take up to 6 weeks to be made. We are having a combination of white timber venetians and blockout roller blinds.
I love this stage of building when we get to chose all the fun stuff :)

Below is a photo of the type of sunroom that we are after;

Tiles are delivered!

2009-07-02T17:56:00.004+10:00

Tiles have been delivered so we are just waiting for the tiler to become available.

Our main floor tile called "Banur Earth" it is a 45 x 45cm glazed porcelain;

The feature pebbles which will be laid in a rectangle shape in the entry;

Close-up of the stone benchtops on the island bench;

Close-up of the stone benchtop;

We have stone benchtops!

2009-06-28T19:57:00.004+10:00

We took some friends to look at the house on saturday and found that the stone benchtops had been installed! They look really great from what I can see through the windows, just need a good clean to get all the dust off. The colour is called "Coral Reef".

A Tribute to The king of Pop

2009-06-26T16:58:00.006+10:00

A very sad day in history and I can't believe the King of Pop is dead.
I grew up listening to Michael Jackson's music and I remember when Thriller was released. Me and a friend stood in a crowded music shop for 15 minutes watching the video which was totally awesome.
This is such a tragedy and he will be sorely missed worldwide.

RIP Michael xx
You truly were a Superstar.

On site meeting with Supervisor

2009-06-26T16:39:00.004+10:00

I had an on site meeting with the site supervisor today which went really well, despite a mix up with the times. I thought it was at 10.30am and he had 2.30pm but it worked out in the end.
The house looks great! I am really pleased with the quality of the painting and the plaster/cornice work. There are a few spots that need to be touched up and the painters will be back later to finish it off. The SS is a real credit to PD, he is very easy to chat to and very thorough, I am very pleased that we have him over seeing our house. I gave him a list of things that require attention, including the chipped bricks and mortar on the front and he will get all the issues looked at. I also asked about dates for completion but he doesn't want to commit until after tiling. The tiles will be delivered next week but the tiler isn't available until the end of the week. We should also see some render and the garage door soon too.
I loooove the paintwork! when I walked in the winter sun was coming in through the windows and the house had a lovely warm feeling about it. Even the SS said he liked the colour and I think it will look really nice against the white timber venetian blinds and plantation shutters, very fresh.
Below are some photos of the paintwork.

Painting woo hoo!!

2009-06-23T17:56:00.005+10:00

We had a nice surprise today as we got to the house just as the painter was finishing up so we were able to have a quick look around inside. I'm really pleased with how the colour looks so far. The wall colour is called "Chalk Beige" and so far there is 1 coat on the walls. The ceiling is white and the woodwork and doors are "Oriental White" gloss.

Family room;

Family/Kitchen;

Close-up of kitchen;

Ensuite shower;

We have a manhole! (or should that be a "person" hole :)

Master bedroom and some of the doors;

Lounge;

We have a bath!

Bathroom;

Shopping spree!

2009-06-21T21:14:00.005+10:00

We went shopping this weekend in the stocktake sales and managed to get a few good deals on air conditioners and lighting.

We have ordered 2 split system reverse-cycle Fujitsu air conditioners and saved approx $1000!!

DIY kitchen lights with energy globes;

Oyster lights;

Single pendant lights;

Triple pendant lights;

Finally have some taps!

2009-06-20T14:10:00.003+10:00

The front yard taps and meters are finally in. We had to pay for a permit so that S.E water would move the location as they were going to end up putting them on our future driveway. It's been quite a long drawnout process but thankfully has finally been resolved.

The shower hob is in too;

Downpipes fitted and painter starts.

2009-06-18T18:48:00.010+10:00

The painter has been in and started prepping the house for painting. The doors are off and the nail holes in the skirtings have been filled. Can't wait to see the first coat of paint on the walls!

The templates have gone from the kitchen benches so that the caesar stone benchtops can be cut, so they may arrive soon too.

Downpipes are now fitted, ready for painting.

Downpipes on the sideway.

I also spoke to the SS today and we are meeting on site next friday morning (26th june) for an inspection. This was the first day that was convenient for both of us and I'm looking forward to seeing the inside properly and getting a few more photos.
I briefly mentioned the bricks and he said we will walk around and note any that need replacing and then the whole lot will be washed down again. Hopefully it will all look ok after that, I am still concerned about the mortar discolouration but it's hard to tell if the bricks are just wet.

Also, there is a roof tile that's come adrift above the rear garage door and water is leaking in when it rains. The SS has the day off tomorrow so we can't ring him about it. So DH is going to go to the block after work with his ladder and put it back. Otherwise, if it rains hard in the next few days it could cause problems in the garage as the ceiling and cornice is done.

Here is a photo of the area that's wet from the dodgy roof tile;

Quick update...

2009-06-17T21:52:00.003+10:00

For once this is a post without pics, but I haven't yet had my on site meeting with SS and the house appears to have been at a standstill since the fixing carpenter finished. I'm hoping to have an on site meeting this friday.
DH is not too happy with the skirting in the garage as it does not go right down to the floor. But I am going to paint the floor when we move in and I told him I will run some quad around the bottom of the skirting afterwards to finish it off nicely. I'll paint it in the same colour as the skirting and fix it with liquid nails :)
If you haven't already guessed, I am the "handy one" in our relationship. DH has a go at things and does ok but I won't let him near a paint brush if I can help it lol.

I'm not too happy with the bricks at the moment. The brickies have been back and replaced some chipped bricks and repointed some mortar but there is now a distinct difference in mortar colour in some spots. Hard to tell exactly how it looks due to the wet weather we have been having. Not sure if another acid wash will fix it but we won't accept it as it is. So far it is the brickwork that I am least happy with during the build and I'm even thinking about rendering inside the Alfresco area after handover. There is always at least 1 trade in every house built which is average, in our last house it was the painter who did a shoddy job. I have already told SS this and he said he would get one of his best painters to do our house. Too bad he didn't get one of his best brickies aswell.

T'is all for now :)

Fixing stage complete.

2009-06-10T18:43:00.006+10:00

The fixing carpenter has finished and now the house is ready for painting.
We are going to request an on site meeting with the SS asap and I can't wait to see inside properly as I haven't been able to get in for a few weeks.
I managed to take a few photos today.

Personal door is fitted in the garage (we will put a cat flap in this);

Edging is completed in the garage, this is the personal door into the house;

Skirtings in family room;

Rear roller door from the outside;

Doors and architraves.

2009-06-04T17:57:00.005+10:00

I couldn't get into the house tonight... bummer! So please excuse the quality of photos as I had to take them through the windows.
The fixing carpenter is currently doing the doors, architraves and skirtings. We also have our rear roller door fitted on the garage, the colour is paperbark to match the windows.

Rear roller door;

Looking through the bi-fold doors at the laundry door frame;

Looking through games room window at the passage way door and powder room door;

Lounge room doors;

House is sold!

2009-06-02T19:52:00.003+10:00

We have sold our existing house, it only took 7 days woo hoo!!
Currently the contract is subject to finance but it is a solid buyer so we are confident that it will go through.
Now we can look forward to the rest of our build with confidence. Settlement is 90 days but the buyer is flexible so we could bring that forward if needs be. And we are taking our outdoor spa with us too which saves us needing to buy a new one :)

More pics of the cabinets.

2009-05-30T19:31:00.007+10:00

Here's some more pics of the kitchen and vanities, which are all finished now and complete with basins.

Kitchen, just needs the bench, sink, freestanding oven and rangehood;

Kitchen;

Island bench;

Laminate bench in the pantry (this was an upgrade but worth doing);

Laundry bench complete with trough;

Bathroom vanity and basin;

Close-up of bathroom basin;

Ensuite vanity and basins;

Close-up of ensuite basin;

We have a kitchen woo hoo!!

2009-05-29T18:45:00.005+10:00

I was very excited tonight to see that the kitchen and cabinets are going in! The colours look great and the photos don't do it justice. Looks like the cabinet maker is doing a good job of it too. The vanity basins, doors and skirtings have been delivered too.
Less talk and more photos so here they are :)

Kitchen is partly installed;

Kitchen so far;

Kitchen drawers;

Port drawers;

Making use of the pot drawers already lol;

Laundry (I love this bench top);

Ensuite (awaiting benchtop);

Basins;

Doors and frames;

Skirtings;

We have cornices and lots of them :)

2009-05-26T18:25:00.011+10:00

The plasterers have been busy and now all the cornices are up. We have decorative cornice in the living areas and plain in the other areas. The good thing is that both are almost (or could be) the same size, so the difference between the two isn't hugely noticeable. I think the standard one is 90mm and not 70mm which looks a lot better. And they have also done the kids games room and surrounding hallway in the decorative one, which I wasn't expecting!! It looks very straight from what I can see with my naked eye and I'm very pleased that it appears to be a nice tidy job. The real test is when it's painted though.
I am also loving the higher ceilings as it makes the place feel so much more spacious and airy. We probably wouldn't have chosen this as an option but it was included in the promo which was a real bonus! Don't think I would want a house with standard ceilings again lol. The place looks very grey right now, I can't wait to see some colour on the walls.

Decorative cornice;

Plain cornice;

Waiting for a kitchen to go in;

Cornice in the family room;

Lounge room;

More plaster photos.

2009-05-22T20:40:00.002+10:00

Bulkhead in the hallway... love it!

Family room niche and entry to rear hallway.

Plaster under the alfresco ceiling.

Plastering is almost finished!

2009-05-21T20:36:00.005+10:00

I haven't been to the house for a couple of days and it was nice to see that the plastering is almost done so the cornices should go up next. I took lots of pics today.

Looking down the hallway from the front door.

Looking towards the front door.

Lounge room voids and doors will go in the centre.

Meals/dining.

Family room.

Looking towards the kitchen.

Family room.

Looking towards our bedroom.

Master bedroom.

More plaster pics.

2009-05-20T13:48:00.003+10:00

I thought they would have done more plastering over the last few days, but there still looks like a fair bit to go. Here's a few more pics that I took yesterday;

Our existing house is now on the market too!!

We are being plastered!

2009-05-15T19:34:00.003+10:00

That's right, the plaster is finally going up. They have only done halfway up the walls so far but already it is taking shape and it looks like our insulation survived too lol.

Sheets of plaster sitting in the family room;

Lounge room;

Meals room;

Ensuite shower with niche;

Our bedroom;

A small win for us!

2009-05-15T19:31:00.001+10:00

They have moved the location for the gas meter!!
It hasn't been moved to the other side of the house, but it has been moved right to the front of the house. This means that the meter can now sit in a garden and be accessible to read, as the fence will go in behind it.

Argh... please move the meters!!

2009-05-13T20:35:00.005+10:00

We have a few issues with the meters for the gas and water. The gas meter is going to be on the wrong side of the house. I am very annoyed about this as we asked for the meters to be moved to the side of the garage and they have put the gas meter box on the other side of the house. So now we have a meter box on one side and a gas meter on the other side. This makes it pointless to have moved the meter box especially as we charged a large amount of $$$ to move it. We might aswell have let it where it was.
We also had plans to put gardens across in front of where the gas meter is and a fence from the house to the side fence. Behind that we are going to store our left over bricks and roof tiles, this is all on the "dead side" of the house. Having the meter there screws up these plans, not to mention the fact that the meter reader won't have access.
G has asked the SS if it can be moved towards the front of the house so that it is in front of the fence and therefore would be accessible to read. The SS said he will look at it tomorrow and advise.

And now it gets worse... the water company want to put the water meters in the middle of our future driveway and are going to charge us $490 for the priviledge of moving them. Apparently, the tapping is all done when the development goes in and if you flip your house it's a case of "bad luck, this is where it's going" and there's a charge to move it. I have been on the phone to them to try and fight it but nup, we have to pay if we want it moved, grrrrrrr.

Walls are nice 'n fluffy!

2009-05-13T20:31:00.002+10:00

Still no sign of any plastering but G rang the SS yesterday to ask if we could put some more wall insulation in whilst we wait for the plaster. He said we could but we should hurry up as plaster would start soon, so that is a good sign. We have since added batts around the boys rooms and the toilets, so we are happy with that.
Here are some pics;

Blog link and update.

2009-05-11T22:18:00.003+10:00

For reasons that I don't want to go into (but refer to previous blog posts *wink*), I have changed our blog URL and it is now http://illoura33.blogspot.com/
If anyone was following under the old URL you will need to un-follow (cancel) the old one and then re-follow the new one in order to receive new updates :)

House update... Still no sign of the plaster or plasterers and G thinks that they have stopped work whilst they wait for full payment of the lock-up stage. I spoke to PD's accounts dept last week to let them know that we would be putting in the last of our funds and the bank would pay the rest. But I had to pay it over 4 installments via internet banking due to the daily limit (couldn't get to a bank due to sick kids at home). Then I have to wait for the receipts from PD and fax them off to the bank along with the authority to complete the payment from our loan. This meant that it would take approx 2 weeks for full payment to be received, so it's possible they may be stalling until it's all paid in full.

Of course, it could just be that the plasterers are tied up on another job, but I think that option 1 is more likely to be the case.

Anyway, t'is all good as it buys us a bit more time to get our existing house ready for sale and on the market, we are in no hurry although I am looking forward to seeing all the walls up.

Bathroom accessories

2009-05-10T20:04:00.005+10:00

This weekend we bought the bathroom accessories for the new house and we have gone with stainless steel and the finish of the metal means that we won't see any finger marks! This is the reason why we went for satin crome handles throughout the whole house, so these will match in nicely. Got a good deal as the whole lot was under $200 :)

Bricks have been washed.

2009-05-08T18:51:00.003+10:00

We were supposed to have plaster this week, but nothing yet and it hasn't even been delivered by the looks of it! The bricks were washed down today and they look very good, although they still need to dry out fully. It's also easier to see which ones have chips in them now and the SS said he will get all those replaced. I took a few pics from the outside (of course ). It also looks like the downpipe will be in the wrong place, it should be on the side of the projection, I will mention this to SS as I think the front section will flood if it isn't put right.

Fixtures, fittings and colours

2009-05-06T21:07:00.010+10:00

Firstly, I went to the house today to check that the missing wall of insulation had been put right. It had but I played around with it a bit more as there were a few gaps. There were a few spare pieces so I put that in my son's bedroom on the wall that is at the back of the kitchen. Plastering is supposed to commence tomorrow.

Now for some fun stuff, I thought I would post pictures of the internal fixtures and colours as this has been requested by a few people.

KITCHEN

Bottom cupboards (wenge);

Caesar stone bench tops

Glass splashback (dulux snuggle pie);

Top cupboards (almond);

Internal paint (wattyl chalk beige);

VANITY UNITS AND LAUNDRY

Vanity doors (almond);

Benchtops (south west jarrah);

BASINS AND TAPS

Ensuite taps;

Bathroom taps;

Handheld showers;

Kitchen vegie spray mixer tap;

Bath;

Basins;

Pedestal basin (powder room);

Toilets;

HANDLES

Front door trilock;

Internal door handles (satin crome);

Cupboard door handles (satin crome);

Onsite meeting

2009-05-05T19:40:00.003+10:00

We had an onsite meeting with the SS this arvo and we are very impressed with him. I now feel a lot more confident that the house will be built as it should be. The wall insulation has been put in but they missed one wall of sound batts (between DS's bedroom and the laundry) so the SS was going to fix that whilst he was there. The framing for the cavity sliding door on the study/bed 5 is also installed.
We also showed him a few chipped bricks around the house which will be replaced. And I discussed how I wanted the render colours, which is a lot easier to do now that we can see where it will go as we are having 2 colours.

Framing for cavity sliding door;

Wall Insulation;

Sound batts;

Almost at lock-up!

2009-05-03T21:51:00.005+10:00

The house is almost at lock-up, the external doors and bi-fold doors are on (love them!) and the insulation has been delivered and is sitting in the garage so that should go in this week. The doors have the handles and locks on them and I really like the front door handle, we upgraded to a satin crome trilock at the last minute. The bath has been boxed up but I am not happy with the stagnant water that's sitting under the bath, hopefully they will drain that out before fitting the bath. I took lots of photos today as I hadn't been there for a few days due to some personal issues.

Front door;

Trilock door handle;

Bi-fold doors;

Close up of the bi-folds;

Insulation waiting to go in;

Speaker wiring that G did last weekend;

Bath is boxed up;

Stagnant water under bath;

Looking down the hallway towards the front door;

Laundry door;

Bi-folds on the inside;

Looking towards the meals/dining area;

Looking towards the kitchen;

Keep off the site!

2009-05-01T13:20:00.002+10:00

We are no longer allowed on site due to an incident with another PD customer at their site and for OHS reasons. This is understandable, but means I won't be able to take as many photos from now on (except from the outside). We will also have frequent inspections with our SS present so I'll be able to take lots of photos of the inside then.

DH drove past yesterday and said that all our doors were on except for the bi-fold doors, so this means we are almost at lock-up. The insulation should go in shortly and then the plaster. We have permission to be on site this weekend to finish moving the bricks and a few roof tiles that are left over.

A few updates...

2009-04-28T21:39:00.001+10:00

A quick update - I went to the block today and there has been no visible action except for the sparky who has moved the TV and powerpoint in our bedroom as it was in the wrong spot. The wiring for the light switch in our ensuite is on the wrong side of the door too. This is because they originally had the door opening towards the shower which we changed so it opened towards the window as this made more sense. But nobody changed it on the electrical plan so the sparky has put the switch as per his plan, but unfortunately it will now be behind the door. I believe this is their stuff up so it should be moved to the other side.
The excess bricks are also still there and I used spray paint to mark on them that they are to be left, hopefully that will be enough until we get back there at the weekend to move them properly.
Finally, our external doors were delivered last week along with the door furniture (deadbolts, handles and front door trilock). Well today they are gone so I am hoping the SS has been to the site and taken them for safe keeping. But I have a sneaky feeling that someone has knocked them off so keep an eye out for them on eBay lol.
But all jokes aside, I hope this doesn't cause too much of a delay with the house being at lock-up as they can fit the doors but can't lock them until they get replacement locks. I really have to question why these items were just left in the entry way of an open house for anyone to see and then help themselves!

Lots of activity at the house. Yay!

2009-04-22T21:38:00.004+10:00

I got a call today from a guy at the vendor advocacy service and he is coming here on saturday morning to discuss selling our house. It's really starting to become real now! I actually feel quite sad about selling as we have lived here for 5 years and done quite a bit around the place to make it our own. Plus both our boys were born here.
But... on to pastures new, it's a new start for us and the new house will be even nicer than the current one :)

There has been quite a lot of activity at the house over the last couple of days. The brickies have almost finished and the front is now bricked. The central heating system is installed and the electrician has been in. It's really starting to look like a proper house now lol.

The front is now all bricked;

The front projection and portico, which will be rendered;

The window is fitted in the garage and bricking above the garage door done;

Framing for the garage personal door is now in;

Electrical work in the garage;

The heating sytem is installed;

The heating ducts;

Front door waiting to be installed;

Light switches at 1300mm high, as requested by us to keep them out of reach of little fingers!

Update

2009-04-21T15:13:00.000+10:00

G had a phone call from the SS today (don't faint lol). Anyway, he said that G can go in at the weekend to do the wiring for our home theatre/surround sound. The only day that we have free is sunday and we are going to a BBQ at MW anyway so G will have to keep ducking back to the house which should be fine. We will be at lock-up next week and then the plasters will start. The SS is also going to contact us soon to arrange our onsite meeting with him which I expect will be sometime next week too.

We are going to put our existing house on the market in the next few weeks. We just have a few small maintenance jobs to do first and need to give it all a good clean, including washing the facade (thankfully we have tank water ). I am quite nervous about it as our current house is actually worth more than the one we are building (we are downsizing to get rid of some of the mortgage) and it's quite hard to sell houses at the higher end of the market right now. This is one of the reasons why I am going to use a vendors advocacy service. Anyway, I'll keep you updated...

Bricking almost finished.

2009-04-20T20:32:00.003+10:00

The bricks are nearly finished, just a bit more on the front to complete now. I was pleased to see today that they have started doing the front projection, which will be rendered. We have decided not to have the colonial bars on the front windows but will leave them plain instead (as they are now). Our CSC said she will have to send a revised facade plan to DAP for approval but I can't see that they would have a problem. I can't work out if they will render inside the portico or not, so I guess we'll find out when they do it!
I took a few more photos today but it was getting dark by the time I left. I don't like the cold dark eveings!

A visit to the Home Show.

2009-04-18T20:53:00.007+10:00

We went to the Home Show in melbourne today. It was very busy (as always!) but we were a bit disappointed with it compared to previous years. There seemed to be less exhibitors which perhaps is a sign of the current times???
We picked up a few brochures for things like fake grass, pavers, roller shutters, blinds plus much more.
We did buy a stone letter box which was on special but we don't have to pick it up until we are ready. I will paint it to match the house but not sure which colour yet. I might match it to the garage door and windows (paperbark) or to the render colour. The company that makes and sells the letterboxes has a website which is http://www.dpam.com.au
This morning G picked up a hall table that I bought this week as it matches the other furniture which I recently bought (another eBay bargain!) So now I have the full set that I wanted for the new house :)
He then went to Selby Acoustics in Hallam and bought all the wiring, plates and speakers for our home theatre/surround sound set up. They gave us a great discount and their website can be found at http://www.selbyacoustics.com.au
G will install the wiring himself (he's good at that sort of thing and has an IT background). The SS has said he can go in to install the wiring after the electrician has been in.
Below are some pics of our latest purchases;

New letterbox;

Hall table;

More progress...

2009-04-17T21:39:00.006+10:00

As I thought, quite a bit has happened at the house since I last went. The external taps have been moved to where they should be and the 2 missing taps have been added. The windows now all have their locks (but no colonial bars on the front yet). The roof capping is all finished and the broken roof tiles have been replaced. They have taken some tiles from above the garage as they ran out, so I guess a few more will turn up shortly. The brickies have made great progress too and it's all done now except for accross the front. I'm really happy with how it's all coming together and it's great to see a lot of the minor fix-ups being done.

More brick photos!

2009-04-15T21:54:00.004+10:00

The brickies worked again today, despite the fact that the weather was quite wild this morning and raining on and off all day. We have found quite a few broken or cracked roof tiles that will need replacing. There is also a brick in the wall that has a chipped corner which I want replaced. Below is a photo.

Bricking on the front;

Bricking the garage;

Bricks on the side now go to the top;

More bricks!

2009-04-13T22:36:00.000+10:00

The brickies worked again today (Easter monday) and they did all down the right side of the house. We have 2 external taps missing so they will need to be added asap which will mean pulling out some bricks (I think). G tried to ring the SS last thursday to discuss this, but he didn't call back so now the brickies have been through that area which makes it more difficult to fix.

Bricks on the left laid today and bricks on the right were laid last friday.

Furniture is now right at home

2009-04-12T21:23:00.004+10:00

G and his nephew successfully picked up the furniture on saturday and now it takes pride of place in our existing house. It's going to look great at the new house too, I really can't wait to move now! I found out that it originally came from Oz Design Furniture and the seller was right about it all costing $7000. I'd like to get a matching hall table (which is still available) and that costs $699 alone but G won't let me spend that at the moment, so I'll have to keep working on him lol.
Below is how the furniture looks in our house.

More bricking

2009-04-10T22:21:00.008+10:00

Today is Good Friday, happy Easter everyone! Surprisingly, the brickies were working this morning and they bricked up the back of the house. Here's a few more pics;

View of the back;

Back of house;

Back of the rumpus room;

Close-up of the bricks;

Sunset

2009-04-09T20:00:00.008+10:00

It was a great sunset tonight when I went to the block, so I took a couple of photos.

Below is looking at the back of our house from across the lakes.

Sunset;

Bricking has started!

2009-04-09T19:50:00.003+10:00

I got a nice surprise today as they have started the bricking around the Alfresco. The mortar is natural but it looks quite dark in the photos as it was still wet. However, the bricks are going to look great and the job looks tidy so far. The frame for the bi-fold doors is now installed and so are the 2 solar panels on the roof (for the hot water).

Bi-fold doors;

Solar panels;

Bricks in the Alfresco;

Bricks on the side;

Our son (the inspector) checks that they are plumb;

We have a roof!

2009-04-07T20:06:00.002+10:00

Today they started doing the roof tiles, I really love the colour even though it looks almost like every other house in the street lol.
They also delivered the bricks, but it's hard to see them properly whilst they are on the pallets.

New furniture - Bargain!!

2009-04-06T15:17:00.007+10:00

I'm very excited as yesterday I successfully bid and won some furniture on eBay!! Now, I should point out that I was going to wait until we had moved but sometimes you have to take advantage of things when you see them at the right price. I am known for sniffing out a bargain and I very rarely pay full price for anything (except for new houses perhaps lol).
It's not brand new, but approx 3 years old however it was exactly what we wanted. It's all solid timber and the whole lot was under $2000 which includes hiring a moving van to pick it all up in. We do have a 1 tonne van but it won't fit! So G will take one of his nephews with him over Easter to pick it all up in 1 trip. The seller claims he paid $7000 for the lot brand new, so if this is true then it really is a bargain! It's going to look great in our current house too when we are trying to sell.

Did I mention that I'm excited????
Here's the photos;

Timber dining table and 6 chairs;

Matching buffet;

Matching low-line TV unit;

Matching rectangle coffee table;

Matching lamp table;