The back bedroom - has almost all it's doors...
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Finally, some pictures.....
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Yes, We're Still Alive....
Sheesh, life catches up with you and THEN you update your blog !
If you've been following it in the past, and thought something went wrong - no, it didn't - but I have been running my own business about a week after that last post (December 8th onwards, and don't regret it !) - and updating a blog has been pretty low on the list of things to do.
So, we have been graced with a housey-looking house - we're almost at lockup (as of Saturday March 20th, according to the carpenter who we met on site accidentally !).
Things seem to be going quite well, we've been keeping an eye on things with photos and the like just in case there's a reason to dispute - but of course according to the builder "you're not on the site are you ?" - so we'll be doing a walkthrough with the SS hopefully this week so I can pick up on the things I've noticed, like:
* My studio having 95% acoustic batts, there's a few standard ones, and there's a few errant soundproof batts in other walls
* Some mortar issues on a couple of bricks
* Where the walls meet each other (90 degree angle) - they've put a foam separator in (not sure what it's called) - does that get filled up with something ? It looks weird at the moment, and large gaps in the angles.
Apart from that, the house is looking good, our neighbours on the left are Rawdon (and are pacing us), the ones on the right (PD) have moved in and we're organising that fence pretty soon.
Another good thing - there's 4 Rawdon's almost in a row on Boland Drive - that's faith :)
Pics coming soon, just have to upload them, and staying at Jason's parents place with a little 3G stick is not the best way to do it :(
If you've been following it in the past, and thought something went wrong - no, it didn't - but I have been running my own business about a week after that last post (December 8th onwards, and don't regret it !) - and updating a blog has been pretty low on the list of things to do.
So, we have been graced with a housey-looking house - we're almost at lockup (as of Saturday March 20th, according to the carpenter who we met on site accidentally !).
Things seem to be going quite well, we've been keeping an eye on things with photos and the like just in case there's a reason to dispute - but of course according to the builder "you're not on the site are you ?" - so we'll be doing a walkthrough with the SS hopefully this week so I can pick up on the things I've noticed, like:
* My studio having 95% acoustic batts, there's a few standard ones, and there's a few errant soundproof batts in other walls
* Some mortar issues on a couple of bricks
* Where the walls meet each other (90 degree angle) - they've put a foam separator in (not sure what it's called) - does that get filled up with something ? It looks weird at the moment, and large gaps in the angles.
Apart from that, the house is looking good, our neighbours on the left are Rawdon (and are pacing us), the ones on the right (PD) have moved in and we're organising that fence pretty soon.
Another good thing - there's 4 Rawdon's almost in a row on Boland Drive - that's faith :)
Pics coming soon, just have to upload them, and staying at Jason's parents place with a little 3G stick is not the best way to do it :(
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Meter Box - yay...
Went down to the site tonight (sad isn't it, it's a Saturday !), and two things:
(a) I need to buy gumboots for the next visit ! It's been pouring down today in Melbourne (which is not necessarily a bad thing) and the site was pretty squishy - the garage in the site cut is like a toddler's pool :)
(b) We now have a meter box ! It's not fully wired internally, but has all the cables fed in waiting to be hooked up.
Still waiting for the plumbing.
Paul.
(a) I need to buy gumboots for the next visit ! It's been pouring down today in Melbourne (which is not necessarily a bad thing) and the site was pretty squishy - the garage in the site cut is like a toddler's pool :)
(b) We now have a meter box ! It's not fully wired internally, but has all the cables fed in waiting to be hooked up.
Still waiting for the plumbing.
Paul.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Site has been scraped !
Wow, things move quickly when there's money involved :)
Paid the 5% deposit last Friday, and looks like it went through OK, as we found out (via Hels on the Home One forum) that the site has been scraped, as of November 18th.
Thank goodness Jason did the mowing a few weeks ago, it was pretty long and would have gotten in the way. Luckily we haven't copped a lot of rubbish on the site, and will be going back on Saturday to check if that's any different.
Next, temporary fencing - and the plumbing !
Paid the 5% deposit last Friday, and looks like it went through OK, as we found out (via Hels on the Home One forum) that the site has been scraped, as of November 18th.
Thank goodness Jason did the mowing a few weeks ago, it was pretty long and would have gotten in the way. Luckily we haven't copped a lot of rubbish on the site, and will be going back on Saturday to check if that's any different.
Next, temporary fencing - and the plumbing !
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Almost ready....
It's been a while between posts hasn't it ?
That's what happens when you have a few things going in life :)
Anyways, a brief update as to what's going on :
* We had a final contract/drawing meeting a couple of weeks ago - the 'last chance' to change anything without incurring any variation fees. The only thing to do was to add a switch which would become a two way with the inside near the front door so the verandah light could be switched on from either side - ideal if you're coming home in the dark :) Only cost $55 !
* Site costs came in $1,400 less than thought, so we've now put a Decro door in - made by Steel-line, and a step above a Colorbond door with a wood type finish. Ours is in Auburn, and will complement the Austral Canterbury bricks and the general tone of the house.
* Jason spent a good hour and copped a few blisters doing a site clean up last weekend - nice job too ! The bulk of it was at the back of the property, and it's now far shorter (and goes about a metre past the boundary, so the back neighbours better thank us !!!). The front embankment is also neater.
Thanks for Hels'n'Greg from the HomeOne forum for the lend of the whipper snipper - but it became too big a job for it in the end.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Fencing is almost ordered....
We went back today (bloody nice weather too) - pics to come soon, but we looked for the pegs at the back, which were nearby to the aboveground stakes, but I had to shift a bit of grass to find the west side one. The east side is actually behind the temporary fencing for next door's lot, and the measurements are practically on the nose (even a shade over, depending where you start the tape measure) - there was a nail in the middle of the rear pegs, so i assume the nail is the boundary, as is the faceplace with the lot number at the front.
Picked up a bit of rubbish from the lot, but will do a more intensive cleanup in the next few days, probably when I go whipper snipper (thanks Hels from HomeOne for the offer !) the back grass...the rest of the lot is fine, the nature strip is still being seeded (so nothing to worry about there).
Got some slightly bad news re the house - the surveryor has knocked back the setback ! It was 5.25m, Marriott had said yes, but the surveyor has come back to say what's on the title has to be the way the house is built. So, the garage goes back the 25cm, and we are having to chop a bit of the lounge and family/meals area out a bit, but that's preferred as to losing the exit door from the garage to the verandah.
Also, the credit application for ATF (Australian Temporary Fencing) has been sent off, and hopefully we'll have the fencing up shortly, at a pretty good rate. The neighbour to our right has already got the fence up, so we only have to fund the back and west side (bugger, where do you get all this extra money ????).
Just waiting on RH to ask for the deposit (again, where's the money ????!) and then we'll be on the way.
Picked up a bit of rubbish from the lot, but will do a more intensive cleanup in the next few days, probably when I go whipper snipper (thanks Hels from HomeOne for the offer !) the back grass...the rest of the lot is fine, the nature strip is still being seeded (so nothing to worry about there).
Got some slightly bad news re the house - the surveryor has knocked back the setback ! It was 5.25m, Marriott had said yes, but the surveyor has come back to say what's on the title has to be the way the house is built. So, the garage goes back the 25cm, and we are having to chop a bit of the lounge and family/meals area out a bit, but that's preferred as to losing the exit door from the garage to the verandah.
Also, the credit application for ATF (Australian Temporary Fencing) has been sent off, and hopefully we'll have the fencing up shortly, at a pretty good rate. The neighbour to our right has already got the fence up, so we only have to fund the back and west side (bugger, where do you get all this extra money ????).
Just waiting on RH to ask for the deposit (again, where's the money ????!) and then we'll be on the way.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Things are really starting to happen....
We went out to Marriott Waters last week, just after I got back from sunny Queensland (let's say I had a t-shirt on departure, and a jacket on arrival !).
Paul and Jason doing the obvious !
The land from the other side of the road
We have another meeting pencilled in this week at the office, which is a 'last chance' look over the contract to make any changes if needed without incurring variation fees, so we're going to go over the plans with eagle eyes, but it should be all good.
The only thing that may change is the garage door - we want to put a Decro door in, but if it's going to be out of budget, there's a wood look Colorbond door that's just as good. We're just waiting for the final site costs to come in, that's the only thing stopping the process going at full steam. More soon.
