Front Exterior

The front exterior is a work in progress, as with the rest of the house. I will try & keep updating as we go until it is complete.

 

Front at Handover

I am lucky that my Brother is a concreter & has helped us out so much with our crossover & driveway & has saved us a substantial amount of money.

  

Saturday 9th June 2013

 

The new crossover was poured

 

Monday 10th June 2013

The fences between the house and the side boundary fences were erected today with the help of some friends. We decided to go with "Gramline Coke' as the colour. This is Gramlines match to the colourbond colour monument. We choose this colour to match in with the roof tiles & the whirly bird. We decided to get a narrow gate of the garage side of the house & large double gate on the other side as there is quite some distance (approx. 6m) between the house & the side fence, that way if we ever need to get a trailer, car or caravan (im still dreaming) into the backyard we can with no hassle.

 

 

 

Saturday 22nd June 2013

 

The driveway was done today

 

 



 

Sunday 28th July 2013

 

Today we started putting in the timber for the garden beds

 

 

 

Saturday 24th August 2013

 

Finally we had a chance to go to the nursery today, we don't know the first thing about gardening or plants and were very fortunate to speak to a lady at the nursery who was very knowledgeable and helpful and was able to assist us with making some decisions. We wanted some plants that will basically take care of themselves, the two types we decided on are:

 

Green Rocket -  a beautiful dark green hedging plant with glossy, oval shaped leaves. The new growth is a lime green colour making a great contrast. Green Rocket’ loves full sun but will perform well in part shade. Likes well drained soil, is drought hardy, copes with frost and can live by the coast.

and
Aristea ecklonii  - an evergreen perennial with stiff, upright, grasslike leaves that grow 15-18 in (38.1-45.7 cm) tall in a tight clump. In spring or early summer, flowering stalks covered with dozens of small blue saucer shaped flowers stand above the leaves.
 

We are using the green rocket to frame each side of the window, brickwork & the fence with the Aristea Ecklonii in front in front and black bark

 

 

Sunday 8th September

 

Today we worked on the path & the left side of the driveway. We had decided to use the same plants as we had in front of the house in the left garden bed. So we did a row of Green Rocket in front of the fence and then a couple of Aristea Ecklonii to fill in the garden bed. This time we used 40mm Tuscan stones

 

 

For the centre Garden bed we have used the plant:

Blaze - this is a very tough plant with extreme heat tolerance. It has beautiful deep purple foliage throughout most of the year (depending on climate), turning green in summer, Deep purple berries appear in spring or summer. It grows to 45cm high x 40-50cm wide.  

We have also used "crazy pavers" which we found at Soil Worx in Hoppers Crossing and 40mm Tuscan Stones

 

 

 

 

 

Just the lawn to go now

Hand Over

 

Tuesday 28th May 2013

 

 

Our final walk through was booked for 9am on Tuesday 28th May 2013. The plan was to meet on site for the inspection then if everything was satisfactory we would have to drive to head office in Melbourne to make our final payment and collect the keys.

 

The day before the walk through our site supervisor called and said we would have to push the walk through out to pm because the cleaners would still be there but he would have the keys on site so we didn't have to drive to Melbourne so the change in time really didn't make too much difference to us & we were happy that we didn't have to go to Melbourne.

 

All the items from our PCI had been completed and the appliances had been installed minus the hot water service which was to be installed that afternoon.

 

Everything was signed off and the keys handed over. YAY it was very exciting.

 

 

By about 4 in the afternoon no one had shown up with the hot water service so I called our SS, who did not answer so night one was spent with no hot water. In the morning I called again and was told that the wrong hot water service was ordered and it was not LPG compatible and at best it would be there the next day! Night 2 with no hot water. Luckily is showed up early the next day, our SS had told us he was going to contact Porter Davis to see what could be done to make up for the inconvenience but its no surprise we haven't heard or received anything!

 

Apart from that everything is going well and we have been very busy moving in & unpacking, I will update with pictures on the finished rooms eventually

Practical Completion Inspection

Today we had our Practical Completion Inspection (PCI).  It went reasonably well with nothing major to be fixed. The things that need attention are:

 

Entry

• Weather seals on entry door
• Repaint entry door as it has a few scratches on the exterior side
• Paint touch ups

Master/Ensuite/WIR

• Centre tiles above niche in ensuite shower to be replaced
• one of the vanity doors in the ensuite has a couple of red marks on it 
• Paint touch ups

Lounge/Dining/Kitchen

• Replace some quad to the flooring in the dining/lounge area
• Clean off glue to some window frames
• clean marks on the island bench
• Add globe to living room batten
• Paint touch ups

Rumpus Room

• silicone bench top to wall in rumpus room
• relace damaged quad to flooring
• repair gaps between skirting boards & quad (nail in)
• Paint touch ups

Laundry

• replace fly screen in laundry as it isn't square & doesn't fit window
• Magpie vent to be inserted
• Clean the runs in the sliding external door
• Paint touch ups

Hallway

• Replace globe to Batten
• Clean mud marks off man hole
• Paint touch ups

Bedroom 2

• Adjust levels of the robe doors so they close flush
• repair hole in the floor & the back of the robe
• Paint touch ups

Bedroom 3

• Adjust robe doors to close flush
• Clean window frame
• Paint touch ups

Bedroom 4

• Remove glue from window frame
• Paint touch ups

Bathroom

• clean grout on floor
• Repair tile on bath hob as it sits above the trim
• Mark on bench top
• Silicon Bath hob to wall
• repair tile on side of shower that is not straight
• Paint touch ups

Garage

• Finish skirting around the rear door
• Replace rear door handle
• Clean the brickwork around external door
• Paint touch ups

External

• Add infill above the master bedroom window
• Cracked brick at the bottom of alfresco wall
• Chip to alfresco slab
• Repaint outside of alfresco beam
• Touch up infill above the garage door
• Brick cleaning touch ups

Our Site supervisor estimates everything will be finished and ready for handover on Tuesday 28th May.

Construction - Week 21

Only 5 days to go til our inspection and the list is getting shorter

 

 

Laundry

• The magpie vent needs to be completed

Kitchen

• Glass splash back needs to be installed
• All appliances need to be installed

 

External

• Portico needs to be painted

 

 

Monday 13th May 2013

 

Today the portico was painted meaning that all the external painting has now been completed. The painter has also done some touch ups inside.

Wednesday 15th May 2013

Nothing else has been done so far this week, hopefully the splashback will go in tomorrow in time for our PCI on Friday morning. We have already been told the magpie vent wont be done til after our inspection & the appliances wont be installed until hand over so that only leaves the splashback & everything will be done.

Friday 17th May 2013

Today while we were doing our PCI the glass splashback was installed in the kitchen, I'm very happy with the way the colour has turned out & am even happier to find out it goes up the wall behind the range hood as well as along the bench.

 

The blinds were also installed today

 

 



Construction - Week 20

 

With less than 2 weeks til our PCI the list of outstanding things is slowly getting shorter

 

Bathroom & Ensuite

 

• The Basins & Bath are in but they are yet to be fixed
• There is a missing tile on the edge of the bath (so the plumbing for the bath can be connected) this needs to be complete
• The Grout on the splashbacks need to be finished
• The shower drain need to be put in

Laundry

• The laundry Taps need to be installed
• The magpie vent needs to be completed

Kitchen

• Glass splash back needs to be installed
• All appliances need to be installed

Internal

• All carpet needs top be laid

External

• All external painting needs to be done
• Portico needs to be painted
• Fly screens to all windows
• Gap in brick work above the ensuite window needs to be filled
• The rear garage door needs to be painted and hung

 

 

Monday 6th May 2013

 

Today the external painting began with the render being painted. I'm very happy with the way it has come up.  

Tuesday 7th May 2013

Today the underlay was laid for the carpet

 

Wednesday 8th May 2013

 

Today the plumber returned & connected the bath & fixed the missing tile.

He also connected the laundry taps which now makes the laundry complete (except for the magpie vent which we have been told will be done between PCI & handover)
 

 

 

 

The painters were also back & finished all the external painting except the portico. They also painted the rear garage door.



 

 

 

Thursday 9th May 2013

 

Today the carpet was laid, it is a little browner than what I pictured it to be & the photos make it look even browner than it is & really don't do it justice at all. Although it is browner it still ties in well with our colours

 

 

The tiler was back and finished the grout in the bathroom & ensuite, leaving only the sealing to be done which we have been told will be tomorrow.

 

 

The cleaners were also back today, it has made such a difference to everything to see it clean rather than covered with dust & dirt

 

 

 

 Friday 10th May 2013

 

 Today the basins & bath we fixed and the bathrooms sealed, the shower drains were also put in meaning that the bathroom & ensuite are now complete.

 

 

The rear garage door has been hung, the gap in the brickwork above the ensuite window has been fixed & all the fly screens are on.

Construction - Week 19

 

Monday 29th April 2013
 

Today the shower screens in the bathroom & ensuite have been installed

Tuesday 30th April 2013

The bathroom & ensuite mirrors were put in today and although I didn't notice at first it makes a big difference. In the bathroom we extended the mirror to go the full length over the bath which I'm glad we did as it makes the bathroom feel a lot bigger than it is.

 

 

 

The bath has not been installed and the other day had a note on it saying the cut out was too small, today it looks like the cut out has been measured ready to be made bigger.

 

 

 

Another change today was the temporary fencing has been taken away ready for the site to be cleared which our building supervisor told us would happen later this week.

The expanding stuff that goes in the brickwork was also done today

 

 

 

 

Wednesday 1st May 2013

 

Not much to see today, just a clean up of the site.

 

 

Friday 3rd May & Saturday 4th May 2013

 

 

The most exciting thing to happen this week is defiantly the timber flooring. I'm very happy with the way it has come up. On Friday the entry, kitchen, dining, lounge & study was laid with the Rumpus & edging being finished on Saturday.

 

 

 

 



SS Update

 

 

I have just spoken to our Site Supervisor and have booked in our Practical Completion Inspection for the 17th May which is exciting but unfortunatly still a couple of weeks away. We have been told that handover should be 7-10 days after that.