Proper pot drawers are in!

Had a lovely walk around the site yesterday and noticed the correct pot drawers are in! I also spotted the mirrors in the ensuite through a window, and the reflection of the shower screen. I still haven't been able to see the toilets, but I know they are there. Also on Friday, the termite reticulated system was installed, and the cleaners were there!



The weather seals are on the external doors:



Compare these 2 photos of the kitchen, and you'll see the pot drawers have been replaced to 1 skinny and 2 deeper ones instead of 3 all the same size, splashback protective film has gone as well as the protection for the Caesarstone benches:





Close up of pot drawers:



I have been able to read 'the list' on the cupboard, and no real surprises, except we missed a section of tiles on the laundry wall where the bench meets up against it. Thankfully, our SS is on the ball and it has now been fixed accordingly. Caulking still to be done:



The dining through the lounge. You might be able to see that the light fitting is not centered with the windows. We specifically asked that it be centered in the room from the edge of the stairs, and thus being centered over where the dining table will be. This is where my chandelier is going:



A pic of the stairs again, this time through cleaner windows:



We now have a gas meter too:



Termite reticulated system is in as well:



I've noticed a couple more things to be fixed too, but the mortar blowouts are written on the list, so I'll wait until our PCI to see if they have been fixed:



The screws on the downpipes were not on the list (that I could read!). easy fix, though:



The only outstanding things that need to be done are all the flyscreens, the gable patch-up in the portico and the rendering. There are all the items on 'the list' but they are all easy fixes and cosmetic touch ups. There will probably be more after we have had our inspection too! So, with the 18th of August only 8 working days away, it looks as though it might be a hive of activity again this week. I'm not sure if the weather will be suitable for rendering, and the portico patch-up has to be done before that. Fingers crossed!

...and the progress continues!

It's been a busy week at the house this week! Finally I was able to have a look around (through dirty windows) at all the progress in between showers of rain. At this stage, it looks as though it's pretty much complete! I am unsure if the mirrors or the shower screens are in as I am unable to see them, but I'm pretty sure the rest of the fittings have been done.

These were taken on Wednesday.

Front doors with 2 red spots on them indicating to be painted again (notice proper door handle!):



All the downpipes have been connected to the stormwater, and we have some extra drains to help with the 'moat'. These will be cut when we do our landscaping:





One of two outdoor taps:



Outdoor power points, and TV and HDMI cable in the alfresco:





Quad fix on the gap in the alfresco above the stacker door. There is also one on the other side. Both will need painting. It looks as though the paint roller ran over my bricks, so hopefully it will be cleaned off before handover:



The rangehood vent...red spotted for painting:



6 halogen downlights in the alfresco. The middle will have a fan and 2 ceiling speakers either side:



Newly installed kitchen rangehood, tap and lights:





I tried so hard to read the list of 'things to fix' stuck on the overhead cupboard next to the rangehood...no luck, though!!



Those fluoros have got to go!





Door furniture all on, and locks as well:





Laundry trough and mixer in:



The only way I know we have toilets! I can't see them, but there are 3 empty boxes in the rubbish cage:



I drove past twice on Thursday, but I didn't see any action, and today on my morning drive-by, the termite system was being installed, and it looked as though the cleaners were there!!!

Now it's the weekend, I'll get a chance to have a look around and see what else has been done, and take some more pics. Just waiting on the portico fix and the render to be done. Won't be long now....

More Progress!

It's been a busy few days and I haven't had much time to update the blog...sorry!

Last Friday saw the rendering of the linea bands on the front facade in our chosen colour 'Paperbark'. Still waiting for the colour coat to go on the remainder of the portico, though. I believe it's supposed to happen this week, but the guttering/eaves and fascia needs to be fixed on the left side before the remainder of the rendering can be done.





Not sure if they will have another coat, as this one under the eaves looks a little 'light on' where it finishes. I'll make a note to point that one out at our Inspection (if it hasn't been fixed!):



Sorry for the distorted image, but the only way to get all of the portico in is to use a wide angle! I can't stand back far enough with the rubbish cage and temp fence in the way! :







I did notice something after I had taken the photos of the rendering, and was viewing them on the PC. The A/J (Articulation or expansion join) that runs along side one of the windows in bedroom 2 has not been filled with the coloured putty/silicone 'goop' above the window. I had a look at all my other photos of the A/J's and noticed that the one above one of the Master Bedroom windows has been filled. I'm sure it's just an oversight, so I sent a couple of photos to my CSA to let my SS know.



Here's a clearer (although fuzzier) crop of the same photo:



I also discovered a tile on the alfresco roof which isn't sitting flush with the rest of them:



A couple of other things to add to the list of things to check at our PCI, but both an easy fix.

A closer view of the garage workings (this time not taken with a mobile!):



...and one for the brick lovers!!



This week started off really well, with both the sparky and chippy installing things. I did drive by several times during the day, and after the afternoon school run they were still there so I couldn't have a peek through the windows. My Husband did on his way home and discovered holes in the ceilings and walls for the lights and power points, and all the external junction boxes were attached. I also have a rangehood in the kitchen fully installed!

Today, again, I drove past twice and saw the plumbers there in the morning and the chippy this afternoon. I was going to go down again at around 4:30 to finally see my rangehood, but it was pouring, and my 'site shoes' were in the back of the 'other' car. By the time the 'other' car returned home it was dark. At least I didn't get wet and muddy, but I still haven't seen my rangehood :-(

Tomorrow, for sure...

3 weeks of construction left.

We had a very positive meeting on Wednesday morning, and an important date our SS gave us was the 18th August. This date is when construction is estimated to be completed, and our file gets handed over to the 'Handover Department'. From there, the house will be inspected by Henley's team and a date set for our Practical Completion Inspection (or New Home Inspection) up to 2 weeks later at the max. Then once any issues are identified they will have 2 weeks to fix them before our official handover date. So, with that in mind, our date for handover is possibly 15th September at the latest! Secretly hoping it's earlier, as the kids start their school holidays on the 18th September. Ideally, I'd love to have the cable fit off, flooring , heating and appliances installed BEFORE the holidays...and most of the moving stuff. But in reality, anything can happen!

As we discovered, it was not one of our mirrors in the rubbish cage, as they haven't been installed yet, so perhaps our site was the next port of call and they dumped it with the rest of our rubbish!

We discussed several things with our SS on Wednesday and all will be fixed. The list includes:

* Fixing the portico issue (apparently very easy!)
* Fixing a few gaps in the bricks on the lounge window sill.
* Front doors to be sanded back and painted another coat of gloss (especially now they have render splatter on them).
* Gap in infill sheet above stacker door to have quad and painted.
* Kitchen pot drawer replacements still at the factory, but should be ready shortly.
* Metre box will be painted.
* A small bend in the guttering along the alfresco will be fixed (we think it's just a clip that has not 'clipped' properly!)
* A dent in the frame on one of the dining windows will be fixed to prevent the possibility of water getting in.
* The possum will be dealt with!
* I have also requested that now the finishing touches are happening, that no smoking takes place inside the house.

I actually didn't take as many pics as I thought I might because nothing had really changed since I 'attempted' to meet the tiler last week! Our splashback in the kitchen has been installed, but is still covered in the protective plastic film (that can quite happily stay until handover day as far as I'm concerned!!)

The laundry wall tiles installed and grouted. They are not the ones we had in our contract, but because the wrong ones were initially delivered, we chose to have the left over ones from the bathrooms put in instead. They look fine:



The floor all grouted too, although still powdery:



The powder room tiles grouted:



The ensuite tiling completed (just need to replace the skirtings taken off to fit the tiles):





View from the master bedroom through to the upstairs TV area, and the double ensuite doors:



Part of our walk in robe. This configuration was standard with one side double hanging and 2 sides single hanging. We certainly wont be requiring all of the single hanging space, so we will have some shelves and drawers made to fit. We could rip it all our and reconfigure it all, but SS let us know that all the melamine sheeting is stuck to the walls, and ripping it all out would do some damage! We'll work with what we have for the moment, I think!!



The kitchen splashback. Very pleased with the subtleness of the colour! When we had our colour appointment (over a year ago), there were very few light coloured choices. Henley have since changed to a different splashback supplier and lots of different choices, but we are still happy with out final decision. Once the appliances and general kitchen 'stuff' is on the benches, it will look good and blend in with everything else. The colour is Dulux 'Alecon Lace' on starphire glass (low iron content and no green tinge):





Another casualty upstairs...no idea!:





Upstairs linen cupboard:



Our lovely wide hallway to the front door:



...and back again:



Almost done!



Because this was most likely our last official meeting with our Site Supervisor, we thought it appropriate to give him a gift as a token of our appreciation. We consider ourselves extremely lucky to have had 1 SS throughout our build. Others have several. We also know we have been blessed with tradies our SS prefers to use, knowing they have been tried and trusted. We didn't wait for 3 weeks for our brickies for nothing! Our SS believes our home is of better quality than display home standard, and for this, we will be eternally grateful for his ability, his professionalism and his time. He has answered every question, querie or concern we have had, and has always been willing to give us a detailed explanation of how and why. For those who have built, or are building, they know just how very stressful it can be. Living, breathing and sleeping every detail over and over again, making sure things are right. There will always be little things along the way that go wrong or are not 'quite right', and the way our little 'not quite rights' have been handled has been excellent, making the stress levels somewhat bearable! I'm certainly not in a hurry to build again (I'd like to actually live in our dream home first after all the blood, sweat and tears!), but if the actual 'construction phase' could be this easy with another build, and another fabulous SS, then I would have no qualms in doing it again!

Cheers to you, SS, and we hope you enjoy your Bourbon!