Week 14 Cornice, Kitchen & All Locked Up

Week Fourteen 17 - 22 Dec

Day 63 - 66.   On Monday we got some trendy downpipes, needless to say these are only temporary but as we are going into the wet season necessary to prevent soil erosion.

The plaster board on all the walls and ceilings is now finished and the cornice work was all done this week.    The internal doors will be going in after Christmas but have been delivered.

We also have a staircase now and it looks really good.  

One weird bit though is that there is still a gap between part of the staircase and the garage.  We wanted under the stairs open but I was not expecting this gap.  I must admit though if its not finished off by the builder I have a plan for method of closing it up and making a combination of a finish that will be a bit of a feature and also allow natural light into the staircase - anyway we will see.

                      

 Day 67.  The kitchen cupboards are in and I am so glad that I did not give in to my "colour choice" fears and change anything because I think it looks great.  Can't wait for the bench tops to go in now. The space in there is great and it will be such an easy kitchen for multiple people to work in without getting in each other's way. 

 

The laundry, bathroom and ensuite cabinets are in as well and I am really pleased with them too.

Day 68.  The garage door was supposed to go on yesterday so the house could be locked up over the Christmas break but no sign of it at 6pm last night.   I rang the builder and after a bit of chasing around the door guy confirmed that it would be in and this morning it was installed and the house is all locked up and secure.

There will be no further work now for three weeks as the builder is on holidays.  Lots of work to do at our current place though and of course enjoying the festivities of Christmas.

The other houses in the street are going well.   Lot 16 is close to finished and I think they are due to move in in Jan; Lot 17 is about the same stage as us; no movement on Lot 18; Lot 19 is finished but I don't think they have moved in yet; Lot 20 is about the same as Lot 16; no movement on Lots 21 or 22; Lot 23 has now been cut and they have a big hole like we did.  Lot 24 has only internal finishing I would say about Jan for them too; Lot 25 is all framed and has their roof on; Lot 27 has not started yet but they have their sign up now and Lot 28 has been having a pool put in this week.  So by the time we move in there should already be at least four other families in the street.

Week 13 - Interior Walls

Week Thirteen 10 - 14 Dec

Day 58 - 62.  This week has been all about plaster board with the ceilings finished and all the interior walls now put up.

 
Its seems a bit of an odd way to do it to me as we don't have exterior wall yet but my site manager assures me that once the plaster board is vertical its not at risk from rain.

The plaster board has made such a difference to the rooms and you can really get an appreciation of the size and in the lounge room the ceiling becomes such a fantastic feature.  P was very impressed with the height and unlike our current ceiling he has no hope of touching this one!!

The other thing the walls show us is how much natural light the rooms get.  It has worked out really well, the only one that is a bit dark is J's bedroom which overlooks the deck, every other room is well lit even without lights - good news for the power bill. 

The other couple of "fix ups" were also corrected this week and we now have three taps all in their correct places.

This week the vinyl samples from the industrial vinyl companies arrived.  Most of them were quite disappointing colour wise and only one really went with the kitchen colours. 

Finding someone to get them in was the next challenge as residential types like us can't buy direct.  We went vinyl shopping and although a couple of companies were willing to get the commercial vinyl in a bit of research led us to realise that many of the higher quality residential vinyls are now also rated for light commercial use - which is suitable to our needs.  Consequently it means the restrictions we had on colour range are now not so restrictive.   After a bit of playing around with samples we found a couple of nice once but have decided to go with one called Cappuccino Lodge by Texline HQR.

The second challenge with the floor is the height difference between the bamboo and the vinyl.   Its an important thing to realise that when you have different types of flooring there can be height differences and how this is dealt with needs to be considered.  In our case we have 3mm vinyl, 14mm bamboo with a 3mm underlay and 8mm laminate wood with a 3mm underlay.  The 6mm difference between the bamboo and the laminate has standard joins available that make the height difference barely noticeable but the 15mm difference between the bamboo and the vinyl is significant and more than we were willing to have.  Consequently we are getting the people who are quoting for us to quote on an underlay or masonite to build the floor level up in the kitchen to be closer to the bamboo.

Tip - Find out the depths of your flooring materials and be sure you are happy with how height differences will be dealt with.

Week 12 - Wires and Ceilings.

Week Twelve 3 - 8 Dec

Day 53 - 55.    The first three days this week the rest of the wall and ceiling wiring and ducting went in.  During the rough in we identified some additional powerpoints we wanted around the place so was able to arrange this, this included some powerpoints in the ceiling for P to use when we put his workshop in as well as getting the powerpoint outlet for this three phase point.

In addition to that I also had a special switch to turn off the powerpoints in the games room already allowed for - this is so I don't have to go scrambling behind the wall unit to try and turn them off.  We realised it would also be a good idea to have the same thing in the living room so I put one in there too. 

Tip - If you have power-points that will be hard to get to but will service a lot of "stand by" devices consider a switch on the wall to be able to turn them off.

Day 56 -57.    The first lot of bricks arrived and the colour looks great.   Pink batts for the ceiling and the plaster board have also been delivered.

 

 

 

The wiring and all the other ducting and pipes were finished.  I was given a tip to take photos and map where all the utilities are in the house so that if in the future we need to access any of it or want to put something on the walls and want to ensure I miss the wires and pipes.

 

Tip - Take photos of your wall wiring and pipes etc before the plasterboard goes up for future reference.

 
















 

The end of the week ended with the commencement of the installation of the ceiling panels, it makes such a difference to the rooms and they are really starting to look like proper rooms now. 

Week 11 - Windows and Plumbing.

Week Eleven 26 - 30 Nov

Day 48 - 52.  Another week where I was away for most of it and came back to amazing changes.

All the windows and the front door are now in.  Its really starting to look like a proper house now.  My site manager rang me about a couple of problems.  The first was the little feature window above the sliding doors going out to the deck.  It is apparently very little height wise and my manager thinks it will look really odd so we have decided not to have it and just to plasterboard above that area.  The second is where the kids toilet wall faces the entry is supposed to have a feature window of opaque glass in it to let some natural light into the room however an external window was delivered, but my ever vigilant site manager was on it and has arranged something else, yet to be delivered.

 

I love my front door.  Its obviously unstained at this stage but will remain basically the same colour as it will be done with a clear finish. 

The ceiling batons have finally been finished.  My poor site manager was getting really annoyed at how long the framing process was taking.  The two mistakes in the frame ave been corrected so I now have light in the ensuite.

The framers did do the right thing by us though, and have left a space in the batons where we can put the flue for the fireplace through.

The utilities have commenced too with the gas and water pipes being installed.  The gas heater was originally supposed to be outside the back door under the house although I was never totally happy with that position.  Fate smiled on us however as apparently that location did not meet the safety requirements for installation so at no cost I was able to get it repositioned around to the side of the house where the air-conditioning unit is located.

The external taps had not been marked on any of the original plans I signed off on, but I questioned this at signing and had them marked on a plan at the locations I wanted.  I had a copy of this signed by both myself and the company.  This turned out to be a good move, I am not sure what sort of plan the plumbers were given but it appears they placed the taps either at standard locations or where seemed logical to them.   One was placed out the front of the house on the wall we are going to run the path to the front door along, so anyone who walked along there would wipe their leg out on the door - if we had put a garden in there I suppose it would have been logical but we do not want any garden beds right against the house because this is another one of those termite risks.  

The other tap was placed under the house rather than out the back near the garage door.  We have a space outside the games room where I eventually want to put a spa so had wanted the tap there to service the spa.  I had also put in a variation the week before for another tap to go under the house as P has decided he would prefer the workshop here as it will give him more space than a shed out the back would.  This extra tap had not been put in at all, so the we ended up telling the company to leave the tap under the house, even though its not where the variation tap was supposed to be - its close enough, and they now just need to put the extra tap out the back.

Tip - Ensure you mark where you want the external taps and this shows on your plans. 

The other thing we had done this week was to put in noggins to support "things" that would be hung on the wall.  For us this included TVs, computer screens and towel rails.  This idea was suggested to me by our site manager - this guy is actually a font of great ideas.

Tip - Ensure you have noggins in your frames for hanging electronic devices or any other heavy objects.

The First 10 Weeks - Skyview

7 May 11

While browsing other house building experiences I discovered this great site called Nearmaps.  At the moment private users can go on this site and get a satellite view.  The images are taken approx once a month.  The site is free for private users at the moment but is apparently going to paid only shortly so if you want a sticky beak get in quick!!

 

8 Jul1

I have taken screen captures of our site right back to before the area was cleared.  So here is the "story" of the estate development and our place since building commenced.

The initial couple of photos are when the estate was being initially developed.  I think it must have been part of an old farmlet or horse acreage, there was one old house  just out of shot of these pictures.

Postnote: Nearmaps is now pay only :-(

8 May 12

3 Aug 12

2 Sep 12

 7 Oct 12

15 Nov 12

ITS STARTING

Now it gets exciting.  Today I had the meeting with the site supervisor to go through all about how the build will go.  The planned finish date is late Feb.

It sounds like the initial part will go fast.  The cut the block tomorrow and will put the footings down on Friday.  By mid Nov they will be wiring which means that the slab will be laid, the frames up and the roof on so we will be able to see what it looks like.

I am going to go past tomorrow after work so I will upload the first of the progress photos by the weekend - YAY!!

Moving Along - A few Tips in Planning - House Stuff

Other Things With The House

We were given so many ideas and tips by people it was incredible.  Filtering through them is a bit harder as some of the ideas were really valid and logical and others were personal preferences.  So my tips on navigating this mine field:

1.   The big No 1 - the house is yours, you have to live in it and the people you have to please are you and those who are going to live in it.  So if you want ideas and suggestions by all means ask for them but ensure you only ask for them from people who are not going to get all offended if you do something different.  I was lucky and none of my "suggestees" are like that but I have seen situations with friends who have had to deal with this and when you are in the middle of all the "house" stuff the last thing you need is to deal with some offended person who thinks you don't value their opinion.

2.   There are heaps of great things and ideas in display homes and magazines.  By all means view a million of them and write down or take photos of what you like - but - before you get all wrapped up in the designer ideas remember they are designed to sell a product and may not suit your lifestyle.  Also beware a lot of the display homes (if not all of them) look fantastic because of the "extras" that they have in them.  These can rapidly add up and I have been told that some of them will put up to $100,000 of extras in to make the house look fantastic - and thats on a $150,000 - $200,000 house.  If you see a house you really like get the salesman to walk through with you and tell you what is an extra - common things include stone benchtop upgrades, feature walls, high ceilings, additional light fittings, nooks and wall features, patios under the main roof, upgraded fittings like doors and taps, fitted out walk in robes,  upgraded flooring etc.

3.   Now before you get all carried away and then disappoint yourself with what you can't have confirm what your budget it.  Plan to spend about 70% of your budget on your plan and the "must haves".  The balance can then be used to initially cover off on the "unexpected" expenses and towards the end of the process you can use anything left over to get those little luxuries.  This way you won't end up with a huge budget overspend.  A key to this is getting the builder to tell you up front what the "basic" house is and the cost of each of the different types of extras.  Then also cost up things such as any government or councils duties, taxes and fees that will be payable, fittings like lights and curtains, security screens, landscaping, driveway and any other basics that might not be included in your build. 

4.   Consider how you actually live your life - and be honest with yourself - perhaps you have young kids so you need to consider how their safety can be managed in some open layouts, or the kitchen may be a minimalist one with open benches and not much cupboard space - but you might need the storage space or be like me and if you don't have "somewhere" to put "it" you end up with all your precious treasures (and pieces of paper) everywhere.  Consider what you use key living areas for and be honest with yourself.  A couple of examples:

a.   A lot of houses have a "media" or "theatre" room - great idea, posh etc but lets get real.  In our family we chat through TV shows and movies, we watch the TV while doing other family things including cooking etc.  So for us the idea of a separate room for the "movie theatre" experience is just a waste - its not how we live our life nor how we ever would.  What we needed was a space for the kids where they could do their "own thing" and potentially a games room (this was a nice to have not an essential).  So the idea of having a room off the main living areas to watch movies did not fit our needs.

b.  We needed a study which we use HEAPS but we also needed a space for guests to sleep when they visit but the reality is we only have guests a couple of times a year and then only for a week at a time.  So once again a dedicated guest room that would be used 2 weeks a year was a waste.  So rather than having two average size rooms, to accommodate guests and the study, it was more logical for us to make a big study that could fit a double bed in it and give us space for extra shelving etc in the study.

5.    Also think about the longevity of your house and how your lifestyle is going to change over time.  Do you plan to grow old in the house?  If so it might be an idea to keep it single story so you don't have to deal with stairs when you are 70.  Or you many anticipate having adult children at home with you in which case you need to think about their future privacy needs and perhaps things like extra garage or carport space.  Also think about future proofing your house, if you can afford it consider things such as data and smart TV points.

6.     When you have thought about how you live and you have your great ideas folder filled up the next thing you really need to do is prioritise what you want that is over and above the basic needs.  Work out what are your "must haves" as opposed to your "nice haves".  For example you might have "must have" four bedrooms and a "nice to have" might be a study as the reality is you can put desks in the kids rooms and work at the dining table yourself.    Also consider "must have" vs "nice to have" in terms of room sizes.  It may be you cook a lot so a large well laid out kitchen is a "must have", whereas a hotel size bedroom might be a "nice to have".