Locked out!

We've finally been locked out of our home :(  At least that means they've fixed the window :)

Unfortunately we couldn't even peak in the windows and take photos as they're getting reading for painting and have covered all the windows in plastic.

The only difference we could actually see this week was the rendering done to the front of the house. It's still yet to be painted, but at least it was something to see.



 

I also remembered to take photos of the retaining wall this week.

 

 

I'm not really sure how they'll do the remaining bit of fence, but I can see it's the same on the other side of the neighbours property too, so it's obviously not an uncommon thing?

 

Fingers crossed they forget to lock a door or window next week :)



Week 13(ish)

We've hit lock up!!!  Which means we've been invoiced for lock up too...ouch!

Seems lock up doesn't necessarily mean 'locked up' though.  Turns out we have an awning window that appears to be broken so it can easily be lifted open (note to self: remind them to fix window).

We've had all the skirting and architraves done, internal doors have been installed as well as our huge front door (which I LOVE) and all of our cabinets are in too :)  This week the painters are due.

SS is trying to get the house completed by Christmas (I'm not holding my breath though).  If not by Christmas then immediately after he says....although immediately after is pretty much February anyway.

Still no fence.  I'm a little concerned that the neighbours are still waiting on us to do something, although I do not know what (I've contacted them to find out).  I'm interested to see how the fencer is going to install the fence around our retaining wall as it seems to be weirdly built.  It doesn't go the full length of the boundary and stops about 2-3 metres from the side fence that's already built.  It's a strange set up.  I'll have to try and remember to take a photo of it next week to show you all.

Photo time!



Love our huge front door. It will be stained Ebony and have a pull handle

From the inside.
We decided not to obscure the glass in it as we wanted to have as much light coming through as possible.

If you're standing at the front door looking in, you look straight at a wall anyway.

 

Main (i.e. Charlies) bathroom

 

And her shower





Laundry
I was worried about our colours in here, but am happy with choices so far.

Ensuite.
Cannot wait until tiling is done in here. I'm stressing out about our colour choices in here too
 

Obviously the kitchen, with our white cabinets installed

 

Very glad we paid extra for the glass door on the pantry

Another quickie

Not a real lot to report this week.

The water proofers have been in and water proofed stuff :) and it appears the cabinet makers have been in and started to install the cabinets, although most of them are just laying about, but at least the kitchen is starting to take shape.

 

 

 

Oh, by the way, they've cleaned our bricks and I'm much happier with them now :)

What a difference a week can make

Last week we had a frame with windows and a roof on it, this week we have a fully bricked house with internal walls.

It's amazing the difference in the 'feeling' of the house now.  We get a real sense of the size and space of each room now.  Funnily enough, rooms feel larger now the plaster is on.

We love our choice to have square set in the entrance, main living areas, theatre and study, it looks awesome and makes the ceiling feel so high up.  A standard with Boutique Homes is 2340 high doors.  Love love love the tall doorways too.  In our current place I can stand underneath a doorway and hold on to the architraves around the top of the door.  Even Matt can't reach the tops of these doors. Although, it will be difficult to dust the tops.

He loves to have his photo taken :P

 

Starting to get more and more excited about moving in to our brand new home now.  We bought a stack of packing boxes today, not very often you get excited about the prospect of packing :)

 

This week the waterproofing and cabinets are due to be installed. Can't wait to see fittings starting to go in, it will really transform from a shell to a house then :)

 

Photo time.

 

 

Loved this shot - Charlie running down hallway

 

Master - beautiful view of the front yard dump

 

Ensuite

 

 Theatre

 Theatre looking across to study

 

Looking through to family

 





Family/Dining/Kitchen

 

Family/Dining/Kitchen

 

Kitchen/Family

 

Kitchen

 

Alfresco

 

We got our retaining wall!! - Yay!!

 

Weekly selfie

 

 

 

Bricks have started

Finally, we've got bricks on our house.  They've been sitting on the property for 3 weeks now, pissing off the neighbours.

When I've been reading other peoples blogs they all always mention how happy they are with their brick choice and how much better they look in real life (not just a little sample), but I'd have to admit I'm a little disappointed/nervous about our choice.  We upgraded our bricks to a Cat 3 (Indulgence - Truffle).  They look really great in the samples and we drove around and looked at them on other houses, but seeing them on our house they look shit!  I know they look good, I've seen them on other houses, so I'm hoping that once they're cleaned and the mortar has dried more (i.e. lightened) then they'll look better. Really wish we had spent the extra money and upgraded the mortar too (to off-shite) Can't do much about it now :P

Anyway, photo update.

Our bricks are the darker brown ones, the light bricks will be rendered.

The left wall and around the door will be rendered, the right wall is face brick.

Front entrance

 Theatre room, looking out. Cavity sliding doors have been installed.

 

Kitchen, family, dining (plaster has been delivered - plaster photos next week!)

 

Latest cheesy selfie :)

 

Patience is starting to dwindle

Just received our weekly Wednesday update from the office.

Apparently internal lockup is due this week with the bricks and plaster to begin next week.  We've also been told for about the 4th time now, that the retaining wall is delayed.  Our neighbours have been waiting to build their fence since early September and we've had to keep putting them off whilst we wait to have our retaining wall built.

Our old SS told us that the fence can go up as the contractor building the retaining wall advised he can build around it as it's just inside our boundary apparently.  We told our neighbours to go ahead with their fence.

We've just been told today by the office that the bricks are in the way so the retaining wall is delayed another 2 weeks!!! FFS!!!! If the bricks are in the way of the retaining wall, then the bricks are in the way of the fence!!!

The standard response from Boutique?  "We're aware of the urgency of the situation and will monitor it closely".  Wtf is 'monitoring' it going to do? How about actually doing something about it?  Move the frigging bricks! You're the idiots that had them delivered too early in the first place.

Now the neighbours, who've been really patient with us throughout this whole process have lost their patience finally (and rightly so).  They've asked us to have the bricks moved as they had arranged the fence to be built last week, but had to postpone because the bricks were still in their way.  They're not happy the bricks have been sitting on their property for nearly 3 weeks now.

We've been pretty easy going and patient throughout this whole process, but they're beginning to test my patience.....*sigh*

One Site Supervisor down

Just received a call from Boutique to advise us that our SS is no longer with the company. Can't say I'm at all surprised, he wasn't the best at returning calls or giving any real answers.

I've been told that we now have their most experienced SS on our job as they feel they've let us down with progress on our house and want to get things moving along again for us.

Our old SS hadn't even arranged for a bricklayer.  Our bricks have been delivered, but apparently no bricklayer to lay them.  I've now been told that a bricklayer will be there, but not until the 23rd (which is two weeks away).

Oh well, shit happens! It's disappointing that our old SS has let us down, so hopefully the new guy is much better.